Adventures in DC, thanks to Amtrak and AirBnB

After returning from Ithaca in August, my daughter and I took a 4-day trip to DC before her fall semester classes started. It was a wonderful trip!

We decided to try Amtrak instead of driving or flying, and booked business class seats. The train left mid-morning from NC and arrived just after 5 p.m. at Union Station in DC. The business class car was quiet, adjacent to the dining car, and the seats were roomy with curtains and foot rests. The Amtrak staff were wonderful. I only had two issues: the WiFi was slow and the bathroom smelled strongly of the chemical used for flushing the toilet. It was super clean but that smell was intense. Still, the novelty of taking the train and getting time to read and work while traveling without the fuss of the airport was worth it.

At Union Station there were many red taxis waiting as well as Uber and Lyft rides, and I had opted not to rent a car while in DC. It cost about $12. to get to our destination from Union Station.

After researching hotels for days when planning the trip, we decided to go for AirBnB instead. I found a beautiful entire home for rent within walking distance to the National Zoo, which was our main destination, and the owner was gracious and helpful when I booked the place for our stay.

It was gorgeous.

The home was in northwest DC, a beautiful two-block walk to the zoo, and a two-block walk in the other direction to a fabulous little market where we were able to buy everything we needed to eat in while we were there. The house had a gourmet kitchen and was a treat in itself. Absolutely lovely space that felt like home. (If home has no cats, Corgis, or humans tromping in and out from the barn!)

Every room was beautiful but I dearly loved this kitchen:

We had no problem getting Lyft rides when we needed them. We ended up doing two days at the National Zoo and one day of Natural History Museum. And ended that day with dinner with a good friend.

Unlike the NC zoo, which is a huge hunk of land out in the middle of nowhere, with one entrance, the DC zoo is in the middle of a big city and has many entrances on all sides. We enjoyed the exhibits for the most part, though I felt the apes needed more space and felt they were depressed. I was blown away by what they call the "O-line," which is an actual tower and wires that the orangutans can use to travel from one habitat to another, right over the heads of the zoo visitors. We didn't get to see them do this, but even the idea was exciting.

I think my favorite sight was the tiger cooling himself in his moat.

The Natural History Museum was fun, especially since we took the entire day and just meandered around. We ate at Rosa Mexicano after, which was close by and very fun. The pomegranate margaritas were wonderful!

We will absolutely recreate this trip again, via Amtrak, at the same beautiful AirBnB home, with more visits to the National Zoo and some different museums and restaurants next time. It was terrific getting to spend some fun time with my daughter before she got busy with classes.

Mailbox bliss

Soon after we moved to November Hill we bought an oversized mailbox to accommodate my online shopping habits. I would rather order just about anything than go to the mall or drive around shopping for something I need. The big mailbox makes a big difference to the rural postal service carriers who otherwise have to hang packages on the mailboxes or leave them at the door.

With the new gate, though, and new fencing soon to be done, our big mailbox, now 13 years old, really looks shabby. The post is wiggly and it's not quite straight and it was time to get something new.

I went online and started searching. I had some ideas, couldn't find exactly what I wanted, but finally found something that came close enough and was priced well enough that I snapped it right up.

It is amazing! And a little bay Hanoverian is on the way to stand in that little shelter. 

Infinity - and spreading manure

With the Newer Spreader I am still enjoying my pattern making as I do the chores around November Hill. On Sunday I created infinity in the front grass paddock.

Most days it feels like that around here. Endlessness, everything, infinity. The times when it doesn't are when I get caught up in what I haven't done, how many things need to be done, all the things that limit the expansiveness of nature and living with animals who never seem thwarted by negative thinking.

Since I made the symbol in front I find myself going to the front porch to look at it, to remind myself. 

Paulo Cuelho has this to say:

Paperhand Puppets - summer 2017, the silencing of science

Paperhand Puppets are always wonderful, but this summer's show was especially beautiful. A few images from the night we went. Something that seems pertinent this week.

Funny cat story

Ever since Pippin was a kitten he has gone hunting and brought his prey home, through the cat door, into the house, where he generally drops it in the middle of the living room floor and yowls low and long to let us know he has something.

He's brought in mice, shrews, black snakes, worm snakes, birds, squirrels, bunnies, and butterflies. Hearing that low groaning sound has come to mean someone is going to have to do a rescue mission. Sometimes he willingly gives up the catch, other times he takes it and makes a mad dash away.

Yesterday I heard him yowling and found him on the deck looking into the sliding glass door. I knew he had something, figured it was a mouse, since he brought one of those in the day before that and let it loose in the laundry room. We still haven't found that mouse, last seen running hither and yonder around the riding boots and washing machine.

So I walked to the door to see what it was he had.

It was a toy mouse.

Somehow it seems a milestone that Pippin, big game hunter, is now bringing home toy mice. What a hoot!