Dilatory Me

I was going to blog much earlier and then 3 people called in a row!

However, the delay between Memorial Day weekend and today is long enough that my blog ought to be nice and succinct.

We went to Cape May, New Jersey.  The End.

Just kidding.

Here are some pictures:

We stayed at the Angel of the Sea, one of the best B&Bs in the country.  J said he chose a place where he thought an angel would sleep.  ;-)

The Pink House

The Union Jack with the Stars and Stripes

A Mustang on Ocean Drive

This is the Fire Department!

This is a bank!

Sunset, Day One

Cape May Lighthouse, Day One



Cape May Lighthouse on 5x optical zoom

On Saturday evening after dinner at the Ugly Mug, we played skee ball, which was a ton of fun.

Tea at the Angel of the Sea

A seaweed-covered jetty on the beach.  It was chilly on Sunday but we ran around on the beach collecting shells and stones, getting sand between our toes, catching our feet in the lapping waves, and digging up baby sand crabs.  Then we played mini golf.  In the evening, we smartened up a little and enjoyed a fine dinner at the Merion Inn on Sunday night, where an old guy played some excellent jazz numbers on a baby grand, and someone sang along.  It was all so good that we wanted to kidnap the old-timer and haul the inn back to Bethesda.

But it was suddenly HOT on Monday!  We had popcorn and frozen custard and got tanned.

The 3 hour drive there took double the time on the way home because everyone else was travelling at the same time.

We passed through Goshen, New Jersey, at a snail's pace, so I got some interesting pictures of classic white churches, there was even an old one-room school house but I couldn't get my camera out in time.

Sunset over an inlet at Cape May, one of the best photos I have ever taken.

This weekend, J and I got some pics developed, bought frames, and put them up in our respective offices.  He's had fun showing us off to colleagues and clients.

Well, it's past my bedtime so I bid you goodnight!  I'll come and see you soon, a few at at time for the rest of the week.

Coming up for air

Yes, Glo, here I am - I read the late comments on my last post!

Omigosh!  It's raining cats, dogs and a few horses out there!  It started just as I typed the last sentence.  This evening walking home the air was heavy, warm and moist, like a primordial soup, with a few silent flashes of lightning.  Like the rebirth of life was about to happen.

Anyway, you want to hear about the job.  The image of the cherry blossoms above are from the two trees flanking the office entrance in Arlington.  Everyone is so nice and friendly there.  It's a quiet and studious environment, which is perfect for me.  When it's a hectic week, you can hear a pin drop.  When there's not enough work, it gets noisy.

So far, I've edited documents in Latvian, Portuguese, French, and - get this - Azeri (from Azerbaijan) for things I shouldn't tell you about.  But I now know how to say gamma and neutron in more than one language.

I'm a tri-stater now:  live in DC, work in VA, hang out in MD.  I've never crossed state lines so much in my life.

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This weekend with J was wonderful!  Saturday was hot - nearly 80F/27C - so we absolutely had to stay outdoors.  We went to Great Falls national park which sprawls across both Virginia and Maryland.  We were in the Md. part of course, on a part known as the Billy Goat Trail.  Being a native Marylander, J knows all that there is to do in that state.

Some rapids where we spotted a few kayakers going sideways

After about a mile hike, resting on the rocks at a small inlet beach

Leaving the inlet and heading back the way we came, we stalked a blue heron.  This is 5x zoom.

At a quiet pond we spotted another heron - can you see it?



There he is - being all still and zen waiting for a meal

Roots of a log that spans the stream



Pretty blue flowers (any of you expert floraphiles know?)

Gritty, sweaty, and icky, we freshened up (good thing he only lives 10 minutes from my place), I got picked up again and crossed back into Maryland where we went to dinner at a very swanky Vietnamese place in Bethesda.  It was some of the nicest decor I've ever seen in an Asian restaurant down to the details - very homey despite the soaring ceilings, the fancy aquarium and the waterfall behind the bar.

