Thursday II

I write and publish a rant that goes negative, and then I feel bad about sharing something that makes people feel bad. 

There is so much awe and wonder in the world.  This is sound near Jamestown, Virginia.  A wonderful drive. 
 

The Thursday Ramble: Vandals and Good Kids

A week ago, I stopped for a walk at Jones Point Park, or as it is known locally, the troll park because parts of it are under a massive bridge, and trolls live under bridges in fairy tales. It is kind of a special place for us, we were married in the Park ten years ago next Friday. 

Two senseless acts of vandalism angered me. 

First, in the south west edge of the park, near were Hunting Creek empties into the Potomac River there is a raised wood walkway. About half of it is closed, because someone lit a fire on a wood walkway and burned into the underlying structure. What kind of an idiot lights a fire on a wood walkway? The park is maintained by our chronically underfunded National Park Service, this has been closed for a couple of years, on the endless list of repairs awaiting funding. 

The second is even more disturbing.

The park is located at what was the original southern - most point of the District of Columbia.  DC was originally ten miles, by ten miles, a square standing on end, and this was the bottom point of that square.  The first cornerstone, the first boundary marker for our national Capital is between the Lighthouse and the river.  We were married standing in that spot. 

The stone, almost 235 years old, is still in place. It sits at river level, and the ground around it has been filed to raise it above flood level. The marker was covered with a bronze and heavy plate glass cover. It has been that way for decades. There to be seen, protected from the weather and people wanting to chip off a corner of the stone. 

Vandals have broken the cover, smashing down the very heavy bronze structure, breaking the very thick plate glass. What a senseless act of destruction. It will cost thousands of dollars to repair, and while waiting for repair this monument of our nation's history is exposed to harm.  

For both of these I suspect bored teenagers or young adults.  I remember being bored at that age, with little money, and no idea what to do with my time. But I never destroyed public property or historical artifacts.   

Thinking back some of my contemporaries did a few senseless things. Smashing rural mailboxes, spreading cow manure down main street (the person who did that admitted it on his deathbed a few years ago.) I guess I was always the good kid. I like it this way.  

My World of Wonders - the Wednesday Ws - October 8th Edition

Where have I been this week? The library, a walk along the River, Huntley Meadows, Aldi, the Grille, the first Saturday community coffee, the pool, Huntley Meadows Park, and off on the road to Williamsburg, Virginia.  

Who have a talked with? My sweet bear, Susan, Giuseppe, Larry, Russ, Jon, Elaine, Renee, Scott, and Charlie. 

Who did I reach out to this week? Paula, and Timmy - emails to see how people are doing. Paula is the widow of Jays oldest brother, Tim I met 30 years ago when we first moved to Kentucky. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen? Chicken soup, chili, a nice stuffed pasta, and an Asian chicken noodle dish. 

Let me describe that last one. I found Asian Wheat Noodles at Trader Joe's (Trader Joe's was founded in California and is now owned by Aldi.) The noodles are pre-cooked you heat them in the microwave. I started with a chopped onion, a couple of stalks of celery sliced, a couple of carrots chopped, and four or five chopped mushrooms. I sauteed those with olive oil and sesame oil over medium heat until the onions were transparent and the carrots had started to soften.  I added cubed boneless chicken, covered and let that  cook until the chicken was nearly done. Then added chopped broccoli covered and let that cook for about 5 minutes (I loath overcooked broccoli.) I added a little water to assure that the broccoli would steam. While that was cooking I microwaved the noodles per the package directions.  I then added 3-4 heaping tablespoons of hoisin sauce (another Trader Joe's find) stirred, then stirred in the noodles and served.  Total work and cook time, about 25 minutes, and it was so full of flavor. 

Where am I and Why?  Historic Williamsburg and the Jamestown Settlement area have long been on our short list of places we should go back to.  We live in a high rise building, the electrical supply to the building is being updated requiring the power to be off for several hours.  The best way to work around this, is to be gone, so we are in Williamsburg, Virginia for a couple of days. 

Travel Tuesday: London Transport Museum at Covent Gardens

 

Monday Mood: A few things I have learned along the way

 

Never worry about making a bad decision. Consider the facts and make the best decision based on what you know at the time. Everyone makes a bad decision once in a while. 

Bad choices are almost always a result of things that were un-knowable at the time the choice was made. 

