… the smell of wet ground just as a storm is starting.

… watching the rain pour down … from inside.

… that I don’t need to go water the garden.

… knowing that turning on the oven won’t overwhelm us with the heat.

… leftover tortilla chips from last night’s jazz in the sculpture garden (when it was *not* wet).

… a big mug of tea.

… an afternoon I can spend inside without feeling guilty about not enjoying the nice weather.

… listening to music.

… the idea of a clean apartment (because I do *not* love cleaning).

… reading and knitting.

… curling up with my sweetie and the cats.

This row of newspaper machines, found along a generic half-block stretch of Connecticut Ave., reflects the affection D.C. holds for its printed matter.

D.C. is home to a number of print media outlets: two real dailies (The Washington Post and The Washington Times), a faux national daily (The McPaper aka USA Today), two free weekday rags (The Examiner and The Express), a citywide weekly tabloid (City Paper) and any number of weekly neighborhood publications (such as the The Creek.

We also like to read other cities’ news — thus the stands for the Wall Street Journal, the N.Y. Times and Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Baltimore Sun.

Despite the District resident’s fondness for online news (I admit to an RSS feed bookmark from the BBC on both my home and work machines) and for CNN (where other cities broadcast sports in their bars, at least one set here is always tuned to cable news), I still think that, at heart, we love our newsprint. People gobble up the free newspapers as if they were samples at a barbecue, and the Metro is filled with readers hiding behind their broadsheets in the morning.

And let’s face it: while job and apartment hunting is infinitely easier online, there’s nothing like curling up with the Sunday Post and a hot drink and reading the comics. They just aren’t as funny on a computer screen.

Don’t forget to stop by fellow My D.C. photogs Hillary, Sarah, Rudi, and MsP. Mia, who blogs about her Maryland town of Frederick, is currently on hiatus dealing with a family situation. Our thoughts go out to her.

Three beautiful things on the Thursday of a truncated work-week:

1. It seems so pedestrian to note it, but having Monday off really is a nice thing. Three days is just about enough time to really wind down.

2. This week’s strawberries are close to perfection. They’re big and red and firm and sweet — and taste of summer’s promise.

3. I pass a young woman, perched, talking on her cell phone. She’s dressed in a well-tailored business suit with a crisp Sangria-colored blouse — and bright blue Crocs. A tote bag, presumably filled with uncomfortably smart heels, sits at her side.

It’s the one that’s been floating all over the blogosphere for the last month or so. Debby answered it earlier and offered to tag anyone still remaining to answer it, so here I go:

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago my brother graduated from college and Rudi and I journeyed down from Connecticut to D.C. to wish him well. We ended up brunching at a hotel that is mere blocks from where we live today. We also headed back to New London to see Sam graduate from Conn.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (tomorrow, in my case):

1. Go to knitting group
2. Send out an email to the friends asking if anyone wants to see Shakespeare with us before it closes Sunday (Hamlet, outdoors, in case you’re interested)
3. Watch the first episode of Deadwood to see if it’s as good as John claims it to be
4. Bake blackberry financiers
5. Figure out where my bike odometer is hiding

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Pretty much anything sweet and/or baked. Ice cream. Peanut butter-filled pretzels. Tortilla chips. Raspberries. Blueberries.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Travel to see all my friends and then to all the places I’ve ever wanted to go. Buy a house, complete with large claw-foot tub, built-in bookshelves, and working wood-burning fireplace. Pay off all the debts, mortgages, etc., for the family. Give books away to every kid I encounter. Knit and read at the beach for the rest of the summer.

5) Places I have lived: Connecticut and D.C. [Edited to add] and Oregon

6) Who I’m tagging: Bueller? Bueller?

The nice thing about the second half of the year is that you don’t have to wait nearly as long between holidays as you do at the start of the year. For the record, our next long weekend (July 4 is a Friday) is less than six weeks away.

How was your weekend? Did you fritter it away? Were you productive? Most importantly, now that it’s over, are you happy with how it went?

All in all, I probably could have spent a little less time in front of the computer, but generally I’m pleased with my three days off.