As a result of all the clambering and climbing, I was very sore today.  My quadriceps and even my deltoids are feeling it because I used my arms a lot to climb up and down.  It's funny because J feels it in his calves, but mine are fine.

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Sunday was very Sunday-ish.  J picked me up and we went to lunch and then Macy's.  My mission failed in that they were out of my shade of makeup.  J's mission was accomplished in that I helped him pick out a new shirt and tie for a client event on Tuesday.  If it doesn't work I accept the blame.  Even though I used to buy ties for Dad, I haven't had that much practice matching them with shirts and suits.  Then we went to DSW Shoe Warehouse where I made up for the lack of makeup by buying two pairs of shoes for work.

We rambled around downtown Bethesda for a while and enjoyed the band playing Led Zeppelin outside Barnes & Noble.  When it tried to rain, we retreated inside to share a big cookie and sat together reading magazines until it got dark and chilly outside.  Finally, we went to Austin Grill for a dinner of starters, enough for two small people.  I think we stayed out much later than I had expected for a Sunday night!

Two interesting cakes in the window of a cupcake bakery:

I shall call this one Wedgwood

More Easter Birthday Weekend

I'm moving quickly here because I know that once I start work I will be somewhat wiped out at the end of each day until I establish a routine and break myself back in to the work process. Certainly I can say that Glo, who recently started a new job, knows what I mean. 

Anyway, if you haven't seen my last post, then make like a tomato and ketchup!

A pic from Claire's camera of dessert at Rosa Mexicano on Friday.  She had three flavors of sorbet:  mango, coffee-Kahlua, and raspberry-rose. I had a tres leches (3 milk) cake topped with soft peaked meringue on a base of lime glaze and garnished with sweet mango salsa.

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On Saturday, Claire went to meet an old college friend for lunch and an afternoon outing.  I rested at home,which for me, an introvert and an only child, is always welcome.

After Jeff had his car serviced, gone shopping and had brunch with his mom, and seen her off to Baltimore, he came to me bearing gifts.  I wanted nothing from anyone this year, all the other blessings I've received are enough for me - but I have to say they were exquisite things, handmade items from those Fairtrade cooperatives.

A Nepalese satin jewelry box



A Peruvian bamboo and turquoise necklace

We met Claire downtown and scouted out the Dupont Circle area for dinner, finally settling on Thaiphoon which satisfied the list for an exciting menu, an array of spicy foods, and a decent atmosphere.



It was still barely dark when we left but we were sure the restaurant looks great at night.  We joined the crowds making their way down to the Waterfront to see the fireworks put on the mark the end of the Cherry Blossom Festival.  Everyone oohed and aahed, and then the crowds all headed out again.

I'm sure J wouldn't mind me sharing this picture he took with his phonecam
That's me with a firework coming out of my head, in case you were wondering

And then, as we were really not done with the evening, we headed back up to Dupont for the famed 18th Street Lounge that we'd visited once before, after the Indonesian Embassy evening.  Claire really enjoyed it, specially since unmarked venues are often the best.  It really is just a door to the townhouse and you climb up the stairs into 3 floors of atmosphere.  First there is the ultra-hip floor filled with trawling single types.  But our floor of choice is the live jazz level (or as someone calls it, the Jeff and Livvy room) which is more relaxed and very sophisticated.  We arrived fairly early before the band set up, so were able to snag a comfy red couch, though not the nice Queen Anne we had a few weeks ago.  Just like last time, a couple standing on the open floor suddenly broke out into some fairly good swing dance.

I enjoyed the Nat King Cole numbers sung in sultry style by the band's chanteuse.

The End

P.S. Wish me luck tomorrow!

Cherry Blossoms...

...or "Livvy Petals" as J called them which I think is very cute.

