8-31-2011 Last day in Alexandria

The truck is gone. We stayed in the L'Orien Hotel in a suite with rooftop access. Very nice.

We went back to clean during the morning, had breakfast at our favorite place, Bread and Chocolate. After the house was spic and span, we walked down to the river for our last view. We will really miss not living close to the water, especially a real river like the Potomac. Our stay here has been like a dream - we have seen so many places and learned so much.

So now, it is off to New Mexico.

8-29-2011 The start of the move Home

The packers came today. On Sunday, the 28th, we found a dead rat in the street by our Rav in front of our house. Hurricane Irene swept through on Saturday - lots of angst but not too much damage inland - trees down and damage from that. The big damage was on the coast. So between an earthquake, a hurricane and dead vermin on our doorstep - it is time to go back to New Mexico.

Here are some pictures of our favorite parts of Alexandria, taken over the preceding weeks. Most river pictures are early from early morning walks, one of our favorite things to do in summer, before the day got really hot and humid. And there was always a lot of life along the river. Alexandria was a great place to enjoy all kinds of birds - the sound of bird songs in the mornings could raise the dead. The Saturday morning farmer's markets were a big treat, especially the folks from West Virginia that brought such great fruit and produce. The last picture is the pathway down to the river - we will never forget the magic of seeing the fireflies along this path after dark.

7-9-2011 Happy Birthday Alexandria

Every year Alexandria celebrates its Birthday on the weekend after the fourth. Since we had been in Albuquerque over the Fourth and missed the DC version, we though this would be good to see. It is Alexandria's 262nd BD. We walked down to the waterfront park - it was actually not too hot - and found a spot right behind the 4 howitzers that the Marine Cadets from Quantico had brought. We had to wait about 90 minutes for it to get dark enough. The Alexandria Symphony played the 1812 Overture and the fireworks went off at the end - a nice show - probably nothing to compare with DC's but then there were 20x fewer people probably - and we could just walk home.

6-28-11 Pirate ships, broken bridges, fireflies and fairys

It cooled off a bit tonight so we took a walk at about 8:45. The weather has been hot for two days but really quite temperate and even pleasant before that. As we came around the corner of the pier on the Potomac by our house at 9pm, just as it was getting dark, we saw a three-masted ship at rest in the river. We suspected it was waiting to go under the Wilson Bridge, waiting for the bridge to open. The ship looked for all the world like what one thinks of as a pirate ship, complete with gun ports on the side. The bridge did start to open, the ship sailed through and the bridge started to close - a 20 minute process - but one of the ramps seemed to hang up and it looked like the operators were bouncing it to get it to come down. We thought we might be witness to the "Night the Wilson Bridge Broke" but no, they got it to work and the Beltway resumed its load roar. The fireflies were out in force as we walked home, all the way up into the tops of the trees, so the whole green belt near our house looked sparkly with little blue lights. I thought this must be where stories of fairies come from.

6-1-2011 The Beast is here!

It's HOT! Our first 90 degree day, a watershed event (no pun intended), was 5/26. In the past few days it has really been hot. Heat and bad air advisories. Air so steamy you can see the water vapor. The AC in the house was repaired on Tuesday due to the water drain clogging and shorting out the electronics inside the unit. Cost our landlord $2K. We escaped over the weekend on our W Va-Pa trip - it was not that bad over there. Hot, yes, but not so steamy. Even with all this though, we think we have acclimated somewhat. We actually went out walking tonight and really worked up a sweat. Last year I don't think we would have done that. I am wearing the short sleeve shirts to work now and my two sport coats (blue and tan) are stored in at work. No coats outside now.

3-20-2011 A walk around Alexandria

Spring is here! The tourists are back. The crocus plants are popping up in the grass. Life is good!

