Pike Schemes

A Taste of Summer - Local Strawberries

2012-05-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

Our bi-weekly South Mountain Veg delivery came yesterday. So today we breakfasted on lovely local strawberries

Nothing beats a taste of summer to start your morning!

So delicious

Congressional Cemetery

2012-05-13T14:45:00.000-04:00

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, so we opted for a DC outing to the Congressional Cemetery. This is one of the hidden gems of the city and was perfect for an afternoon stroll.

No longer above the entrance

Looking into the cemetery

It is amazing to see the variety and age of the headstones

There seems to be no logical order to their placement

Family crypts

The Lummi 9/11 Healing Pole
Find an article about it here

The Ward 9 September 11 Memorial Walkway

Deathly Hallows?

The Arsenal Memorial

A self-portrait at the grave of John Philip Sousa

One of the many rows of cenotaphs to honor fallen members of congress
Find more details on the cenotaph walking tour brochure

Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun

The chapel

A large magnolia tree just about to be in full bloom

J. Edgar Hoover's grave is in the family plot

we love how this picture turned out

A look at some of the gravestone we found interesting

Ummm...thanks

A few more interesting and famous "members" of the Congressional Cemetery

May Crowning

2012-05-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day celebrations extended into mass this morning with the May Crowning of Mary, Our Lady and Mother in Christ. We prayed that her example as mother might inspire us and that we may be encouraged and strengthened through her intercessions.

Let the Rain Come

2012-05-05T15:00:00.000-04:00

Today started out warm and sunny. Then the sky changed and the heavens opened up. We need the rain, so let it come!

Looking out on our front patio

A closer view of the rain

Sara's Scoop: Area Ushering: A Long Day's Journey

2012-05-04T18:30:00.000-04:00

Our Eugene O'Neill Festival ended this evening with the final show being staged in the area, A Long Day's Journey into Night. We all agreed that this was the most disturbing of the plays we saw. Watching someone fall apart and into the arms of addiction, while under the watchful eyes of her family, is quite challenging. The acting was impressive and we were glad to have seen all of the full plays in the festival. As you might imagine, we had a lively discussion after the show.

Arriving at Arena

Mr. O'Neill and his plays are featured in the window
You can see a reflection of our black and white "uniforms" if you look closely

Karin and I saw all of these plays that were staged here

Ushering the Kreeger

Pie Sisters Visit

2012-04-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

Before leaving Georgetown we stopped at a new shop, Pie Sisters. Not only do we love pie, but we love that this is a family owned and run business. Sara is not willing to say that pie is the new cupcake, but boy was our slice quite tasty!

Pie sisters shop has an adorable storefront

Just look at these pies and cuppies

We shared a coconut cream pie, one of Sara's favorites
It reminders her of her grandpa Sterner

Strolling to Georgetown

2012-04-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite spring outings is to walk over the Key Bridge from Rosslyn into Georgetown. The weather was perfect today, so we parked the car and the Virginia side and started our walk.

Looking into Georgetown from the bridge

We always love these colorful boats at the club

On our way home -looking back into Virginia

This time with the spire of Georgetown

There were lots of boats out on the POtomac today

Including this interesting little guy

It was a lovely afternoon

Another look back at Georgetown

Panoramic view of the Potomac

Time for a Terrarium

2012-04-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

Sara has become a fan of terrariums. And since terrariums are very popular right now, the timing is perfect. Though, purchasing terrariums can be rather expensive, as Sara has seen in her research. She knew that she could create one for our home at a fraction of the price. Thanks to a school plant plant sale and a donation, she did just that, and for a fraction of the price!

This plant was given to one of my colleagues from her student and she did not have a home for it

A stop at HomeGoods for the new terrarium home
She has been keeping an eye on their glass containers, for just this purpose

A little water in the bottom, some rearranging, and the cloche lid goes on

Looks settled in

Mini ecosystem in place - looking quite lovely
Now all we need is a mini-gnome!

