Washington DC

After an all too brief settling in at our new home in Blacksburg, Owen and I drove up to DC to visit with my little sister, Alyssa, before flying out to South Africa. We enjoyed the short visit there, so I think it is worth some mention. Alyssa lives near Dupont Circle, in the middle of the gay part of the city. It's a great neighborhood to walk around, because it is full of "eye candy." The streets are full of beautiful men. Who doesn't enjoy great scenery?

Owen got to experience several jaunts on the Metro and has learned all about walking around cities and how to read the crossing lights. Experience is always good. We walked through the National Zoo, though it was slightly cold and there were nearly no animals out, except for the red pandas. Red pandas are exceptionally cute, so we have about 40 pictures of them...and nothing else. But, still, walking is always nice. Alyssa and PJ (Paul) took us out to a great Ethiopian restaurant for dinner. All that really needs to be said about that is "YUM!!!!" And Harar is a good beer. Sushi will have to happen on the return visit. And more Ethiopian.

The next morning we had breakfast at Ben's Chili Bowl. Again, YUM! Ben's Chili Bowl is a great little restaurant, and we have now joined the ranks of all the famous people who have enjoyed the food there, including Barack Obama and Bill Cosby. The atmosphere of the place is fantastic too, and I enjoyed the cultural experience of being the only white people in the joint that morning. It's good for Owen to experience that too. I apparently found myself a new boyfriend while there. Actually, I had no idea what he was talking about most of the time, but, it's in my nature to smile and nod, so I now have the guy's phone number and I think he was offering to pick me up sometime and make cheesecake for me. Well, there's a weak spot for me, because, well, I LOVE cheesecake. However, I'll just add that to the list of phone numbers I'll never actually call. Still, the guy put some money in the juke box there and let me help him pick a great selection of music - Jackson 5, Sam Cook, and Bob Marley - so it was fun. I can't wait to go back to Ben's when we return to DC! We also enjoyed walks through the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History before we headed back to Alyssa's place to get ready for the long, long flight.