Saturday: Autocross is a hobby Dan and Erica (above, the birthday girl with her sun-screening parasol) share on weekends and for this event they took Tim along with them. Tim got a sunburn in spite of applying sunblock and wearing a hat, but he had a great time riding shotgun with his brother and his niece, who were taking turns driving in their shared little blue Miata.
Meanwhile Fran and I went to see African Cats in the morning, had a lovely long lunch, and then went to see Water for Elephants in the afternoon. Both movies were very good. I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen a couple of years ago and thought the movie followed the storyline pretty well, but I wish they had included a little more about the elephant’s mischief with the circus lemonade stand. African Cats was especially wonderful, the cinematography was spectacular and the stories were unforgettable. Fran and I found ourselves crying and laughing and cheering for Sita the cheetah and Layla the lioness. The true story was touching without being sentimental – what sacrifices mothers will make for their little ones! If you see how Layla plans for her daughter Mara’s future you will know beyond any doubt that animals do love and understand loss. I’ll be buying this one when it comes out!
Sunday: Five of us went into Washington D.C. to visit the Eastern Market. First had lunch at a fine Italian restaurant, Acqua al 2 (Water for 2, place-mat above). There are three of them, the original one in Florence, Italy, one in San Diego, California, and this one in D.C. Tim & I were teased a little – they said we looked like the couple pictured on the place-mat! We had a nice window seat where we could people-watch at the market. (Below, our view) The food was delightful and very satisfying.
After shopping, Dan & Fran bought some Italian food at the market to cook for our dinner. I gained 5 pounds on this trip! Back to moderation for me!
We were parked on North Carolina Avenue and admired the charming townhouses (above) and gardens (below) along the street.
Monday: Train ride home was pleasant and uneventful. We were wondering if security would be tighter or changed in some way after learning about Osama bin Laden’s death late Sunday night. While Tim was off getting coffee and I was sitting with our bags at Union Station in D.C. a bomb-sniffing dog and its handler checked out our bags and then moved on to the next person’s bags with no comment.
It was a wonderful weekend and I feel so refreshed after reconnecting with Fran and having some good conversations. Today I’m puttering around unpacking and doing laundry, etc. Had a can of sardines for calcium and Vitamin D. Went out on the balcony at noon for my fifteen minutes of sunshine, and gave myself a little Reiki while I was at it. The birds were sweetly singing, too! Maybe I’ll put some flowers out there this year…
You should have offered to autograph the place mats then, as the real life versions of the people pictured.
Now why didn’t I think of that? Great idea! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your weekend adventure with us — it sounds like a great time was had by all.
You’re welcome, Laurie… We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
I am doing laundry today too! Common bonds across the world! I love your photos and I am jealous of your lovely weekend.
Thank you, Flamingo Dancer! United in the mundane but universal chores of life… 🙂
Sweet! Sounds like you had a wondrous weekend! Thank you for sharing your journey!
Jeff
You’re welcome, Jeff! I thought of you as I was riding the train through New Jersey and Philadelphia…
This is really a sweet synopsis of your weekend. I want to know WHY they thought you looked like that couple on the placemat! I love the way you simply but beautifully describe your life in words. Your spirit shines through the words like sunlight through the flowers you were going to put out.
Kathy, thank you, you’re so kind and so curious! I think they see us in that couple because we’re still starry-eyed and hopelessly in love – on May 10th it will be for 36 years. Also, Tim is chubby, balding, wears glasses and has a beard and I adore him still. ♥ (And yes, I have a rather pointy nose!)
That is so sweet!
🙂
Hi Barbara,
Sounds like everyone had a fantastic time. I love the townhouses and of course the gardens as well, an unusual building for townhouses, but that’s probably why I like it. 🙂
Great photo’s.
Thanks! It was an unusual townhouse, and end unit on the corner of a v-shaped intersection. I wish I could have knocked on the door and asked to see the floor-plan inside!
What a lovely weekend Barbara and great photos. Thanks for sharing with us.
Did you manage to bring home the big book of quotes on the train?
Congratulations on 36 years 🙂
I havent read the Elephant book. Should I read it or is it OK to watch the movie?
You’re welcome and thank you, Rosie!
Yes, I brought the book on the train – it took the space that had been previously occupied by a gift I brought with me for Fran. 🙂
It would be fine to see the movie, in my opinion, it did capture the flavor and the gist of the book. It concentrated more on the humans and their stories than the animals and their stories, which was a little disappointing, but not terribly so.