Have a spooktactular Halloween!!
Friday 31 October 2008
How to carve a pumpkin
First, bring your pumpkin indoors and get your hubby to hack the top off (remember to leave a notch so the lid sits properly).
Then gather your tools: scoop, tiny saw, tiny drill, eyeliner pencil (this was very important) and begin to scoop out the insides...
I had chosen particularly hefty pumpkins and the scraping took a long time! Lots of tools were employed!
You have to scoop all the seeds and stringy bits, then scrape the inside away so that it's thin enough to carve...
Then begin the delicate job of transferring the pattern onto the pumpkin. When this proves impossible resort to hand-drawing it on with an eye-liner pencil. Then you begin to carve....
I firmly believe that the people that made the patterns never had to carve them!! I have never cussed so much. I had pumpkin pieces in my hair. This was hard work!!!
Then gather your tools: scoop, tiny saw, tiny drill, eyeliner pencil (this was very important) and begin to scoop out the insides...
I had chosen particularly hefty pumpkins and the scraping took a long time! Lots of tools were employed!
You have to scoop all the seeds and stringy bits, then scrape the inside away so that it's thin enough to carve...Then begin the delicate job of transferring the pattern onto the pumpkin. When this proves impossible resort to hand-drawing it on with an eye-liner pencil. Then you begin to carve....
I firmly believe that the people that made the patterns never had to carve them!! I have never cussed so much. I had pumpkin pieces in my hair. This was hard work!!!
Tuesday 28 October 2008
How low can it go?
Gas prices are sliding. I think gas is now the cheapest it has been since we got here. We paid $2.69 per gallon yesterday - which means it has come down about a dollar in a month and just under $2's from its peak. You can tell that the gas prices have dropped just by looking round the parking garage at work... the huge pick-up trucks are back! These things get about 20 feet to the gallon - you can't afford to drive by a gas station in case you run out of fuel!
A not so manic Monday
It was a funny day in work. Busy this morning and slow this afternoon. It meant that Stephen and I managed to escape about 3:30 in order to get home and do fun things like fill out our tax planners (eugh - not fun!). It's strange how much longer your evening feels when you're not getting home totally knackered at 6pm after 10 hours in the office!! We must try and do this more often...
It meant that I was able to complete steps 2 and 3 of the curry base sauce - it was a lot of blending, simmering and skimming. But now it is done! The whole house has a certain aroma of garlic and onions, but its all worth it for that little taste of heaven!
After weeks of swithering between venues for the Christmas, sorry I mean Holiday, Party we finally got the go ahead for the formal dinner and dancing at the Westin. We are going to be Full Length and Fabulous! Its nice to be organising a function again, even if this one is on a much smaller scale than the extravaganza's Mandy and I did in Malvern. Joni is also an old hand at this kind of thing, so hopefully it will go with a swing! The office invitations went out today and people actually seem quite enthusiastic for once. I guess this is something different and everyone loves a chance to dress up!
It meant that I was able to complete steps 2 and 3 of the curry base sauce - it was a lot of blending, simmering and skimming. But now it is done! The whole house has a certain aroma of garlic and onions, but its all worth it for that little taste of heaven!
After weeks of swithering between venues for the Christmas, sorry I mean Holiday, Party we finally got the go ahead for the formal dinner and dancing at the Westin. We are going to be Full Length and Fabulous! Its nice to be organising a function again, even if this one is on a much smaller scale than the extravaganza's Mandy and I did in Malvern. Joni is also an old hand at this kind of thing, so hopefully it will go with a swing! The office invitations went out today and people actually seem quite enthusiastic for once. I guess this is something different and everyone loves a chance to dress up!
Sunday 26 October 2008
Busy weekend
Our weekend has been something of a social whirl!
We hooked up with Andy and Marie (recent British imports to the office) and their neighbours in Chadwicks on Friday night. We were obviously the lightweights as they'd all been there since 5pm. We didn't roll up until nearly 8pm and wandered off to have some dinner before joining back up with the party (who were still going strong) around 11pm. I don't know how they do it!
