Buddies,  Bug,  coffee!coffee!coffee!,  heavy on photos,  painting,  travel,  Washington D.C.

Speed Tourism and Ladies’ Night at the Pottery Studio

sugar cube sculpture

After the Natural History Museum we walked briskly through the sculpture garden, which was pretty neat. There was a giant sugar cube sculpture and a silver tree and some chairs stacked up really high. There were a lot more sculptures too but we were on a schedule so we rushed by.

chairs walking through the sculpture gallery

silver tree

Catching the Subway to Paris

Of course I had to take a picture by the scale model of the Paris Metro sign that I have been to in real life.

chomp! ice cream?

By then we were starving so we stopped by a hot-dog cart for a quick lunch. Except Bug suddenly decided she doesn’t like hot dogs and was given an ice-cream sandwich instead. She’s getting away with all kinds of spoiled behavior during this vacation. But then again, so am I.

kidlets at the Lincoln Memorial

We crossed the street to the Lincoln Memorial and took lots of pictures of the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool. The funny thing about the Lincoln Memorial is that it’s really big and impressive. They have a sign up that says to be quiet and respectful. You sort of feel like you’ve entered a church with the cavernous stone walls rising up over your head. It’s cool and quiet and filled with whispering people. So when you yell out for your kid to stop running away from you and pose for a photo, you sort of feel like someone who farted really loud in church and it’s embarrassing.

but I don't want to go tahdah!

paper crane

By then we were running pretty late for our scheduled events for the afternoon but I really really wanted to see the Vietnam Memorial since I remember when it was built. I remember reading long articles about the artist’s reasons and inspiration behind it’s design. It’s just as interesting and impressive in person and I’m really glad we took a moment to walk down and really experience it.

Vietnam Memorial

finding names

Bug played her favorite game of finding all the H’s. The wall was actually hot to the touch since it sits in the sun so it was a tricky game for her to touch the wall but not “burn” her finger. It wasn’t really hot enough to burn you but you know how kids can be sensitive.

B & B

Then it was back to the Actuallys’ for an hour of unpacking and some more putting-together-of-furniture for Troy. Then Bethany and I headed out for a “Ladies’ Night” at her old favorite pottery painting studio. (The kids stayed home with Troy for a fun-filled movie night.) Of course we had to stop on our way there for Starbucks so we would be at our optimum creativity levels.

Also, it’s 7 Days again so we snapped a few self-portraits. If you’ve been following my flickr feed, you’ve probably been wondering why there was a sudden explosion of pictures of my ugly mug. Now you know.

Maryland Ladies Night

painting girls

egg art IS BREWING

I finished up the ceramic egg I started the other day. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s fired. It looks soft and pink now but if I remember right I think the banding stripes are orange and pink and the pink I mixed with something else so it might turn into this awful mauve. Who knows. That’s the fun of pottery painting, you just never know what you’re going to get in the end.

And that’s that! Much more to come though!

14 Comments

  • mamalang

    I cry every time I go to the Vietnam Memorial. Not because of any personal connection to any of the soldiers, but just the whole thing. I’d blame it on my husband being in the military, but I cried before I even met him.

    I’m glad you are doing so many fun things while you are here. There is a lot to do!

  • pinky

    that egg might the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen from a paint-yer-own pottery place. you really took it to another level :-)

    (and could that photo of you behind the coffee cup be any more perfect? hee!)

  • Hope

    That egg is amazing. We’re inheriting a kiln this weekend, and I can’t wait to paint some pottery.

  • K

    It’s so neat to see your pictures. I run by the sculpture garden and all along the mall a few days a week. We even run by the Lincoln. It’s always so neat to see the city from an outsiders perspective.

  • BeachMama

    Wow you guys just packed it all in. I am so happy you had some pretty great weather and got to see all that you did.

    I love your egg! I can’t wait to see how it turns out and to see what Bethany is painting in the background.

  • Melissa

    So fun to see all the touristy things you’re doing while you’re out there. Like the others before me…please post a picture of the finished egg. It’s going to be so pretty! Have a safe trip back!

  • Christine

    On a completely unrelated note, I made your lemon scones for the second time today. They’re so good! I highly recommend trying them with butter and raspberry jam. And tea, of course.

    Love the egg – I really want to see how it turns out.

  • Kuky

    Love the egg. I saw it in your Flickr stream and didn’t know what it was. I mean yes an egg but I didn’t know the context. It’s the same with Bethany’s stream. Sometimes I see her photos before she posts about them and I have no context as to what’s going on. It’s much better when I read the post that goes along with a picture.

  • Daily Cup of Jo

    I just told a friend, who’s going to DC for the first time next week, that you can spit and hit a monument. Everywhere you turn, there’s history. Gotta love it. And speaking of farting at the Lincoln Memorial (you were suggesting it), I just wrote about farts in my post today, because I’m in my 40s and farts are always funny – though often embarrassing.

    I’m rambling. Amazing that DC was packed with snow just weeks ago and today you enjoyed the sunshine. Spring has sprung.