The Weaver Girls do DC

When we all get together it's like no time has passed (besides the little ache in my heart from missing them!)

We were blessed with some fantastic weather for roaming about DC.

The gang's all here!

Enjoying what's left of the blossoms! Although all the petals had been blown off the branches, they were still a sight to see!

This was our favorite stop of the day. It was close enough to the concert on the national mall that we could listen with our toes in the fountain (sounds gross but everyone else was doing it and on an 80 degree day in DC, you take any possible measures to beat the heat). 

DC in Bloom

At last! It is a bitter sweet time for me as an extreme allergy-sufferer but avid flower-photographer. But with the right amount of allergy medication, one can still enjoy the seasonal show!

Post tidal basin run. We got there early to avoid the crowds but silly us, there's no such thing as "avoiding the crowds" due peak cherry blossoms, not even at 7am. 

Flowers, flowers, everywhere!

Love a good tulip. 

DC Winter Sunset

As winter brings record lows in DC (my car said 5 degrees this AM... not cool), these sunset shots make taking a brisk stroll around the basin worth the chill!

Enjoy!

Nature Walk DC

You have to pay close attention to see it but I have borne witness to the fact that the heart of our nation's capital does indeed harbour nature among its concrete bridges and monuments. 

Dance of the suspended spiders at sunset on Kutz Bridge, Tidal Basin.

Praying mantis keeping tabs on passersby. 

Sunset on the Tidal Basin from Thomas Jefferson Memorial. 

Summertime Escape From the Nine to Five.

One would think the cubicle prison would be at its most soul-crushing in the summer time when all you want to do is frolic through a field of daisies and eat a fresh, juicy peach from a road-side stand... instead poor, sad, me peers over my cubicle fortress across the walk-way, through the director's cozy corner office, and out the windows where the sunshine and blue sky beckon.

Ironically, the thought of summertime bliss just outside those windows inviting me to enjoy it in all its glory, makes the Monday-Friday 9-5pm stint in cubicle prison all the more bearable. Just hang on an hour longer, it will be the weekend and we can do fun things with fun people and put the financial reports and draft memos far behind us!

With the summer months coming to a close, let's take advantage of every opportunity to be out, soaking up summer's aforementioned glory. 

'Merica. A Nats game: where you can witness DC's finest
spitting sunflower seeds and yelling obscenities at the ump... 

Flowers in a DC front yard garden on way to Eastern Market for some Sunday morning crepes. 

Starry Nights at Veritas

Water skiing on the lake

Kickball Champions. The Kings and Queens of Arlington

Farmers market season is in full-swing. Williamsburg farmers market vendor selling "salsa kits"- brilliant!

Butterfly posing for his close-up

Coming to America

A visit from our madre tica!

After picking her up from the airport and a quick nap to make up for lost sleep on the airplane, we made the most of our day by walking around the National Mall. The weather was perfect for exploring DC on foot!

Casa Blanca con nuestra madre tica

Ta-dah!

So tall!

Don't let it fall over!

Perfect day for a dip in the reflecting pool....

Now we're cookin! At the Capital Area Food Bank

My fellow interns and I took a field trip to the Capital Area Food Bank to do a little sous-chefing for Kate Sherwood, CSPI's expert healthy-recipe-creator and chef of all things delicious (that is her official job title... not really, but how cool would that be on your resume?!)

We tested out all kinds of recipes, of which Kate picks the best ones and tweaks them to perfection then puts them on the CAFB's healthy recipe database- meals that are healthy and can be made on a budget/with ingredients often found at the Food Bank.

It was fun and the food was pretty delicious! Especially the pumpkin bread which Molly and I made- YUM-O! It was a big hit :)

Wanted to keep these legit aprons.

 

Lunch time!

 

Clean up time in the CAFB kitchen

 

 

 

This is my city face.

