Quick Trip to DC

Amazing how difficult it was to find empty time on all of our calendars to be able to schedule a visit to see Jamey and April. I decided short was better than none, so we flew up Sunday morning and returned Tuesday afternoon. As an experiment, I bought Main Cabin tickets rather than Comfort + for our 2 hour Delta flight. Yes, we do need those extra 3”. 

The theme of the trip turned out to be Art and Exercise. Jamey and April met us at the airport. They live .3 miles from a Metro station. I had brought our refillable cards I’d stashed after our last visit, so we added money at the airport, rode 2 stops and walked to their Alexandria townhouse.Their 4-story townhouse. We left our suitcase*, then walked to lunch at a wine bar in Georgetown, then a walk through the colonial section, admiring all the wonderfully maintained old homes. It’s spring in Washington. The azaleas, clematis, and other flowers are at their peak. We rested back at the townhouse (stairs), then a short walk to dinner in Alexandria. 11,254 steps/4.5 miles.

Monday, we walked a couple of blocks to a coffee shop, then on to breakfast of huge egg and sausage sandwiches on chive biscuits. I took half of mine home for later. Home (stairs), walk to Metro, then ride into DC. First up, an exhibit at the Hirshhorn featuring art from 1860 to 1960, inaugurating its 50th season. A retrospective of modern art with all the known players. I was thrilled to see Calder’s Fish, a favorite from our first visit, and which we hadn’t seen for some time. I was disappointed the Rothko wasn’t installed yet, but the exhibit is through May, 2025. We will return. While my crew pondered more pieces, I sat on a bench and chatted with a man in town from Arizona who had an appointment at the National Archives to research the handcuffs used on the Lincoln Conspirators. He is in touch with other collectors, via the internet. Amazing.

Lunch over at the Native American museum. The restaurant was closed for remodeling; we got veggie wraps and wheat berry salads at the Espresso Bar. Next up, walking to the Freer for see a Whistler exhibit. I slipped into the Peacock Room just at the end of a docent tour. Lovely benches. Back to the L’Enfant  Metro station and ride home, .3 mile to the townhouse, stairs. We decided to drive to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. Absolutely delicious margaritas. 12,952 steps/5.7 miles.

Sunday, thank goodness, was a short day. Saturday morning, I missed the landing on one of my trips downstairs and fell just 1 step. No serious damage, but my right big toe bent more than it usually does. Combined with its normal arthritis, it was pretty sore. Ibuprofen got me through all the walking and allowed me to sleep some. This morning, the pain was much less. I definitely am a single-story house person. 

After I ate my leftover breakfast sandwich, we packed up, put our shared suitcase in the car, and drove (yay) to the Torpedo Museum, a collection of galleries and art coops. I particularly liked a fiber art group, but have nowhere to wear their little shrugs and no need of their wool hats. Another gallery showed what I’d call contemporary quilts made of small rectangles pieced together, then finished with rows and rows of parallel stitching from one edge to the other, 1/8” apart. The prices reflected the hours and hours these would have required. I found few watercolors. A couple were almost photographic, but one was an impression of pale flowers on a crackled background. I despair in my attempts of either style.

1:00 ish, Jamey and April dropped us off at the airport. Easy time through TSA. We had a beer while we waited for our flight. 4,401 steps/1.8 miles.

* Since our trip was only 3 days/2 nights, I practiced being less in control and shared a suitcase with Grant. Having just 1 thing to lug around was worth not having my separate space. I’m trying to need less when we travel. Next chance: our 10-day birding trip in May. A growth edge.