Bill and I finally got away for a long overdue visit to Kelly and Steve's new home.
They bought a sweet little red brick home about a mile from where they used to live in Arlington. I'm so happy for her as she now has a lot more room to raise her family. I believe Kelly said she now proudly owns .7th of an acre which is landscaped to the hilt with sand cherries, magnolias, rhododendrons, ornamental grasses an other various plant materials all under a magnificent old oak tree and surrounded by a solid wooden fence.
Little Graeme and Ian have a spacious sunny play room off the dining room and each have their own bedrooms upstairs.
The real treat was the finished basement with a king sized bed room, living room and a shower that would make the roman bath look miniscule! Well maybe not. This blue tiled shower could easily fit ten people an has shower heads placed in every different angle so not one part of your body is missed with spraying water! AAAHHH! It was so relaxing but really a little over the top. I felt greedy using so much water!
Saturday we packed the kids up an loaded up the caravan for the 10 minute trip down to DC's Botanical Gardens!
Ten Minutes! I'm so lucky to have a step daughter who only lives ten minutes from so many wonderful historical places!
I look forward to many more visits!
Inside the Botanical Gardens was pure bliss escaping this long, cold, gray New York winter. Walking around in 80 degrees in the steamy vegetation reading the little plant material label signs and breathing in the different aroma's and color was just what I needed. I could of easily spent the entire afternoon there but the kids were getting restless and we also wanted to tour the Native American Museum. Wow! That museum one could easily spend a month reading a learning about all the different tribes and how they surived. The Native Americans Indian are truly wonderful and amazing people tied so close to mother earth,
We had lunch in the cafeteria downstairs which was a gourmet treat in itself. There had to be 10 different stations with dishes prepared the way the Indian's would of cooked them over open fires. One station the chef grilled salmon over an open wood fire! I loved just sitting there munching on my smoked trout sandwich and watching this man cook over the open flames.
In the "cheap" gift shop I bought a Dream Catcher for over my bed and a set of hand woven coasters for my coffee table beside my couch! I say the cheap gift shop as there were two to shop in. The ground level Art gift shop had many fine fine works of art in pottery, paintings, jewelry, textiles and other stuff but way over priced for my purse! I'm happy with my dreamcatcher!
Saturday night Kelly got a babysitter. Twenty dollars and hour! Jeeze I used to get fifty cents and hour up on ole Foote Hill Road babysitting all the neighbor hood kids back in the day and thought I was making some good money! When I found out Kelly is paying twenty I almost had them turn the car around! I would of babysat the kids for ten and come home with some money! Honestly! The money they pay for day care down there is HUGE! I"m thinking with the grand suite down stair and the Roman shower. I could easily be a personally nanny and make a truck load of money!
With babysitter in place, the four of us headed out for another ten minute car ride to downtown Arlington. I love Arlington!
There is so much happening! Music, Shopping, Museums and the Capitol all there! And no skyscrapers which always made me feel a closed in a like in New York City. We had a wonderful dinner at a joint that specializes only in steak. It was fabulous!
I had a filet mignon with a mushroom brandy creme sauce. Little cast iron skillets of buttery garlic mashed potatoes and creamed spinach were place on every corner of the table. Kelly and i shared a bottle of a nice California red wine while the guys had a beer. After dinner we walked to the Iota Club and listened to a jazz infused rock-ragae band's sound check.
Loud! The evening ended at a more quiet bar called Spider Kelly where we talked about houses, jobs and kids!
It was a great night out to see what city people do. I really live a very sheltered life. Thank God for the Barge Canal Coffee house. It's where I am right now as I write this with a pot of cardamon cinnamon tea.