Takoma!

August 28, 2014 – Takoma!

If you’re looking for an easy day trip in the DC area, try Takoma.  Takoma Park is a section of DC as well as an independent city just across the district line in Maryland’s Montgomery County.  You can reach Takoma in less than an hour from northern Virginia via Metro.  Although I’ve lived in the DC area for over twenty-five years, I’d never set foot on Takoma soil until a few days ago when my friend Kathy and I set out on an urban adventure.  

First of all, I must mention Takoma Park’s reputation as a bastion of hippiedom dating back to the sixties and seventies.  For years, the city, sometimes known as the People’s Republic of Takoma Park, was the scene of frequent protests.  In 1996, it passed a Free Burma resolution.  A little research reveals that, until recently, Takoma Park billed itself as a nuclear-free zone.  Nowadays, real estate prices are rising and the population is shifting towards a younger generation.  However, the core of the city retains many signs of its counter-culture past. 

Just a short walk from the Takoma metro station, Kathy and I found an assortment of interesting and decidedly non-mainstream shops and eating establishments.  Our first stop was at SouperGirl, where you can find a variety of homemade vegan soups, salads, and baked goods.  On the day of our visit, five or six different cold soups were available.  I quenched my thirst with a small bowl of watermelon-tomato gazpacho.  I will have to try to recreate this delicious soup at home. 

As we headed up Carroll Street, the main commercial road, we stopped for a brief look in Trohv, a vast retail space devoted to a conglomeration of merchandise, ranging from antique typewriters to contemporary artwork.  We peered into the windows of The Covered Market and marveled over the exotic and colorful lamps and fabrics.  Unfortunately, the store was closed for summer break.  We’ll have to return after Labor Day.  Not surprisingly, there were many second-hand stores and shops selling the work of local artists and artisans.  It was refreshing to browse in Amano, a clothing store that carried fashions not available in the usual mainstream stores.  

Everything for the home at Trohv

The Covered Market

After looking in at a few restaurants, we chose to have lunch at Mark’s Kitchen, a Takoma Park favorite since it opened in 1990.  From its Korean-American menu, we chose spinach-tofu cakes with plum sauce and stir-fried vegetables with chicken.  Both dishes were exceptionally tasty.  As we took a leisurely stroll back to the metro, we glanced at the gelato shop, but we were too full from our healthy lunch to eat anymore.   

Lunch at Mark's Kitchen

 If you decide to go, note that downtown Takoma Park isn’t very large.  You can easily cover the interesting area in an hour (not including time to eat).  So, try Takoma – it’s a fun place for a brief escape from suburbia. 

Virginia Road Trip - Part Two

August 26, 2014 – Virginia Road Trip – Part Two

Note:  This is the second post about our recent Virginia road trip.  Before you read this one, please make sure you read the post from a couple of days ago, Virginia Road Trip – Part One. 

The second day of our trip was devoted to another Staunton attraction, the Frontier Culture Museum, a living history museum.  The museum consists of several farming settlements that allow visitors to understand life in the Valley of Virginia (the original English name for the Shenandoah Valley) for the Native American population and for the primary European and African groups that came to this area in the 17^th through 19^th centuries. 

As a history major and history teacher, I was looking forward to this visit with great anticipation, but I wasn’t sure how Elliott and Marshall would react.  I shouldn’t have worried. We all found it fascinating and could easily have spent a full day on the premises, especially since we were able to use a golf cart to travel from one exhibit to the next.  At each site, costumed interpreters answered all of our questions and provided a wealth of information.

First of all, several rebuilt or reconstructed farming settlements showed us how people from West Africa, Germany, England and Ireland lived in their home countries before arriving in America.  At the West African farming compound from the 1700s we learned that the Igbo of Nigeria measured wealth in yams.  These yams, however, did not resemble our Thanksgiving sweet potatoes.  They were massive specimens whose very starchy white flesh formed the basis of the Igbo diet.  

