Around the World in a Day

#PassportDC is one of our favorite cultural events in the area and we have enjoyed the embassy open houses tremendously. Last year, we were able to spend most of the day touring Embassy Row. This year's busy weekend schedule only afforded us enough time to go to Kazakhstan, Australia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. Along the way we tasted wonderful local treats: doughnuts in Kazakhstan; Vegemite, cheese, meat pies, sausage, and wine in Australia; a Pisco Sour and Inca Cola in Peru; and mango spread in Trinidad and Tobago. We also enjoyed incredible music, art, and conversations with people we met along the way.   

Carter was able to wield a sword in Kazakhstan (fortunately still in its scabbard).

At the Peruvian Embassy, Carter and Lea posed with alpacas and their companions.

It was a lovely spring day and a fabulous event.

Almost Spring

We have encountered an unusually late springtime in the DC area and have been waiting impatiently for signs of winter's end. The area's iconic symbols of spring are the cherry blossoms and they are also late arrivals. By this time last year, the trees had blossomed and the flowers were already disappearing. While Lea attended a gathering of Roeper students and alumni in the District on Friday evening, Erik and Carter checked on the status of the blooms. They found only one tree with open flowers - the rest are still waiting for the chill to depart. The Cherry Blossom Festival begins this weekend; hopefully the timing will be just right.

Carter is Eight

Over the weekend, we had a small gathering to mark Carter's eighth birthday. The theme was "a trip around the world." The party included the creation of imaginary countries, flags, and anthems, and was topped off by the lovely cake produced by a local bakery that you see below. Happy Birthday to Carter!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Today we attended the Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown. We found a nice spot on the parade route and waited on the cold curb for a while, popping fun trick noisemakers that a fellow parade-goer gave to Carter. Finally, the colorful parade passed by. Happy Year of the Snake!

57th Presidential Inauguration

Washington, DC always presents opportunities for exciting experiences, but some come along once every few years. We are fortunate that our time in the area coincided with a presidential election and inauguration. Not only are we interested in elections, but we were able to experience events like the inauguration first hand.

Lea planned for an early departure to get ahead of the crowds, and this part of the plan went off without a hitch. We headed to the National Mall around 6am, arriving in time to secure excellent seats toward the front of the public space. We were still bright eyed and excited at the crack of dawn.

The crowd quickly filled the Mall and we struck up conversations with lovely people who had come from all over the country: a higher education administration Master's student from Chicago and her parents, high school students from New Jersey who spent all night on a bus, a couple from Georgia with a great sense of humor, and many others. The mood was positive and friendly all day long.

We were on our feet most of the time, but Carter was incredibly patient and enthusiastic, even though it was chilly.

Our long wait was rewarded with a great ceremony. While the return home was a different kind of adventure - requiring lots of walking, massive crowds, and detours galore - it didn't diminish the feeling that we were able to have another once-in-a lifetime experience here in DC.