On my day off...

I saw some of these:

Fed this little beggar some french fries:

And ventured here:

And it was glorious!

Last Friday was declared a company holiday, and I did not protest. My mom and I ventured into the city for a day of fun. Those are the very best kinds of days!

To start out, we headed across the good ol' 520 bridge to Madison, the dwelling place of City People's Garden Store. And boy oh boy what a treat this place is!  I'm a sucker for nurseries, and this one did not disappoint. Beautiful (cheap) plants, cute garden accessories--what more could you ask for? And I happened to find some pretty slick cat-eye sun glasses. Always a bonus!

Our next stop was Leschi Beach to stake out a spot for the BIG EVENT. And by BIG EVENT I mean the Blue Angels practicing for their Seafair show (which is pretty much exactly the same as the practice runs). The planes flew right over our heads!  Dogs barked, children cheered, umbrellas were bountiful (but not because of rain), and most everyone got sunburned.  It was joyous!

Because we were already in Seattle, and already paid the ridiculous toll (I'm not a fan), Mom and I decided to head down town, and act like tourists. With our car parked near Pioneer Square, we strolled along the piers where we watched the ferries come and go. We ate fish and chips at Ivar's, and fed the pesky seagulls. We checked out the new Ferris Wheel, and decided it was a little pricey for what it was.  

Then we hiked up the hill to Pike's Place--quite possibly my favorite place in the city. Tourists were everywhere, and I then remembered why I almost never go down town during the summer. What is it about tourists that make one claustrophobic? 

Mom, a true Seattlite, had never seen the infamous gum wall, so it was a must on our list of things to do. It's pretty disgusting, but amazing at the same time. Don't you love how my shorts match the wall?? 

It was a wonderful day spent with my lovely ma. I'm so glad I moved back, so I could be close to her and the rest of my family!

Here's to family, the Blue Angels, and Seattle in the summer! Hurrah! 

Once upon a time...

...a very lucky girl living in Washington DC was visited by the best mother in the world (who happens to live in the other Washington). Whilst gallivanting about the delightful town of Philadelphia, art was seen, historical monuments were visited, and delicious food was consumed.

It was an amazing day. I had the day off from work, so we headed up to Philly first thing, and went straight to the Barnes Foundation. Oh my art collection!

(source)

(source)

(source)

It is one of the absolute best collection of French Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Early Modern Art. I was in heaven! The collection includes  181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos, 18 Rouseaus, 11 Degas, 7 Van Goghs, 6 by Seurat, 4 by Manet, and 4 by Monet. When I said I was in heave, I truly was! 


The collection is housed in the estate of the late Dr. Albert C. Barnes. In 1922 he founded The Barnes Foundation to  "promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts" (source). The unique display of the art contributed to this. I won't go into much more about the Foundation, because it is quite controversial, really. If you are at all interested, I suggest watching a documentary on The Barnes Foundation called The Art of the Steal. 

Not only did we gallivant around Philly, but we also road tripped it to Valley Forge and Lancaster. The wind was so strong in Valley Forge, that the electricity went out at the visitor's center. We opted for the car tour--good thing we did, as there was a humongous Boy Scouts of America camp going on. Luckily we were able to beat most of the crowds, or at least get ahead of the boy scouts.

(The house where Washington stayed and some surrounding buildings)

Lancaster was a bit of a disappointment. We tried to make it to the Amish Market, but it was closing down as we were walking in. The town of Lancaster itself was quite beautiful, but we noticed that there were quite a few men loitering about, looking a bit rough around the edges. Quite the juxtaposition. We did pick up some jam (complete with "Shannon's Strawberry"), and headed to the outlets. 

(The center of town)

(An Amish buggy waiting in traffic)

 On Washington's birthday we headed down to Mount Vernon. It was rainy and wet, but little did we know that Mount Vernon was going to be free! We were pretty excited, and spent some time on the grounds. We also got to see Dean Malissa, aka The Official George Washington (Malissa has done a program or two for our department). Mom thought it was pretty cool. 

Afterwards, we drove through Old Town Alexandria, got caught up in the parade traffic and subsequently left. We lunched in Georgetown, walked around a bit, and then headed home. I was so sad to see my mum, and her little yellow bug go! 

It was a wonderful visit!

 Mom, we should do it again sometime! 

To the best Mom in the whole world...

I know you'd rather be doing this right now!

I love you!

Ma Matka!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I LOVE YOU!

Connecting the Dots

So as you probably have noticed, I'm not in Taiwan anymore. Many are surprised that I made it out to DC so quickly. So where in the States have I been in the last month? Let's connect the dots...

This was our first stop. Can you guess where we were?

I said "Hi" to my good friend Jessica in her hometown...













Drank some Lithia water (so refreshing!)...

















Encountered some sunnier, warmer weather while visiting my grandpa. I was even able to break out my Chacos--my feet were happy to be in sandals again!













We saw some amazing cloud formations....


















Saw a gorgeous church...













Visited Bill Clinton's hometown (by accident. That's the house he lived in!)...













Fortunately it was in Bill Clinton's hometown (or was it birth place?) that I had my first encounter with a Waffle House. And it was swell!













We sped by Talledega Speedway...













Saw CNN....


















And some other interesting things in the South...















Fireworks were everywhere!



Finally, Mom and I made it to our nation's capital! The National Mall still bore the marks of the inauguration that occurred a week before. So did you connect the dots? How many states did I drive through? Ok, I'll go ahead and tell you: Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. Fourteen states in a week and half. And let me tell you, we could definitely feel it by the time we finished. I don't think I want to do a road trip that long for quite a while. But I'm grateful for my mom who so willingly made the trek out with me. I don't think I could have done it without her, despite what she says. :)

Here's to the greatest mom in the world: mine!