Elliott and Marshall in the Igbo compound

Yams growing just outside the walls of the compound

  

Next, we visited a series of European farms that represented the Old World lives of immigrants who came to the Valley in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  We started with an English yeoman’s farmhouse dating back to 1641.  The structure was brought over from Worcestershire.  A pair of goats was merrily nibbling on the rosy pink façade.  We admired the simple furniture and everyday objects in the two-story house.  Also, we learned that a yeoman was one step below the gentry and would be comparable to today’s upper-middle-class.  

17th century English farmhouse

 

Goats nibbling on the farmhouse

Freshly made cheese in the English farmhouse

 Inside the 1700s Irish farmhouse from the Ulster area (where many Protestant Scotch-Irish lived), we observed the farmer at his loom, weaving linen cloth.  When we remarked on the very high ceiling, he informed us that all Irish farmhouses were built this way because the peat the Irish burned for fuel created so much smoke.  At the nearby forge, we took a quick look at the blacksmith working over the blazing fire.  It was too hot to linger. 

Interior of 18th century Irish farmhouse

Weaving linen in the Irish farmhouse

Working at the forge

 The German farmhouse, also from the 1700s, was immediately recognizable.  It looked as if it had been plucked straight from the Rhine River area of Germany or France.  The German farm wife, who was working at her spinning wheel, pointed out the raised hearth at the fireplace.  It seems like a very smart idea (much easier on your back when you’re cooking) but apparently the Germans were the only group of immigrants who built their hearths in this fashion. 

18th century German farmhouse

At work spinning

The raised hearth

 Then it was on to America.  The Native American settlement was still under construction, but some very healthy-looking pumpkins were on the vines.  

Not-yet-completed Native American settlement from the 1700s

Pumpkins on the vine

There were three frontier farmhouses, but we only had time to visit one since Elliott was getting tired and we were all getting hungry.  We’ll have to return to see the small log cabin from 1740, and the farmhouse from 1840.  However, we went inside an 1820 farmhouse where a young woman was tending a fire (without a raised hearth).  The apple pie she’d just prepared smelled delicious, and the aroma reminded all of us that it was well past our usual lunchtime. 

Frontier farmhouse from the mid-1800s

If you go to the museum, be advised that there is no restaurant or cafeteria on the premises.  However, you can bring your own lunch, as picnic tables are set up in shady areas throughout the property.  Since hunger pangs were kicking in, we went back to Staunton’s historic district for a bite to eat at The Pampered Palette.  Cocoa Mill Chocolatier just happened to be in the same block, so we went inside to select a few tasty treats.

While Elliott went to lie down for his afternoon nap, I walked over to Trinity Episcopal Church, one of Staunton’s main tourist attractions.  I had been seeing posters for Staunton’s annual summer music festival, and it turned out that a small group of singers and instrumentalists was rehearsing in the church at the time.  The ethereal sounds of a Mozart motet created the perfect atmosphere for admiring the twelve Tiffany stained glass windows.  

A detail from one of the Tiffany windows

We wrapped up the second day with a marvelous dinner at Zynodoa, a farm-to-table restaurant near our hotel.  My friend Georgi, who retired from Annandale High School a year ago, joined us for dinner since she recently moved to a horse farm not far from Staunton.  A few of the dishes we shared were fried Rappahannock River oysters, lemon risotto with Chesapeake jumbo lump crab, picked vegetables, Bibb lettuce salad with peaches and candied pecans, rainbow trout, brined and roasted chicken, grits (my new favorite food) and cornbread scones.  By the way, the name of the restaurant is the Native American word from which the English “Shenandoah” is derived.

Even the drive home on the third day of our trip was an adventure.  Once again, I avoided highways and circuitously navigated us back through Shenandoah National Park and a string of little towns.  Our route brought us to Culpeper, where we stopped for lunch – another great meal, at It’s About Thyme.  I’m sure we’ll return to Culpeper, as we noticed a number of interesting looking shops and eateries.  In fact, we stopped at a cheese shop and picked up half a wheel of Humboldt Fog goat cheese before we resumed our drive back home. 