Happy August! When I first started working in D.C. three summer ago the first thing I discovered (well besides what the world looked like before the sun comes up) is how depressed everyone in D.C. looked. Well not everyone, mostly the people dressed in business attire and/or wearing a DoD badge. People standing in the slug line (exhibit A)

with their head down trying in vain to catch a few extra seconds of sleep standing up or just looking like this is the last place on earth they want to be. Also, on the DoD bus staring out the window with a blank expression awaiting their destination with a somewhat less than enthusiastic attitude (to put it nicely). It was quite depressing really. I thought to myself, "I must escape this vortex of sadness before I catch it too!!"
However, last week I had 2 eye opening encounters with fellow D.C. workers. Apparently I too have come to wear a constant look of misery when commuting to work too. The first was an (overly) cheerful fellow waiting for the elevator. "Come on guys, SMILE!!! It's almost Friday!!!" to which I responded, "No, it's not. It's Tuesday". I shocked myself a little when the words came out. Determined to turn this attitude around I tried to smile a little more but apparently I was failing. On Friday one of the Pentagon guards said to me in a joking tone, "Ma'am, it is not that serious, God has blessed you with a job!"
I wanted to make a scene and have everyone listening while I proclaimed "THIS IS MY NORMAL FACE!!!" but then I realized it's not my normal face, it's my city face.

Discovery Channel should do an episode about me and my likeness to the owl butterfly. They have wings that look like owl eyes to ward of predators. My face is like that, but for creepers and small-talkers (which I find a lot of on my journey to work.) My own special defense mechanism for life's unwanted encounters.

So if you ever see me in a city and I look like a I want to punch something/someone, don't worry! I'm not mad, I'm warding off the creepers. :)

Musical Guess Who... Slugging Style

Who doesn't love a good guessing game? I agree. They're the best. 21 questions? Every car trip. It forces you to be creative and think outside the box whether you thought of the item or you're guessing it. So I started making up my own guessing games. My favorite is Musical Guess Who Slugging Style. Back when Verizon was cool and they had free song ID (where you press listen and 5 seconds later your phone tells you the title and artist of the song playing) I would text it to a friend and have them guess who is driving. Example: I text you XM Station Willie's Roadhouse "Country with a Taste of Texas" (I couldn't make this up people)Song is Silver Dew on the Bluegrass Tonight (seriously, real life I promise). If you then responded "a portly older fellow who ran over the curb when he pulled over to pick up to the slug line and left his left turn signal on for 237 tick tick ticks before he noticed he didn't turn it off" then you would be correct! Of course we would have taken a less specific response but the more detailed the better. Just to clarify, he really did pull up on the curb. Maybe he thought we were playing the floor is lava (excellent game) and really wanted me to get home with my legs intact. AND, he did really let the blinker click 237 times. I counted. It got harder and harder not to laugh and I knew the guy in the back was thinking the same thing. Maybe not counting, but thinking about how funny it was.

In Deee Ceeee! Congressional Jungle... where laws are made, oh, there's nothing you can't do, now you're in D.C

Friday night, a trek through mud for the Darius Rucker Concert (new country obssesion? I think so!) and Saturday... A day in D.C with some of the gals.I hope Jay-z doesn't mind I took some liberties with his lyrics for the title of this post! We went to Arlington National Cemetery for the first time and I highly recommend a visit if you've never been! We just happened to be there during the changing of the guards, which according to a self-proclaimed expert happens every hour on the hour 24/7. Then to the National Mall for the Folkart Festival then lunch! :)

DAY 355/356... 22/23 June 2011

The last two days we have driven to work instead of slugging. Both have been the only two days I've been awake and also been in the front seat. These two factors made it possible for me to notice the fantastic view that is only seen by those making the trek to D.C. northbound at the wee hours of the morning (approximately 5:45am). Since pictures still aren't working (and let's be real, I was too lazy to bring my camera on the journey so I have no pictures to show you even if technology weren't failing me miserably right now) I will paint you a mental picture that will in no way compare to the real deal but will hopefully encourage you to see it for yourself! As you approach the ramp where the HOV empties into a stop sign taking you to the Pentagon you can see off in the distance the silhouette of the capital building against the sunrise boiling above the sunrise like lava. It really is quite lovely and the best way possible to start a long day in northern Virginia.

