Snow Dump

The first snow of the year and it's a big one. It's still snowing now in the day and there will more heavy snow tonight. We were unable to go out and meet our friends A&PH for lunch so they went exploring the city and took some fantastic photos while we took the dogs for a run in the snow. 

My favourite photo is the one next below with Macey and Cricket running off into the sunset !!

 

 

Do any of you remember this bridge near us?

And here's a selection of our friends photos including Arlington cemetery, the White House, the Washington Monument and the Russian Embassy. 

 

 

 

 

Russian Embassy with their Xmas Decorations still up

And a couple more of us.....

2 weeks to departure...see you soon.

Welcome to 2019

It’s well and truly into 2019 and I’ve not posted my Xmas pics. We spent 4 days over Xmas at Shenandoah Nat Park in a lovely cosy cabin. We took the dogs and our good friends A&PH joined us also. The weather was good, fine, very cold but no snow. The cabin was wonderful and we enjoyed relaxing, eating, playing mahjong (chinese marjong) and doing a bit of hiking. I checked out the hot tub out back which was fabulous. I took everything with me but the kitchen sink. We cooked a lamb and chicken and enjoyed all the trimmings including a Xmas pudding and custard and I made an apple pie. It was Xmas as usual and we were fat, dumb and happy by the evening. Santa found us as always and even the dogs were given a present from A&PH. 

 

The days between Xmas and New Year were quiet for us. We saw a few movies and started the pack up process. The dogs had their 3^rdappointment to get bloodtests and more tick/flea treatment. They have one to go which is a simple paperwork filling exercise. 

We are now 3 weeks from departure and 2 weeks from removals. We thought the removal home would be easier (which it really is) but I find myself procrastinating and not enjoying the process at all. I guess nobody enjoys moving house. The challenge this time is to pack our essential ‘everythings’ into 3 suitcases each and leave the rest to go home via sea removal (3 months). So we’ve got to think of our personal documents, my chef school bits and pieces, work clothes, dog leads etc as we don’t want to buy things at home just for those few months gap. We have plenty of stuff at home in storage but not all the stuff that you need day to day. So the house is currently deconstructed with piles of stuff everywhere in preparation for the removalists. I’ve been emptying the cupboards of food and giving away things as best I can.

Well I've got two weeks to finish the removal prep and Deb is madly trying to finish up as much as she can at work. I've organised all the utility disconnections here and connections at home so it's been a double whammy of tasks. My good mate Aussie Bob is also car hunting for us so with some luck, we will have a car (which will be my little run-about) ready when get home. 

And to finish on an absolute high note, I've just got a text from my great mate who was learning to fly with me, he passed his license test today and is now a Private Pilot. We started this journey together a year ago and while I had to stop in Nov (to finish in Aust) he continued and passed today. I am so bloody relieved, happy, thrilled and proud of him for achieving this goal. He got me into flying and he's always wanted to fly so we both have had a fabulous year learning to fly. I look forward to giving him a huge hug and hopefully, we can enjoy a flight or two together before I leave. Congratulations AH !! Totally awesome achievement.

Well that's it for now. Only a short post and possibly the last before the big move. I'm sure the next few weeks will be a circuit of farewells and last minute things to see/eat/do before leaving. For me, it's about eating as many Georgetown Cupcakes and mexican food as I can. So happy new year to everyone. We are both looking forward to coming home very much and will feel much better when we're back in our house with the dogs and surrounded by boxes again. See you all soon.

And that pics below are of Macey with her Xmas present and a photo to show that some traditions will always survive. The great Mintie wrapper tearing challenge.

 

Beginning to look like Xmas

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….well it has for about a month really!! I’ve really enjoyed the Xmas spirit over here, it’s cold, hot chocolate is perfect, the lights and decorations are fantastic and the feeling is just like a Hallmark movie. Not to mention, out come those silly Xmas sweaters. Can’t see us wearing them when we get back home!!

After the disappointment of stopping flying, I found a way to fill my spare time by volunteering in the kitchen at a homeless shelter. The Embassy has chosen this shelter to support this Xmas by donating food and clothes. It is called Christ House and is a medical respite for homeless men. While they provide a medical clinic to walk-ins, they are a small medical facility with beds for about 40 men to recover after surgery in hospital. These men are homeless and not able to care for themselves properly after surgery given they are homeless so the House takes them in, cares for them and also helps them to tackle the underlying problems of their homelessness.