Saturday morning didn't quite go according to plan! I had wanted to go down to Potomac Mills for some retail therapy but we got about 10 minutes down the I-95 when we saw the traffic warning that said that there was an accident in 3 junctions which blocked all lanes. Thankfully there was an exit we could get to as the traffic was rapidly backing up, and neither of us fancied spending 5 hours sitting in traffic. The upside was that we went to Kingstowne Mall and after wandering around World Market (and buying Maltesers) we went to Safeway and I (finally) bought my pumpkins. My front steps are now suitably decorated for Fall. We've failed again on the Halloween decorations front (for the second year) as we've left it far too late to actually buy anything! (One of the reasons I wanted to go to Potomac Mills was because they have a huge Halloween store...). As we live on "THE" Halloween Street in Old Town we'll be drummed out the neighbourhood soon!
We went to see Morag and Simon's new house in the afternoon. It is really gorgeous! It looks like a really great neighbourhood too. Apparently there are a lot of little girls round about for Alison to play with, so everyone seems very happy. Morag and I sipped (slugged) a couple of glasses of wine whilst Stephen and Simon amused Alison and admired the giant telly. When Lizzie woke up and got over her shy phase she was showing us her Halloween costume. She is going to be Pooh Bear. She was utterly adorable in her costume, complete with padded tummy, and really got into character when she had it on! She just "became" Pooh - it was hysterical!
We rushed from there to the weekend office (219 King St) to meet POQI for some dinner and listen to the band. The band were good, the drinks flowed, we didn't get home until sometime just after 1am!! Needless to say we were NOT up at 6:30 this morning!! I've spent most of the day cooking. The freezer was bare, so it was time to stock up. I've made Jamaican pork casserole and a goulash as well as completing stage 1 of the 3 stages of making the curry base sauce. It takes hours to make this (and my house stinks of onions and garlic!) but it is SO worth it! It really does taste like restaurant curry when you're done cooking!
We hooked up with Andy and Marie (recent British imports to the office) and their neighbours in Chadwicks on Friday night. We were obviously the lightweights as they'd all been there since 5pm. We didn't roll up until nearly 8pm and wandered off to have some dinner before joining back up with the party (who were still going strong) around 11pm. I don't know how they do it!
Saturday morning didn't quite go according to plan! I had wanted to go down to Potomac Mills for some retail therapy but we got about 10 minutes down the I-95 when we saw the traffic warning that said that there was an accident in 3 junctions which blocked all lanes. Thankfully there was an exit we could get to as the traffic was rapidly backing up, and neither of us fancied spending 5 hours sitting in traffic. The upside was that we went to Kingstowne Mall and after wandering around World Market (and buying Maltesers) we went to Safeway and I (finally) bought my pumpkins. My front steps are now suitably decorated for Fall. We've failed again on the Halloween decorations front (for the second year) as we've left it far too late to actually buy anything! (One of the reasons I wanted to go to Potomac Mills was because they have a huge Halloween store...). As we live on "THE" Halloween Street in Old Town we'll be drummed out the neighbourhood soon!
We went to see Morag and Simon's new house in the afternoon. It is really gorgeous! It looks like a really great neighbourhood too. Apparently there are a lot of little girls round about for Alison to play with, so everyone seems very happy. Morag and I sipped (slugged) a couple of glasses of wine whilst Stephen and Simon amused Alison and admired the giant telly. When Lizzie woke up and got over her shy phase she was showing us her Halloween costume. She is going to be Pooh Bear. She was utterly adorable in her costume, complete with padded tummy, and really got into character when she had it on! She just "became" Pooh - it was hysterical!
We rushed from there to the weekend office (219 King St) to meet POQI for some dinner and listen to the band. The band were good, the drinks flowed, we didn't get home until sometime just after 1am!! Needless to say we were NOT up at 6:30 this morning!! I've spent most of the day cooking. The freezer was bare, so it was time to stock up. I've made Jamaican pork casserole and a goulash as well as completing stage 1 of the 3 stages of making the curry base sauce. It takes hours to make this (and my house stinks of onions and garlic!) but it is SO worth it! It really does taste like restaurant curry when you're done cooking!
Thursday 23 October 2008
An all-time Lowes
We went to Lowes the other night to get a few things we needed. The shopping list was short: a light bulb, a trash can, a plant tray, a large air filter and a small air filter. Should be easy you think? I mean this store is the size of a small country, so they must stock everything right? Wrong!!!
We tried light bulbs first...they had every kind except the one we wanted. We gave up. Then it took us about 10 minutes of wandering before we gave up and asked where the air filters were...at the other end of the store from where we were. They had the large size, but no amount of searching helped us find the small one. Then we went in search of the trash can. After more aimless wandering we asked. Of course, it was at the other end of the store. At least they had one! I think we walked about 4 miles, traversed the store 14 times and only ended up with 2 items off the list. I did find fire starters (which I had forgotten to put on the list) so perhaps all the wandering wasn't entirely pointless!! Typically, I had found them on a solo wander so I had to lug the huge and heavy box the 2 miles back to the check out on my own - whilst Stephen waited patiently holding the light as a feather air filter.