12-27-10 A break for luxury

Sue had been sad that she could not soak in a tub, like the one we have at home. So, for Christmas, she got a night at the L'Orien Hotel in Alexandria, in the Soaking Tub Suite. A huge bathroom, a deep clawfoot tub, she was a happy camper. It was really cold walking down there at noon - and a little strange, us with our backpacks checking into this luxury hotel. We missed going to the Greek restaurant we wanted to try, but Bertucci's is always good. A nice time.

12-4 Scottish Walk, Handels Messiah

Sue and I had missed the Scottish Walk in Alexandria last year. This year we were at the Parade route bright and early. It was pretty cold though. This parade is a walk through Alexandria of the Scottish families, Pipe and Drum bands and, in place of horses, lots of dog groups. Great fun and great hearing all the pipe bands. the massed band performance at the end was particularly good for a bagpipe lover.

After that great event, we went to hear Handel's Messiah at the National Cathedral. It was performed by a smallish orchestra with instruments of the period. The choir was not huge but the setting was great for the sound. Also, they had large screens scattered on the floor so we had a clear view of the soloists. After that, Sue and I went to the Morgan Adams neighborhood for an Ethiopian dinner. Most unique, finger food is a big shared bowl.

11-7 Lee-Fendell & Gatsbys

Today we ticked off some local Landmarks - the Lee-Fendell House and Gatsby's Pub. The L-F House is the boyhood home of Robert E Lee. The tour shows several interior rooms, along with interesting historical tidbits. The picture is of the house from the backyard. Gatsby's is a restaurant from Washington's time and in addition to having really really good food, they have a tour of the upstairs areas that were used as an inn.

9-20-2010 A brand new day

So the downside today is that Dan and Paula leave. We really had a good time with them and they are such low-maintenance visitors. The up side is the weather. I have been wearing long sleeve shirts again for about a week now. Brought the two coats home from work last week. Today was the first time I really felt comfortable in my sport coat going into work. Coll breeze in the air - it got warm in the afternoon but still very pleasant. Yes sir! We are into the good time of year.

9-10-13 2010 Wolkerstorfer visit Part 1

Don and Paula Wolkerstorfer came to visit us for a week plus. They arrived late Friday night and are staying until the 20th.

Saturday was a beautiful day and after a trip to the Farmers Market, we took D&P to the Civil War Forts on the Maryland side of the Potomac. The picture is at the small lighthouse by Ft. Washington.

After getting back we took a water taxi ride to Gaylord National harbor. The boat ride was fun and we explored the large hotel and went up in the tower.

Sunday was a rainy day and we took D&P to see the George Washington Masonic Memorial. As always, a very interesting place, though this time we didn't have a real masonic expert as a guide.

On Monday the Sieberts came to our place and we all walked downtown to have dinner. The Sieberts had just gotten back from an African safari and thus had pictures to show. It had been sometime since they shad seen D&P so it was a good reunion.

8-24-2010 Seasons?

The weather has changed! It was actually almost cool today - maybe just because it was overcast. I wore a long sleeve shirt into the office for the first time in over a month! And I wore one of the office coats home. Could it be?

8-15-2010 Home Weekend

Not much enthusiasm for traveling around - too hot, too humid. So we stayed in town this weekend. Went to the Farmer's market on Saturday morning. Then we went to Irish Fest in Alexandria - a very small affair in the park down at the end of King Street. Some Irish dancers and the town's Drum and Pipe Band. We only stayed about an hour - sweat dripping down our backs. Then out to Brian Foster's condo by Franconia for a party of people from work - mainly Labbies on assignment like me. Good time, and good food.

Sunday we went to see the movie Inception - very novel. Unfortunately I had a huge coke and had to get up and go to the bathroom with 10 minutes left in the movie - Argggg. Now I'll have to rent it - Oh well, it needs to be seen more than once.

We came back home and then walked downtown to have dinner at the Union St. Public House. Good but not memorable.