DAY 48..... 18 August 2010

A trip to Georgetown Cupcake to try and figure out what all the fuss was about, they were pretty tastey... but not $16 for 6 cupcake tastey... :) From left top to bottom right.... Carrot, red velvet, ginger peach, chocolate, lemon berry, vanilla birthday cake.

DAY 40..... 10 August 2010

Tuesday. Staff Call Day. I'm the designated slide clicker. I sit in a chair and click for the next slide. Book on the left: Moby Dick. Staff Call is when I get some serious reading done. Coffee on the right: necessary for making it out of there alive. Today is my last staff call of the summer, oh so bitter sweet.

DAY 36..... 6 August 2010

Easily the longest commute of my life. Staring at the miles creep by at a snail's pace. If it weren't 95 degrees and I weren't wearing a skirt.... I would probably walk home... and beat everyone in a car. I blame the beach-goers who wait until 3:30pm on a Friday to head south on 95..... Why do you hate me beach-going, mini-van with top carrier driving families?

DAY 29..... 30 July 2010

As I mentioned on a photo caption a few days ago, I either take the metro or DoD bus to get to Crystal City from the Pentagon. This morning, I was right on time to take the bus. The bus that comes on the :45 of every hour is driven by a lady who listens to classical music while she drives. I can tell some of the other passenger's don't share my feelings on this matter, but I have to admit, I'm a big fan of the music selection. I like to listen while I look out the window and apply the music to the things I see: like a bird hopping along the sidewalk or a big guy in camo running across the street while the crosswalk timer ticks down to zero, etc :)

DAY 27..... July 28 2010

A change of scenery! Every Monday-Friday I slug into work. I sit in the back and usually fall asleep before we get to the HOV, waking up just in time for the Pentagon exit. However, sometimes it's not so simple...... not every slugging experience is so pleasant. In fact, 9 times out of 10, it's miserable. The music's too loud or there's no music at all, or even worse.... the radio version of CSPAN!!! The air is either blasting turning me into a human popsicle, or no air at all. They drive like a maniac with a license to kill, or like a grandma or her Sunday drive through the country side.

But today, I'm the driver and I have the power to make this the best commute of four lucky riders' lives! I did my best to make sure all were comfortabley cool, music at the perfect volume, and got us to work safely but in good time. It's obvious that all my bad experiences made me more sympathetic to the rider as a driver. I wish were required to go through at least one miserable rider experience!!

In conclusion, drivers need to get with the program and stop making my commute more painful than it already is. As for the riders of Northern Virginia... well, I salute you.

DAY 25..... 26 July 2010

If I make it to the Pentagon at 6:45 or 7:00, I take the DoD bus to Crystal City for work (otherwise I take the metro because it's too darn hot to sit and wait for the next one!) On the way to Crystal City we go under a bridge, where these paintings hang. I think they're basically the collest thing about Crystal City. Each side has a different theme or pattern, both totally amazing in their own special way!!! Here are both sides. Today I stayed up north for the Black Keys concert at DAR Consitution Hall so I had some time to wander and of course I wandered here to take a look up close! If you go under this bridge one day and a picture is missing.... well, I plead the fifth... still working on how to get one of these home.

DAY 12..... 13 July 2010

THIS is a map of the metro. I ride it frequently to and from work. Why a picture of the metro map? Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to take pictures in the Pentagon Metro (for obvious safety reasons). However, this day must be documented! This is the day you will always remember as the closest you have come to losing to the metro, while still claiming victory! Card into the turnstile, card out of the turnstile. Red lights blinking. Train pulls into the station on the floor below. You have to run, IN A SKIRT!(Thank goodness the escalator was working that day because it's sometimes on the fritz... I love that word). Down the escalator at lightening speeds. sprinting past people (throwin bows for anyone you stood in my path... not really though) The doors begin to close. "Please step back and allow the doors to close" No metro voice lady!!! I refuse to "step back to allow the doors to close" Turn sideways, slide onto the train car just in time! Sit and smile as onlookers marvle in the glory of my victory. Point Alyssa in the metro vs. me saga.