My Oyster

I am Back on Clifton Street...

Clifton Street, originally uploaded by Al in Cardiff.

The one in DC. The Clifton Street above is in Cardiff. Which I am pretty sure is in Wales.

I am not on that Clifton Street. Though it looks kinda fun.

I once knew a guy from Wales. I was living in Salzburg, Austria with a bunch of Englishmen and women and one guy from Wales. I always laughed when they warmly kidded him about being from Wales. They would say..."Never trust a taffy!" HEHE.

I have nice memories of living with those Brits in Austria. Of course, it also explains why my german is so mediocre.

Washington is not miserable...

Really.  Or at least not the most miserable.

Just ask Forbes magazine.

Misery is defined as a state of great unhappiness and emotional distress.  Forbes has come up with an index to measure the misery of the 150 largest cities in the U.S.

For all these cities, the misery index looks at the unemployment rates, personal tax rates, commute times, weather, crime and even some measure of pollution - or toxic waste really (the measure is superfund sites).

Washington was not in the top 10.  I am a bit surprised - as our crime is pretty bad as are our commute times.  I guess our weather is ok.  employment is probably pretty good and stable - thanks to the federal govt.  There really isn't a lot of toxic waste in DC - at least not in the literal sense.

So the big losers - home to the miserable masses...

1. Detroit, MI
2. Stockton, CA
3. Flint, MI
4. New York, NY
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Chicago, IL
7. Los Angeles, CA
8. Modesto, CA
9. Charlotte, NC
10. Providence, RI

Yeah DC!  We aren't the most miserable!

For a video tour of the top ten - go here.

Looking at some art...

...at the Colby College Museum of Art.

Tut had the idea to make the short trip to Waterville to visit the art museum at Colby College.  It is a pretty impressive museum for a small mill town in central Maine - and it's getting more and more impressive with some recent and upcoming significant bequests.

Here are a few pics of Daryl, Tut, and I enjoying the art - sometimes more like us interacting with the art...

And here are some of my favorite pieces from today...

...The Ryan Sisters by Alex Katz

...Both by Marsden Hartley

...The Reverend Silas Ilsley by Anonymous

...The Dancing Lesson by Edgar Degas

...Diana by Frederick Macmonnies

...Orange Compartments by Adolph Gottlieb

It was a great afternoon in Central Maine.

Celebration in the Old Port...

Tonight we took my mother out for a birthday dinner in Maine's dining and shopping and cultural center - Portland.

First we did some shopping and walking in the Old Port section of the city.  Beautiful old buildings and fun shops.

Then we made our way to the Pepper Club for dinner...and of course birthday dessert.

As always, it was great to have the family collected and up in Maine together, but also really fun to enjoy my parents together. I especially liked these pics of the two of them from the birthday celebration tonight.

Happy Birthday (again) Ma.

Say it with tulips!

I reeallly like tulips.  I love their simplicity and form and even their stems and leaves.  I like their basic coloring - very crisp but rich.

When I was in graduate school in Seattle, I would always try to have some fresh tulips in my house to keep me cheery during the drudgery of writing my thesis.  It usually worked.

To this day, I still try to get fresh tulips every week in the springtime.  The pic above is of some tulips at my parents house today.  Daryl is peeking around them. 

The pic below is of some tulips at my place in DC earlier this week.  It was snowing.

Now some fun Tulip facts:

Even though tulips are now commonly associated with Holland (and Washington state), they are originally from the Middle East and were the favorites of Turkish sultans.

In fact, the word "tulip" actually comes from the Ottoman Turkish word for turban or muslin.

When the tulip first arrived in Holland in the late 1500s, they were considered a precious commodity and even a single bulb cost lots-o-money.  Even the wealthy had trouble attaining a full bed of bulbs.

In Victorian times, red tulips were considered a declaration of love, making them an ideal gift for any romantic occasion.

Maybe getting tulips for myself every week is like declaring my love for myself on a regular basis.  Not such a bad idea...

A mother is the truest friend we have...

DSC03874.JPG, originally uploaded by dcjay64.

~ Washington Irving

Happy Birthday Ma!

My mother was born 70 years ago today.  The pic above is one of my favorties of the two of us.  It is on the train from Brussels to London.  I think we are about to go into the Chunnel.

Who better than my mother to lean on?  You can tell from the pic I was happy.

Warrior Pose II

Warrior Pose, originally uploaded by kwilliams.

