My Oyster

What to eat on Halloween?

Tonight I made a Halloween dinner for my parents.   Cranberry Salmon, Pumpkin Gnocchi in cheese sauce, and roasted veggies.

That is certainly an autumnal menu, but I am not sure if it is really a Halloween menu.  So I did some research...

One Halloween custom which persists in modern-day day Ireland is the baking of a barmbrack (Irish "báirín breac"), which is a light fruit cake into which a plain ring is placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year.

Other foods associated with Halloween:

    * Candy corn
    * Colcannon (Ireland)
    * Bonfire toffee (in the UK)
    * Toffee Apples or Candy Apples
    * Apple cider
    * Roasted sweetcorn
    * Popcorn
    * Roasted pumpkin seeds
    * Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread

I dunno.  Seems like there should be something better for a dinner menu on Halloween than candy corn and corned beef.  Maybe next year I will start some new tradition.

The World Series is Over...Now It's Time to Focus on Politics...

Tonight was the, I dunno - 50th?, Democratic presidential candidates debate.  65 days until the first votes are made in Iowa.

I think Hillary continues to kick butt in these debates.  She is the most Presidential.  She has the most substantive answers.  And tonight she was facing some pretty withering attacks from an increasingly desperate John Edwards and Barack Obama - who said nothing of substance.  I have no idea what this guy wants to do - aside  from make change.  ZZZZ.  She kept her cool.

Hillary did get caught at the very end of the debate unprepared to take a stand, or at least a consistent one, on Governor Spitzer's plan to give illegal immigrants drivers licenses.  She wobbled on that one.

I wish that Brian Williams or Tim Russert had asked Barack Obama about the homophobic "ex-gay" minister that he continues to involve in his campaign events.  This minister says gays are a "curse" and are "killing our children".  Not only does Obama refuse to get rid of this bigot, but he has been trying to justify keeping him around by saying that many african americans share his views. 

Gee that is a real profile in courage Barack.  Thanks for your civil rights leadership.

More (including T-shirts) at America blog.

Back in the center of the sporting world...

Well, at least these days.  It's a great time to be a New England sports fan and as of this afternoon, I am back up in New England.

The Red Sox won the World Series last night.  The Patriots smoked the Redskins -their worst loss EVER - and remain undefeated and on their way to another Super Bowl.  Boston College is undefeated and ranked #2 in college football.  I think the Celtics are even supposed to be good this year.  I don't know about the Bruins.  Professional hockey is silly.

All of this is happening with Boston teams.  Maine doesn't have any major league teams - so we follow the Boston ones.  Augusta is probably 3-4 hours north of Beantown, but the fans up here are crazy for the Boston teams.  I am still much more attached to the Boston teams than the DC teams - even after living in DC for 15 years.

The pic, by the way, is of a Patriots player.  Not the New England Patriots - but the Augusta Junior Football Patriots - maybe 30 years ago.  I loved those socks.

Guest Check...

Guest Check PDA: open, originally uploaded by atduskgreg.

Today is my last day in DC this trip. I have spent most of the day and the weekend getting my home set up for guests coming for my sister's wedding in a couple weeks. Doing a "guest check".

My mother returns with me in about 10 days and my father comes a day or so later. I may also have my niece or nephew here too - not sure.

I have mostly been doing things to make my new home, here since May, feel a bit more homey. Making it feel more like my home than a Room & Board or Crate & Barrel showroom.

I finally started to get around to hanging up some art and putting out some of my more personal things. The things that make a house a home - pictures, books, vases.

I also spent some time getting the guest bedroom and bathroom all comfy for my parents - so they feel at home. That is easy to do for my mother. She is easy to please and is used to traveling. My father is a different story though...

I have not yet had any guests here at my new place yet - so I am excited to have my parents here soon.

The Art of the American Snapshot...

Well, maybe not this particular snapshot.

That is me in front of my favorite sculpture in DC.  It's called "Man Restraining Trade". 

