Holiday Fun In DC, 2

We both had projects to work on in DC--Vicki's photo album for Rachel and my incipient photo book on our treks--so we did not get out all that much. Nonetheless...

At the National Portrait Gallery

Part of the old building

At the National Museum of American History...Julia Child's kitchen

Art Deco car

Note innovative approach to child passenger safety

We watched several years' worth (for us) of TV during the
month, Victoria, The Crown, Final Table, Great British
Baking Show, Shetlands; also Game of Thrones and
Handmaid's Tale

Interestingly--some would say depressingly--the Museum's most popular
exhibit is Dorothy's ruby slippers

Another stop was the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, for
its No Spectators exhibition of art from Burning Man

Dome of its Temple creation

Notes and memorials

Among the symbols

Some fairly breath-taking constructions

No, we're not going to become Burners

Den of Iniquity

Flags at half mast for George H. W. Bush

Next time

As we were departing, I noticed the Trump jet parked on the tarmac at National...
for a fast get-away, I presume...

Holiday Fun In DC, 1

In mid-November we flew to DC for a month's stay with daughter Rachel and her husband Will. Will's parents, the Sehestedts, from Missoula, arrived for Thanksgiving, as did their daughter Jordan's in-laws--Jordan also lives in DC, with husband Mike--the Thompson's, from Milwaukee. It was a fun old-fashioned three-family holiday.

With the Sehestedts at a sports bar in Crystal City for the annual Brawl of the
Wild--the University of Montana vs. Montana State University football game;
Vicki and Rachel on the left, Jordan, Kathy, Mike, and Will on the right; alas,
after leading most of the game, UM lost; the table was equally divided between
UM and MSU alums

Myself, Vicki, and Rachel; I was rather more interested in the Ohio State/Maryland
game...an over-time nail-biter that Maryland eventually lost on a PAT attempt 

Thanksgiving at Jordan and Mike's; thanks and congrats Jordie!

At a Georgetown basketball game (Will's alma mater)

T-shirt swag cannon; alas, we were out of range

Among other things, Rachel scored tickets to Cirque du Soleil...on ice, no less

Socialite Rachel about to depart for a downtown gala

With life-long friends Harry and Norma Kingsbery, at the Hamilton

And with Vicki's cousin Sandee and her husband Rhett in
Bethesda

Us, there

Holiday Fun In Menlo Park

Mostly with grand-daughter Penelope, of course...

At Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay with Grandma

At the Atherton Halloween pageant...Lady Macbeth costume, made by Grandma

Laura Ingalls Wilder costume, made by Great-Grandma, Lois
McCoy

Sorting and inventorying the Halloween Haul, with Mama

Fast-forward to December...decorating the Griswold, I mean
Sherouse Family Christmas Tree, in Le Sport

Thus; note Caganers at bottom (click to enlarge); Penelope,
age seven, thought this was particularly hilarious

Visiting Santa at Stanford Mall; perhaps for the last
time now; she asked whether maybe she should
address her letter to "Santa" (quotes intended)--
a young literary mind already on the go

Interim Update #1,693

I haven't blogged in six weeks or so. We haven't been traveling, exactly, rather, spending some time in Menlo Park with daughter Rebecca and family and then a month in DC with daughter Rachel and family. Now we are back in Menlo Park, doing the Christmas holiday thing, and I will do a few blog posts to get up to date. After that there may well be another hiatus as we settle in for house-sitting here while Rebecca, Jeremy, and Penelope are away on Rebecca's sabbatical travels.

Along The Oregon Coast, 3

On October 18th we drove leisurely from Florence to Crescent City, CA, stopping at most every overlook, walking a few beaches, shopping here and there in the little towns we passed through: more dunes, more deco, more great coastal scenery. We savage-camped at the casino in Crescent City. And the next day we repeated pretty much the same thing, hoping for better sun and less fog, driving all the way back to Coos Bay, and then back down, past Crescent City to the casino at Elk Valley, where we did yet another savage-encampment. Despite the fact that some of our savage-camping is done at Native American casinos, savage-camping is more generally what the French call wild- or dry- or free-camping; a charming term, much more interesting, to me anyway. Today's western US casinos, even the less opulent ones, are anything but savage; they are raking in the white man's cash in ever more sophisticated ways...good on 'em.

The next morning, the 20th, we awoke to a text from daughter Rebecca, asking whether we could perhaps arrive in Menlo Park that afternoon, rather than the next day. After a quick calculation, we answered yes, and set forth, staying on US 101 all the way, enjoying the redwood forests, passing right by Trees of Mystery, enjoying rather less the interesting passage through the heart of San Francisco. Tony Bennett's heart, which he left there. We arrived in time for dinner, and grand-daughter P spent the night with us in Le Sport. Our inland and Pacific northwest trip was over. And a great trip it was!

Dunes

Deco

And world-class coastal scenery

Hitchcock moment

"Eternal Father, strong to save/Whose arm hath bound the mighty wave..."

Fog rolling in

Any bit of this coast is stupendous; the best, we thought, was south from Coos Bay,
Gold Beach, Ordway, Battle Rock, and most of all, the incredible Harris Beach
State Campground; we'll be back