Peace & the National Pastime

Heather works at Peace Corps headquarters here in DC, and was asked if she wanted to carry a flag for Peace Corps Night at the Washington Nationals baseball game.  Her former Peace Corps Volunteer dad also volunteered to carry one, so there we were, carrying Tonga and Turkmenistan onto the outfield before the ball game!  Flags from all countries in which PCVs have served.  Great fun, and a very colorful and stirring pre-game ceremony.  Play ball!!

Time for the Washington Pigskins

It is high time the Washington football team change its mascot . . . in the 21st century, it is no longer acceptable, if it ever was, to call its team by a racist name.  Some years ago, I proposed that the team re-name itself the "Washington Pigskins".  I even applied for a trademark using the name.  The NFL did not think it was such a good idea, and sued me to stop the trademark application.  Needless to say, the NFL won.  But what did the league win?  Only years more controversy and years more of disparagement of the First Americans.    

Washington Pigskins would be a great name for the team.  A pigskin, of course, is a football.  The Washington team has long celebrated "the Hogs" as its offensive line, and fans have dressed with pig noses and tails . . . Washington is also the town from which "pork" in the form of federal budget outlays emanates. A new name might also change the team's fortunes, which have been miserable lately.

It is time for the Washington Pigskins!!

Time Travel to the Renaissance Festival

Welcome to the Festival!

We weren't quite sure what to expect at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and we came away delighted!  This permanent Crownsville, MD village in the forest comes to life every year with costumed characters from antiquity. Singing. Shakespearean Acting. Jousting. Juggling. Dueling. Pirates. Princes. Wenches. Jesters. Kings. Dragons. Grog. Turkey Legs. Non-Stop Smiles.  Highly recommend a day trip to this annual event---you won't be disappointed, and you just might take some unique photos from bygone days!

All Jest, No Joust

Heather, Chase & Turkey Legs 1 & 2

Non-Stop Smiles

Jousting---the real thing!

Joust Prep

Trumpeters Signal Games Beginning

King & Queen Reign Over Jousting

No Jest, All Joust

Medieval Music Men

The Bard's Banter

Unique Handicrafts

King Counts Rings

No, You Got the Wrong Guy---He Fights Pirates!

Prepping for a Duel

Chase 'n The Arms Dealer

Jawing Watching Jousting

Crab Season on the Maryland Shore

Hearing that it was "Blue Crab Season" on the Maryland shore, we just had to give them a try. They really are blue, and they really are good! Cantler's Riverside Inn near Annapolis is our favorite site to get the taste and feel of this unique dining experience.  Prepare to get your hands into hammering, cracking, picking and sucking your food!  Bibs recommended.  

Following the Dress Code

Nobody's Blue or Crabby Here

Crabby and Blue

Sorting Crab by Size from the Boats

A Mess of Crab

Heron on the Pier

U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis

Being tourists back in the Washington area, we took the opportunity to visit the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis recently.  Made us very proud of these young men and women serving their country while attending one of the best universities in the U.S.  Heather and Chase accompanied us on a campus tour and stroll through this charming Maryland state capital.  

Back to School

First Day of School Ready to Board the Bus

For many years, the first day of school meant standing Damon and Heather at the front gate and taking a picture of them in new school clothes with book bags, ready for school.  Now, the first fall that NEITHER of them is in formal education, what happens?  We still have a back to school photo . . . this time of two nearly- senior citizens on their first day of class at the U.S. training academy for diplomats, the Foreign Service Institute.  Shelly is taking a basic Consular Officer course with an eye towards working in that area when we move to Ecuador, and David is taking Spanish in preparation for the new Guayaquil assignment.  We will both take Spanish and Consular classes in the time we are here in Washington, DC, now until February.
Notebooks? Check.
Lunch boxes? Check.
Reading glasses? Check.  

Back in the USA!

We've been in Washington nearly a week, and spent most of that getting moved in, shopping, filling out forms, and getting started in school.  Friday's arrival at Dulles Airport was made special by Heather's surprise greeting.  We've already reveled in being able to invite her over for dinner, and dining at her house! She's a great cook and Spanish tutor too!  We will see Damon in a few weeks.  We miss our Mauritius paradise, but it is heavenly to be home.

An Ameri-canine in Paris*

Bailey and Paris got to know each other Thursday afternoon . . . so many sights, sounds, smells, and tastes! Strolling on the Champs Elysees, staring up at the Eiffel Tower, book shopping in the Latin Quarter, lunch at the Sorbonne, tasting gelato on the banks of the Seine, a look at the Louvre, chasing pigeons in front of Notre Dame, circling the Arc de Triomphe in rush hour traffic, and more!  Here's a sampler of Bailey's excellent Parisian adventure. Magnifique!



*With thanks to Shelly and apologies to George Gershwin

Canine Cafe Culture

Taking in the Sorbonne

Book shopping on the Rive Gauche

Nose to Nose at Place St. Michel on the Left Bank

Notre chien et Notre Dame

Pigeons in Flight!

Tasting Gelato Along the Seine

Locks & Lyrics on the Pont des Artes

Smiling on the Seine

Locking Love on the Pont des Artes
& Throwing Away the Key

The Louvre

Arc de Triomphe

Bailey was a great passenger on the Metro and RER train

Fancy Tuk Tuk Took Us on Champs Elysees

Loved the Rides!

Bailey'll be Back!!!