It's in front of the Federal Trade Commission.  It is one of two Art Deco statues, designed by Michael Lantz.  It's a rearing stallion held by a shirtless man with a kick-ass body.  It is meant to symbolize the relationship between “the enormity of trade” and the government in the role of enforcer.  The FTC is the "enforcer".  Boo Hiss.

Jean and I passed the statue on the way to the National Gallery of Art today. 

We went specifically to see a new exhibit - "The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888–1978".  I am clearly a big snapshot taker, so I wanted to see this collection of more than 200 amateur snapshots taken over nearly a century.

It was kind of fun to see how average people took snapshots as far back as the 1880s.  In some ways, they were not much different than the snaps I have taken over the past 35 years.  Snaps of family.  Snaps of scenery.  Snaps of action.  Goofy snaps.  Pseudo-artistic snaps. 

It seems there are some similarities in how humanity approaches snapshots. 

More on the exhibit here. 

Family Night in DC...

Tonight Suz, Grant & Daryl came over for some Thai takeout and to catch up.  We haven't been together for a long time and we had much to celebrate.

We chatted about Suz & Grant's wedding plans.  They seem to be coming along well.  Suz has a dress.  Grant is working on his familial lodgings.  We all got the invites - but need to RSVP online.

We toasted Daryl - who turned 43 yesterday.  That's him opening a present.  Mike, Mira-su and Deanna helped me pick it out up in Maine over the weekend.  He is fun to shop for.

We chatted about Christmas - coordinating flights, bemoaning the fact that we are all broke - so gift giving might be light this year.  But that's ok - we all really just like being together - especially up in Maine.

We caught up on current events - the Ellen laughing episode, Barack Obama's homophobia, Britney's downward spiral.

We topped it all off with some Ugly Betty for dessert. 

My First...

Hat. 

I started knitting again after years and years off the needles. 

It took me weeks to get this tiny little hat done and it had lots of mistakes, but I like it and I am proud.  It's a special hat for me and I gave it to Jean for his birthday.  He is bald so a nice warm hat is probably a good thing.

I think I will continue knitting. I have a couple projects in mind and one already started.  It's a fun hobby while watching TV and chatting away.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor's take warning...

That was the amazing sunrise today over Cardozo high school as seen from my balcony.  It really was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.  It looked surreal.  Like a painting.

The sunrise today reminded me of a saying I first heard from my father when I was a  young child.  I always liked it and would use it whenever I had the occasion - like today.

But is it true?  Kinda.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.
When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles.  This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.

Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.
A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.

It is supposed to start raining tonight in DC - so we shall see.

Back Home in DC...

This is my home from the sky. 

This afternoon I arrived back in my neck of DC - Columbia Heights - just above U street. 

That big building with the running track is Cardozo high school.  I have blogged often about Cardozo High.  I love watching the kids before and after school and on the weekends there is a latino soccer league that is pretty fun.

I am in one of the W buildings across the street.  You can't tell from this satellite shot, but the building (and the school) is at the top of a pretty big hill - with amazing views of the city.  I fell in love with the condo as soon as I walked in.

I got this pic from Microsoft Virtual Earth.  Very fun.  I love playing with it and have used it for a map to my place on party invites.  You can have the option of having the street names on the map above.  I opted to leave them off here.  You can also zoom further in and much further out. 

You can try out Microsoft Virtual Earth here.  Find your home...

Green acres is the place for me. Farm livin' is the life for me. Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside...

Well, not really.  I like my nature in manageable amounts.  But I did have a great time at Maple Lane Farm today.  That's me with an angora rabbit.  Very furry and cuddly.  The rabbit.

We went out to see a friend, Robbi, today at her farm, B&B, and pottery gallery.   She is quite a talent.  I love her pottery and have blogged about it before.

It's always a treat to visit her farm.  It's beautiful and there is so much nature and farm life - very different than my life in DC.

Here are some pics...