I am having fun finding yoga poses in nature.

Tonight in yoga class we focused on the three warrior poses. This heron is doing the second warrior pose.

In Sanskrit, the second warrior pose is called Virabhadrasana. Virabhadra is the name of a fierce warrior, an incarnation of Shiva who is described as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet, and who wields a thousand clubs and wears a tiger's skin.

As you can tell from the heron - this posture strengthens your legs, back, shoulders, and arms (wings), building stamina. It opens your hips and chest, and improves balance.

And in whose arms your gonna be...

Happy Anniversary to my parents - Moose & Dianne. 

They were married 47 years ago today.  Wow.  That is really amazing and I am really fortunate to have them both - and both together - as my parents.  I know it.

The pic above is one of my favorites of them. We were in Oslo, Norway. It was one of the very few times we could pry my father out of Maine to go on a trip with us. This trip was to visit the country, town, and family that had hosted me as an exchange student in high school, so it was very special.

I like how in the pic they look so happy and so happy together.  They remind me of two pieces of a puzzle that fit so nicely with each other.

The line at the top of this post is from the song - Save the last dance for me.  I am pretty sure it was their "courting" song.  The song came out in 1960 - shortly before they wed.  The Drifters took it to #1 on the charts that year. 

I can't hear this song without picturing the two of them jitterbugging to it.  That is what they do when it plays.   

As a tribute to their marriage, here are the lyrics...

You can dance
Ev'ry dance with the guy
Who gives you the eye
Let him hold you tight

You can smile
Ev'ry smile for the man who held your hand
'Neath the pale moonlight

But don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darlin', save the last dance for me, mmmm

Oh, I know (oh, I know)
That the music's fine
Like sparkling wine
Go and have your fun

Laugh and sing
But while we're apart
Don't give your heart to anyone

But don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darlin', save the last dance for me, mmmm

Baby, don't you know
I love you so
Can't you feel it when we touch
I will never, never let you go
I love you oh, so much

You can dance (you can dance)
Go and carry on
'Til the night is gone
And it's time to go

If he asks if you're all alone
Can he take you home you must tell him no

'Cause don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arm's you're gonna be
So, darlin', save the last dance for me

'Cause don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arm's your gonna be
So, darlin', save the last dance for me, mmmm

Save the last dance for me, mmmm-hummmm
Save the last dance for me, mmmm

by Pomus / Shuman

Why I Love Saturdays in DC...

So much to do and all so close.  It is so easy to have an arts adventure - and within blocks of my house. Today I hit a favorite museum and saw a new play.  Both within walking distance of home.

The pic above is me at the Phillips Collection.

Sean and I met up at this museum in Dupont Circle. I love the collection there. Of course there are several Marsden Hartley's but also Picasso, Degas, Van Gogh, and many more. There are a handful of paintings that I always seek out, but I also always seem to discover a new favorite, too. Today my eye and mind was captivated by this one...

It is Melancholy by Edgar Degas.

After enjoying the collection, Sean and I had a long coffee break in the new courtyard and cafe at the museum.  It was chilly but sunny and quiet - just me, Sean, some birds, and the sculptures in the courtyard.  Perfect.

Later tonight, Daryl and I went to see a brand new play, All I ever want to be, as part of his Xmas gift to me.

The play is by Alan Ball - the creator of Six Feet Under and the Academy Award-winning writer of American Beauty.  It is his first new play in more than a dozen years.

"The play follows the relationship between two men living in Los Angeles—one white, one Middle Eastern. Through the story of their romance, Ball fashions an erotic and thought-provoking look at ethnicity and the eternal search for belonging." 

I liked the multiple stories of people not completely comfortable in their own skins and wanting to reinvent themselves.

It was an artful Saturday here in DC.  Just the way I love it.

Nothing says "Be My Valentine" like Chili Cheese Fries...

Tonight Jean and I decided to celebrate this holiday of the heart with a meal that is not so heart friendly - Chili dog, chili burger, cheese fries, and milk shakes at Ben's Chili Bowl.

Ben's is a Washington, DC institution and is just a couple blocks from my house. 

I had walked by it about a week ago and have not been able to get the picture of a chili dog out of my mind ever since.  I have been craving one.

And here I am with my dog.

And here is Jean, with a definite look of gleeful anticipation, looking at the menu.

and a couple more pics from Valentine's Dinner...

Yummy Valentines Day.