Let’s see how I did in comparison to my original, overwhelming plans:

• A trip to Eastern Market to see what the crafts vendors have to offer.


I took care of this item right away on Saturday, hitching a ride across town with Rudi, and also managed to tuck a trip to a library in as well. I didn’t find any gifts, but I did restock my dwindling card supply (people get so touchy when you give them sympathy cards when they start new jobs…), buy a headband, and purchase a makeshift picnic which I ate on a bench near the vendors.

• Some time in the garden to water, weed, and give the peas and beans a lower rung on my teepee.

Ooh! This one I did twice! I went Saturday and added a lower rung and gave the garden some water. And then Rudi and I went over again today and we added yet another rung and I added vertical string to aid the climbing process. Rudi planted cucumbers and bush beans and we gave the garden a good dousing, which ought to guarantee rain tomorrow.

• Knitting — I have two socks on the needles, as well as a shawl and a swatch for a summer sweater. It would be exciting if something came off the needles before next week.

I think I have finished my swatch. Okay, I know I have finished my swatch; I’m just not sure it bears any resemblance to the gauge I’m supposed to be getting for the sweater I’ve decided to knit. I’d always envisioned a summer cardigan when I thought about the yarn (a lavender cotton-linen blend), but when I saw Sorelle, I knew that was what I wanted to make.

I also aired the stash this weekend. Let’s just say that I ought not to buy yarn again for a while, shall we? But doing so did give me the opportunity to think about some of the items I’d like to make for the Summer of Socks that starts in less than a month. My needles are ready.

• Reading — I’m nearly halfway through The Book Thief and have to get cracking on some of the challenges I’ve signed up for.

Okay, so I carried The Book Thief all the way across town with me earlier this weekend, but, as I mentioned, I stopped at the library. The Northeast branch, which is not my normal branch, had the third book of Rick Riordan’s Olympian series, The Titan’s Curse, which my branch library never has. So I took it out. And read it. And read it. And read it. And then it was done. So sad because it was so good. The penultimate book came out recently and the fifth and final book of the series will probably come out sometime next spring, so at least I still have a few more Percy Jackson novels to read. Yay!

• Hanging out with friends — If I head to Cap Hill tomorrow, I might meet up with Sarah for a little while. And on Sunday, I’m helping another Sarah with some furniture moving in preparation for her impending move to Lima, Peru, and then having a (late) brunch with my friend Susan.

The good news on this item is that Susan and I had a fantastic lupper on Sunday. We didn’t get to sit outside, but they kindly placed us in an open window, so it was practically just as good. We both enjoyed our food and it was nice to sit and have a chance to talk, just the two of us.

The bad news is that I totally overslept on Sunday morning and didn’t wake up until two hours after I was supposed to help Sarah move. She was gracious when I called to apologize, but I felt awful.

• A bike ride on the C&O Canal Towpath to see what young critters are out and about.

Susan and I agreed we’d meet up after we both went out to exercise on Sunday. I road out to Thompson Boat House along the Capital Crescent Trail and back along the C&O Canal Towpath. It was the middle of a lovely afternoon, so the canal was crowded with people. If any ducklings are around, their mothers wisely kept them off the water. I did see two half-grown Canada goslings with their parents, as well as a handful of turtles sunning themselves on various logs in the water. I would have liked to head out again this afternoon, but I frittered too much of the day away to be able to go. Maybe if I get to work on time tomorrow I can head out before sunset.

• Cleaning and organization — I know, I know. These tasks will be limited to the dark hours, but are essential to my continued mental well-being.

Yeah… about this one. It’s a long process. The good news? I hung up all the skirts and cardigans littering the couch. The bad news? I took out all the wool items from the closet and slung them onto it. Tomorrow…

• Baking — I regularly bookmark recipes and I’d really like to actually try some of them. In particular, there have been a couple of recent rhubarb recipes that have real potential.

Hooray! Another accomplishment. I made Nan’s Country Rhubarb Dessert last night and it was delicious. Sort of like a rhubarby, meringuey strawberry shortcake. (I know!) Two more servings left for dessert for tomorrow night.

