How much can you cram in to four days?

Apparently quite a bit! It was an amazing trip for only being four days in length. Cyndi and Marc were awesome host's. Cyndi is one of my friends from High School (so we know it's been a while). We've kept touch over the years and have remained good friends. We started out by grabbing some lunch at a little bistro and then did some touring of Georgetown where a lot of embassies are located. Of course I had to do a little trespassing at the Finnish embassy. Really ultra modern and very "Ikea" looking. One of the stops I wanted to make was to have my picture taken on the "Exorcist" steps. You know, the end scene where the priest is tossed out of the window. They're located in a very unlikely spot in Georgetown sort of spilling out in to a gas station parking lot. This did not deter me from getting down on the ground for a staged shot. A few other people were trying to get pics of the stairs too and used me as a model ;-) Here's a shot of me at the White House exercising my first amendment rights. Glad they're still somewhat intact.


Later that evening we went to a restaurant called "The Founding Farmers". The philosophy is to use seasonal and locally produced food to create the menu. I had oysters on the half shell and squash stuffed ravioli. They also try to stick to a green philosophy as far as energy usage and in the ladies room they had a Dyson "blade" to dry your hands instead of toweling or the standard hand dryers. I want one of these for my whole body!


Of course the next day was all about Apocalyptica!! However early in the day we went to Old Town and did a tour of the Torpedo Factory Art Gallery. They had a really eclectic collection of different genres of art. We ate lunch at a Thai restaurant and played a game of musical cocktails before we figured out who's drink actually belonged to who. Then it was off to the concert!! By the time we got there the queue had already started. We were probably about halfway in the line before they opened the doors and then it was about another hour and a half before Apo took the stage. I managed to squeeze in pretty close. I wish I had gotten some better live shots but these guys dont exactly stand still. The show itself....awesome, incredible, amazing....I'm ready to go for four!!



Here's a shot of Paavo and me after the gig. He's such a sweetie.











Here's Eicca blond hair and fingers flying. The technical skill that these guys have is mind boggling. Remember there are no frets on a cello. Everything is strictly motor memory.


Of course as you guys can see...I stayed after and stalked the band for photos.

The next day was more touring of galleries and Museums. We went to the National Museum of American Indians for lunch where they had several kiosks set up with different areas of the Americas and their indigenous foods. We had some salmon, tamal, different grain based salads and of course fry bread. We toured some of the National Portrait Gallery to see the Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keffee exhibit. Everything was grouped beautifully and we got to see some of their lesser known pieces. We then went to Walter Reed Medical Center for the Medical Museum. Certainly not to everyone's taste but you know me, I like the gross stuff. After we toured the museum I did a little trespassing in the hospital and managed to find their PM&R department to see how their OT deparment was. Unfortunately it was a little late and the clinic was closed up. I did a little more snooping and found Lieutenant Colonel Gambel, a physiatrist who came out of his office and was more than happy to explain the ins and outs of their therapy departmet, accupuncture and how not everyone in the military is a raving conservative. Then it was off to dinner at Bilbo Baggins restarant, of course it was attatched to the Green Dragon Pub. ;-) Very quaint and the food was delicious.

Did you think I wouldn't talk about yarn? For starters, there was absolutely NO problem with bringing my addi 1 and 2 circs on the plane. In fact they never even looked at them. I did a little knitting on the plane while listening to podcasts. If you travel....get an iPod. It will save your sanity and keep you from having to listen to screaming brats and inane conversation. On my last day I wanted to hit a LYS just to grab a little souvenir for myself. I found "Knit Happens" not very far from Cyndi's apt. Very nice store and nice owners. Of course I had to do a little shameless self promotion for my shawl pins and left her with one of my Etsy and blog cards. We ate lunch at Wasabi, a really cool sushi restaurant where the food comes around in front of you on a little conveyor belt and you just reach up and grab what you want. At the end of your meal they add up plates to total your bill. Very cool. We then did a little more museum touring of the Craft Museum and a very small portion of the Smithsonian. We took pics at the White House and some of the anti-Bush protesters. Then lastly ducked in to the Asian art museum for a quick look before getting back on the train and getting me to the airport.

I'm a little tired today ;-) I've spent most of my morning pouring over photos and catching up on emails etc. Now it's time to do a little laundry, cooking and get back to the mundane track of my daily existence. Back to work tomorrow....bleah.

If anyone wants to peruse more of my pics go to Flickr and look me up under "larjmarj39". Everyone have a great rest of your week!