I had a brilliant thought about ordering the filter and bulb off the Internet. That's not working out too well either! I can only get the filters in packs of 6. The bulbs cost $3 each, but it costs $8 to ship them.... D'oh!
We tried light bulbs first...they had every kind except the one we wanted. We gave up. Then it took us about 10 minutes of wandering before we gave up and asked where the air filters were...at the other end of the store from where we were. They had the large size, but no amount of searching helped us find the small one. Then we went in search of the trash can. After more aimless wandering we asked. Of course, it was at the other end of the store. At least they had one! I think we walked about 4 miles, traversed the store 14 times and only ended up with 2 items off the list. I did find fire starters (which I had forgotten to put on the list) so perhaps all the wandering wasn't entirely pointless!! Typically, I had found them on a solo wander so I had to lug the huge and heavy box the 2 miles back to the check out on my own - whilst Stephen waited patiently holding the light as a feather air filter.
I had a brilliant thought about ordering the filter and bulb off the Internet. That's not working out too well either! I can only get the filters in packs of 6. The bulbs cost $3 each, but it costs $8 to ship them.... D'oh!
Oh, we're going to St Lucia...Oh, in the sunny Caribbean sea...
Woohoo! After weeks of stress and protracted searching on all of the the travel websites, we have booked our Christmas holiday!!!
It had got to the stage where I was paralysed by indecision. I couldn't look at Expedia without breaking out in hives and having a total panic attack, so I did what I should have done a few days ago... and passed it all over to Stephen to sort out! As I expected all comments about sticking strictly to the budget went out the window when he had to do it and realised that you can't get the holiday we want for the bargain price he wanted! (Every now and again his Scottish comes out and he wants 5 star luxury for 2 star prices!)
We are both excited! I think we're both due a break where we can lie on our butts, drink cocktails, relax and where Stephen can capsize the Hobie Cat and have to be rescued by the water sports team in the speedboat!
It had got to the stage where I was paralysed by indecision. I couldn't look at Expedia without breaking out in hives and having a total panic attack, so I did what I should have done a few days ago... and passed it all over to Stephen to sort out! As I expected all comments about sticking strictly to the budget went out the window when he had to do it and realised that you can't get the holiday we want for the bargain price he wanted! (Every now and again his Scottish comes out and he wants 5 star luxury for 2 star prices!)
We are both excited! I think we're both due a break where we can lie on our butts, drink cocktails, relax and where Stephen can capsize the Hobie Cat and have to be rescued by the water sports team in the speedboat!
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Hello! I'm up here...
We had a charming UK visitor in the office the other day. Young(ish) chap. Could not keep his eyes off the Twins! I was talking to him, getting him settled into a cubicle and hooked up to e-mail and he could barely lift his eyes above boob height. Perhaps I have it wrong and he was incredibly shy and staring at the floor...but I really don't think so! He failed to spot the laser-looks he was getting as he wasn't making eye contact...I was getting a little peeved! I mean, is he 12, that he can't keep his eyes off them?? Have a little maturity and be subtle with the staring!!!
Slippery Slope
I went to get coffee on the way into work this morning. I was tired. I was cold. I ordered a Venti... I am officially caffeine addicted. I must be if I felt that I needed a drink which is not so much a cup as a bucket and needs two hands to lift it!!
Monday 20 October 2008
Dirty tactics
The Presidential campaign has been rather negative (an understatement I think!), but I was quite surprised to get a call at work the other day. It was the day after the last Presidential debate when they had argued about who had gone the most negative, and I'm pretty sure I remember John McCain was trying to put some distance between himself and the remarks that Sarah Palin had made about Obama "palling around with terrorists"....
Well, this was an automated call. We get quite a few at work, so I wasn't particularly listening as they're usually trying to convince you to swap to their phone service. I certainly paid attention when they said "...and John McCain wants you to know that Barack Obama palls around with terrorists..." and went on to tie him to William Ayers. I hung up in disgust at this point. I'm appalled that they stoop to such low tactics. Virginia is a strongly Republican state (I don't think the state has voted Democrat since Lyndon Johnson), but Obama is leading in the polls here so I guess that makes us a battleground state. I don't see how that justifies tactics like those though.