Elliott really enjoyed the trip, but he’s having nearly as much fun back here at home in Fairfax.  See what he’s accomplished in the last few days:

Back to School? Not Me!

August 25, 2014 – Back to School?  Not Me!

For teachers in Fairfax County, summer break is officially over.  They reported back today for a week of teacher workdays.  They have my sympathy.  I know quite well what I’d be doing if I hadn’t retired.  I would have gotten up to the sound of an early alarm and driven off just as dawn was breaking.  I’d feel excited about seeing my old friends, but at the same time, I’d be trying to calm the flutters of anxiety that always accompanied the start of a new school year.  I’d already be preparing a mental list of all the things I needed to do – attend endless meetings, fill out forms, memorize the new bell schedule, set up Blackboard files, check class lists, write syllabi, haul books, and so many other details that I’d have to remind myself periodically to stop and breathe, slowly, and breathe again. 

So now that I’m “retired,” I always savor my freedom on this day that teachers relinquish theirs.  Instead of getting up at an absurdly early hour, I got up a little past seven a.m., had a leisurely breakfast, read the news paper, and took a walk in the woods.  The air was quite cool.  In fact, it was so surprisingly cool and refreshing that it inspired me to write a poem.  This is dedicated to all of my teacher friends, past and present, but especially to those who went back to work today.

The unexpected cool of an August morning

Not quite half past seven

On the verge of shivering

As I bound out of the house

And enter the woods

Thick and overgrown in its late summer glory

Even the storm water basin is a field of wildflowers

The warning sign “Water Rises Rapidly” elicits a gentle laugh

The incessant buzz of crickets and their friends rises around me

In pulsating waves of sound

White seashells of fungus sprout from fallen decaying tree trunks

Alongside the path

Dainty bells of yellow adorn tangled vines

And crowns of fuschia spring from the tallest weeds

I pause at the hollow rat-a-tat of a woodpecker

And wait for its repetition before I continue down the path

A distant owl bids a tardy farewell to the night

As the sun climbs up and up and up through the trees

Its light tickling and teasing the forest into a new day

 

Virginia Road Trip - Part One

August 23, 2014 – Virginia Road Trip – Part One

Elliott, Marshall, and I returned yesterday afternoon from another road trip, our last of the summer. Within the borders of the Old Dominion (and within a few hours of home), we discovered interesting small towns, beautiful scenery, delicious food and surprising cultural treasures. As the driver, I decided to forgo the interstate highways with their thundering 18-wheelers in favor of smaller, slower and less stressful roads. As I drove southwest on Lee Highway, we passed the Manassas battlefields, several Civil War markers, and numerous place names memorializing southern military leaders. Marshall’s amazement at the ongoing glorification of the Confederacy reminded me of my own reaction when I first settled in northern Virginia more than two decades ago. We had a lively discussion about the legacy of the Old South in the southern states of today. Any insights from readers who grew up in the South would be most appreciated.   

By the time we reached Charlottesville, we were more than ready for lunch.  While we didn’t take the time to tour the University of Virginia campus, we enjoyed a very pleasant meal en plein air at Petit Pois, a charming restaurant on the pedestrian mall. From their authentic French bistro menu, we sampled panisses, escargots (with plenty of garlicky butter), soupe a l’oignon, salade Niçoise with fresh seared tuna – and indulged in a shared order of profiteroles for dessert. 

Then it was back into the car.  Our next destination was the town of Staunton, mere quarter of an hour from Charlottesville, but on the far side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We arrived at Staunton’s historic Stonewall Jackson Hotel in the middle of the afternoon, which gave Elliott plenty of time for a nap before dinner and the evening’s entertainment. After a delightful Italian dinner at Emilio’s, right around the corner from our hotel, we strolled a half-block to the Blackfriars Playhouse for a performance of Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, a production of the American Shakespeare Center. (I decided to get tickets for Cyrano rather than Macbeth, which was scheduled for the following evening. Thinking back to high school when I read both plays in English class, I thought Cyrano would be a bit lighter in mood.)