49th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival

I was to meet up with the Meetup.com World Culture group in front of the Natural History museum before 10am, and having had a long week, Jeff would join us at noon.  I set my alarm for 7.15am, but didn't notice it was my Monday-Friday alarm, so woke up sometime after 8 and wasn't downtown until at least 10.30.  I caught most of the parade, but I didn't have a great vantage point, most of them already being taken.  I really don't need to go to another for a very long time, but I enjoyed the marching bands.

J arrived at noon and we tried to fight the crowds at the food stalls, but there were too many people and in my opinion not enough food stalls, so we ditched the festival and took the metro down to the Daily Grill where we ate in civilized fashion.  So - no martial arts shows, no taiko drums, no dancing geisha.  Sorry!

We cabbed it back to the Tidal Basin area and spent the next few hours wandering through cherry blossoms and dodging pointed cameras.  

It was an extremely windy day and everyone had wild hair.  The wind was chilly but in the pauses the sun was hot.  We were disappointed that the wind prevented the paddle boats from going on the water, but another time perhaps...

When we got to the Jefferson Memorial we sat on the steps and watched Indian dancers on the stage opposite.  When they were done, a band from Gibraltar spent about a half hour setting up while Led Zeppelin played over the speakers to keep us distracted.  The Gibraltans played very foot-tapping Spanish-style numbers but we couldn't stay much longer as the sun was getting low and it was time to keep moving.

On the way out of the area, we walked through the endless  FDR memorial, which is made of granite and is full of waterfalls, fountains, engraved bronze surfaces, and rough-hewn blocks of juxtaposed pink granite.  We also discovered across a random lawn a small memorial to those District of Columbians who gave their lives in the Great War.

And then on the way to the metro we took a small detour so I could see the more famous side of the White House (since in January I only got the back, and lots of ice) with the bonus addition of cherry blossoms.

Nearby is the Department of the Treasury, with a statue of Alexander Hamilton:

We went up to Bethesda for some good sushi, sake, gyoza, and green tea.  Halfway through dinner, I got a text from Diva saying they were nearly ready for our webcam session, so J stepped up the pace saying, "We have to go, because you have a show".  It had been Nags' surprise 40th birthday party, so Amy and Pandy were there too.  The connection was worse than last time, so we gave up after a valiant effort, but it was lovely to see everyone and say hi and have them "meet" Jeff.

Good Things

"Good things come to those who wait," said a certain someone to me at the jazz lounge on Friday.  This saying is true on many levels.

Those of you on Facebook know the rest, but anyway...I swore to myself I wasn't going to get into this on my blog, but really, it's even more exciting than my museum visits.

Upon finding out on Saturday that I was unwell, this same someone (who probably deserves a nickname at some point) promised to bring me get well treats.  And so on Sunday I received a call while he was at a rather nice gourmet store, gauging my interest in items, reading ingredients, deciding on things, and then asked my permission to come see me.

He came bearing good things:  chicken noodle soup, tomato basil parmesan soup, a chocolate tartlet, a fruit tartlet, organic OJ with pulp, and a bunch of PINK TULIPS!

(I thought this only happened in movies.)

I was so cheered up that I felt good enough to go out, so we went for a ramble round the neighborhood in the sunshine before he left to visit his folks.

(Girls are not supposed to admit this, and I didn't, but no guy apart from my father has given me flowers before.)

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In other news, I had a pre-interview phone screening with a company in Arlington, and it looks like I will be getting an interview later this week.

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Oh, nearly forgot - if you want to see pics of us at the Indonesian Embassy, then go to ThingstodoDC, click on the Photo Gallery link on the Right hand side menu, choose the Embassy link, and take a peek at the pics.  

Family Reunion

We didn't fly back from Toronto in time to vote, but by the time we touched down on the tarmac New York State was blue and the electoral votes were probably already in.

Comment I made on Um Naief's blog last month re Powell's endorsement of Obama:

It will show the world that America is more sophisticated and therefore worthy of credit, if it can differentiate between Muslims and terrorists to such an extent that someone with a name like Barack Hussein Obama can be elected to leadership in an era where we have deposed a Hussein and are fighting an Osama.