When you delegate a project, select the best person for the job, and then trust them.  I learned this one the hard way, when I first asked someone to take on a task, I was constantly looking over their shoulder and making suggestions such as "I would do it this way." A dear friend called me aside and said, "delegate and trust, they won't screw it up any worse than you would."  He was so right. 

Resist the urge to micromanage.  This is hard for control freaks to do. Be available to mentor, but leave people alone to sink or swim. Some of them are going to mess up - probably a sign that you picked the wrong person for the job - so really you messed up. 

Welcome everyone. For some showing up, is pushing themselves. 

Learn how to apologize. 

• Clearly describe what went wrong.
• Excuses cancel out the value of the apology 
• Take responsibility (even if it was not your responsibility) 
• Express your regrets clearly
• If there is anything you can do to remedy the situation describe it
• Express a commitment to doing better in the future.

A heartfelt apology goes a long way in making people feel better. It takes strength to apologize. Failing to apologize is a sign of weakness or lack of character. Apologize for things that happened on your watch, even if you didn't personally make the mistake. Back in the good old days (BC - before covid) when organizations hired trainers to do onsite workshops, I spent an afternoon learning and practicing apology.  

The Sunday Five: Safety Warnings

1: Do we really need signs on top of a stone wall, warning that if you walk along the top, you might fall and hurt yourself? 

2: Should we put up barriers along cliffs to lessen the likelihood of falling, or let natural selection take its course? 

3: Iceland has had to post signs warning people to not walk on the thin crust over lava, how stupid can people be? 

4: When you see someone sitting on a cliff, dangling their feet over the edge are you squeamish, or do you wish you were sitting next to them? 

5: Tobacco packaging in north America and western Europe contains often graphic health warnings, why would anyone continue to use a product when the packaging says this is likely to lead to gruesome death? 

My answers:

1: Do we really need signs on top of a stone wall, warning that if you walk along the top, you might fall and hurt yourself?  I think this is ridiculous, people who take risks assume the consequences. 

2: Should we put up barriers along cliffs to lessen the likelihood of falling, or let natural selection take its course?  Thinning of the herd. 

3: Iceland has had to post signs warning people to not walk on the thin crust over lava, how stupid can people be? Everytime we idiot proof it, someone comes up with a better idiot. 

4: When you see someone sitting on a cliff, dangling their feet over the edge are you squeamish, or do you wish you were sitting next to them? I get very uncomfortable. 

5: Tobacco packaging in north America and western Europe contains often graphic health warnings, why would anyone continue to use a product when the packaging says this is likely to lead to gruesome bad health or an unpleasant death? A monsterous addictive product and a real lack of counseling on how to escape the addition and otherwise cope with life's stress.

Please share your answers in the comments.  

The Saturday Morning Post - 50 States in 52 Weeks - South Carolina

 The last time I spent anytime in South Carolina in late 2014 and I was not moving well, and I didn't take a camera with me, hence the photo above is not from South Carolina (sorry.) That trip was a board meeting in Charleston, a historic port city on the Atlantic coast. 

South Carolina is north of Georgia, and south of North Carolina.  It is, was, and probably long will be the agricultural mid-south, with fishing along the coast. The far western end of the state climbs up the Appalachian mountains. 

Columbia is the state Capital, I did a couple of AARP trainings there. 

Driving down the east coast from the Washington DC area to Florida, South Carolina was a state that it was easy to drive through without stopping, as I often did. 

Bob and Carlos live outside of Columbia, I have really got to meet the man behind those words someday. 

The coast is pretty. The inland is deep south, old south. There are mountains in the west of the state, very near popular tourist spots. 

Foodie Friday: Cassoulet

I ran into an online video recently of a guy making cassoulet, it is a hearty French stew made with meats and beans. I have had it a few times, and attempted making it a time or two.  I was inspired. And his cooking style was very much like mine, there is a perfect classic version, and if you have an unlimited budget and time you don't know what to do with, Julia Child probably has the one correct way to make it. If you want something very-very tasty and want to work with what is readily at hand- let's play in the kitchen. 

It is a time consuming dish to make

Ingredients: 

1 cup dried white beans - I used great northern beans - use what you have handy. The classic dish uses larger beans. 