So I have been volunteering 2-3 shifts a week in the kitchen to help with both preparation and service of the lunch meals.  Each shift is about 2-3 hours long and very easy work under the guidance of staff chefs. The staff and patients are super friendly and extremely grateful of a volunteer’s time. In the kitchen, I have made sandwiches, cut meat, vegetables and cornbread and stacked foods in the fridge of pantry. I have served meals to the patients and staff who eat in the dining room and meals are prepared for about 60 people. Christ House relies heavily on food support programs and donations so meals are planned based on what food is on hand at the time. It’s interesting to see how creative the chefs get - this is great experience for me. Meals are generally simple as the patients are not accustomed to fancy food such as mushrooms, avocados or artisan breads. But the meals are nutritious and really tasty – you can trust me on that. My friend Aussie Bob encouraged me in my first year to volunteer for a shelter but I never did. I will continue to volunteer through January until we leave but I’m sorry I only got started now. 

The Chicken Whisperer. We took a wander around the city again to see the big blue rooster called Hahn/Cock sculpted by a German artist. It’s a sculpture of a giant blue cockerel. Initially displayed in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2013, it was moved to DC National Gallery of Art in 2016. It stands 4.7m high and there is a second version in Minneapolis. It was absolutely freezing that day and we met our friends A&PH again for a city wander and lunch. They walked us to the rooster and left us to get our photos. Deb once again took some great shots and even caught the Capitol in the background. I’m not sure if it looked as tall as I expected but the photos certainly show me as a midget. The photo of the black post is outside the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church near the Embassy – this is where Abraham Lincoln would hitch his horse while he attended mass. The church has a stained glass window with Lincoln and the pew that Lincoln family rented (as a way to donate money to the church). Love these history pieces.

The Embassy kids Xmas party was held and once again, catered for the party. This was my third time so I followed my usual menu of sausage rolls, little sandwiches, chicken nuggets, cookies, cake and fairy bread. The plates were left empty and the sausage rolls flew off the plate. I managed to sit on Santa’s chair and check out the pressies before the little ones arrived.

We also attended the annual Xmas party for our American friends (I look at them as our adopted family now). They have been so wonderful to us. We went last year and it was nice to be welcomed again by familiar faces. Our friend made gingerbread cookies and if you look carefully, she made some kangaroos which was very sweet. I got asked to bring a pavlova again as it was popular last year. The key event of the party is Dirty Santa – you know the game where everyone brings a present and one by one, you pick a present. If you don’t like it, you steal someone elses, who then steals someone else’s and so on goes the game. There is always a mix of funny gifts, nice chocs or wine or some gift that keeps getting returned each year as a dud gift. Well, this year I got a small doll of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Most Aussies won’t know her but she is a US Supreme Court Justice. She’s 84 and an icon over here. She has fought for equality all her life and is highly regarded in every way. There is a movie coming out about her life on Xmas Day called ‘On The Basis of Sex’. Make sure you see it !!  Anyway, I got the doll and well, it was THE gift of the night. It got stolen from me but I managed to get it back. Phew. I had to watch her all night cause she was definitely going to end up in someone’s bag if I wasn’t careful. I said she was coming home to Australia and will sit on my shelf with all my Batman figures – she is a superhero after all. 

My goal each year is to see the National Xmas Tree at the White House. We had a nice dinner with our friends and wandered down to see the lights. It's a beautiful tree but I love the big train set around the base of the tree. Biggest I've ever seen and the trains are moving all over the place. Then there is one smaller tree (about 6ft) for each state and territory. It is decorated by a school or organisation from that state. It's nice to see the different ornaments on the tree that are unique to each state. Deb took some lovely photos with the Washington monument in the background in one direction, and the White House in another photo. 

And here is Santa on his surfboard with the kangaroo's on top of the Embassy.

The dogs are progressing through their vet appointments as part of the process to go home. I have paid the final payment for the travel (Visa card is on fire) and have their flights booked. For now, they are blissfully unaware that they are leaving on a big plane and continue to enjoy their daily adventures in the forest with the squirrels.

The next blog update will be at Xmas and we are hoping and wishing for snow. Until then, enjoy the last few days of Xmas carols and shopping and, we'll see you after the big man has been. 

