Relaxing in Richmond

We have survived one week without Ben. Four more to go. We spent a few days in Richmond this week visiting our good friends, the Dyckmans, who recently moved there. It was nice to get away and enjoy good company and good food. Amelia and Ethan had so much fun playing together and Elsa and Jonah enjoyed following all the action. Amelia has had so many good friends move away so she's very excited that Ethan is not too far away.



We spent a lovely afternoon at Maymont...a huge, gorgeous park. The weather was so delightful and everyone enjoyed being outside.





























Our second day in Richmond was threatened by rain, but it stayed away and we were able to take the historic canal tour. We were the only ones on the boat. Unfortunately, our boat driver/tour guide was extremely paranoid about children falling overboard. He wouldn't let the kids move around, or even kneel on their seats and look over the edge at the water. The boat was moving at a snail's pace so this seemed highly unlikely. Apparently, he had no trust in us as parents to prevent our children from falling out of the boat. (I'm pretty sure they would have had to jump out...falling out would have required some effort.) But it was a lovely scenic ride nonetheless.












(I'm sure this was making the tour guide very nervous.)

After the canal tour, we walked over to Bottoms Up, a delicious pizza place in an amazing location. We ate on the upstairs patio and once again, we were the only ones around. The freeway goes right by the patio, as well as some train tracks. It was quite the view. Plus, freeway noise is an excellent way to muffle the sound of your child crying.




Coloring is serious business.


Check out the train going right above our heads!

Thank you to the Dyckmans for a lovely time.

FUN AND GAMES

• H Street Country Club (fun D.C.-themed indoor mini golf; good food; go early to avoid the “bar crowd”)
• Comet Ping Pong (play some ping pong while you wait for delicious pizza)
• Woodys Mini Golf:Perils of the Lost Jungle (rated “Top 5 Mini Golf Courses in America” by Newsweek; this course is awesome!)
• Reston Zoo (encourages animal interaction; wagon ride to see animals included with admission)
• National Zoo
• Water Parks (Great Waves, Pirate’s Cove at Pohick Bay, The Water Mine, Downpour)
• Gravelly Point (watch planes take-off and land at Reagan; also a nice place to walk along the parkway trail or have a picnic)
• National Harbor (nice place to walk around, new location for The Awakening statue, Children’s Museum coming in the future)
• University of Maryland Observatory in College Park, MD (observatory hosts free open houses twice a month during which visitors can listen to a half-hour lecture and then peer through telescopes that the staff has trained on extraterrestrial objects)
• Goddard Space Flight Center
  

In and around D.C.

• Eastern Market
• Union Station
• Library of Congress (22 reading rooms and access to 650 miles of bookshelves)
• Old Post Office Pavilion (awesome view of the city from the tower...free tour)
• Biking around the monuments at night
• Fords Theater (newly renovated...check website for schedule of plays)
• Kennedy Center (free concerts every evening; open late...nice views from terrace)
• Wolf Trap (great outdoor performance venue; check the schedule for performances...cheaper lawn seating is usually available)
• Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA (This former prison is now much like the Torpedo Factory: you can talk to local artists and watch them work.)
• Old Town (Torpedo Factory, boat rides on Potomac, walk across Wilson Bridge, Masonic Memorial, stroll around the waterfront)
• University of Maryland Observatory in College Park, MD (observatory hosts free open houses twice a month during which visitors can listen to a half-hour lecture and then peer through telescopes that the staff has trained on extraterrestrial objects)
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Adventure Theatre at Glen Echo Park (plays for children) 
• Meridian Hill Park 
• Spanish Steps (in the Kalorama neighborhood)
• National Archives
• National Aquarium
• U.S. Botanic Garden
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing 
• Navy Yard 
• Monuments on the National Mall
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope Leighey House/Woodlawn Plantation
• Netherlands Carillon/Iwo Jima
• George Washington Masonic Memorial
• Union Market

