October 11, 2024
Fall definitely has a feel. My hunt today was to capture it in Shenandoah National Park. This would mean hiking probably too strenuously considering I forgot to change into my hiking boots and had no water. But here, enjoy the autumn I found.
October 10, 2024
I’m not a jealous person. I love when other people are beautiful and adventurous and well-adjusted and successful, contrary to petty haters whose lack of confidence pervades all their behavior and rottens their head and heart, poor things. But I’ll admit… when the Aurora Borealis starting showing up vividly near Read more…
October 9, 2024
Feeling the urge to see as much as I can before I am no longer living in the DC area, I chased down another place on my list while being on Short Call Reserve. This abandoned church is one of two in the woods–relics of a ghost town. With a Read more…
This post about Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens spans two visits. The first in mid-September was curiosity, reconnaissance… it was also at high tide which limits your ability to see most of the park as paths are submerged in water. The aquatic gardens in mid-September were still vibrant green but Read more…
October 6, 2024
I feel like I have been on vacation for a year… each day an unknown waiting adventure. I welcome the adventures. In fact, I am here for them… away from all I know and love. So let me pay my dues then let me get to a place where I Read more…
With a long overnight in Charleston, I just knew I was going to find my way to Magnolia Cemetery. But since rental cars were so high, I had to Lyft on over. It was well worth the price. The grounds were alive in pale green, sopping wet and had alligators Read more…
October 4, 2024
Takoma Park, which is just a short walk away from where I live in Washington DC, has got some great food. This time I walked to Roscoe’s Neapolitan Pizzeria to order from their all-vegan menu. It’s pretty extensive and offers many vegetal dishes and not just meat substitutes. First, an Read more…
October 2, 2024
I had a relatively long overnight in Huntsville, so I checked some things out beyond the historic cemetery. But this required walking… do not take the ability to walk in peace, in safety for granted. Huntsville is not a walky place, but it is how you find the gems. Like Read more…
Overnights are a highlight of the job. Sometimes they last only for a good night’s sleep, others last a couple hours short of an entire day. Even quick overnights offer at least some good natural light from the large hotel windows to take selfies. Others offer at least the palm Read more…
October 1, 2024
My job offers me the opportunity to explore so many cities. An one of the things I like to add to my list is cemeteries. Beautiful historic rural cemeteries offer me lots of steps and lots of pictures. To follow, one such cemetery close to my hotel in Hunstville, Alabama… Read more…
September 29, 2024
At the shop helping with errands. Date night and possibly the most shrinkflation-y avocado roll I ever did see! “where’s the beef?!” This wacky picture my Mom printed and framed now has a home by the side door. Ah I remember making these smoothie bowls. I miss so much stuff! Read more…
September 28, 2024
I told you I would use a lot of my pumpkin puree while home and I was not kidding. I used Rainbow Nourishment‘s delicious recipe, but made a few tweaks. And I used the Ghirardelli Non-Dairy Dark Chocolate Chips I had in the freezer. I really love the chocolate flavor, Read more…
During our mushroom hunt, we all worked up quite the appetite. So we consulted the list of “kids eat free” eateries we had compiled, knowing that there were deals on Sunday. It would be the third of such explorations with the kiddos… because feeding 5 is expensive! After calling to Read more…
I once knew a guy who knew all about mushrooms. It was just one of a collection of deep knowledge bases he had, though completely impractical in his daily life. He was far ahead of his time but cemented in an overall rejection of the now. He was so much Read more…
September 27, 2024
And bam! I’m back home ready to partake in autumn baking. The huge pumpkin I processed last autumn gave me tons of puree… and it sat in the freezer waiting patiently. Today I would put some to use. But first a thaw and a reduction, cooking down much of the Read more…
September 22, 2024
As one might expect, DC has the best museums. And many of the best, the Smithsonian family of museums, are free! These are some shots from The Smithsonian American Art Museum. So much beautiful art… it can take up many afternoons of perusing. I liked her face… …and the quote. Read more…
We stumbled upon a gorgeous garden in an alley way in Washington DC… and there, the Stick Pea flower which I became obsessed with. This post is just a quick study of its beauty Even the bees were into it Some none-Stick Pea stuff… this massive hibiscus And these things. Read more…
September 21, 2024
We could say that it was for my friend’s birthday or my upcoming birthday or just because, but we splurged on an elegant 5-course meal at Elizabeth’s in Washington DC. The innovative and playful meal featured plants in surprising forms, forms so transformed and undetectable from their original state that Read more…
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC is the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America and one of the most beautiful man-made places I’ve ever seen. The divinely ornate mosaic domes top this tallest habitable structure in DC–home to 82 Marian chapels celebrating Read more…
September 19, 2024
Just a quick stop at the all-vegan Mad Rabbit Cafe, just a short walk from my hotel. After hours of snacking on airplane nuts, it is nice to sit down and get serve a hot, delicious vegan sandwich. I got the No Harm, No Fowl—fried chik’n, chipotle sauce, cabbage slaw, Read more…
Just a quick drive from Madison, Wisconsin is Verona–headquarters to the software company Epic. The sprawling campus is quite the draw as it features structures meant to evoke the imagination. Both the exterior buildings and the inside workspaces are themed! Though I just walked about on my own, opting to Read more…
September 16, 2024
Four years ago today I had my last contact with my dear friend Ellen. It was the evening she passed away. When you lose someone close to you, you find ways to keep their memory alive. Silly insignificant things hold meaning in the context of loss. So my text strand Read more…
September 14, 2024
It was time for another trip… this meal prep would be easy peasy. Bread, almond butter, jelly Fruit is a necessity … these kiwis only lasted a day. I ate them all up one after another! Long time, no uniform! An abandoned hotel on my walk in Albany, my first Read more…
September 13, 2024
Another cloudy day would be the perfect time to meander in another historic rural cemetery in DC. Oak Hill Cemetery was very pretty with lots to see on a smaller scale than by say Rock Creek Cemetery. That face Checkerboard tiling was a nice touch Baby boy Allow me to Read more…
September 12, 2024
In honor of James Earl Jones, I returned to Washington National Cathedral to locate the 7th story Darth Vader grotesque, a part of the Gothic architecture since 1986 following a contest announced in National Geographic For Kids. The gargoyle was designed by a 13 year old boy from Nebraska and Read more…
September 11, 2024
DogTown‘s veggie burger Our favorite, Swillburger This year’s portrait session. I really love how they came out. Hope to see you soon, Home.