Well, this was an automated call. We get quite a few at work, so I wasn't particularly listening as they're usually trying to convince you to swap to their phone service. I certainly paid attention when they said "...and John McCain wants you to know that Barack Obama palls around with terrorists..." and went on to tie him to William Ayers. I hung up in disgust at this point. I'm appalled that they stoop to such low tactics. Virginia is a strongly Republican state (I don't think the state has voted Democrat since Lyndon Johnson), but Obama is leading in the polls here so I guess that makes us a battleground state. I don't see how that justifies tactics like those though.
Wot a whiff!
D'oh! I don't belieeeeve it! You know that someone nicked our garbage bin? Well, as we haven't been to Home Depot to replace it yet and as I didn't want to leave a bin bag out to be ripped open by squirrels and raccoons, I got up especially early to put the bag out before the bin men came. I rushed round the house collecting all the trash and emptied the stuff out the fridge, put the bag out and rushed into work.
I got home tonight and there is a definite smell of rotting fruit. I was puzzled as to why as I had put out the trash this morning. I just went to put a new bag in the trash can in the kitchen and discovered the source of the pong. I hadn't put out the kitchen bin!! I don't belieeeeeve it!!! The one bin that I really needed to put out is still whiffing away in the house.
I got home tonight and there is a definite smell of rotting fruit. I was puzzled as to why as I had put out the trash this morning. I just went to put a new bag in the trash can in the kitchen and discovered the source of the pong. I hadn't put out the kitchen bin!! I don't belieeeeeve it!!! The one bin that I really needed to put out is still whiffing away in the house.
Brrrrr. Its getting chilly out there.
I think I've managed to catch up on some kip this weekend and so I'm feeling a little less grumpy now. I had a lazy day today - I got up late, I finished my book, I watched Drillbit Taylor (not the worlds greatest film - but easy enough that it required no effort to watch) and did practically nothing else. Apart from try and keep warm!
The temperature has dropped quite a lot this weekend. It went from 82F on Friday to 59F on Saturday and slightly cooler today. I was freezing! I actually had to put on a jumper today - and the heating for about an hour when I couldn't take the cold any more! Its to warm back up to the high 60's, but it looks like we've had the last of the really warm weather for this year. Time to pack away the shorts and look out the jumpers.
The temperature has dropped quite a lot this weekend. It went from 82F on Friday to 59F on Saturday and slightly cooler today. I was freezing! I actually had to put on a jumper today - and the heating for about an hour when I couldn't take the cold any more! Its to warm back up to the high 60's, but it looks like we've had the last of the really warm weather for this year. Time to pack away the shorts and look out the jumpers.
Saturday 18 October 2008
The ego has landed
I have spent most of this week feeling tired and grumpy. Not even my daily latte could shift the morning grump entirely - more lift it from "don't speak to me you moron" to "I'll listen politely but don't expect me to boost your over-inflated ego any further". Yup, I was THAT grumpy!
One of my junior co-workers was back from a visit to the UK where he had spent a good portion of the week seriously annoying those people who were organising the VIP visit with his uncalled for meddling. He came to tell me about the VIP visit when he returned to the office on Tuesday. Considering that he had had NO involvement before he went to the UK and pissed everyone off with his arrogance and meddling I don't think he had any right. He spoke as if he had organised the whole thing and had been with the VIP's every step of the way....rich considering. After one particularly fraught phone call with the UK last week I had to phone POQI and tell him that he had to lock him in a cupboard for a few days as the MD who was lining up the technical visit wasn't now going on the technical tour as this whippersnapper was. She felt it was too many bodies going round. I had to get POQI to howck him off the tour (it was SO not appropriate he was even thinking about going!) and then go and make nice with the MD in question.
The little sod was extremely patronising when he spoke to me. I had to bite my tongue. Mentally I was having a little Ally McBeal fantasy moment and knocking him flying through the air with a mighty uppercut. He thinks he has been a complete success and has no clue that he's ticked off some pretty important people! He is also overstepping the mark with his interactions with the UK and is now trampling all over the jobs of the business development VP's. He's making us look not-joined-up and that is really not good. He has had a week in the UK with one of the VP's inflating his ego (he is now HER Flying Monkey!) and his ego now knows no bounds!! There is nothing that he cannot do now...or so he thinks!!
