National Building Museum and Legos

Ever once in a while I get a chance to visit the National Building Museum and each time I am very impressed by how grand it is inside and how decorative it is on the outside. We went there and had coffee one weekday afternoon when we took a staycation last year. While the coffee wasn't that great, sitting at the cafe tables in the vast hall near the fountains was a terrific experience. And very restful as the space is quiet and airy.  And there's always something to see in this building. During our staycation we also played miniature golf there as they had that set up in one room with some rather corny golf holes. Then we also saw an exhibit of buildings made out of Legos, including someone who'd made models of famous buildings in New York City. We also got a chance to make some models out of Legos too, along with all the other children. Such fun!

Geraniums in February!

It's no secret that I bring indoors all my porch and deck flowering plants every winter. The trick is to keep them alive with enough light and not too much water until I can put them back outside again, usually in early April, when there's no danger of snow. I usually lose at least one plant during the cold season due to not enough light or I over-water and it rots or I forgot to water and it dries out.  This year, I'm doing okay with two potted plants on the radiator in the upstairs den (hubster's man cave), the jade in the downstairs bathroom, two poinsettas in the living room window, and a petunia in the kitchen window.  Everything else is on the basement kitchen counter that has a big window where I've added some plant lights focused on them (with timers).  There's a coleus, another jade, some purple ivy that I don't know the name of and a large pot into which I crammed about three geranium plants in November when I brought them all in.  In fact, this group of pots is doing so well that the geranium which bloomed throughout summer seems to think it's in California and has been putting out lots of lovely blooms!  So, it's February and I've got the loveliest pink geraniums, so I picked some and put them on my kitchen table. Such a delight to look at when there's snow outside!

Old Washington Tree Cut Down But Stump Remains

There used to be a tree at the top of Adams Street on North Capitol Street NW at the #80 bus stop. I know this tree was pretty old, probably about 85 years. I'm just guessing that it was put in the ground when the nearby houses were built, likely between 1895 and 1920.  But due to damage and disease what was once 20 foot high has been cut down and a huge almost triple trunk sized stump is left. In a previous blog I  

Little mushrooms growing in bole

wrote about the amount of rot and fungus that was starting to erode the tree after some car crashed into it.  I've always liked this tree as it provided so much shelter at the bus stop, whether from the scorching sun in the summer where it gave a lot of shade, or if it was raining, it was a huge umbrella, or if just a cold wind blasting, you could huddle on one side and not get too blown.  I expect they will ground out the stump in the spring and then plant some skinny skimpy pin oak, but I do miss this old familiar thing.

Those Crazy Christmas Story Leg Lamps

I burst out laughing recently in Walgreen's as on the top shelf there were two of those Christmas Story Leg Lamps just waiting to be bought by someone. I snapped the photo and when I went out to the car where hubster was waiting for me, I showed him the photo. He loved it and said "Let's go buy one!"  It was all I could do to stop him getting out of the car and diving back into the store to purchase one.  He really likes that 1983 movie, "A Christmas Story," about little Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun, but the funniest part of the movie is the "award" Ralph's dad receives from work. It turns out to be a lamp like this and of course Ralph's mother finds it hideous. Then Ralph's dad puts the lamp in their front window and she just knows everyone is finding it very silly and stupid.  I've seen these lamps in miniature but these were the full 3 foot high size. Just unbelievably hideous and funny all at the same time!

Exotic and Interesting Goods in Adams Morgan

We had dinner out last Saturday in Adams Morgan, up on 18th street. The restaurant was The Diner and we got our usual diner food, chicken salad sandwiches, which were pretty good and might make it to my Yelp list. After eating, we decided to wander around a bit, despite the winter cold. There were some stores we just had to go in as they had amazing and exotic items hanging in the doorways. One store (Bazaar Atlas) really caught our attention as it was jam packed with African masks, statuettes, dishes, fabrics, leather bags, ornamental plates, leather lampshades, silver pots, carved chairs, lamps and mirrors all looking wonderfully handmade and different than say, IKea, or the typical household goods items you see in House Beautiful type magazines and stores.  Of course, they were burning incense too and we had to get out pretty quickly as our bronchial tubes really don't do well with dusky perfumes and dusty rooms.  Nevertheless, it was a lovely experience and the kind of place that stays in my memory in case I ever get a yen to get something totally interesting looking. I finally did recall the name of this store so have added it nto this blog, which really, you know is just a memory cache for me that you get to share. ;-)