Even more... with more photos and a video!

It was a little rainy on the day we went to Mt. Vernon; the plus side is the crowds were down. I'm very grateful to the women who insisted that the property be preserved, and that we can still see it and its vistas as it was in George and Martha Washington's day.

George and Martha, granddaughter Nelly, and Nelly's friend, Poppy.

I hate having my picture taken!

I hate having my picture taken!

Stables? We don't mind the rain!

Mt. Vernon, home of George and Martha Washington

 Then Steve was home from his business trip, the cousins were home for Easter weekend, and there was much visiting, late into the night. I love being with my family!

Hi, Steve! Hi, Willie and Emma!

Max and Bethany
Such a cute couple.

I'll leave you with 35 seconds of silliness from my favorite five-year-old!

More travels, continued, with more photos!

Following our day in D.C., the Hurwitz's joined us! Hooray! We went to Annapolis and played at the park, walked the wharf, and drove around the historic sites. 

"Don't take my picture!"

I love being loved by you!

Discussing music and culture.

A surprise push! "Not so high, Gramma!"

Love the beards.

Wearing her favorite Little Orphan Annie dress.

This is not a stick. It's a bomb. To keep the bears away.

I told Laura she didn't have to buy Poppy a present, surely she had something at home that would make Poppy glad. Despite her protestations, Laura found a bin that was a treasure chest of Barbies and dress-ups. 

Poppy loves this Snow White dress that Laura once made for  Molly.
It was Emma, Laura says, who once cut a chunk out of the hem to use for a project.

Crazy-hair Barbies are still precious.

On the way home we stopped to take a peek at the oldest, continuously active social club in America, formed in 1700, house built in 1742. Take that, facebook!

You can get a glimpse of a flowering cherry tree behind Bethany and Poppy. We saw beautiful foliage; white and pink cherry blossoms and dogwoods, and tulip trees. We were fortunate to be there when everything was so beautiful!

More travels! Lots of photos ahead!

John and I took a field trip over Spring Break; Ralph had to go to school, poor guy! John and I visited my sister Laura, who held her own feet to the fire in order to finish the first draft of her research project so she could play with us. Hooray, Laura, you did it! (Seriously, Laura is awesome!)

Laura took us on the grand tour of Washington, D.C. We got off the Metro rail right at the Mall,

then walked to the Washington Monument

and the WWII Memorial

Honor Flight from Kansas, singing the National Anthem.

and the Korean War Memorial

and the Lincoln Monument

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here,
but it can never forget what they did here."

"Here you go, the Washington Monument!"
This is Laura's town!

and the Viet Nam War Memorial, including the Three Soldiers and the Women's Memorial. (No photos, it feels too personal, somehow.)

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the National Gallery of Art, and spent hours looking at the collections there, including

Ginevra de' Bencithe only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas

Thinker on a Rock - 1997
Barry Flanagan

Yes, we're dressed alike. Sisters.
It wasn't intentional,
but neither of us could be bothered to change.

We didn't realize the NGA closes earlier than many other museums in D.C., so when we were being shooed out of the gift shop, we took the underground passage to the East Wing and dashed through a few of the modern art exhibits:

"Cakes" Wayne Thiebaud

Calder mobiles

An ice cream at the Smithsonian Natural History museum, and a quick look at the Hope diamond, then back to Laura's for dinner and lots of gabbing!

To be continued...

Traveling

Sometimes I think poor John lives with his boring, old parents who never do anything fun, and I try to drag him along to the local festival (strawberry, art in the park, kite flying), or for a walk at the beach. Sometimes he'll go along with it. Then, I sometimes try something bigger, like two weeks ago, when I gave myself a 3-day weekend. My classroom was being used for meetings, so I took John out of school and we joined Ralph in San Diego where he was taking a class.
We joined up with Linda and Randy S., and Evelyn joined us for some  yummy dinners,

Phil's Barbecue

Amazing Brussel's sprouts at Bo Beau

and some walking around some artist studios, and we toured the Pt. Loma lighthouse.

Funny, when we were on the beach, our phones were telling us we were in Mexico. We could see it from there...

Yes, John's a little shaggy and windblown, here! We all like the long hair look, but John was ready for a change, and a more student-appropriate look.

 Now we're on Spring Break - woohoo! More adventures to come...

Well, how about that.

Look at this dandelion, springing up in in the middle of the back yard. It's still cold out (by Central California standards, anyway), but the dandelion is popping up and making a pronouncement of existence.

Just like me. Here I am, just popping up!

The frogs in the backyard are happy, and singing their little hearts out. It's been raining, raining, raining; good weather for staying in and working on projects. And, boy, do I have projects! After Christmas I got out all my sewing stuff, but I just didn't have any creative energy. I got out some old projects, took them apart, resewed them in new configurations, but I still wasn't feeling inspired.

I should have sewn it together like this.
Instead I got all conservative-symmetrical-matchy-matchy.
Now it's in the closet, waiting to be loved.

Then I signed up for a Bee - you remember hearing about how women worked together on each other's quilts to get them finished and to spend time together in bygone days. Now we do it online! I make a block for each of the 6 women in my "hive" using the colors they requested and my own fabrics, four times throughout the year. At the end of the year, I'll have 24 blocks made by 6 new, online friends from anywhere in the world. Choosing colors and patterns for other folks is intimidating, and the kind of pressure that pushes me out of my rut. And I enjoy sewing for a purpose, and sewing for someone else.

A block in progress for the Bee

Now I'm juggling several projects! Sewing fabric Laura brought me from Africa, hoping she can use my projects for her fundraiser auction. Sewing a quilt for Kathryn to take back to Portland when she returns from Morocco. (She's having a great adventure!) Fabrics from Kathryn's planned quilt inspiring a second idea, and the scraps from my Bee blocks also wanting to be combined into a new pattern. Ideas for the facebook pay-it-forward-crafty-projects I committed to. Making a wedding present for Sonja!  Sending blocks for an effort to benefit Japan. Projects for the quilt guild. A Roman shade for the guest room before our next guest come for a visit!

Fabulous color and pattern from Africa

African Churn Dash

Table runner and potholders for Sarah, for
Pay it Forward Crafty Goodness

I don't expect you to be as excited about all my projects as I am. Perhaps you'll see them, as I do, as instruments to connect my heart to others, and to the Creator.