The presence of the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton was the primary reason we chose to use this Shenandoah Valley town as our base. Far from the big city, you’ll find an absolute gem, the world’s only recreation of Shakespeare’s indoor theater. Plays are staged as they were in Shakespeare’s time, with respect to lighting, role doubling, sets, costumes, and music.  For example, productions feature universal lighting (provided by chandeliers and wall sconces) creating an atmosphere that blurs the barrier between performers and audience.  Another Shakespearean theatrical tradition is the use of live music in the theater before, during, and after the play. 

The American Shakespeare Center is a repertory company that performs year-round.  While the majority of their productions are works by Shakespeare, they also present works by other dramatists, such as Edmond Rostand, the French author of Cyrano de Bergerac.  The Anthony Burgess translation from the French was much better than the version we read in high school.  All of the actors gave dazzling performances and the entire production was uproariously entertaining. Overall, it was a unique experience, one that I highly recommend.  Plus, it’s a relative bargain, with ticket prices much lower than for shows at the Kennedy Center and other DC area venues. 

There’s much more to tell, but I’ll reserve that for my next post.  I’m getting ready to go out to Wolftrap now with my friend Cindy for a sing-along of The Sound of Music. It’s a good thing we didn’t buy lawn seats, as the rain has been coming down steadily all day. 

Keeping Up with Elliott

August 17, 2014 – Keeping up with Elliott

Elliott has a new method of transport:  the Husky.  This wheeled vehicle (get one at Home Depot!) allows him to zoom around the lower level of the house, wreaking havoc and destruction.  Of course, it’s havoc and destruction with a purpose.  As part of our downstairs renovation, Elliott is tearing up the existing flooring.  I was a bit surprised when I came home a few days ago and found him with mat knife in hand, cutting through the blah-beige carpet to reveal a pattern of ancient linoleum tiles.  

A crowbar comes in handy, too.

He was obviously very pleased with his work so I tried not to show my disapproval at his newest activity.  However, I was quite confused because he had assured me that he was going to hire workmen to install the new floor.  When I mentioned casually that the workmen would remove the old flooring as part of the job, Elliott responded by repeating one of his cardinal rules:  Don’t pay someone else to do something you can do yourself. In this case, cutting the old carpeting and padding into strips, rolling them up, tying them neatly and placing them in clear plastic bags falls into the do-it-yourself category.  Of course, a job that would take a couple of workmen 2-3 hours at most will probably take Elliott at least 2-3 weeks.  But that’s the point, isn’t it?  All I can do now is pray that there will be no accidents involving the mat knife. 

Market Day

August 16, 2014 – Market Day

One of the joys of summer is a trip to the local farmers’ market.  I try to restrain myself because it’s much too easy to over-buy.  That basket of baby okra, that bunch of sunflowers, those ears of corn – all of it looks irresistible.  I have to consider how much I can reasonably use within a week.  But peaches and tomatoes are always on the list.  The pictures below are from the farmers' market in Fairfax City.

When I unpack my bag at home, I arrange the colorful produce on the granite countertop and admire the shapes and colors.  But most of all, I start to anticipate the luscious flavors.  I could simply pick one up and bite right into it.  However, I’ve found some easy and tasty ways of incorporating summer’s bounty into my menus.  First of all, those glorious tomatoes.  When I don’t have much time, they can be sliced or chunked and combined with feta and olives and a healthy drizzle of olive oil.  But at least once every summer, I make a gazpacho.  Try it in a shot glass at breakfast.  You’ll find it delivers a big jolt of wake-up flavor.  

Start the day with a shot of gazpacho!

