In Which I see My Grammaw

I took a leisurely drive up to the Philadelphia area this weekend to visit my Great Aunt Wanda, and my grandparents, who were visiting her too. It was like a pre-Thanksgiving bash. My grandma even made turkey! It was so nice to visit family. We chatted and ate because that's what the family does when we are all together. I had the best milkshake this weekend! We went to a 50's-style diner, complete with red pleather seats and waitresses wearing short red-striped uniforms. They had the yummiest, thickest, ice-creamiest milkshakes ever. Grandpa and I had chocolate (of course!), and Grandma had strawberry. We actually drank all of them, even though they were huge!

Aunt Wanda and the grandparents say, "Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving!"

Happy Halloween!

It is autumn again in Virginia. Sunny, cool, colorful autumn. Yesterday I went hiking. I tried to go to Great Falls, which is supposed to be really amazing. However, there was a very big rally in DC on Saturday (the Rally for Sanity, which was insane), and traffic was backed up for almost 30 miles in every direction going toward DC. Totally crazy. So I turned around and went to a local place instead.

I made a Halloween feast for a friend who had never ever had Halloween fun-food before. We made mummy hot dogs, witches' fingers, ghost potatoes, and monster mouths. The food came out pretty good!

In Which the First Lady Speaks

I went to the National Book Festival a couple weekends ago. It was, of course, incredibly cool to be surrounded by 130,000 other book-lovers. I walked around, collected bookmarks and posters and tote bags. But really I went because Laura Bush, the former first lady, was speaking. I had to wait in line to have my bags searched by the Secret Service before I could enter the tent. It was just like on tv --- the guys in black suits, with earpieces in their ears, constantly eyeing the crowd for threats. I was almost as entertained watching them as hearing Mrs. Bush speak. She was very good. She read an excerpt from her autobiography, and then answered a couple questions from the audience. She seems like a very gracious lady, and I admire all she has done for literacy efforts in this country. It was a very memorable event!

In Which I Hang with my Peeps

I went on an adventure to Old Town Alexandria, then a boat ride across the Potomac to National Harbor, MD. It was a beautiful day yesterday in the afternoon. Alexandria's old town is a picturesque area with lots of small homes, shops, restaurants, and tourists. It is right on the the river, and it attracts a wide variety of people.

The boat ride over to National Harbor was enjoyable. First, we stopped at the Gaylord National Hotel, the largest non-gaming hotel on the East Coast. It is impressive! The atrium is 18 stories high. I am planning on attending a conference there in April for the Council for Exceptional Children. I hadn't planned on staying at the hotel, even though it's a 9o minute drive, but if I save up all my pennies, I might splurge and stay one night, just for the experience!

The next stop was National Harbor, and the first store I saw made may day complete. I spent almost 30 minutes hanging with my Peeps!

There is also a very odd statue on the beach, of a man (Poseidon?) buried in sand. Kids really had fun climbing all over him. I just thought it was rather disturbing, yet funny. I really wanted to stick my fist up his nose and have my picture taken saying, "Look, mommy, I'm picking his nose!" My friend did not think this was funny. So I am standing next to the head, instead, being a level-headed adult.

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.