I'm hoping a weekend to catch up with some sleep will improve my mood. I feel like a need a vacation, but we are struggling to fit one in at the moment. To make matters worse, I spent ages researching vacations for Christmas and found one that looked great and was price perfect. Because Stephen has been away a lot recently (and I felt he should get a say) I waited for him to review it and when I went to book it earlier this week the price had gone up by $1200 - not quite so price perfect now! I'm now struggling to find something as good... D'oh!
One of my junior co-workers was back from a visit to the UK where he had spent a good portion of the week seriously annoying those people who were organising the VIP visit with his uncalled for meddling. He came to tell me about the VIP visit when he returned to the office on Tuesday. Considering that he had had NO involvement before he went to the UK and pissed everyone off with his arrogance and meddling I don't think he had any right. He spoke as if he had organised the whole thing and had been with the VIP's every step of the way....rich considering. After one particularly fraught phone call with the UK last week I had to phone POQI and tell him that he had to lock him in a cupboard for a few days as the MD who was lining up the technical visit wasn't now going on the technical tour as this whippersnapper was. She felt it was too many bodies going round. I had to get POQI to howck him off the tour (it was SO not appropriate he was even thinking about going!) and then go and make nice with the MD in question.
The little sod was extremely patronising when he spoke to me. I had to bite my tongue. Mentally I was having a little Ally McBeal fantasy moment and knocking him flying through the air with a mighty uppercut. He thinks he has been a complete success and has no clue that he's ticked off some pretty important people! He is also overstepping the mark with his interactions with the UK and is now trampling all over the jobs of the business development VP's. He's making us look not-joined-up and that is really not good. He has had a week in the UK with one of the VP's inflating his ego (he is now HER Flying Monkey!) and his ego now knows no bounds!! There is nothing that he cannot do now...or so he thinks!!
I'm hoping a weekend to catch up with some sleep will improve my mood. I feel like a need a vacation, but we are struggling to fit one in at the moment. To make matters worse, I spent ages researching vacations for Christmas and found one that looked great and was price perfect. Because Stephen has been away a lot recently (and I felt he should get a say) I waited for him to review it and when I went to book it earlier this week the price had gone up by $1200 - not quite so price perfect now! I'm now struggling to find something as good... D'oh!
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Wash Day Blues
I seem to have had a senior moment. We're packing Stephen for another trip and I went to take the laundry out of the washer and put it in the dryer...and found that I hadn't actually switched the machine on last night! It took me a while to register that was what had happened. I was standing staring blankly down into the machine and wondering why the heck my white washing had dark blue streaks all over it, and the fabric softener was still in the dispenser....
Oopsie!
POQI took Stephen and I out to dinner last night. I think he might have been feeling slightly guilty at forgetting my birthday the other week, and because of the visit to the UK this was the first chance we got to see one another.
Him forgetting by birthday was pretty funny actually. When someone stopped by my cube to say "Happy Birthday for tomorrow" all you could hear from his office was a very loud "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck" followed by frantic scrabbling in drawers. Then 30 seconds later he appeared with a Christmas card hastily converted to read birthday! I guess its the thought that counts! Anyway, dinner was really nice. We went to an Italian in Del Ray that was a new pick for Stephen and I. It was really nice rustic Italian food. Yummy!
Stephen had "a moment" driving home. There were some road works on the way back to drop Paul off and Stephen managed to turn down the wrong way! We were all very calm considering!! Thankfully there wasn't really any traffic around or there might have been a lot more shouting!!
Him forgetting by birthday was pretty funny actually. When someone stopped by my cube to say "Happy Birthday for tomorrow" all you could hear from his office was a very loud "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck" followed by frantic scrabbling in drawers. Then 30 seconds later he appeared with a Christmas card hastily converted to read birthday! I guess its the thought that counts! Anyway, dinner was really nice. We went to an Italian in Del Ray that was a new pick for Stephen and I. It was really nice rustic Italian food. Yummy!
Stephen had "a moment" driving home. There were some road works on the way back to drop Paul off and Stephen managed to turn down the wrong way! We were all very calm considering!! Thankfully there wasn't really any traffic around or there might have been a lot more shouting!!
St Michaels - the Photos
The view of the marina from the balcony 
A nice photo of Stephen, but why is the Chesapeake flowing uphill??