Sara's Scoop: A Rainy Day in Harpers Ferry

2012-04-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

As a pre-field trip outing and a fun weekend drive, my teaching "partners in crime" and I took a quick trip to Harpers Ferry. Our final class outing will be here in June. And, as there are changes coming to our team, we are looking for opportunities to hang out (Shannon is moving to Washington state after school is out). In spite of the rain, we had an amazing time together.

We did not plan our outfits...we swear!

Welcome to Harpers Ferry

Such views

The rain came in with a vengeance!

Jefferson Rock! We must love to teach VA studies!!!

New Godparents: Faith's Baptism

2012-04-21T12:30:00.000-04:00

Today we were honored to be present at the baptism of, our now goddaughter, Faith at the Arlington Cathedral of St Thomas More. We met her parents at dance class two years ago while they were still dating so it was a special to joy to be with them in this fulfillment of their relationship and new life together. The baptism was perfectly timed this afternoon with Faith calmly snoozing throughout.

Gathering at the font with Faith in her baptismal gown

Looking on with joy

Fr Rippy, the rector of the Cathedral, performed the baptism

Blessing the water

So peaceful

The waters of baptism

and the light of Christ

A final blessing

Nathan's Birthday: Nationals vs. Astros

2012-04-19T20:20:00.000-04:00

The H family has many celebrations in April. Tonight we enjoyed an evening of baseball in honor of Nathan's birthday (he is newly three-year-old W's dad). The Nats played the Astros, and even though they are first in the league, it was not the outcome we would have wanted. The weather and company were perfect, though, for a school night outing.

A look at the stadium as it fills up

Setting the stage

Birds-eye view

Oh yeah, a home run!

A quick self-portrait

Come on Teddy! 2012 is your year!

Teddy? Where are you? High-fiving the crowd? Oh no, this will never do!

Boo!

Baseball cookies to celebrate - yay!

A fun night (in spite of the loss)

It's Great to Be Three

2012-04-14T14:04:00.000-04:00

Today was little W's 3rd birthday. Fans of this young lad gathered on the Mall for cake and celebrating. Then, in keeping with the airplane theme, we wandered around the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was perfect weather for such a gathering. Yay for being 3!!!

Cake fun!

Presents, too!

The Mall was filled with adult dodge-ball league games - very DC fun!

Shakespeare Theater: Strange Interlude

2012-04-13T20:38:00.000-04:00

Our Shakespeare season continued this evening with a marathon of plays. With 2 intermissions, "Strange Interlude" by Eugene O'Neill, has a run time of almost four hours. We knew this show had dark themes, and we were a little concerned about a four hour play starting at eight pm on a Friday night. With two teachers in our party, that could have spelled disaster. In the end, we all liked the show and had a great conversation about it on the drive home. We enjoyed seeing the characters age on stage, as they followed the ebbs and flows of life, and the multimedia presentations that showed the passage of time. The sets and costumes were, as usual, exceedingly excellent.

Another great night of theater

Easter in Old Town Alexandria

2012-04-08T14:00:00.000-04:00

We had a lovely brunch in Old Town after Mass. The day was lovely, so we went for a stroll after our meal.

Eater Doors in Old Town

We loved the Wisteria dripping from this tree

Tulip lovelies

An Easter buddy

A Potomac views self-portrait

Happy Easter!

2012-04-08T10:30:00.000-04:00

We were back at St John's for this morning for the Easter mass.

Alleluia! Christus Surrexit! Resurrexit vere!

A self-portrait makes it official

Azaleas or rhodies in full bloom makes us especially cheery

White lilacs, too!

Good Friday at St. Rita's

2012-04-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

A glorious afternoon for Good Friday services

At the altar, the cross visible for adoration

Maundy Thursday at St. Rita's

2012-04-05T19:45:00.001-04:00

With work being busy for Shawn this week, we decided to visit St Rita's in Alexandria for the Easter Triduum, as it is closer to his work. So here we began the final journey toward Easter this year. Through joy to desolation. Through death to life.

