There is a big empty spot in my side yard!

I am happy to announce the removal of

the horse trailer project.  

It is now an empty space

ready for some plants

or some lovely 

something. 

Some one sure worked hard

this week-end!

Good going.

TSA denies having required a 95-year-old woman to remove diaper

Which would you rather I take on a plane?
a Knife or a yogurt?

Okay here we go again. 

It's time to STOP the kind of harassment that we are receiving in line
for flights. Yes this OLD women was given a choice
"don't fly because your Depends is wet, or Go out of line to a rest room,
get in line again and then you may fly without underwear.

She had dementia and was 95 years old.  

I flew again two weeks ago.  I take medication that requires me nearly two hours before I can eat.  I tossed in some yummy expensive very thick yogurt, a napkin 

and a spoon in a lunch bag and headed out
for my early flight to the east coast. 

Last time it was my little bit of coin for the grand kids this time it was my yogurt. 

They kept saying it was a Liquid, I said let me open it and show you it is a solid. 

I even begged this time because it was going to be over 5 hours in the air and no food.  

I was near tears, I was sure a tiny Greek yogurt was a solid. 

Well they tossed it once I retrieved my spoon from the bag. 

I got on my plane and to my surprise, while rooting in my purse for 

my i-pod I found my Knife.  Yes I carry a knife but usually take it out when I fly.

SHOCK and By golly they thought the "Liquid" yogurt was 

more important than my knife!

NEED I SAY MORE!

PS  I was thinking of taking my knitting, goodness
what would they say about my size 00 knitting needles.


TSA clean up your act!

What I love about Washington DC

First I should start with what I don't love about Washington DC and that would be humid Heat!  Yes we arrived to 110 degrees and 80 percent humility.  I don't think my skin would survive three showers a day but that is the LEAST amount I would need to take to live there.


Far away daughter, not so far away, picked us up in her nice air conditioned car.  That was a relief and she worked to make our whole trip comfortable.  We really appreciated that.

I don't have any photo's for our first day in DC.  We arrived after a very bumpy flight. We got the car washed, my first trip to a car wash in my 50 something years.


That evening we met Meagan (Lyndy's friend for as long as I can remember) at the famous Gadsby Tavern 1770.  They were wonderful to us and we didn't even have a reservation.  If you are ever in Alexandria look them up, make some reservations and enjoy the history and great food, George Washington did and so did some other historical folks.  We loved the peanut soup, the service was the best ever and the candle light was soft and lovely for catching up with old friends & a daughter we don't get to visit often!

The rest of the trip I have photos for so I will let them help with the story. 

Friday was a get up get going day...Off to the many security stops on our way to the certificate ceremony.

The comments were encouraging, the certificates were given out, a formal  photo taken with  Raijiv Shah, head of U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, and then this big group photo.  I was not using flash so as not to interfere with the formal photographer so my colors are slightly off. 

We enjoyed meeting the families of the other new foreign service officers 

and I can say with a smile, those were the best

little cupcakes I've ever had and I'm sorry I only tried two! 

I'm sure my family doesn't know this but I LOVE old buildings

I think my time in design classes gave my eyes a sensitivity to design in everything including buildings.  This is outside the window at the Reagan building. I don't know what was in that beautiful building but I had a great view from the USAID window!

Nothing like a bunch of Reagan's pointing at the Reagan sign on the Reagan Building!

Now I had goals, goals I had on my last trip that never worked out.  Everything I wanted to see most was closed due to the 9/11 attack.  After the ceremony we headed out into the heat and humidity armed with water bottles!  First lunch at a Potbelly sandwich shop.  It was noonish and lines were long, you had to know what you wanted  and be willing to quickly say so.  Ask for extra peppers they are so tasty and you must have a shake... This was good food to arm ourselves for a long day.

Here we are!  At last!  Finally I'm going to get to see the National archives.  

We picked up the only tickets left (for late in the day) for the Ford Theater

and decided to pass our time here. 

It was breath taking to see these actual documents of freedom.  

The Declaration Of Independence, The Bill of Rights, The Constitution, all there, protected in a lot of glass and very dim lights.  I know why, the ink is nearly gone, faded and weak looking but the words we know them, I hope, I had to memorize many of them in school.  It didn't seem real to be looking at them. 

The Ford's Theater tour was done by the National Parks Dept.  Most all the theater has been redone,  Seems that what we consider important "stuff" to save was not always the case in the course of history.  Yes I think that is true today also.  It gives me pause to even see a redone baloney that held President Lincoln.

My hair looks terrible in hot and humid weather!

We made it over to the American Indian Smithsonian. 

My spinning friends know what these tools are. 

I was too tired from the heat to really enjoy this museum.  There were lots of stories of the native people and their lives today.  We did manage to read everything about the native Americans of our state but soon headed back to the subway hoping for an air conditioned subway car!

Spinning whorls from South America

This is the mall area and as you know if you live where there are subways

You must look for a way down, or under the ground level.

  We know there is one along here somewhere. 

 This is looking the other direction, that tall tower in the back ground is the Washington Memorial.  You can see it from all over the place!  It's a landmark you can use to...............get lost I think. 

Okay that's the first two days more on the rest of our trip later

Enjoying Alexandria

We ate breakfast in Alexandria's Farmers market, selling good stuff since 1753! Even George Washington sent his produce to this market. Getting up early was worth that fragrance of amazing fruits I caught a block away.

Oh the peaches, oranges, veggies, bread all of it amazing.  Wow I'll tell you heat is bad for such lovely eatables so this market starts early and they go away with the sun.

We had fresh squeezed orange juice, oh my childhood returned and chocolate chip scones that were better than most scones!  We couldn't leave without some fresh bread and veggies to go on pizza.  What you don't put veggies on your pizza?  Why not?

The day toyed with thunderstorms and we bought our tickets 

for a Potomac River boat tour. 

And now for the photos from the river

heading out from the Alexandra dock

US Naval research lab

The Capital building...Looks just like the Washington state Capital

For the first part of our boat trip I was taking the photos under an umbrella
it was a trick to hold the umbrella and take photos and keep the camera dry.

I think this is the National Defence University
Far away daughter once worked for The NDU.
Fun times!

This is the National Cathedral
Our only Gothic building.
click on the photos to make them bigger

So the Potomac has some brackish water that feeds into it
that means it can rise with the tide and today was one of those
times, it was high enough we had to cheat our way under an
up coming bridge.  Antenna were laid down we all went to
the lower level and slowly we went under the bridge.
The fun part is we got to do this both
coming and going. 

Now we pass all the memorials
Washington Memorial


Lincoln Memorial

Jefferson memorial

There are some great bridges on this trip and the
ride helps you get an idea on where everything is before you
do it on foot. Which I have done!

Now on into George town
I hear the water is the best way to visit this area
guess traffic and parking is not fun. So Take the boat!

Lots of places to eat and the cupcake shop
our cupcakes were said to come from!
Wait I don't even like cake but these were so good.

Everyone know what these are?

I do love the bridges

now back to Alexandra and on to Thai
food dinner and meeting Meagan
for the Ghost Tours! OOooooo

Great tour! Thanks