1/3 pound of smoked bacon - chopped

1/2 pound uncooked sausage - I used an andouille - cut into one inch rounds 

4 - boneless skinless chicken thighs 

1 onion - medium dice

2 stalks celery - sliced

1 large carrot - medium dice 

4-5 mushrooms - chopped 

2 cloves garlic - minced 

1 liter chicken stock - the richer the better

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and Pepper 

Water 

I started the evening before, putting one-cup of dried white beans to soak in about 4 cups of salted water. Because we had plans in the evening, these went into the soak about 5 PM and I didn't start cooking until noon the next day, so a good long soak. The video suggested salting the water, something I had been told incorrectly would result in the beans not softening. It adds taste. 

I start by chopping the veggies and setting aside, then chop the bacon and slice the sausage. 

Start by sauteing the bacon, as it releases fat, add the onions, celery, carrots, - cook 3 to 5 minutes until the onions start to soften, add mushrooms and garlic.  Cook 3-5 minutes. 

Add in the sausage. 

Drain and add in the soaked beans. 

Stir in the chicken stock and tomato paste.

Salt and Pepper - how much? Depends on how salty the sausage and bacon are. 

Place the chicken in. 

Add water to assure that everything is submerged, plus 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of liquid above.  Stir well. The beans will absorb a couple of cups of liquid in cooking. 

Cover and place in a preheated 350 degree (f) oven. 

Check after a couple of hours, and add water if it appears to be cooking dry. 

After about 3 hours, remove the lid and continue cooking to thicken the sauce - about 1 more hour.

A word on chicken stock.  I had homemade, the few days before I had poached a whole chicken with onions, carrots and celery simmering for about 90 minutes. I removed and deboned the chicken and then simmered the bones and veggies in the liquid for another 2 hours. Strained out the bones and spent veggies and saved the stock. Made this way the stock is rich and gelatinous.  This stores well in the refrigerator for about a week, or freezes for longer.  It makes a wonderful base for soups, stews, gravy, and sauces. It brings a great depth of flavor. With the chicken I made a thick soup, and we had cold sliced chicken one evening. Basic stock making takes time, but it is worth it for the flavor you can capture, it makes basic relatively low cost ingredients go a long way. 

 

The Thursday Ramble: Offices

Sharon posted a photo of a spectacular building in London, that is filled with offices and that started me thinking about the offices I have worked in over the years. 

My first office, way back in the late 1970's was a rear corner in an old house converted to offices, with a view of the Vertical Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center across the Indian River. I shared the office with John, a retired CIA agent. A year or so later I changed firms, and didn't have an office for a while - working in the conference room or where ever space was free. From there we moved to a larger space with cubicles, what a dreadful place to work. The view from that first office was nice, but the building was a wreck, it blew into the middle of US-1 during a hurricane a couple of years after I moved away. 

In 1980 I started working for land developers and homebuilders in central Florida.  Offices were onsite, often in a garage finished to serve as a temporary office, sometimes in portable office trailers; rarely in a finished home. The nature of that work, was that the work locations changed often, sometimes every few weeks, at most every year or so. After a while I had an office kit that moved with me. A copy machine, desk lamps, even a small refrigerator. I would move in, settle in and make myself at home.  Most of the offices were nothing special, and I never grew fond of any them, none of them would I want to go back to. 

The last couple of years I was in law school, I had an office in the law school. I asked to serve as "editor" of an alumni magazine, that had suspended publication after the previous editor published an obituary of a very much still alive alumnus and significant donor to the law school.  The dean really was the editor, I think we published once in the two years I had keys to that office. It was an institutional office, nothing special, but it was a place to escape when I needed a minute. There was a locked closet in the office, that no one could find a key to. When I left they still had no idea what was locked in that closet. 

My first office after law school, was a converted hallway, with a collection of mismatched furniture. There was no heat or air conditioning in the space. I did a bunch of good work there. 

A couple of years later, we moved to a larger office, and I had a very large office, about 20 feet by 20 feet, with high ceilings and a large window (that opened.) The building had a been a residence for a nursing school run by an order of Nuns, when there was a hospital across the street.  The previous tenant was a mental health counseling service, the offices were soundproofed. The soundproofing was nice, the occasional visits by clients of the previous tenant could be a little disturbed. Two memories stand out, opening the window and shouting as someone who stole a case full of CDs out of my bosses unlocked car, and the afternoon the fireworks warehouse across the street burned down. Oh and there was the consistent talk about the building being haunted. My office was nice, the overall space lacked a reception area and I was seeing clients in the office, presenting a bit of a challenge. 