The stripped altar

Altar of repose

Harriet Tubman's Birthplace

2012-04-02T16:30:00.000-04:00

As we are adventurers, we thought we might try an adventure today. On our way out to the Island we saw a sign for a historical location: Harriet Tubman's birthplace. We thought it might be a museum or interpretive center, so we planned to check it out. After the initial sign, we never saw any further indication of where we should go. So, on our way home, after checking the internet, we went in search...

Much country road driving and GPS on our phone checking, we found it...

A sign...
Also an adventure had...and an heroic woman honored

Dixieland Welcome

2012-04-02T14:23:00.000-04:00

We spotted this Southern wonder on our way onto the Eastern shore, when we crossed over from Maryland to Virginia on our way to Chincoteague. We felt that it deserved a stop by for a photo opp on our way back home. We were amused by the "South ends/begins" here mantra. Then Sara saw the replica of the South's famous ironclad ship. Dixieland gas station takes its history very seriously!

Check out the scale replica of the Merrimac/Virginia

Pony Landing on Chincoteague

2012-04-02T12:22:00.018-04:00

Before we left Chincoteague Island today, we wanted to see the sight of the pony landing for the annual pony swim in July. We can't imagine 40,000 people and a herd of wild ponies filling this area, but, somehow, they all fit. This was a perfect last stop before we made our drive home.

The Assateague Lighthouse in the distance

Surprising oyster beds along the shore

It was windy this morning, but the sun was bright and beautiful

The pony landing is just to right of this boardwalk

Here is their swim path

Exploring More of Historic Chincoteague

2012-04-01T19:19:00.017-04:00

We finished our last full day with another walk around Chincoteague and a delicious seafood dinner. It was a lovely end to a delightful day.

More bay beauty

The sister B & B to ours has a wonderful literary claim

Nice parking spot

Misty frolicking, this time in the sun

What a wonderful library. We just wanted to curl up with a good book in one of its cozy nooks

There were four different used book shops along the main street.
Sundial Books has a nice selection of vintage Misty books

Our Ride Finishes on a Sweet Note

2012-04-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

We had such a lovely time cycling on the island. It was a perfect day to be out and carefree. On our way back to the B & B we made some fun stops.

Sara, just before we went back over the bridge to Chincoteague

So lovely

We love that every spot on the island has bike parking
(this place also has salt water taffy)

The island has multiple ice-cream shops (which make all of their ice-cream in house)
We enjoyed our Island Creamery stop!

Sara was very happy with her licorice ice-cream, it is hard to find that favorite flavor

Shawn's bourbon caramel crunch was also tasty!

The Ponies? What About the Ponies?

2012-04-01T16:16:00.003-04:00

So, you might ask, where are the ponies? We were asking that question as well. We didn't see any munching on grass below the lighthouse. None were spotted gallivanting in the wetlands. We didn't see any frolicking on the beach. As Sara would say, "We came here for the ponies!"

This looks promising...

Ponies? Look closely and you can see two...way off in the distance...

At another viewing point...

Maybe we should go back to the pen on Chincoteague where we saw the ponies last night.

Tom's Cove, Assateague

2012-04-01T14:16:00.001-04:00

The next part of our cycling adventure took us to Tom's Cove. We enjoyed exploring the small visitor's center.

Welcome to Tom's Cove

Shawn enjoys the touch tank

Relative sizes of horses, Chincoteague Ponies, and Saras

We spotted more snowy egrets in the wetlands around the cove

Beach Lunch on Assateague

2012-04-01T12:12:00.024-04:00

At a midpoint in our ride, just as we were getting hungry, we hit the beach for lunch. Since the island is a nature preserve you must pack-in any treats you wish to have while here. Thankfully, Lynn, our innkeeper, made us a lovely luncheon, perfect for the beach.

Nothing like soft warm sand in our toes

We found some great shells

Lunch time

This little "friend" was also interested in our beach lunch, much to Sara's chagrine

Amazing beach views

What a spot for lunch!

Such a glorious day!

A little seafoam

Look at this awesome, and intact, shell we found!

Shawn tried to rescue another one and got caught in the waves

Footprints

There was this cool shell collection at the edge of the beach.

We added some shells to it and set off for more adventures