Antietam Luminaries

So I may have slacked off for a few months....

Tentatively add Dec 5, 2009 to your calendar. This is a repeat of last year's first event. More information is here:
http://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/luminary.htm

Fruit Picking on Sat.

Here are the details:

LEAVING my place at 7:45 (arrive at my place before then!)
Likely taking several cars, PLEASE bring $2 - $3 for your driver for gas
Larriland farms is roughly 1 hour away
The following fruits will be avaiable: tart cherries, blueberries, beets, raspberries (black and red and might be a bit sparse), sweet cherries (will be sparse)
I will be picking several different kinds, so at least my car likely won't get back until about 1 (might be earlier, but if you are making plans this is the best time to shoot for)
Any other questions please ask

What you missed at Hillwood

Here is what you missed at Hillwood (and this is just the outside! no photography allowed inside).




The next outing/adventure will be June 27 to pick blueberries, tart cherries and raspberries (if they are ripe)--weather permitting of course.

Hillwood museum and estate

The next DC adventure is June 6, 2009.  We will be visiting Hillwood (http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/).  The mansion was owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post (heir to the Post Cereal fortune).

We will meet at my place to leave at 9:15AM.  While the mansion is accessible by metro, it is a bit of a hike, so we will plan on driving, so in your RSVP please let me know of your willingness to drive or if you are in need of a ride.

The cost is $12 and this event is somewhat weather dependent (i.e. if it is raining we will reschedule), so if the forecast looks iffy contact me to see if we are still going.

Europe in DC

Saturday, May 9 is Europe in DC. The embassies open up their doors and allow you to experience a bit of their culture and food.

My plan is to hit the following embassies: France, Spain, Denmark, UK, Finland, Austria (if there is time) and then additional on the Celeveland Park route if there is time.

If you are interested in joining me, let me know.

Azaelas, bonsai, and more!

It is time for the Azaela festival!

The National Arboretum has a huge garden of azaelas that when they are in bloom are a beautiful mass of color. This Saturday is supposed to be a beautiful day and the Azaelas should be in good form. So come one, come all!

I am toying with the idea of having a picinic brunch beforehand on the gras at the arboretum--so let me know if you are interested in doing that.

The plan:

Meet at my house April 25, 2009 at 8:30AM
Carpool to the arboretum (not really metro accessible)
Possible brunch on the lawn at the arboretum
See the azaela collection along with the bonsais, capital columns, etc. etc. (there is a LOT of ground to cover at the arboretum)
Return as needed, but likely everyone will be back before 1 (in time to wash your car on a beautiful day!)

Please RSVP and let me know what you think of the potluck brunch idea. --if you want to see pictures of last year's azealas search my personal blog for my photos and/or see http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/azaleablossom.html#Apr16

Tour of the Unification Church

Finally...after a bit of a delay, I spoke with Reverend Williams today and set up a tour for this Saturday (March 7, 2009) at 11:30AM at the old DC LDS Chapel. Please come out and share a bit of time in the great weather. Afterwards we will hit up Schwarma King for a bit of a snack and then can head to other adventures if we choose to.

If you are interested in coming let me know so that we don't leave you. We will plan on leaving from my place at 10:45AM (leaving...so best to come a bit before). More than likely we will be taking metro to the Columbia Heights metro station. The cost will be $1.35 each way. Make sure to remember your cameras!