7-26-2010 Osprey nest

The weather actually broke a bit today. It was cool in the morning (well, low 70s) and we walked instead of going to the gym at 5:30. Those days are coming to an end; it's almost too dark now. A refreshing breeze was most pleasant. After work, we took a walk down by the river and saw these birds, with white heads, on some pilings in the river, right off the new condos located close to our house. A fellow came by and told us it was a family of Ospreys and pointed out their nest on the pilings. We must have looked at it a hundred times and not seen it and had never noticed the birds either. Oblivious! They will leave soon for South America - looked like there were three or four of them. So we didn't have to go to Maine to see Ospreys!

By the way, note the sailing boats in the background - lots of them out on the river this afternoon.

7-16-2010 Help I'm melting

This heat and humidity is really something. Today I started to go into the office with short sleeve shirts - still a tie but no coat. I left two coats, a dark blue and a tan one, in the office and they will have to work with whatever I wear in. I can get sweaty just walking down to the bus stop in the morning or standing on the metro platform. Nonsense.

7-3-2010 Too much heat

Sue and I had planned to go to the Fourth of July rehearsal sessions downtown on the west steps of the Capitol. But as the time to leave got closer, at 4 pm, we looked at each other, imagined sitting in the sun for several hours on the lawn in front of the Capitol building, and said "Naahhhh". So we didn't go. We packed for our trip to Maine tomorrow - it was a better use of the time.

6-29-10 The Weather Breaks

The miserable weather of the last few weeks has broken. It is beautiful again. The sky is blue, the mornings cool and crisp, even at 5 or 6 in the afternoon the humidity is not bad. Thank heavens! We can walk after dinner again and we have started to go on morning walks rather than the go to the gym.

6-12-10 A local day

We went out to Breakfast at a little cafe downtown Alexandria. Very crowded but food was good. I have been looking for a good breakfast restaurant since I saw all the pancake houses on our trip to Williamsburg. But there don't seem to be the same sort of places around this part of VA.
Next we went to the Farmer's market in Del Rey - very small - and then walked down the Main street to see what was there.
In the afternoon, looking for something local to do, we went to the museum down at the Patent office area in Alexandria. It is located in the first floor of one of the fancy new buildings. The museum shows the history of several important inventions that are well known in popular culture - like the Jolly Green Giant. I was busy taking pictures and at the end realized I didn't have a card in the camera! Oh well.
We went out to dinner with Buff and Carol, the one couple we have met here. Actually Buff works on Alegra so that's how he knows Sue. We went to the little French restaurant that Sue and I went to during Restaurant Week, when Tim and Ann treated us to dinner long distance. We had a great time with Buff and Carol, they are a lot of fun.

Earlier in the week, on the 9th, we went out to dinner in Alexandria with Ed and Susan Boucheron. Ed was out for meetings at NNSA. After dinner we took a walk along the river, north from King street and went farther than Sue and I had ever gone. And we saw fireflies! The last and only time Sue and i had ever seen them was in middle America on a cross country trip with the kids - maybe Missouri. So this was a real treat - they were everywhere.

6-5-10 Newseum, Party at Barbara's

We decided to spend the day exploring the Newseum. It was hot out, so being inside seemed a good idea. We got a lot of the Museum done and we can go back a second day to get the rest. The 9/11 exhibit was the most memorable. The Elvis exhibit was interesting and we learned some things. There was more to do when we had to go.
Sue and I went to a dinner party at Barbara Cousins' house, the lady real estate agent that helped us find our Alexandria house. The party was attended by several of her clients and people from Alexandria. The food was snacks followed by a buffet, complete with servers to pass out food and drinks. We chatted with some folks, had a general good time.
On Sunday, 6/6 we went back and finished the Newseum up. The gallery of headlines, year by year, was very interesting and the video clips were great.

6-4-10 Office Party

Sue and I went to a house party that Donna Smith, a LANL detailee in NA22, threw for people in the office. We chipped in to help pay for food. Several other detailees came, only Mark the intern was married. We ate on the roof of Donna's building close to Verizon Auditorium. It was hot but the breeze helped. We had a good time.