The hotel from across the marina
From our balcony at night, looking towards the Crab Shack
Monday 13 October 2008
Tranquility base
We're just back from an overnight trip to St Michaels on the Eastern Shore in Maryland. No, not a giant M&S but a very picturesque seaport. The weather has been fantastic this weekend, so we've been running around in t-shirts and enjoying the feeling of sunshine on skin.
We were later than we expected leaving yesterday morning - after we had the wood delivered, packed, watched the grand prix (I know, I know!) it was about 11am before we left the house. We had just stopped at the traffic lights which take us onto the Beltway when a huge cavalcade of motorcycle outriders zoomed past us, then a coach, then another huge bunch of police outriders. I'm guessing that whilst the G7 Economic Leaders were working out how to fix the global economy in DC, their wives and kids were doing some sightseeing and then going to the Redskins game! The police literally held up all the traffic on the Beltway to ensure clear passage for the coach....which nearly gave us clear passage too. We were only 3 cars behind, but the car at the front hesitated pulling onto the beltway and we ended up in the throng along with everyone else.
We stopped off at an outlet mall on the way down to St Michaels and stocked Stephen up with jeans and a new pair of trainers. All LONG overdue!! The lovely assistant in Calvin Klein was helping us to find a pair in the right size for him. We dispatched him off to the changing room, and had to laugh when he came out...the jeans were both far to big and far too long! It was a bit of a "Honey, I shrunk the husband" moment!
The hotel at St Michaels was charming. We had a room with a private balcony overlooking the marina, and there were plenty of vessels to look at, both modest and rather extravagant! We went out for a wander round the marina and ended up in a bar. I just don't know how that happened...one minute we were walking, the next we were sitting at the outdoor bar drinking wine! It did rather seem that the wine was about 40 proof - it certainly went directly to my head! We continued our wandering (and I really was at this point!) round the town. It is a really quaint little town, full of houses with wraparound porches complete with rocking chairs sitting on them, and lovely shops selling "stuff". It was in one such shop that the owners picked up on Stephen's accent (apparently mine has "rounded out" and I don't sound so Scottish) and told us about the Scottish guy who makes ice cream in nearby Oxford. They also said that the ferry journey to Oxford was worth doing (its the oldest continually running ferry in the US), so we decided that we'd do that on Monday.
After a little more wandering we headed to one of the restaurants overlooking the marina and opted for a table on the patio. The food was superb. Stephen had salmon and I had crab cakes, and both were delicious. They had a exceedingly delicious chocolate and peanut butter ice cream on the menu, so we had that too. Turns out that it was made by the Scottish bloke in Oxford. Although as it was now about 8pm, dark and getting rather chilly, ice cream probably wasn't the most sensible dessert choice!! We were sitting there in short sleeved t-shirts and everyone else was wearing jumpers and jackets!! Towards the end of the meal I was trying to wrap my arms in my napkin under the table in an effort to get warm!!!
We went back to the hotel, grabbed jackets and headed down to the bar with the hope of sitting out on the patio. Nooooo....that was all a bit difficult! There were plenty of tables, but when we asked the head waiter about sitting there, he looked hassled, and said "Well, I suppose you can sit at that one. But you'd need to go to the bar yourself as its going to be a while before anyone can take your order". Well, we didn't "want to be a burden" as Stephen was muttering, so we went to sit at the bar as instructed. And we waited....and waited..... They only seemed to have 3 staff on, so it was simply ages before anyone came to take our order. Hmmm, surely if we were having to wait this long we'd be as well sitting out on the deck overlooking the marina??? Oh well, never mind, lets not stress them....
The people we met seemed to fall into two camps. The shop owners and locals out walking who were charming and welcoming, and the wait staff who seemed to have a "f off and die you stranger to these parts" kind of attitude. We had asked a waitress (granted she was on a break and having a fag) where the entrance to the restaurant was (as we couldn't see it from the marina side) and we got such a look and an exceedingly grudging "round the side" that it did make you wonder what charm school she went to!
Monday dawned slightly overcast. Stephen was trusting the weather forecast which was bright, clear and 80F. I was trusting my eyes... what a fool I am! I dressed in jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt, Stephen in shorts and t-shirts. You can guess who was more comfortable!!!
We went for another walk and snapped more photos, before packing up the car and heading off. There was a slight hiccup getting into the car as someone had parked very close on the drivers side, so Stephen had to climb in from the passenger side. Not easy for a man of his advancing years with a bad back!!!
