Perfect summer evening

Our neighbor gave me a eggplant from her lush summer garden, and I prepared this gorgeous recipe from the NY Times. Served with oven-warmed pita, and thick, tangy Greek yogurt, it made a delish veg meal - perfectly accompanied by a nice glass of Spanish red for mom and seltzer with lingonberry syrup for Dear Daughter.

Later, we took our bikes to the new gelato place near Eastern Market, where I had a mix of Sicilian almond and chocolat noir, while she chose chocolate chip and strawberry.

Just about every part of this post has something I love about my life. Neighbors, garden vegetables, good food, Turkish-style braised eggplant, anything from Turkey, yogurt, anything from Greece, the New York Times, eating well, red wine, anything from Spain, lingonberry syrup, anything from Sweden, Dear Daughter, bikes, Capitol Hill, cities, ice cream, gelato, anything from Italy, almonds, chocolate, local, community, summer light,  and summer evenings.  Bliss.

Professional Urban Grrl's No-Sweat Triathalon

Sportswear: Black leggings, black wool tunic sweater, black ballet flats, teal double-breasted spring trench (Pool: black swimsuit, black swim cap, pink goggles)
Getting to the starting line:  Leave work in taxi with colleague for an in-transit meeting.


Start:  Union Station

1st Leg (Walk) - Walk and talk with colleague heading north on North Capitol Street, part company at H Street.  Hang a right.  Cross bridge over train tracks.  Admire spring day - low humidity, temperature in the low-seventies, late daylight (it's already six-thirty! and the light gives everything a spring-pink glow).  Arrive on the other side of tracks - H Street NE, the edgy in-neighborhood with bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, with a hip-hop-city-punk-funk vibe. Recall the previous evening in one such establishment with friends and drinks.  Make note to self to hang out there more, and check out some of the new places.

2nd Leg (Bike) - Grab a Capital Bikeshare bicycle.  Place black work bag on the front carrier, and secure with neato fitted bungee cord.  Unbutton trench coat for ease of moment, and for cool teal trailing effect while riding.  Board bike, and head south on 4th Street NE past lovely, historic, restored rowhouses.  Note buds on trees giving a light fuzzy green-  or sometimes rose-, colored  glow of their early leaves.  Note beautiful spring gardens in postage-stamp front yards - tulips, daffodils, and blazing yellow forsythia.  Zig-zag through the neighborhood streets towards Eastern Market - going past more lovely house, small city parks full of dogs, kids, and friendly neighbors cavorting in the early evening, brought together by their shared community and the pleasant spring evening.  Arrive at Eastern Market, and park bike in the CaBI bike dock.

Pit Stop -  Enter Marvelous Market for a bottle of water and pack of soy nuts.  Sit outside on the french cafe chairs.  Check iPhone for messages.  Greet and chat with neighbor MS.

3rd Leg (Swim) - Enter public pool facility, and change into swimwear.  Shower quickly, and enter pool for 30 minutes of laps.  Breathe in, breathe out.  Let head roll out its day.  Marvel in the head-clearing power of exercise.   Chat with lanemate about water temperature - a tad cooler than lately.  Exit pool, shower, change.

Homeward Bound - Grab a CaBi bike for the short ride to the next docking station.  Walk remaining three blocks.

Finish: Home. Greet Dear Daughter, read books, snuggle, and wish sweet dreams.

Spring training never felt so good.

(Practically) free to a good home

On Saturday, we held a yard sale.  It was a brisk, early spring morning - a bit too early spring for a yard sale, and a bit too early morning for me, but the urge to de-clutter Right Now cannot be denied, and no other free weekend presented itself anytime soon.  It wasn't about the money or the stuff.  It was mostly about getting the stuff out to people who will enjoy it for a while, and throwing in a little lesson for Dear Daughter about entrepreneurship and counting change.  The morning yielded a bit over $100, and a whole lot less stuff - the rest went to Good Will this morning.  Yard sales are a win-win.  I'm free of stuff and clutter. I feel so enterprising. And most of all, some nice new and people now have my treasures in their good homes.

There was the Early Bird mom who got here around 8:30.  From Utah, she and family are staying temporarily on Capitol Hill in a furnished, but lacking-in-character, home.  Presumably on a Mormon mission, she said she had kids of "varying ages."  The Early Bird did indeed get the worm...errrr...some of the best goods -  a kids dominoes set and a memory game, a clock puzzle, a doctor kit, and some books.

A young woman and her Spaniard boyfriend in his Real Madrid shirt purchased a set of four crisp white porcelain cups and saucers in which I imagine they will enjoy some  strong coffee on late weekend afternoons. A young Urban Greenster couple biked over - she sporting her "Stop Greed" pin on her tweed-y jacket - bought four russet-colored woven placemats, four cloth napkins in tones of green and brown, and an ecru-colored pottery serving bowl with a deep blue abstract bird design.  A gorgeous combination! -  wish I had thought of it myself -  and sure to be a hit at their next vegetarian potluck dinner party.