My first office in Washington DC is in the photo above. Just to the right of the last capital on the colonnade, a single window looking out onto H Street NW.  The building was about 100 years old, originally the Union Trust Bank Building. The office was large by DC standards, about 10 feet by 20 feet. I loved the view. I had individual heat and A/C (the windows were sealed shut.) My office was just about perfect. But there were challenges with the building, it was 100 years old with original plumbing and wiring. It didn't have parking, it was to large for our needs, and we were spread over 5 floors of the building. The interior offices were featureless. I understood why we moved, but I hated to leave. I would go back there again. The building was recently in the news. A restaurant went into the space on the ground floor that had been a bank, and that is where HWSNBNed was booed recently. 

From there we moved to a "modern" office building about three blocks north-east of the White House. My office was tiny, all but two offices were inside, meaning no window to the world. It was nice, modern, clean, sterile. It was a place to work, and not much more. It is one of those buildings that no one will cry when it is torn down. 

I never had the dream office, with vaulted windows, oak bookcases, and a view over a park or busy city street.  

My World of Wonders - the Wednesday Ws October already edition

 

Where have I been this week? A lot of time near home, the gym, the pool, the community center. Friday I needed a long walk, I took the subway three stops north to Braddock Road, walked west from there to Del Ray, north to Glebe Road, and across to the Potomac Yard subway station - about 1.25 hours of walking. Saturday evening we went to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the opening gala of the National Symphony Orchestra's 95th season. I nice evening out. Mt. Vernon for a long walk. Into the City for shows at the Renwick and National Gallery of Art, about three hours of walking. 

What did I fall in lust with this week?  https://www.austinmotorcompany.com/

What have I been up to in the kitchen this week?  Roast turkey breast with stuffing, beef stew, cassoulet - more on that on Friday.  Swiss Steak. 

What YouTube channel have I been inspired by this week? https://www.youtube.com/@bokehbushido

What art am I working on? This one is not quite finished, the title is "What Memories Will You Lay To Rest This Year." Yes those are coffins and computer memory cards. 

What am I reading? Return: A journey Back to Living Wild, by Lynx Vilden. She is crazy, but there is insight in reading the works of a madman.  I will need to make a library run this week. 

What made me sad this week? The hardware store in my hometown closed a few months ago. It had struggled in the last couple of decades to remain relevant. The last family member to manage it was a year ahead of me in high school and died a couple of years ago. The last of the liquidation auction was last weekend, including the iconic fixtures that had been in the building for about 150 years. It was the kind of place you could go in, tell them what you were trying to do, and they would sell you the three screws you needed to finish the project. 

The photo is from the auction website. 

Travel Tuesday: Art at Sea on the Rotterdam

One of the reviews I watched on YouTube about the ship Rotterdam before we boarded last year, suggested going out of your way to see the art on the landings in the stairways. There are about 10 levels, and stairs fore and aft, so there is lot of art to see.  Some have asked, how do you stay busy during a week at sea? The better part of one afternoon was filled with walking down the each of the stairways, admiring the art. 

 

Monday Mood: Little Things That Make Me Smile

The little things that make me smile:

The alchemy of cooking, transforming ingredients into something tasty. 

A nice walk, really any walk, on the treadmill, in the swamp, along the city streets, exploring a museum, being able to move about under my own power. Eleven years ago, being able to do so was at serious risk, every walk is a bonus. 

Putting the top down on the little car, and taking the Panda for a ride. 

Shopping at the farmers market, finding fresh local ingredients raised by the people who are selling them, a couple of the bakeries that sell at the market, carrying on a tradition that has continued longer than we have been a country. 

Reading what my blog friends have to say. Writing something that someone might read. 

Smearing paint on canvas, taking photographs, sharing photos, playing with my hobbies. 

Reading, good books, bad books, lots of books. 

Planning travel, and traveling. 

Loading and emptying the dishwasher. 

The joy of life is seldom a major event, a take your breath away moment, Joy and smiles are found in the 100 little things that I enjoy each day. 

The Sunday Five: Trains

1: When was the last time you traveled by train - if ever? 

2: What is the longest trip you have taken by train? 

3: How can we encourage more people to travel by train? 

4: Do you prefer to travel by train, plane, or automobile? 