We got to the Oxford ferry to find that it was in Oxford and had to wait for it to come back over. We were stopped by a tiny beach waiting to embark so I leaped out to take photos. I got chatting to the couple in the car behind us. Turns out they were from London and doing a tour of the area. I suspect that every tourist that hits St Michaels is told to take the Oxford ferry!! We found the Scottish ice cream shop - and they were closed! It seems they only open at the weekends off season. D'oh! I was really looking forward to it! Not least because they also sold "British goods" according to their sign... Anyway, it seems that Victor was from Edinburgh (yay, lets hear it for the Best City that I come from!!) and had grown up above an Italian ice cream shop where he had worked from age 15, later becoming the manager, before meeting his wife and moving back to her native US. Apparently as well as the favourites, and the fantastic chocolate peanut butter we'd tried the night before, he also makes more unusual flavours like tomato and basil. I'm really sorry not to have found it open, but it gives us a reason to go back!!!
We were later than we expected leaving yesterday morning - after we had the wood delivered, packed, watched the grand prix (I know, I know!) it was about 11am before we left the house. We had just stopped at the traffic lights which take us onto the Beltway when a huge cavalcade of motorcycle outriders zoomed past us, then a coach, then another huge bunch of police outriders. I'm guessing that whilst the G7 Economic Leaders were working out how to fix the global economy in DC, their wives and kids were doing some sightseeing and then going to the Redskins game! The police literally held up all the traffic on the Beltway to ensure clear passage for the coach....which nearly gave us clear passage too. We were only 3 cars behind, but the car at the front hesitated pulling onto the beltway and we ended up in the throng along with everyone else.
We stopped off at an outlet mall on the way down to St Michaels and stocked Stephen up with jeans and a new pair of trainers. All LONG overdue!! The lovely assistant in Calvin Klein was helping us to find a pair in the right size for him. We dispatched him off to the changing room, and had to laugh when he came out...the jeans were both far to big and far too long! It was a bit of a "Honey, I shrunk the husband" moment!
The hotel at St Michaels was charming. We had a room with a private balcony overlooking the marina, and there were plenty of vessels to look at, both modest and rather extravagant! We went out for a wander round the marina and ended up in a bar. I just don't know how that happened...one minute we were walking, the next we were sitting at the outdoor bar drinking wine! It did rather seem that the wine was about 40 proof - it certainly went directly to my head! We continued our wandering (and I really was at this point!) round the town. It is a really quaint little town, full of houses with wraparound porches complete with rocking chairs sitting on them, and lovely shops selling "stuff". It was in one such shop that the owners picked up on Stephen's accent (apparently mine has "rounded out" and I don't sound so Scottish) and told us about the Scottish guy who makes ice cream in nearby Oxford. They also said that the ferry journey to Oxford was worth doing (its the oldest continually running ferry in the US), so we decided that we'd do that on Monday.
After a little more wandering we headed to one of the restaurants overlooking the marina and opted for a table on the patio. The food was superb. Stephen had salmon and I had crab cakes, and both were delicious. They had a exceedingly delicious chocolate and peanut butter ice cream on the menu, so we had that too. Turns out that it was made by the Scottish bloke in Oxford. Although as it was now about 8pm, dark and getting rather chilly, ice cream probably wasn't the most sensible dessert choice!! We were sitting there in short sleeved t-shirts and everyone else was wearing jumpers and jackets!! Towards the end of the meal I was trying to wrap my arms in my napkin under the table in an effort to get warm!!!
We went back to the hotel, grabbed jackets and headed down to the bar with the hope of sitting out on the patio. Nooooo....that was all a bit difficult! There were plenty of tables, but when we asked the head waiter about sitting there, he looked hassled, and said "Well, I suppose you can sit at that one. But you'd need to go to the bar yourself as its going to be a while before anyone can take your order". Well, we didn't "want to be a burden" as Stephen was muttering, so we went to sit at the bar as instructed. And we waited....and waited..... They only seemed to have 3 staff on, so it was simply ages before anyone came to take our order. Hmmm, surely if we were having to wait this long we'd be as well sitting out on the deck overlooking the marina??? Oh well, never mind, lets not stress them....
The people we met seemed to fall into two camps. The shop owners and locals out walking who were charming and welcoming, and the wait staff who seemed to have a "f off and die you stranger to these parts" kind of attitude. We had asked a waitress (granted she was on a break and having a fag) where the entrance to the restaurant was (as we couldn't see it from the marina side) and we got such a look and an exceedingly grudging "round the side" that it did make you wonder what charm school she went to!