 

 

Our DC Memories Book

As we approach the end of our time here in DC, it's been incredible to reflect on our experiences. Our photo folder is chock full of fabulous memories and it's hard to select a few to highlight the moments. Deb has made a book of our memories of DC and it's beautiful. You'll have to see it when we get home but I managed to screen print the pages and make a slideshow to give you a sneak preview. You'll need a big screen rather than phone and the pics are a little blurry, sorry. The book of course, is crystal clear. 

So have a look and enjoy the sound of Chaka Khan and I'm Every Woman.

Highs and Lows

The past month has been full of ups and downs, highs and lows. My niece finished her holiday with me with a final week of checking out the museums and sights around DC. We were pretty tired by this stage but she managed to see the Air and Space Museum, George Washington’s Mt. Vernon and a trip to Gettysburg. Sadly it just rained at Gettysburg but we got to see a lot and she enjoyed the civil war history experience.  We enjoyed a night out with our good friends A&PH at Hill Country BBQ in the city as she wanted to eat BBQ. As always, a night of BBQ means a meat coma and she enjoyed trying ribs for the first time. 

Marine Corp Marathon - MCM (42.2 km / 26.2 mile). The MCM is one of the largest and considered the best marathon in the mid-Atlantic. It is organised by the men and women of the US Marine Corp and is the largest marathon in the world that doesn’t offer prize money, instead celebrating the honour, courage and commitment of all finishers. The day of the Marine Corp Marathon arrived and it was my moment of truth and fear. Entry to this race is a lottery and I had wanted to do this since my first year. I got my entry by running one of the qualifier races back in March which was limited to 3000 entries. It was a 17.75 km race to celebrate the birth year of the Marines 1775. Completing this race gave me automatic entry to the MCM so that was step one. I trained for 6 months but like many who have been down this path, it was not the perfect training I had hoped for. I tore my calf muscle mid year which cost two months of training and it was difficult to catch up the missed training and do the longer training distances in the last two months. I was behind the eight ball but a good friend suggested that I start the race and run for as far/long as I could. I would at least experience the atmosphere which is race is known to be amazing for. So I persisted with the training as best I could and got myself to the start line early that morning of Sunday 28 Oct with about 30,000 other runners. Let's see how far I can go.

The race was definitely an experience. I had heard so much about it from other runners. The crowd was huge, loud and rows deep along the whole route. I’ve never seen so many spectators for an event. There was a band of some sort at nearly every mile and I was surrounded by runners for the first 15km. It was just busy, busy and busy. People had signs, rang bells and cheered like we were at a rock concert. The route was fabulous, through Arlington, Georgetown, the memorials, the Capital and the museums.

The blue mile is at mile 12 which marks the half way point of the race (21km). This mile is along a quiet stretch by the Potomac river and there are no spectators on this section. The mile is lined with posters about every 3m of a fallen soldier. This was a dreadfully sad, emotional and inspirational part of the race. I was able to see the face, read the name, the age and the year the soldier died. It was terrible to see such young ages, men, women, all services. By this point in the race, you are tired, hurting and wanting to stop. But looking at these brave faces who have fallen and given the ultimate sacrifice….well this was what keeps you putting one foot in front of the other. I have nothing to complain about and everything to be grateful for. So I kept moving to push through the back half of the race.

My friends A&PH said they might try come by to cheer me on so I was looking hard amongst the crowds to see them. I figured they’d be at a certain point but it was just going to be a miracle to see them, as it would for them to see me amongst the mass of runners. But, at mile 17 (around 27km) I heard them yell my name. They were next to the Washington Monument. It was an excellent chance to stop for a few minutes, grab a hug and some words of encouragement. I was definitely struggling by this stage. I figured I could make it to 30k but the final 10 or so kilometers would be the toughest part. So I pushed through, walking and running and hoping I didn’t pull a muscle somewhere. The crowd continued to be strong and while the runners had thinned out, there were still a lot of runners pushing those last miles out. I made it to the finish line in front of the Marine Corp Memorial (also known as known as Iowa Jima memorial). There were marines waiting to congratulate you and put the medal around your neck. I was holding back tears and was super happy to see that Marine and the medal. I moved onwards and was overwhelmed with happiness and relief. I called Deb who was home with my niece and just cried. She had been following my progress with my Garmin tracker so she knew I finished but I called to cry and tell her I was alive anyway. It was crazy at the finish as expected and the only way home was to catch the train. Deb picked me up at the station and I went home a very happy and relieved Batman. 