5: When will you next travel by train? 

My Answers: 

1: When was the last time you traveled by train - if ever?  Last May, Edinburgh to Glasgow. 

2: What is the longest trip you have taken by train? Probably Washington DC to Boston, it is an all day trip. Or maybe Antwerp to London. 

3: How can we encourage more people to travel by train?  The US needs to build new rail beds so trains can travel faster, and to expand cross country rail service. 

4: Do you prefer to travel by train, plane, or automobile? If the trip is under a three hours, train. 

5: When will you next travel by train? Hopefully New York in November, the next trips I am certain of is Rome to Milan next May. 

Please share your answers in the comments, 

The Saturday Morning Post - 50 States in 52 Weeks - Rhode Island

 Rhode Island is one the small New England states, squeezed in between the Atlantic Ocean between Connecticut and Massachusetts. 

I have been there twice, the first time was one of the early AARP consulting project, in the state Capital Providence. The workshop was coordinated by the Department of Elderly Affairs, who answered the phone DEA, in most of the country DEA is the drug enforcement administration.  About 1/3 of first time callers hang up fearing they have dialed the wrong number. 

The last trip there was for a board meeting in Newport for a non-profit I volunteered for. Newport is home to fisherman and old money. The marina was filled with boats that cost more than my net worth.  The seafood was amazing. It was an amazing place.  The first speeding ticket issued to an automobile driver in the United States was issued in Newport, as I recall he was tearing through town at something like 17 miles per hour. 

The cliffs along the water's edge are lined with huge homes, summer cottages from the gilded age. Summer retreats for the rich and famous from New York and Boston 100 years ago. We had time to tour one of them. 

We really should spend more time exploring that part of the country.  I have never driven my car, farther north than Baltimore.  We should change that someday. 

Funky Friday: There Will Be Signs

Stay Strong, Be Kind, and VOTE

If you are not offended, you are not paying attention.

Hmm, Myth or Legend?

He was a real jerk.

The Thursday Ramble: Happiness and Getting Older

Spo, the dear, posted last week about happiness and aging. This really needs to be a chapter in his book.  And it got me to thinking about my life and happiness. Let me go through by decades. 

I don't remember much about turning 10. The house was crowded, with six of us in about 900 sq. ft. (about 90 sq. meters.) That may have been the year when the farm barely turned a profit, if not it was within a year or so. School was okay, but I was insecure in many ways. My family was in a long stretch of not traveling. 

I remember thinking that turning 20 was traumatic. I was very insecure, struggling with identity, struggling with money. In many ways I was afraid of the world. It was really an unpleasant time for me. 

I ran my first Sprint Triathlon on my 30th birthday, 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run at SeaWorld in Orlando. I had lost a bunch of weight, and was still insecure about my body image. I was working 50 hours a week, going to college half time, going to the gym 5 mornings a week at 6:00 AM.  A screen of arrogance covered my insecurities and unhappiness.* I was making good money, and learning that money couldn't buy happiness.** 

The week I turned 40, I started my third and final year of law school. My mid-life crisis included a divorce, finding love, chucking the business***,  a major geographic move, and taking three years off from the real world and going to graduate school. I realized how lucky I was to be able to go back to school at that age, I enjoyed spending time with the brightest group of people I would ever spend time with, and learning for the pure joy of learning.  The curriculum was intense, and very time consuming, but not difficult.  I was finding happiness, much more so than when I turned 20 or 30. 

I was speaking at the National Adult Protective Services conference in Chicago when I turned 50. I went to dinner at a delightful French restaurant with a table full of professional friends. Though I didn't know it at the time, I was nearing the end of a nearly 10 year stint providing free legal assistance to older adults. I was overworked, and underpaid. I often put in 50-60 hours a week. I loved the work,  but the pace was killing me.  In a little over two months I would interview for the job that filled the balance of my career.   

My happiness increased significantly between 50 and 60. I had settled into work that was both fulfilling and paid decently. I was traveling a nice amount. I liked where I was living (and still do.)  There were some challenges, my parents died, I settled the estate, a task not without its challenges.  I had come to be much more comfortable in my skin, with who I am, and who I am not.  I was reading and learning, and writing lots. I had started back enjoying hobbies such as  painting, and photography. 

