In Which I Discover Korean Food

There are several Korean bakeries/ coffee shops not too far away. I drive past them frequently, and I always think about stopping in to see what they carry. This weekend, I finally made the time tp try out a couple, and I will definitely go back again. They are 100 times better than Starbucks!

First of all, the coffee is much better.

Secondly, the baked goods are little rolls and buns with interesting fillings and in cute shapes, like turtles and lady bugs. There are also varieties of breads, but the buns are eye-catching. They also offer uniquely Asian and Korean foods, like red bean buns and red bean bingsoo, which I tried for the first time. Bingsoo, is like an ice-cream sundae, but the bottom layer is shaved ice, red beans or fruit or other flavoring on top, then a tablespoon or two of cut up fruit chunks and marshmallows, and finally a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened soy milk. It's incredibly delicious, especially on a hot day!

Thirdly, the atmosphere is much more relaxed than Starbucks. Families stop in to get coffee or a treat on their way to or from music lessons. Men sit reading Korean newspapers while sipping cups of coffee. Family members of the baristas stop in to check and see how things are going. They feel like neighborhood places to sit and watch life go by, not just a place to get coffee. I intend to do my part to keep them in business.

In Which I Enjoy the Fair (briefly)

This evening, I went to the county fair. It was by far the most pathetic county fair I've ever been to. No, I take that back, I did go to one that was worse. That one had, as a major highlight, the local band of Trekkies in costume. This one at least had a couple tiny barns of assorted livestock and a petting zoo for the kids. It also had racing pigs, fried dough, and a dozen or so rides. I saw the entire thing in 20 minutes, and that includes the pig races. I don't think Virginians understand the purpose of a county fair. This was supposed to be the biggest fair in the state! Quite underwhelming. I took myself out for ice cream as a consolation prize.

In Which I See Gettysburg

I drive through Gettysburg every time I head back up to New York, and yet I have never stopped there. While my family was here visiting, we took a mini-trip to visit. It was, of course, close to 100 degrees, sunny, and completely miserable. I hate the heat. Fortunately, it is now possible to hire a personal tour guide to drive your car around the battlefield so as to not leave the air conditioning. With 5 people, it's cheaper to hire a guide than to take the bus tour.

I did not realize how big the battleground was. The battle took place over the entire town and surrounding farms for miles. It would be possible to walk it all, but it would have taken all day just to get from one battle site to another, and the heat would have killed me long before I made it from one side of town to the other. I learned a lot about the military tactics involved in the war. It's one of those things that is not taught in school simply because there is not enough time. Battle strategy is rather interesting, in retrospect and if no lives are riding on one's understanding of it.

In Which I Meet the Marines

While my family was here, we visited the National Marine Corps Museum, near Quantico. It was surprisingly interesting. the exhibits had lots of models, which helped visualize the information. The marines have certainly taken part in many epic conflicts. I was especially excited to see one of the original flags that flew over Iwo Jima. No flash pictures of it are allowed, and the room is kept very dark to protect the delicate cotten fabric from further deterioration, or I would post a picture of it.

In Which I see Da Vinci

My parents and siblings are here visiting, so we are doing the rounds of tourist-y things. On Saturday, we went to the National Geographic Museum to see the exhibit of replicas from Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks. He designed some weird looking things, but it turns out a lot of them actually work. I'm going to try to upload photos, but my computer's been glitchy, so they may be coming at a later date.

Ok, so now I got the pictures working. Here is one of a tank Da Vinci designed. Someone got the brilliant idea to built it and try it out. Apparently it does work against arrows and swords.

In Which I Return from Traveling

I'm back!!!!! Did you miss me? I visited NY, Chicago, and Atlanta. I visited with lots of friends and family, and I had a marvelous time. I had toddlers dive-bombing me, re-learned how to ride a bike (sort of --- I can go forward, but I fall over when I stop), stayed up until all hours talking, ate lots of chocolate, went out to eat, watched chick flicks and silly tv shows, and visited lots of obscure museums. Some Illinois highlights:

The Lizzadro Lapidary Art Museum in Elmhurst, Illinois. Did you know there is a museum dedicated to the lapidary arts? Do you know what the lapidary arts are? It's the art of carving stone, usually semi-precious. There were some amazing ivory and quartz carvings. And the name is really fun to say. It was named after the museum's founder. This is a picture of a really big meteor. Or maybe it's petrified wood. I can't really remember.

The Historic Theater Museum: It was the upstairs hallway of an old historic theater. The actual museum was not impressive, but the theater was rather nice. It is still in operation and shows current movies.

Hiking at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. It was a muggy day, but the waterfalls were worth seeing. We did a 5 mile hike, or slightly longer, since we missed several branches on the trail. I also didn't get eaten by mosquitoes (though I did in Atlanta. I am still itchy, and my legs look like I am diseased). I didn't know there were actual hills in Illinois, but apparently they were hiding.

In Which I Eat Yoda

This year, for July 4, my sister and I made Star Wars pancakes. The molds are sold at Williams-Sonoma in a set with Yoda, Darth Vader, and a storm trooper. The recipe is delicious. The pancakes come out melt-in-your-mouth light. Last year we blew up marshmallows. I think we are becoming classier each year!