Monday dawned slightly overcast. Stephen was trusting the weather forecast which was bright, clear and 80F. I was trusting my eyes... what a fool I am! I dressed in jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt, Stephen in shorts and t-shirts. You can guess who was more comfortable!!!
We went for another walk and snapped more photos, before packing up the car and heading off. There was a slight hiccup getting into the car as someone had parked very close on the drivers side, so Stephen had to climb in from the passenger side. Not easy for a man of his advancing years with a bad back!!!
We got to the Oxford ferry to find that it was in Oxford and had to wait for it to come back over. We were stopped by a tiny beach waiting to embark so I leaped out to take photos. I got chatting to the couple in the car behind us. Turns out they were from London and doing a tour of the area. I suspect that every tourist that hits St Michaels is told to take the Oxford ferry!! We found the Scottish ice cream shop - and they were closed! It seems they only open at the weekends off season. D'oh! I was really looking forward to it! Not least because they also sold "British goods" according to their sign... Anyway, it seems that Victor was from Edinburgh (yay, lets hear it for the Best City that I come from!!) and had grown up above an Italian ice cream shop where he had worked from age 15, later becoming the manager, before meeting his wife and moving back to her native US. Apparently as well as the favourites, and the fantastic chocolate peanut butter we'd tried the night before, he also makes more unusual flavours like tomato and basil. I'm really sorry not to have found it open, but it gives us a reason to go back!!!
Sunday 12 October 2008
The woodpile
We got our winter wood delivered this morning. We now have an enormous woodpile stacked in the yard. I'm looking forward to lighting a fire in the evenings and cosying up on the sofa with a book. I'm not looking forward quite so much to the reason we'll be lighting a roaring fire...namely because its freezing cold outside, we've lost the feeling in our extremities and toes to frostbite!!
Stephen has wood
When we were out in the back yard we found a little visitor taking cover beneath our tarp. I don't know where he came from, but we moved him out of the way when the guys were hauling the wood into the yard in case he got trod on.
Timmy the tortoise (or turtle??)
Stephen has woodWhen we were out in the back yard we found a little visitor taking cover beneath our tarp. I don't know where he came from, but we moved him out of the way when the guys were hauling the wood into the yard in case he got trod on.
Timmy the tortoise (or turtle??)Dinner with views
We went out for dinner last night. It was to a restaurant that we've not been to before and it was a lovely setting. It was on Daingerfield Island, right beside the marina and overlooking the airport and the DC skyline. We got there just about sunset and got a table on the deck with views across the Potomac to the monuments and Capitol building.
The food was really good, but the timing was appalling! We had made the mistake of ordering both appetiser and entrees at the same time. In more upscale restaurants they understand that this doesn't mean you want everything arriving at the same time. It is a lesson that this place needs to learn!
They brought a bread basket and I had eaten about 2 morsels when they brought the starter. We had ordered the sample platter of naan bread with hummus, shrimp skewers and crab claws which was really delicious, but I was still picking crab out of a claw when the steaks arrived about 5 minutes later. We were having to move our appetiser plates out of the way in order to make space on the table for the mains. It was not a relaxed pace of service!! But the food was good, and if we go back we'll do what we normally do - order the appetizers and hang onto the menu's because we "haven't quite decided" on entrees...
The food was really good, but the timing was appalling! We had made the mistake of ordering both appetiser and entrees at the same time. In more upscale restaurants they understand that this doesn't mean you want everything arriving at the same time. It is a lesson that this place needs to learn!
They brought a bread basket and I had eaten about 2 morsels when they brought the starter. We had ordered the sample platter of naan bread with hummus, shrimp skewers and crab claws which was really delicious, but I was still picking crab out of a claw when the steaks arrived about 5 minutes later. We were having to move our appetiser plates out of the way in order to make space on the table for the mains. It was not a relaxed pace of service!! But the food was good, and if we go back we'll do what we normally do - order the appetizers and hang onto the menu's because we "haven't quite decided" on entrees...
The District - the photos
The Capitol framed by fall colour
Outside the Air & Space Museum
My 43rd attempt at taking this shot!
The Twins go to Washington
Looking down the (busy) Mall
I think I won the abstract competition with these shots!!
The building featured in the previous shots
The sculpture garden
The National Archives from the Sculpture Garden
The fountain in the Sculpture Garden
The entrance to the Natural History Museum
Looking apprehensive at having Dino whisper in my ear!
Pentagon Mall
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