Seein’ the DMV: Cherry Pie… Um, Blossoms and More
Last year, I did a boat tour with three of my siblings. This year, I tried a solo excursion of the famous Japanese cherry trees in the DMV by bus. The tour picked me up near the Archives Metro rail station. At the time, the Navy band was playing marches, including some of my favorite Sousa pieces, as an opening for a program. The buses used weren’t accessibility friendly–in fact, another passenger fell and sustained some injuries climbing up the bus’ steps–so I immediately decided that I would rely on whatever picture taking I could do from my seat. Still, it was a beautiful Tuesday, April 1st, day, and the previous weather damage to the trees’ blossoms wasn’t bad enough to affect their appearance much. While there were signs of construction at the Tidal Basin, I got the impression that efforts had been made to minimize its impact on the…
Seein’ the DMV: Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center
I woke up unusually early Sunday morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. After watching the sun rise, I realized that I wanted to get out and enjoy what looked to be a sunny–if not particularly warm–day somewhere other than home. After searching on my cellphone for scenic drives in Maryland, I decided to connect with my return to researching spirituals by taking the Harriet Tubman Byway, what was described as “a self-guided driving tour that winds for more than 125 miles through the beautiful landscapes and Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” as well as into Delaware. Mistake number one was not making sure that the full route was downloaded to my phone. As it worked out, Wifi access in that part of the state is spotty at best. Secondly, I underestimated the scope of the trip, thinking I could do most, if not all, in a few hours. It clearly needed…
Seein’ the DMV: With Sadness, Bidding Black Lives Matter Plaza Farewell
Just because I suspected–and feared–the negative results of November 2024’s presidential elections, that has done nothing to alleviate my dismay as I watch the intentional systemic destruction that has already occurred. So much damage affecting so many in the United States and around the world. One visible (but completely expected) consequence, was the announcement by the mayor of DC that Black Lives Matter Plaza would be demolished due to pressure by the Trump administration. I have not previously used this forum to overtly express political views, but I am making an exception here. The two-block-long plaza’s mural was created in June, 2020, after non-violent protesters of the murder of George Floyd were attacked by Federal forces. The simple, but powerful, statement “Black Lives Matter” was emblazoned within easy view of the White House. I found this satellite view to get a full sense of the mural. (Click on the picture…
Seein’ the DMV: Art and Legos and Captain America, Oh My!
As probably seems apparent by now, my interests drift in many directions. When I saw that an exhibit of creations using Lego blocks would be in Washington, I decided I wanted to see it. This is not unlike my 2008 visit to Iowa’s Matchstick Marvels and a desire to see how creativity can be expressed in different ways. I chose a Wednesday afternoon in the hope that attendance would be low and was pleased that I guessed correctly (this time). Called The Art of the Brick: An Exhibition of LEGO® Art, it was the second exhibit offered by Fever I had attended. (The first was their King Tut exhibit a few months ago.) Most of the exhibit consisted of recreations of famous art works and sculptures across human history and cultures. It was amazing how the creators were able to use Legos to assemble works reminiscent of those works. I…
Seein’ the DMV: Messiah Sing-along at the Kennedy Center
I’ve attended several events at The Kennedy Center since my return to the DMV, but this was special for me. I had missed last year’s Messiah sing-along because I had been exposed to COVID and, while I had shown no symptoms, I could not allow myself to chance exposing others–especially fellow musicians–to the disease. This year, I was good to go. Tickets to the Messiah Sing-along were free to the public. I submitted a reservation and was able to get a seat in the orchestra section that had been made accessible. The Concert Hall filled quickly–despite being a Monday evening after a workday–with other musicians and families with young children–so good to see another generation exposed to Handel. Conductor Nancia D’Alimonte came on stage before the program and warmed us up. She also informed us that the concert was the latest of a series of annual Messiah sing-alongs since the…
Hawaiian Cruise: Kauai Luau, Return to Oahu then Home (Day 9-Day 11)
I woke up in Nawiliwili on the “Garden Isle” of Kaua’i, the fourth largest Hawaiian island and the last scheduled stop on the cruise. It was Thanksgiving Day, and I was approximately 4,900 miles from home and the traditions celebrated there. Well, most of them. Instead, after a satisfying breakfast at my usual spot, the 50’s theme restaurant on Deck 6, I walked the deck and got several shots, including the panoramic one below: At 12:30, I went to the ship’s theater, where they were live streaming the Dallas Cowboys football game. The Cowboys’ season hadn’t gone as we fans had hoped due to so many injuries to players, but we faithfully watch anyway, and it is a Thanksgiving tradition, so…. The main event of the day was the luau at the Kauai Plantation. It appeared that a lot of the ship’s passengers had been bused there for the…
Hawaiian Cruise: Maui and Two Days on the Big Island (Day 6-Day 8)
WARNING: the theme of the first three paragraphs of this post is “a little–well, a lot–of disappointment goes a long way.” Bypass them as you wish. My travel agent had strongly encouraged me to select off-ship excursions through the cruise line because the line would then be responsible for any incidents related to those excursions. I followed her advice except for two activities. The one that applied here I scheduled through an outside vendor because they advertised that they could accommodate those with accessibility needs for a sunrise visit to Haleakalā National Park. The cruise line specifically indicated that they could not provide accommodations, so that choice was my only option. I will not use space here to describe what happened, but the result was that I was unable to make the trip and, thus, missed the national park. The only positive from the situation was that I got a…
Hawaiian Cruise: More Oahu, Launch and Maui (Day 4-Day 5)
On Saturday morning and our last day touring Oahu, we went south and east to East Honolulu and our quickie, first stop, The Koko Crater Lookout and its popular hiking trail. Like so much of Oahu, the view was spectacular, and even though the day started out cloudy, it was still warm enough to get away with a light jacket–the heaviest clothing I would wear the entire trip. (Note here: my Facebook buds back in the DMV posted that the weather there had turned decidedly wintry.) We next arrived at the Byodo-In Temple, located at the foot of the Ko’olau Mountains in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. Its website describes the temple as “a smaller-scale replica of the almost 1,000-year-old Byodo-In Temple, a United Nations World Heritage site in Uji, Japan.” The temple and grounds were incredibly beautiful. I did my best to capture its beauty in a number…
Hawaiian Cruise: Journey There and Oahu (Day 1-Day 3)
My preparations for the trip to Hawaii were seriously sidetracked when I discovered that someone had broken into the Silver Bullet. The only damage to the car was to the driver’s door, but that damage surprisingly affected many of her functions. I had to drive her to the Kia dealership and make arrangements for the insurance company to appraise the damage and authorize payments for repairs. This was incredibly inconvenient, but I kept reminding myself that SB could have been stolen–a far from unusual event in the DMV–and the repairs would occur while I would be off the mainland, anyway. Still…. My very early flight out of DCA had a layover in Detroit with a nearly 11-hour flight to Honolulu. I was so lucky that I had the adjacent seats to myself on both flights so I could spread out and be as comfortable as possible during the flight. This…
Something Old, Something New–A Quickie Trip to West Virginia
It was less than two weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Hawaii, but I decided to get out of the DMV for a couple of days. I packed up the Silver Bullet and headed to West Virginia. New River Gorge National Park was only about a five-hour drive away and could have been a stop between Shenandoah and points south (in fact, I drove past that national park at two different exits heading to New River), but I was concerned about being in Florida on time. As I drove along, I saw a highway sign approaching Staunton, Virginia, indicating that the exit for the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum was upcoming. I didn’t know there was a presidential library for a president earlier than Herbert Hoover’s, so I had to check it out. The downside to this decision was that I didn’t have time to do an…