DC Vignettes

Aren't these flowers beautiful? My favorite kind (and my hubby knows it!). He brought these for me when he came to spend the weekend with me last week.

I have been woefully silent on my months spent in DC and couldn't leave (in a couple of weeks!) before posting some shots.

Those beautiful gerbera daisies help put a personal touch to the furnished apartment I'm renting. Living in a home that someone else has designed/furnished can be a little spooky - like you're living in someone else's home but they're never here. It even came complete with books on the bookshelf, including "The Harvard Yard" by William Martin. Hmm... did they know I was coming from Boston?

I have been so blessed to live in this amazing place, at the heart of our nation's capital, and have access to free museums, monuments, etc. Most mornings, I see black suburbans in front of the entrance to the building and security details waiting for the person they protect. Fascinating. Especially after visiting the Spy Museum not far from here (definitely worth a visit but makes you a little paranoid).

Alexandria:

Today, I toured old-town Alexandria, on the waterfront (of the Potomac River) and with cute cobblestone streets, vintage homes with gas lamps framing the doorways, and American flags everywhere. My old housemate, Jennifer, and I shared dinner and dessert in this charming town. I enjoyed walking the residential streets as it got dark so I could look in to people's homes to see how it looks inside those cute, historic homes. Beautiful (note: I also like to do the same thing in Boston at Christmastime when everyone leaves their curtains open to show off their Christmas trees :)

As nice as the town is, the most amazing thing I saw there was a guy who was also visiting the town - albeit to make some money, rather than spend it. And, of course, to share his wonderful talents with the crowd. His "glass harp" consisted of over 30 glasses of water which he played with his fingers. "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" was my favorite,

but here's a short snipet of the Star Wars Theme Song:

You can check him out at http://www.jameyturner.com/ I must have stood there listening to him for at least 20 minutes.

And this one's for Clay: the memorial to Albert Einstein which I stumbled upon one day in my wanderings (Clay, when your seniors go to DC this spring, encourage your physics students to visit this place):

Considering the vast expanse of the greater Finnish empire, it should come as no surprise that I had lunch with the prime minister of Finland! Ok, so what I mean by "have lunch" is that my mom and I ate lunch with a lot of people, and he (the prime minister) made remarks. Still, it was a very enjoyable experience that my fabulous Finnish mother got wind of and invited me along:

And there have been other (stories). Ask me someday, and maybe I'll tell you. But for now, my DC days are almost done - hello, beantown, here I come!