My cousins had CNN on nearly 24/7 and it was refreshing to see the kids both from NY and Canada, ranging in age from 10 to 17, passionately discussing the candidates' closing speeches with each other and their parents. I mostly sat and listened, still not believing that these intelligent and articulate teenagers were babes in arms not so long ago...I remember when their moms were pregnant. I feel old. But I love that my cousins have such smart children. Well, so it should be, I mean imagine if it were otherwise for my cousin and her husband who are on the NY Board of Education and a high school principal.

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Toronto Approach

My cousins (Ryan and Andrea) and I landed just a few minutes before the London bunch (including my Mum) so we all waited and met up in the International Arrivals lounge. My cousin Pierre from Orangeville picked up the London bunch and I went with them to Orangeville, and the rest were taken to Kitchener by their brother Neil.

Much of the drive between Toronto, Kitchener, and Orangeville looks like this:



I've been visiting Canada since 1979 but never have I been so impatient with the mileage. Usually I just let the endless driving pass by but this time every trip felt a half hour longer than it used to. 1 hr 45 min to get anywhere proved too much so my London cousins and I started up with the "Are we theeeeere yet?" a couple of times!

Endless straight flat or undulating roads slice through farms, fields, forests, and provincial parklands. Roads with names like Blind Line (because you can't see round the corner), 15th Line or 168th Line (running NW to SE), Sideroad 12 or Sideroad 39 (running NE to SW), Hurontario Road (because that's where it is) or Forks of the Credit Road (because that's what it passes through). I've made these trips in the dark in driving snow, and I will never know how my cousins know where to turn.

It was lovely countryside but I couldn't capture as many images as I'd have liked, even when we drove through the Forks of the Credit River area, over the river, and into Belfountain (conservation hamlet from the 1840s). Also, the fall colors were mostly over but my cousin Elizabeth asked me if I thought the deep orange sunset bathing the tops of the sparsely yellow-leafed forest trees reminded me of Klimt. Love it when my family says random things like that.

Despite an early snow last week which had melted, the weather warmed up and for most of the trip remained mild, even reaching 20 C (60s F). My London cousins were excited because it felt like English summer!

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Some of you may remember Jay-Jay, or Jayj as I call him. He wuvs me. He's Aunty Rita's boy. My mother helped her adopt him about three years ago after she was widowed and her previous dog was put to sleep, so Mum was actually his first mum since Aunty Rita didn't really want him, and he missed my Mum when she returned to Texas. They rebonded after Mum sold our house and moved in a couple of years ago. He still loves his Aunty Ruth. When she talks to him on the phone from London now, he goes to her old room looking for her! She's the only one who tells him off so he can't get anything past her and he knows it.



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Family reunions always make me happy. I have 24 cousins and between them they have about 17 children. Add to that the aunts and uncles who can make it, plus anyone related by marriage and you always have a full house.

On Friday some of us did last minute shopping at Canada's favourite store Winners, especially me. Not knowing Neil's 50th would be at a hall and there would be evening wear, I took decent clothes expecting we'd all go to Fiona's house like we did for New Year's '04. I picked up a black and white piece much like the one I have at home which is reddish and teal, both intriguing 4-in-1 dresses by Lapis:




The softer lining is a contrasting color to the shiny crinkled exterior, but interestingly the pattern is created by attaching the inner lining to the outer layer and punching it through. This lends a comfortable weight to the fall of the material. Also, the elastic smocked top ensures a comfortable fit. Because it's crinkled it's reminiscent of the old Fortuny gowns of the early 20th century that came rolled up in a self-cloth bag, and these things pack very well for travelling.