Since turning 60 happiness has continued to increase. If you want one piece of advice about happiness in later life it would be pay off your mortgage. The last couple of years of work, I took on additional stress becoming director. It was not unpleasant, but it was stressful. Retirement has allowed me to pursue dreams of long walks, long adventures (30 plus day trips.) I am free to say yes to what I want to do, and no to anything I don't feel like doing. Having time to exploit my local library has led me to reading that continues to expand my universe. As I get nearer and nearer to 70, I find myself content, and happy. Life is good, when most of life is "Not my problem." 

* Looking back at it, I was a real jerk in my late 20's, early 30's.  Arrogance and anger covered insecurities and uncertainties. It was thing to be a Yuppy, it was inexcusable to be an asshole, I was, many of us were.

** And I did know where to shop. I was wearing custom tailored suits, driving new cars every few months,  traveling (Europe twice in one year), and wearing an expensive watch (I still have it, I don't wear it.)   

***My favorite line from the BBC comedy "To the Manor Born" was in the final episode when Richard says to Audrey, "What would you say, if I said I was thinking about chucking the business," maybe because when I first heard the line I wanted to "chuck the business". Her answer was "why don't you move back here and mary me." He did. So did I. 

My World of Wonders - The Wednesday Ws - It's Late September

What was the protest about? I don't know, I think promoting solar power, there were electric and hybrid cars circling the block with signs and noise.  No flags are flying over the House or Senate, so congress was not meeting. (House of Representatives is on the right, Senate is on the left from this view.) 

What Aristotle understood, that HWSNBN and Brainworm don't?  The difference between correlation and causation. Aristotle used a formula. If all A are B, and all B are C, then all A are C = causation. If some A are B, and all B are C, not all A are C - there is a correlation, in that some A may be C, but not all. If they had done well in a statistics, research science, or classical logic class they would have learned this.  Just because  children born to mothers who took Tylenol while pregnant are diagnosed with autism at a higher rate, does not mean that tylenol causes autism. Autism has been around much longer than Tylenol.   

Why were my Monday and Tuesday morning posts late? Monday's because I scheduled it for Tuesday, opps! I fixed it, but not until it had been Monday for half a day in some parts of the world. Tuesday's was scheduled for mid-morning, not midnight in my local timezone. Sorry, I will try to double check this in the future. 

Where have I been this week? On Friday I decided I needed to get out of the house, and I needed a long walk, so I walked to the subway, took the train into the city, and spent a couple of hours strolling one of the world's great museums.  The Farmers Market, the pool, the Pharmacy. A little drive around old town north. The community center for a meeting with the arts group, planning for next year. Dyke Marsh for a walk along the Potomac. Across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (in the convertible with the top down) to Maryland for a walk in National Harbor. Out to lunch with my sweet bear, and then to see the Downton Abbey Movie. 

When is the next adventure? In a couple of weeks the power will be off in the condo for several hours to update the "electrical switchgear" in a mechanical room far below us. We are going to Williamsburg for a couple of days. We will be away the day the work is being done. 

What travel planning have I been doing? I finished booking hotels for the grand adventure taking place next spring, booking hotels in Rome and Vienna.  In Rome we have a great location, a few minutes walk from St. Peters. In Vienna, we are out a little out of the way, but across the street from a subway line. Several hotels we were interested in were sold out and others were $500-$600 a night- strange for that time of the year. A Google search revealed that the Eurovision Semi Finals are taking place in Vienna while we are there, with the grand finale just after we leave town.  

What have I been up to in the kitchen this week? Poultryman's pie - like a shepards pie, but made with chicken. I poached a whole chicken and made chicken soup - and two quarts of rich stock. A simple lasagna, Garfield was right it is one of the pillars of life. 

What is the blog quote of the week? Dora at Having Coffee With Peppy, "10. Kill, Confession time...I thought of killing a few people. But never have. (I) Came to the conclusion that they didn't deserve to rest in peace." 

What is the theme song of the week?  It's late September, and I miss going back to school, even after all these years. I remember this one playing in CKLW the rock station out of Windsor Ontario that provided the soundtrack of my teenage years. 

Travel Tuesday: National Gallery of Art - Washington DC

Last Friday, I went into the city and wandered around the National Gallery of Art for a couple of hours.  

I needed to spend time walking in silence,

I needed to be surrounded by beauty and grace, 

I needed to see things that made me think, and feel, 

I needed sights that took by breath away. 

Oh, I needed that!