• Write my My D.C. post. I uploaded the pictures this morning, but I was tired and didn’t write the post. Tomorrow.

Obviously, done.

• Drink froofy drinks out of my new Ravelry glasses.

I did not drink any froofy drinks this weekend. (Froofy drinks would require my clearing off my counters, and as you saw above, I’m just not there yet.) I did, however, finish my pink wildberry Italian soda in my “Ripped” pint glass earlier tonight.

• Rest and relax.

Yup. May I have some more, please?

With the photos I posted earlier in the week, I’m going to guess that you aren’t shocked that My D.C. (late, again, I know) focuses on the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall.

Probably best known for its photographically stunning, yellow-rimmed magazine, The National Geographic Society was founded in 1888 as an organization “for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge.” Throughout its history it has sponsored a number of expeditions, including Robert Peary’s trip to the North Pole and Robert Byrd’s flight over Antarctica (making its idolized mention by the young George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life not as offbeat as I had originally thought). Its funds have helped excavate Machu Picchu and pay for the study of primates by such notable scientists as Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall, and it currently sponsors the National Geography Bee and hosts its own television station. Its magazine is published in 30 languages in addition to English and is read by 40 million people around the world.

The museum is off the beaten path, tucked in a campus of buildings in the Farragut area of town. (As a matter of fact, you’ve seen pictures from that area before today, since the Sumner School is located just across the street.) The museum space is located in two of the buildings — the one behind the frog and the one behind the Trash People installation — and includes outdoor installation space and around the exterior of the former, as well as in this courtyard.

I assume that the window displays are part of the museum’s permanent collection because they include artifacts that I would assume could have been acquired in expeditions funded by society money. They include things like this Terra Cotta Warrior, the skull of a T-Rex, and ancient bowls. In fact, the window displays call to mind the cover of the magazine collection my grandparents had in their basement.

The museum works hard, though, to avoid that connotation. When I visited, back on Mother’s Day, they had a number of very current, relevant exhibitions. You can see the photo of the Trash People installation above. That was a disturbing army of faceless figures by German artist H.A. Schult built out of discarded soda cans, water bottles, and computer parts found in a dump. It (intentionally) made me uncomfortable, even more than the accompanying exhibit, Human Consumption, did.

The museum also had two photography exhibits — one on China and one entitled A Camera, Two Kids, and a Camel: Photographs by Annie Griffiths Belt. Fellow Conn alums will understand why I was particularly keen to catch the second exhibit, but I found even outside of its title that Griffiths Belts’ work was visually compelling. She and her family have travelled all over the world, and she has captured some amazing scenery and people — from humanitarian crises to global celebrations. The work above is her shot of a Zambian man in Devil’s Swimming Pool at the very edge of Victoria Falls.

And, finally, the whole reason I finally dragged myself to the museum in the first place was the frog exhibit, Frogs! A Chorus of Colors.

The fellow to the right is the Golden Mantella Frog, a tiny frog about the size of my pinky finger nail. The size you see is pretty true to life. You could probably fit a hundred or so in a plastic cup.

The poison frogs were adorable, blue and green and red and yellow with stripes and spots and interesting patterns, which makes it that much more impressive how deadly they are. They’re like the stereotypical sorority girls of the natural world.

Only three of the 175 species of “poison dart” frogs are aptly named, since most seem not to have actually been used for poisoning the tips of natives’ spears, arrows, and blowdarts. Their skin is toxic, though after spending time in captivity, they are usually less poisonous than in the wild. The most deadly of the frogs is the Golden Poison Frog.

Others were just interesting, hanging out, blending in, seeming or not seeming to mind the hundred or so screaming toddlers. This fellow is a Borneo Eared Frog. It’s terribly tempting to anthropomorphize him, assigning him thoughts of boredom and tedium by looking at his face. Doesn’t he just look like he’s counting the minutes until the exhibit closes?

You can see more frog and exhibit pictures in my National Geographic Flickr set.

And I leave you with a final shot — the Waxy Monkey Frog, which reminds me of a Jim Henson creation.

