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| They Took it All This Morning |
The backyard is once again free of debris and is recovering
from the storm. The front curb however
doesn’t look so hot since all the debris is there waiting for pickup from the
city, which so far is two days late. As
we were cleaning up the back I noticed that in addition to the tree and limbs
from other trees being snapped off, many branches were intertwined with others,
almost like braiding hair. That must
have been some strong wind that wasn’t in the straight line they described as a
derecho; little cyclones happened
too, something that we’ve experienced here before.
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| Bath for Bird Brains |
I cut the snapped tree about three feet from the base and
then Cindy had a great idea. We have a
new birdbath that has a reservoir of a gallon of water so that we don’t have to
keep filling it all the time. It is
either meant to be hung from a tree or hook, or it can fit over a 4x4. No birds seemed interested in it when it was
hanging from a hook; perhaps they didn’t like the motion. Cindy suggested that
I shape the top of the dead tree trunk so that it would have a cap that is
4x4x4 inches. I did so, leveled it out
and slipped the birdbath on top and it works like a charm. Clever Gal!
We spent Sunday night in Washington in preparation for a
Monday luncheon, part of the NBCC International initiative. We stayed at the Sofitel, right across the
street from the White House. It was 104° and quite humid, but we managed to
take a quick walk and visit the Smithsonian Museum of American Crafts, known as
the Renwick Gallery. (Yes, I visited a museum, but I knew it was
air-conditioned!) I must say I was rather impressed with the size of the place,
very manageable, while at the same time being filled with a wide variety of
portraits, furniture, glass and other all-American crafts. It also has great views of the Old Executive
Building and White House from large windows.
The museum is right next to Blair House. When I was working in the Office of Protocol
for the Carter Administration, I would visit this house often since it was
where many of the foreign heads of state would state during official state
visits. The rooms are fantastic and my
favorite is the Lee
Dining Room. Lots of history there!
When we left we noticed that the weather was about to break
and we dashed though Lafayette
Square and got back to the Sofitel just before the skies opened and the
temperatures dropped. We were safely
ensconced in Le Bar enjoying the best
Mojitos I’ve had in ages. The bartender,
Marvin, was from El Salvador and had been with Sofitel for more than four years
and knew his stuff. As we talked with
him he asked if we had ever been to a Sofitel before and we told him that not
only had we met in the Minneapolis Sofitel, but also that our first two dates
were in the Sofitel. Well he thought
that was just too cool and the next thing we knew he was opening a lovely
bottle of Taittinger Brut Champagne and gave us each a glass of the
bubbly. What a treat!
With more rain threatening we met our friend Tom at the
hotel and decided to stay and eat there: good choice, marvelous food and service. We took care of business the next day and
then on the way home stopped for some wine and booze at Calvert
Woodley, a place that has been in business for more than thirty years. We found great bargains, knowledgeable and
friendly people were on hand to assist, and we enjoyed wandering around the
aisles looking at marvelous wines. We just don’t have places like this in
Charles Town.
Sometime in the next few weeks, I’m going to start posting
segments about cooking. I’m going to call it Concept Cuisine for Confident
Cooks. It will be dedicated to Terry
Greer, who sadly passed away last Saturday.
She was a wonderful lady who approached cooking the way she approached
life; keep it simple, keep it honest and share it with friends.
Ciao, William
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