Unfortunately, Elliott isn’t a big fan of gazpacho (in fact, he didn’t even try this summer’s version), but he appreciates a thick tomato slice on a roast beef and cheddar sandwich.  As for peaches, I’ve found a healthier alternative to one of my all-time favorite desserts, peach pie.  Take a slice of bread (I like to use a whole grain sourdough), spread thickly with crunchy almond butter, and top with peach slices.  This open-faced treat gives me all the satisfaction of a piece of peach pie with considerably less guilt.  Peaches also lend themselves to the roasting technique.  A touch of balsamic vinegar will enhance their sweetness, and they can be served alongside any main course.   

My peachy sandwich is just as satisfying as peach pie.

Another frequent market purchase is melon.  I recently bought a canary melon, bright yellow on the outside with cream-colored flesh inside.  In addition to putting an unadorned slice on a plate, I feature it in a yogurt parfait.  Start with plain yogurt, enhanced with a little bit of stevia, a squeeze of lime juice and a couple of drops of pure vanilla extract.  Top with small chunks of melon.  Add your favorite chopped nuts for a little crunch, if desired.  I often eat this while Elliott is downing his three scoops of calorie-laden ice cream after dinner. 

Today in the market, I couldn’t resist picking up a pair of  baby cantaloupes.  The sight of them conjured up memories of the wonderful petite melons de Cavaillon that were so plentiful in village marketplaces in the South of France during the summer months.  As for the baby okra, tonight I’ll split them lengthwise, toss them with olive oil, and roast them – a technique I’ve used successfully with many other kinds of vegetables.  They’ll fit right in with the menu for tonight’s dinner, which includes roasted peppers and sweet potatoes, avocado and black bean salad, grilled corn, and bison hotdogs. 

I’ve been having so much fun in the kitchen that I limited myself to one dining out experience for this summer’s Restaurant Week.  We joined friends Millicent and Andy for dinner this past week at Brabo in Alexandria.  This restaurant features the cuisine of chef Marcel Wiedmaier, a Belgian native, whose DC restaurant, Marcel’s, has long been a favorite spot for Flemish-influenced French cuisine.  My meal consisted of a glass of rosé from the Languedoc, the best ever Vichyssoise, fabulous bread (a rare indulgence for me), sautéed skate wing over ratatouille, and a fresh take on Belgian waffles for dessert.  And as you can see from the photo, Elliott was mighty pleased with his hanger steak and pommes frites.  Ditto for the chocolate crème brulée.  

Skate wing over ratatouille

Elliott enjoyed the hanger steak and pommes frites.  (I ate the watercress.)

With Millicent at Brabo

Back in Action

August 10, 2014 – Back in Action

I’m pleased to announce that Elliott has just been appointed project manager of the downstairs renovation at the Thompson homestead.  In his new position, he will not come into contact with any sharp objects, except for a pencil.  As you can see from the photo, he has graduated from a full-arm wrap to a simple bandaid.  A few days ago, the surgeon voiced his satisfaction with the way the wound is healing.  No stiches are necessary.  Every day, Elliott has been stronger physically and more focused on getting back to work.  

Now that he’s feeling so much better, I’ve been trying to steer him away from some of his favorite comfort foods.  As many of you know, Elliott’s preferences are for sweet and starchy foods.  Think whole milk, white bread, cheese, mashed potatoes, marshmallows, meringues, and vanilla ice cream – a nutritionist’s nightmare.  In an effort to inject a little color into his mostly monochromatic diet, I’ve been trying out new recipes that feature a rainbow of colors.  For example, this “mayo-free coleslaw” includes green and red cabbage, carrots, green onions and radishes, all tossed in a tasty tahini-based dressing, enlivened by garlic and cilantro.  Even my sugar-freak husband was pleased with the flavors.  Here’s a link to The Washington Post website where you can find the recipe.  Note:  I left out the sesame seeds, cayenne and onion salt.  

A new summer favorite 

In addition, as Elliott’s condition improves, it’s becoming a little easier for me to maintain a balance between work, i.e. things I have to do, and fun, i.e. things I do for pleasure.  In the latter category is my fused glass work, which I’m enjoying tremendously.  One small piece, where I experimented with sandblasting, is finished.  I’m currently working on two other pieces, currently ready for another firing in the kiln. 