OLD TOWN

• Torpedo Factory (watch local artists work)
• Boat rides on Potomac
• Fontaine Caffe and Creperie (yummy crepes...nice brunch spot)
• Wilson Bridge (start in Old Town and walk across the bridge to the Maryland side...nice views)
• Masonic Memorial (wonderful view at the top)
• Narrow house (check out the narrowest house in the country, on Queen St., only 7 feet wide)
• Good restaurants and shops

SEASONAL EVENTS

• National Book Festival (on the mall in September)
• Shenandoah Hot Air Balloon Festival
• National Cherry Blossom Festival
• Smithsonian Kite Festival (on the mall in the spring)
• Smithsonian Folklife Festival (on the mall in the summer)
• County and State Fairs
• Starlight Cinema Drive-in Movies (in Centreville) in August and free
• Military Bands outdoor concerts in the summer
• Capitol Fourth Concert (go to the rehearsal the night before)
• Kennedy Center Open House and Opera in the Outfield
• Flower Mart at the National Cathedral
• Sunflower fields in Jarrettsville, Maryland (hundreds of acres of sunflowers in the summer)

• FALL FESTIVALS

In Virginia:

Cox Farms Fall Festival
Centreville, VA
This festival is HUGE...plan to spend several hours. There are a lot of slides that are fun for the whole family. There are also rope swings, farm animals (including an interactive "goat village"), a great hayride, a silly corn maze, free apples and cider, a special area for children under 5, straw tunnels, and other activities. Admission includes a small pumpkin.

Burke Nursery's Fall Festival
Burke, VA
Daily activities include slides, hay rides, farm animals, pumpkin fort, rope swing, and pirate and western-themed activities. Small pumpkin is included with admission.

Old Mine Ranch
Dumfries, Virginia
Through the month of October, enjoy pumpkin picking, hayrides, slides, petting farm, moonbounce and more. Open everyday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spookfest every night except Sunday 7-9 p.m.

Hollins Farms Orchard
Delaplane, Virginia
One of the largest pumpkin patches in Northern Virginia. Pick a pumpkin, see farm animals and baby calves, take a pony ride, enjoy live music, hiking, and more. Open Wednesday through Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October.

Heather Hill Gardens
Fairfax Station, VA
The Fall Festival includes pumpkins, a pumpkin fort, climbing ropes and swings for children.

Stribling Orchard
Markham, VA
Pick apples and choose pumpkins at this family farm which is more than 200 years old. Visitors can picnic at mountaintop tables and view farm animals.

Marker-Miller Orchards
Winchester, VA
Pick-you-own apples and pumpkins. There's an apple harvest festival Oct 10-11, and a pumpkin festival.

Virginia Farm Market
Winchester, VA
Pumpkinland features a pumpkin-lined path with red wagons and a pumpkin-filled wagon designed as a photo backdrop.

Great Country Farms
Bluemont, VA
This 200-acre farm offers hayrides to a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Activities include pedal carts, a giant corn box and a 2,800-square-foot pumpkin jumpin' pillow for outdoor bouncing, five mazes, a twin 60-foot slide and a mountain made of tractor tires.

Pumpkinville
Leesburg, VA
The festival includes hay mazes, hill slides, a moon bounce and pumpkin fort. Pumpkins are available for picking. On weekends, children can fly down a 200-foot zip line and ride camels.

Ticonderoga Farms
Chantilly, VA
The Pumpkin Festival at this 1,000-acre, fifth-generation family farm features hayrides, a pumpkin patch, hillside slides, tetherball, face painting, a candy corn hut, a small petting zoo and refreshments.

In Maryland:

Butler's Orchard
Germantown, Maryland
Annual Pumpkin Festival is held weekends throughout October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pick a pumpkin; take a hayride; explore a hay maze; and enjoy crafts, food, and family activities.

Homestead Farm
Poolesville, Maryland
Harvest festival is held weekends through October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take a hayride, pick your own apples or pumpkins, find your way through the hay maze.

Larriland Farms
Woodbine, Maryland
Annual Pumpkin Festival is held weekends throughout October. Pick a pumpkin; take a hayride; and explore a hay maze and more.

