A Capitol Fourth

Mary, George and I braved the crowds and went down to the Capitol to see the July 4th concert. We got there at about 3:00 and secured seats on the steps for the 8:00 concert. Luckily the sun went behind the clouds so we didn't cook for 5 hours! I enjoyed visiting with the people around us and people watching. Some people really got into the patriotic spirit!

How's this for a bow?

The MC for the concert was Jimmy Smits.

Matthew Morrison of 'Glee' fame and Kelli O'Hara, a Broadway star, sang, "Tonight" from West Side Story. I love that song!

Did you know that Steve Martin is a very talented banjo player? He even writes some of the songs for his band, Steep Canyon Rangers. This was George's favorite part!

Mary and I loved hearing and seeing Josh Groban.

We also saw Little Richard and heard the National Symphony Orchestra. And after the concert more, fireworks and the 1812 Overture, only this time with the Washington Monument in the background!

Civil War Fireworks

Antietam Battlefield - Sharpsburg, Maryland

Mary and Mark live close to many of the Civil War Battlegrounds. For the last few years Mary has gone with friends to the Antietam Battlefield to watch the fireworks. The year we were able to join her, along with 15,000 to 20,000 others, to listen to the Maryland Symphony and the amazing fireworks. This picture gives some small idea of the size of the crowd! There are no pictures of the organized way that number of people left the fireworks at the end. The battlefield is off a two lane road that everyone had to use to leave! It was a marvel of organization and cooperation!

Mary and I went to the field at 10:00 in the morning to secure a place right on the front row in front of the artillery. We left a tarp staked down and it was still there when we went back at 8:30 in the evening! Because of our excellent spot we got the full effect of the canons during the 1812 Overture!!!

The fireworks just went on and on. Every time I thought it was the finale they started again. And when the fireworks did finally stop, the artillery continued for 3 or 4 more minutes. I understand "Shock and Awe" a little better.

At the bottom of this picture you can just barely see the artillery....we're talking modern stuff, not civil war canons!

Out and About in DC

Mary and I spent an afternoon in the Washington DC Temple.

And a day walking in our nation's capital! I saw a T-shirt that read, "I walked my feet off in DC"! That about sums up our day but we agree that the best way to get to know a city is to walk.

We walked by the White House which was pretty calm, except for about a million tourists and the protestor who has been there since the Bush administration! I think he is still protesting war in general and in Iraq in particular. The press corp even seemed to be missing. I guess they assumed there would be no news over long 4th of July weekend!

I kept hoping Michelle would come out to weed her garden but no such luck!

While roaming through the National Art Gallery enjoying the art and the air conditioning, I saw a couple of familiar faces...friends from our ward in Oregon! I couldn't believe that in the tens of thousands of tourists on the National Mall we just happened to run into Nora and Clay! Small world!

I'll never get tired of seeing the sites in our beautiful Capital City!

Volt

Here's a post for our 'foodie' Scott!

We had the chance to have lunch at Volt, Chef Bryan Voltaggio's restaurant in Frederick, Maryland.

I admit I hadn't heard of him before but he was on Top Chef on Bravo TV. The food was excellent! I'll also admit that there were many words on the menu that I didn't know! The extremely attentive waiter explained the dishes to us and everyone was delighted with their choices!

composition of market vegetables maroon carrots, fennel, upland cress, petite herbs, banyuls vinaigrette

yellowfin tuna tartare jasmine rice, chili oil, petite cilantro, wasabi whitefish roe

sheep’s milk cavatelli country ham, broccoli rabe, parmesan

“spring garden” beets, carrots in timothy hay, radish, coffee soil, cherry glen farm chevre

mahi mahi maroon carrot, black forbidden rice, radish, soy air

marinated hanger steak rick’s yukon gold potatoes, chive pudding, maitake mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon

I think we look as full and content as we felt! I'm not even going to mention the desserts but lets just say they were almost, but not quite, too pretty to eat!

Harper's Ferry

The only good thing about having a daughter living on the other side of the country is that she lives in a beautiful place with so many great tourist things to do. My morning walks take me down this road and up to a civil war battlefield.

Harper's Ferry changed hands eight times during the Civil War. The high ground of Bolivar Heights Battlefield is just a mile from Mary's house.

Harper's Ferry is right at the spot where the Potomac and the Shenandoah Rivers come together. At the top of the picture is the Shenandoah and the Potomac is at the bottom.

The whole downtown is a National Historic Park where there are civil war era buildings, actors dressed in period costume to teach and entertain and lots of cute restaurants and shops. Harper's Ferry's other claim to fame is the raid by the abolitionist John Brown.

It's a beautiful place for sure!

Visiting Mary would be wonderful anywhere but I'm really glad I get to visit her in such a historic, picturesque place!

Chickens????

In early June Mary and Mark got 4 little 'peeps'...tiny little chickens! This picture was taken on June 4th.

This picture on June 28. I am amazed at how fast they grow! Mary has named them according to their personalities. They are Curious George, Flighty, Nervous Nelly, and CP3O!

My very clever son-in-law is building a chicken coop for them. Soon the chickens will be moving in and I'm sure they'll be happy with all the space!

While I'm bragging on my son-in-law, I'll also show the boat he built last summer.

And his potato boxes for the garden.

And my great grandparents Victrola that had languished for years in my basement. Mark restored it and it works!

Mark never ceases to amaze me!

A 'Wicked' Evening

Mary organized a group of twenty of her friends for a fondue dinner and 'Wicked' at the Kennedy Center.

I didn't waste time taking pictures of the cheese fondue, just the yummy chocolate! The "Yin and Yang' dark and white chocolate creation was pretty but my favorite was the less photogenic, "Flaming Turtle"!

And to dip in all this yummy goodness - fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispie Treats, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies.! My personal favorites were the pound cake and the bananas.

After dinner we all enjoyed the amazing play "Wicked". The 'behind the scenes' story or the real story of the Wizard of Oz was revealed through wonderfully clever music and dialogue! An unforgettable evening thanks to my daughter!