This dish is 6x6 inches

This piece is 12x12 inches

And this one is 6x6 inches (those white smears are glue which will disappear)

I’ve also been soaking up culture in DC.  A couple of weeks ago, with my step-grandson, Tyler, who was visiting from Yorktown, I spent a delightful afternoon exploring the city.  In the interior court of The National Building Museum, we worked our way through a wooden maze, a piece of sculptural art and a form of entertainment at the same time.  Then we stopped into the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a quick look at a couple of special exhibitions.  Tyler enjoyed the new experiences, including his first lobster roll and his first taste of olives and empanadas.  

The maze smelled like a pine forest.

Tyler beside a Civil War marker in Fairfax City

This past Friday, I was able to spend the afternoon with my longtime dear friend (dating back to seventh grade) Lynda, who was in town for a medical meeting.  A hike from McPherson Square to Dupont Circle brought us to The Phillips Collection for their very comprehensive exhibit of American art from the museum’s own collection.  

Lynda in front of a wonderful Morris Louis painting

In addition to many familiar names, there were some exciting artists whose names were new to me, most notably Augustus Vincent Tack.  Here is an example of his work.  

 If you’re in the DC area, don’t miss this show, which will be at the Phillips through the end of the month.  Of course, before we departed from the museum, I had to pay a visit to my favorite Bonnard painting.  

Well, it’s time for me to get back to work sorting things out downstairs.  I don’t want Elliott to be disappointed when he gets up from his nap. 

The Road to Recovery

August 6, 2014 – The Road to Recovery

Life is slowly returning to normal here in the Thompson household.  By normal, I mean pre-accident conditions.  During the time that Elliott was incapacitated due his injury, there was a necessary re-alignment of responsibilities.  For example, he usually prepares his own breakfast.  However, because he was very weak and unable to use his arm, I assumed the task of making his daily oatmeal.  I am very well acquainted with the process.  In fact, I’m the one who taught him how to prepare his oatmeal with cinnamon and mashed banana in the microwave.  But Elliott wasn’t content to sit back and relax.  He had to supervise every step and offer directions.  I tried to be patient, but when he criticized me for insufficient stirring before I popped the bowl into the microwave, it took a lot of self-control for me not to ask, “Clockwise or counter-clockwise?”  As you can imagine, this sudden dependency has been frustrating for him and stressful for both of us.

When he returned from the hospital, he was very tired and, more troubling, somewhat delusional as well.  Our days revolved around frequent wound care (I won’t go into detail except to say that I surprised myself at my ability to deal with this) and visits to various doctors who were monitoring his condition.  Fortunately, the infection responded quickly to the antibiotic he was taking.  And just as the infection was clearing up, we realized that this same drug was causing his mental confusion.  Once he stopped taking the medication, he was back to his normal mental state.  He also got a big psychological boost from knowing that the infection had been defeated. 

I had a brief escape last weekend when I went up to Rochester for a mini-family reunion.  In addition to spending time with several cousins, my brother, and my aunt, I visited the Pittsford Wegman’s (their flagship store) and took a long walk along the Erie Canal with my brother.  It was very quiet and peaceful, which is not surprising since we started out at 6 o’clock in the morning.  One of the highlights of the very short trip was a visit to Canandaigua, a town at the northern tip of one of the nearby Finger Lakes.  It’s a quaint little town with a lovely lakeside park where we spent a relaxing afternoon.  We also stopped at one of the nearby wineries for a wine-tasting.  Less than 48 hours after I left home, I was back on a plane to DC.  

First stop - Wegman's, of course!

Lock 32 on the Erie Canal

With my brother on the trail

Lake Canandaigua

My family at Lake Canandaigua

This week, we have fewer doctors’ appointments.  Although we’re still doing twice-daily wound care, the gash has started to close up, even without stitches.  Elliott is gradually regaining his energy and his appetite.  And now that he’s feeling more like himself, it’s time for him to start making his own breakfast again.