A long weekend stretches before me, long and with endless possibilities, sort of like the highway that runs through much of the midwest. I’m just hoping there are no Junebugs.

Rudi is heading out for most of the next two days, taking himself on a ride called the Mountains of Misery. To me that sounds like the snowbound route to Mordor and therefore ought to be avoided at all cost. To Rudi it sounds like a challenge to his ability as a bike rider and is, therefore, something to be conquered.

Meanwhile I’m planning a quiet, but hopefully productive, weekend. Some of my goals include:

• A trip to Eastern Market to see what the crafts vendors have to offer.
• Some time in the garden to water, weed, and give the peas and beans a lower rung on my teepee.
• Knitting — I have two socks on the needles, as well as a shawl and a swatch for a summer sweater. It would be exciting if something came off the needles before next week.
• Reading — I’m nearly halfway through The Book Thief and have to get cracking on some of the challenges I’ve signed up for.
• Hanging out with friends — If I head to Cap Hill tomorrow, I might meet up with Sarah for a little while. And on Sunday, I’m helping another Sarah with some furniture moving in preparation for her impending move to Lima, Peru, and then having a (late) brunch with my friend Susan.
• A bike ride on the C&O Canal Towpath to see what young critters are out and about.
• Cleaning and organization — I know, I know. These tasks will be limited to the dark hours, but are essential to my continued mental well-being.
• Baking — I regularly bookmark recipes and I’d really like to actually try some of them. In particular, there have been a couple of recent rhubarb recipes that have real potential.
• Write my My D.C. post. I uploaded the pictures this morning, but I was tired and didn’t write the post. Tomorrow.
• Drink froofy drinks out of my new Ravelry glasses.
• Rest and relax.

Hmmm… Well, I’ll at least do the last item on the list. I haven’t had a night at home all week (although every night has been filled with fun). I’ve gone to a concert and to a ballgame, seen movies (we really liked the new Indiana Jones film), knit, and eaten at Ben’s Chili Bowl. And tonight we kicked off the summer season right with an evening of jazz at the Sculpture Garden with friends — both the usual gang and some of the women from my office who opted to join us at the last minute (I’m hoping we didn’t scare them away).

So maybe instead my to-do list will look like this:

• Rest and relax.
• Do other stuff as I get bored with above.

What are you planning for the long weekend?

Before I head out to see the new Indiana Jones movie at the Uptown, I wanted to post my Three Beautiful Things from the past week:

1. Monday night we went to see the Nationals beat the Phillies. While I was wandering the stadium looking for food (I eventually found where they hid the knish stand), I got the chance to see some of the views Taxation without Representation Park was supposed to offer — and at sunset. If you’re on the fifth floor, you can see the Capitol out over the outfield. And if you’re walking up the ramps in left field, you get a great shot of the Washington Monument — in this case, against a gorgeously deep pink sky.

2. It’s been chilly here this week, which means more time wearing the winter clothes I haven’t yet put away. On Tuesday, I wore my Every Day Cardigan — possibly for the last time this spring. I ate lunch with a bunch of coworkers I don’t see too often and one of them, knowing I was a knitter, asked, “Do you know the person who knit your sweater?” “Why, yes, I do!”

3. On Sunday, we attended a memorial service for Mike Shor, an older member of D.C. for Dean, the political group we all helped run. It was a touching afternoon, as his daughter and sister shared personal memories of his love of food, family, and the outdoors; his childhood pal talked of rainy hikes and animated discussions; and two fellow DC4D members offered insights into his political character. It was a touching and fitting send-off of a fine man.

ETA on Friday: Oops. I started my post on Tuesday and then forgot to adjust the time stamp when I published it. Thanks for pointing out the error, Mum.

The first of my photos from the National Geographic exhibit, “Frogs! A Chorus of Colors,” taken on Mother’s Day afternoon.

Chinese Gliding Frog

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Smokey Jungle Frog

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Vietnamese Mossy Frogs

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African Clawed Frog

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Amazon Milk Frog

If you click the images, you’ll get more details about the individual frog species on Flickr.