rattle and roll

  What happens when I get here for the first time in three years?

The earth moves.

My friend Rebecca and I drove three hours to an Ikea in Northern Virginia yesterday filled with lists and plans and excitement. It was, as you probably know about Ikea, overwhelming. We'd been there about three more hours and had just decided to have lunch and make some informed decisions about our purchases when the earthquake hit. I lived on the West Coast for a number of years so I pretty much knew right away what was happening. Still, it was a pretty sharp jolt. My first thought (you know what a maze Ikea can be) was "Where the heck are we? Are we above ground or underground?" And as another nod to my years in San Diego, as soon as the ground stopped shaking, I was ready to go back to shopping.

Not so Ikea. They evacuated us for the next three hours (longer, might I add, than the White House or the Pentagon), but there was no way that Rebecca and I were leaving without our stuff! When they let us back in at 5 p.m., we hightailed it through the warehouse to finish shopping and make the long trek home.

Right after it happened, we stood outside Ikea and tried to make contact with the rest of our family who was spending the day together at Busch Gardens. Guess where Callum and Rebecca's husband were when the earthquake hit?

They never felt a thing.

little man

This little man. Little tera-dactyl. Super-chill little brother.

I was lucky enough to get to take some pictures of him last month.

 

 

I was lucky enough to get to see him take his first breath on this earth. His older brother too, but that's a story for another day.

Isn't he gorgeous?

Did I mention that he's my godson? Biased much? You bet.

I am not a street photographer

We stopped in Asheville, NC on our way to visit Neel's family in Atlanta earlier this month. Callum calls it Hippy-town. He's probably right, but he should have seen our college campus!

One night in this fun and funky town is not nearly enough. I was reminded as we walked down town looking at hippies for a place for dinner, that site-seeing and street photography are two entirely different things.

my feet, reflected

true sign of the south

I imagine that to do street photography right, you need to not have a hungry husband and 11 year old tagging along. I saw so much I wanted to stop and savor with my camera. I wanted to take time.

We were hungry. Not just Callum and Neel, but me too. So! Many! Choices! After passing The Southern (pictured above) and heading down the street to read menus outside Indian restaurants, American cafes and French Bistros (Bon Appetite, y'all!), we ended up right back here. When in Rome, y'all.

Here we are from the inside/outside. After days and days of 90-100 degree heat, it was dreamy to sit outside in coolish air.

From street photography to portraiture, Callum and Neel practice their "camera-ready" smile.

French 75 and some awesome beer that Neel loved for us to drink. Homemade pretzels and chutneys to dip, but why oh why did I not take a picture of Neel's chicken and waffles? Hello. That was yum. Even though I had pimento cheese crostini, we all decided that his dinner won. If I can get the chicken sausage gravy figured out, we're totally adding that to the rotation. Even if not.

Callum and I went for ice cream after dinner. He had his usual: cookie dough. Mine, you ask? Brown sugar bacon maple. Yeah, it was good. After I had that puppy in my hands I was too busy eating to take more pictures. So it clearly is one or the other. I want to go back for more.

five things, august 19 edition

1. I think late summer is here if I'm checking Weather Underground every day.
2. I think I want to make chicken and waffles really, really soon. As soon as Callum (brace-face) can chew food again. Chicken-sausage gravy, hmmmm.
3. And yet, I think I need to bumb up my cooking mojo. Time for a trip to the farmers market to get inspired.
4. I think I'm feeling better. While not perfect, this was a pretty darn good week.
5. I think we're going to submerge ourselves in fun for this last (sigh) week of summer.

all politics are local

This is Callum with our friend, Evans. His Excellency. Last night, Evans hosted a meet-and-greet for our new state senator, Ralph Northam. New to us because of recent redistricting. Neel's been following this guy for awhile because he's a physican affiliated with the medical school where he teaches.

Senator Northam is great, and I'm thrilled that he represents us now. He gets it that things won't get done on either side of the aisle, but across the aisle. I'm looking forward to voting for him in November.

It was a great back yard, neighborhood event. Some local brew, some wraps (best wrap I've ever had, by the way) from a local restaurant and a nice crowd. Young people (younger than me!) who care about their city and the future of their country too. That's nice to see.

Politicians were thick on the ground. Here's Callum with Paul Fraim, the mayor of Norfolk. He's a nice guy. It was said last night that he's been encouraged to get involved on a state level, but he chooses to stay here, taking care of our city. I appreicate that.

And how's this....

Callum and Senator Mark Warner! This is a good Virginia guy. We all felt honored to meet him. I'm not going to get all political. I've been pretty irritated this summer. But I like this guy. I like Mayor Fraim and Senator Northam, and I'm grateful for the work they're willing to do.

Neel even asked Senator Warner to not forget funding the NIH.

He said, "Of course...!"

Holy MOLY, what a summer Callum has had. Braces! Hanging with a circuit court judge! And now meeting our mayor, state and U.S. Senators! How can 6th grade compete?!