 

End of Flying. So after the high of finishing the marathon, I said goodbye to my niece and put the kid on the plane for the long journey home. The job ahead was to focus on my flying and work towards finishing my license. To cut to the chase, after a few lessons I decided to stop my flying lessons because I figured I just didn’t have enough time to finish before going home. It was a difficult decision to make but it was the right one to make. I have completed more than 90% of the required hours and training but the work required to finish the exams and prepare for the checkride (final flying test) was just not achievable.  The weather continued to cancel lessons on me and was adding stress to try and cram the lessons in. I would only be wasting time and money to continue here because I will have to repeat some flying at home to demonstrate my skills. So no more flying for me here. I am totally disappointed and while I haven’t failed, it feels like I’m quitting. So, it’s over for now but I plan to continue flying at home and get my license in Australia. On the plus side though, my friend AH is on the final stages of his flying and on track to get his license. Hopefully he will get it before I leave and we can fly down to North Carolina to First Flight which is where the Wright Brothers flew the first plane flight.

Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving with our American friends. It is a really nice feeling this time of year as Americans do everything and anything to be with family for this precious time of year. It was a big family gathering at our friends and we enjoyed a deep fried turkey, ham and all the trimmings. 

Deb was excited to have a big bowl of mashed potato and we loved passing the food plates around the table – we explained to our friends that this is what we see in the movies. They thought we were weird!! Now that deep fried turkey, I was hesitant but I’d heard good things from many people over the years. As you can see in the photo, the turkey is deep fried in a big can of hot oil. I could feel my arteries thumping just looking at it. But, it was actually really moist and quite tasty. It was a great day with our friends and I will miss the Thanksgiving experience. 

 

Macey. To cap off a month of highs and lows, Macey gave us an awful scare. She was dribbling badly one Sunday morning and was not able to eat her breakfast. She was not her happy piggy little self. We took her straight up to the vet who found she had something red and inflamed under her tongue. She also had a high temperature. They kept for the day and night giving her the care she needed. The next day was Monday and the surgery team took a biopsy of the red ulceration. It wasn’t a mass as such but the odds of it being cancer was still possible. We wouldn’t get the results back for a few days but we brought her home that night. She was terribly groggy from the sedation and was likely pretty sore in the mouth. We are 9 weeks from coming home and it was just not an option for her to have cancer of any sort. Macey is 10 now and we are very aware her years ahead are precious. She took a good day or so to return to herself and Deb and I were both really worried about what the results might be. The call finally came on the Wednesday and it was good news. She had cut herself somehow (probably chewing a stick) and the cut had got inflamed and nasty. Her breath has been horrendous but it was not cancer. We were so relieved and I was honestly preparing for bad news. I don’t know how or what we might had to have done had the results been different. So while she dodged this scare, I had to take her straight back to the vet for a urinary check and yes, she’s got herself a little infection again. She is prone to them poor little girl. So she’s been on a routine of tablets for pain and infection and should be able to start eating harder foods soon. Poor Macey Moo Moo.

Ben's Chilli Bowl. Our good friends A&PH took us for a wander through their city backyard - around the U Street area. We enjoyed lunch at the famous Ben's Chilli Bowl. Wiki tells me that Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C., located in U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the Shaw neighbourhood of northwest D.C. It is known locally for its chili dogs, half-smokes, and milkshakes, and has been an integral part of the neighbourhood's history since its founding in 1958. 

Just to be clear, half smokes are not smokes as we Aussies would say, they are half smoked sausages. Bit like a mild spicy hotdog frank. The chilli is mild, is like a meat and bean stew mix that you spread on top of your dog.

 

Going Home. We are now into the Xmas season and the lights are going up everywhere. It’s so pretty and I will definitely miss this time of year. I want to go and see the National Xmas Tree at the White House and I’ve got some cooking tasks over the next few weeks. We have been busy organising our return travels and removals which is no easy feat. The dogs will have their second vet appointment (of four) next week and I will start packing up the bikes and moving things around in preparation for the removal. For those of you wondering, we will return in February. I have enrolled in TAFE to do my chef course and am very excited to start my new adventure - the week after we arrive. So with 8 weeks to go, we have Xmas and hopefully some more snow to enjoy. Hopefully there will be more highs ahead as I don’t think I can endure anything more of the lows like we felt this month.

And here are some of Deb's cool photos as she polishes her photography skills. Some are from Shenandoah National Park after the leaves had fallen and some are from just around there corner here. Plus the others are from our U Street wander with our friends.