• CHRISTMAS!

Here is a list of a few of the things we love to do at Christmas time in the area. For a HUGE list of things to do, go to www.washingtonpost.com/holidayguide.

Creche exhibit at the Washington National Cathedral
(Display of nativity scenes from around the world...open during regular visiting hours through Jan. 6)

Festival of Lights at the Washington DC LDS Temple
(Nightly performances as well as a live nativity and a large display of nativities from around the world.)

Holiday Magic at the National Botanic Gardens
(The train display this year is fantastic! Open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays with musical performances.)

Downtown Holiday Market (8th and F Streets)
(Nice handmade gifts for sale...don't miss the hot donuts!)

National Harbor (click here for a full list of activities)
(Very festive with Christmas trees, music, holiday market on the weekends, ICE show)

National Christmas Tree
(see the National tree as well as the smaller State trees, musical performances nightly, Santa's workshop)

Christmas at Mount Vernon


Zoo Lights at the National Zoo

Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County
(A large walk-through light display with really fun garden-themed lights...also a train display in the greenhouse)


Holiday Boat Parade in Alexandria


Willard Hotel in D.C. (festive lobby with nightly free concerts)

Labor Day: Bargains and Beaches

There is a large thrift store in the area that always has a huge sale on every Monday holiday. (Everything in the store is 50% off.) I decided to fight the crowds and see what I could find. The roads were completely deserted this morning, apparently because everyone was at this thrift store.


We arrived shortly after it opened and this was the line to get in. They actually handed out tickets for entry. I was #594. We actually only had to wait a few minutes.

But I scored some great stuff and might have found more if I had the patience to fight my way through the crowds any longer. I got 3 pairs of pants, a sweater, a skirt, and a dress for the girls, as well as a skirt for me and some embroidery hoops for future craft projects. I also found a great book shelf. I got everything for $16.


This shelf was $3.50. I'm pretty excited about the possibilities. I love shelves with feet. I brought it into the house and then went back outside to get Elsa out of the car. When I returned, Amelia had already filled it with all kinds of stuff. I'm not really sure where we'll put it, but it was $3.50!

We spent the afternoon at Bayfront Park, a great little beach on the Chesapeake Bay that is known for its great fossil hunting. Amelia had fun playing in the water, Elsa had fun getting sand everywhere, and we all had fun searching for fossils. We found several shark teeth.


















Jelly mixed with sand. Delicious.


Did I mention there was sand everywhere?

Farewells are lame.

Ben arrived in Turkey this morning. I don't know much, except this is the view from his hotel window:



He will be gone for 5 weeks. I'm sincerely hoping it is a quick 5 weeks. He is getting things ready over there (Istanbul) for the World Bank's Annual Meetings at the beginning of October.

Unfortunately, his last day with us was spent doing awesome things like laundry, restocking mouse poison in the crawl space under our house, discovering a problem with our A/C and finding a repairman to come fix it (owning a house is kind of lame), packing, and signing a last will and testament. Yep. That last one was particularly fun.

However, we were able to get out for one last date before he left. We enjoyed a delicious and quiet evening in Old Town at the historic Gadsby's Tavern. I had "George Washington's favorite" which was excellent (glazed duckling with scalloped potatoes, corn pudding, rhotekraut and port wine orange glacee).

Better weather.

The weather this past week was quite lovely. On Monday night we all went on a nature walk at Huntley Meadows, a family favorite. On Wednesday, our playgroup met at Burke Lake Park. The girls had fun riding the train and then Amelia talked me into a round of mini golf.










Riding the train.

Sunprint Kit

When my friend Kristilyn came to visit awhile ago, she brought us a Sunprint Kit to try out. I had never used one of these and it was pretty cool. Amelia had fun finding leaves and sticks and other things to put on the paper. After you arrange some items on the light-sensitive paper, you leave it in the sun for a few minutes and ta-da! You have a lovely piece of art.