Two African-American women in their 50's came to admire my collections of African textiles - batik-ed table cloths, woven mats, brightly printed cloth, and gauzy scarves.  They bought almost all of it plus an ugly mint-green bathroom rug -  and since they came late in the morning, they filled several bags of such treasure for $10.

Another young couple arrived on their bikes.  He had a scraggly reddish beard and olive green jacket, and asked me about my Peace Corps days.  She told me she was of Vietnamese descent, and bought a children's book in English and Vietnamese about a frog and an umbrella - she said it was "for someday."  They are just at the beginning of their couplehood.  They also bought three African cookbooks - that frankly have a lot of repeat recipes, and from which I've cooked less than a handful of meals over two handfuls of years.  I hope those books get some cook-stained memories at last.

An older African-American man, his feet swollen from diabetes or hypertension, shuffled off with my swivel office chair that lost its back a few months ago.  While a white-haired white guy, bought my Africa tome - historical and political essays.  I asked for a dollar, but he gave me two.

A few other people bought a few other things, each one sauntering off with her find..."at such a good price." And I'm doing some sauntering myself - a little richer, a little less encumbered, and very pleased that some of my good stuff found good homes.

Urban Village

Capitol Hill in DC is the most wonderful neighborhood.  It's historic houses; small commercial hubs of indepenedent businesses; pocket parks; and public transport compose an idyllic urban village.  Our city councilmember calls it a livable, walkable community.   I call it home.

This week, the Washington Post did a feature on the Eastern Market and Barracks Row districts of the neighborhood - both within walking distance of my house, and the locale of my most frequented haunts.  Among the featured businesses were some of my favorites, and some not so much.  Here's my take on the WaPo's take:

Acqua al 2:  Looks and feels like Italy, especially in the spring and summer when the cafe tables are outside.  The menu is authentic, if not pricey and fairly meat-centric.  It just makes me want to be an Italian wino.  An especially lovely ambiance.

Capitol Hill Books:  Of course, I love book stores, and the more independent the better.  But I'm scared of this one.  In this 100+ year old 2-story rowhouse, the books are stacked everywhere, two deep, one-hundred high, and near collapse.  Unfortunately, it feels like a claustrophobic firetrap to me.  I understand its appeal, and I want to love it more.

Montmartre:  My favorite petit French restaurant, and where I had the most gorgeous 40th birthday lunch - outside, alone, and completely content.  It's also wonderful for a meal a deux. The article mentions Seventh Hill next door, and by the same owners, where Anthony seriously spins spins some serious pizza dough, and I sit at the counter taking it all in.

Peregrine:  Amazing coffee, made with the care and respect it deserves.  I so enjoy getting a real cappuccino with richly spun foam.  The music tends to pulse a bit, and this together with free wireless, and fueled by the wired coffee, tends to give it a high greying hipster quotient.  Sometimes, I feel a little uncool there, but still just cool enough to get it.  And I always, always, always run into someone I know there.

Hill's Kitchen:  My shop of kitchen bliss.  I sometimes go in just to walk through and fondle the whisks and Peugeot pepper grinders.  I always try to buy one little something, to support the shop.  Leah, the owner, is barely 30, grew up in the neighborhood, and is somewhat of a local hero.  Seriously, if I run into her at Tunnicliff's Tavern or Seventh Hill (as I have on several occaisons), she is surrounded by adoring kitchen junkies 10+ years her senior.  Though I'm a huge fan, I never approach - it must be hard to be a local celebrity, I want her to be able to finish her beer in peace.

Ted's Bulletin: Diner-ish, comfort food with bar and a bakery.  I generally like the vibe, but milkshakes and chicken-fired steak are not really my thing.

Belga Cafe:  Real-life Belgian food.  It came before and is more upscale and with a wider menu than the hip, but also delish Granville Moore's on H Street NE.  I love the mussels and fries of course, but also their steak and the cool, savory tomato sorbet that melts its way into my salad.  It's also where I greatly enjoy a perfect Delerium Tremens - my favorite Belgain ale.

The Fridge:  Never been.  Must, must, must check it out!

Lola's Barracks Bar and Grill:  A younger crowd.  I think I've only been once, but very glad to have it in the mix.

Homebody:  I am a homebody, and I like any good home store.  Homebody is just such a store, and I give it props just for that.  But I've never bought anything here, the selection feels too limited to meet whatever it is I search that day.  Lots of great stuff, but nothing for me to buy.

The Ugly Mug:  A great bar, with bar food, and a bar crowd.  Most crowded around baseball games (not too far from Nationals stadium).  This where my au pair and her au pair friends hang out (or the Hawk and Dove).  I'm happy its there for her.

Stitch DC:  An intimate store with the finest, most beautiful of yarns - cashmere, mohair - in the most gorgeous array of colors from heathered pinks to bright lemons.  I once took a knitting class here - which resulted in 2 scarves before I retired from my knitting career.