I had left my wide belt at home, so I called my cousin hoping she'd have a substitute. She did, but it kept popping off because the buckle was defective - the prong too short and the D-ring too soft. I wanted to wear it like the model on the far right but had to settle with the style on the far left until I gave up rebuckling it and left it off. The night of the party was bitterly cold so I layered up a little bit more than I'd have liked and don't know how some women turned up in proper gowns. Even when I'm indoors, if it's icy outside I feel it under my skin. Do you?

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Rather excitingly, my mother splurged on me a bit with a pair of wool Tahari trousers and this striking red TH bag:



My cousin Ryan insists it is not "red", it is "oxblood". I would have never come up with that word unless I'd read it somewhere.

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Images from Neil's surprise 50th:


1) Neil knew he was having a party, he just didn't know so many people (close to 200) would come and from so far away.
3) Mandy's husband Cornel emceed in true high school principal style with all the right speeches. He called every table up one by one to the buffet and then stood and authoritatively surveyed the room with his hands folded in front of him before deciding he could put down the mic and go off duty!



1) There was a belly dancer who danced to Moroccan music and then Neil joined in.
2) Five of six aunts showed up (the one in the middle is my Mum).
3) Cousin Alyssa and her man Jon, who is originally from the North of England.
4) Cousin Ryan and me.



1) Cousin Alyssa and my goddaughter Jada.
2) Aunty Rita and cousin Mandy.
3) Aunts Eve and Roh.
4) Cousin Pierre and Aunty Rita.

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No rest for the wicked. We drove home to O'ville, and had to drive back to Kitchener the next day for dinner at Fiona's to celebrate cousin Michelle's 42nd birthday. Mich rarely leaves the UK, hates flying and isn't that keen on North America, so it was special to have her here.


1) Gathering for the cake and candles.
2) The cousins with a couple of aunts in the way.
3, 4) Neil and Mich cafuffle over the cutting. At Guyanese birthdays people rarely cut the cake alone. At my mother's 21st she drew names from a hat. Some English guy got called up, which puzzles most people not in the know, leading them to ask, "Who's she marrying there?"



1) Some of the older cousins chatting at the breakfast table. (Neil owns patents and a factory in Kitchener. Elizabeth (my godmother) is a non-profit consortium director in London. Michelle (Liz's sister) is a stay at home mum of three boys. Fiona (Neil's sister) also owns a company and her husband works with both her and Neil.)
2) Four of my second cousins. The two on the outside (Krystle and Tiffany) are Neil's and the two in the middle (Karissa and Kristine) are Mandy's, even though the two at the front look like sisters. Incidentally, Krystle is becoming a model and Alyssa was one briefly a few years ago.
3) Jada, Alyssa, and Jon who is really really good with Jada (whose father passed away 2 yrs ago).
4) Lala and O-o.


1,2) Jada and Sasha (a cousin's cousin on the other side).
2) Princess Kayla (Fiona's daughter) with her guitar.
3) Cousins Andrea and Mandy.

The Orangeville lot drove back but Mum and I stayed in Kitchener. That night she went to bed early but the rest of us changed into pyjamas and made lots of tea, and that's when we had the political discussions I mentioned at the top of my post. I love my family and they almost make up for my having no brothers and sisters. No matter how old we are, aunties and cousins will sit together and "hug up" as we call it. I had my turns with Fiona and Mandy, both of whom have been advising and encouraging me since I was a teenager. However, they are shameless and once they start teasing me or being cheeky, that's another story!

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The cul de sac where Fiona and her family live. When I woke up on Tuesday morning after the rain, I heard a woodpecker rapping away on a tree in the copse behind the development.

The houses are spacious enough but still there's, like, another whole house in the basement! I envy those Canadians and New Yorkers their 1.5 homes on one lot. Texas doesn't have basements due to the tornadoes and floods. These basements have living rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms and endless closets. They rarely feel underground when they're not walk-out/garden level. I'd love to move in to my cousin Mandy's in Westchester - with the exercise room connecting the basement den and nanny's room to the separate apartment with its cute bathroom and front door letting out to the backyard. Man!


The End. This was long eh?