I'm here!
Well, technically, I'm still in D.C., as you might have guessed.
I've been having an absolutely smashing time with the D.C. ladies. We've had a blast!
Sunday, I met up with Dana (who's just as cute and fun as she looks!). We decided to go over to the Old Ebbitt's Grill for their Sunday brunch. The food was terrific! And the decor...well, I tell you, on my med school budget, I'm not used to eating in such beautiful places!! And Dana was full of stories about some of the gals that went there in January while Susan was visiting from Chicago. *big grin* Maybe if you arm wrestle me at Trixie Camp, I'll share a few. ;)
She also took me on a tour of a lot of the interesting buildings in our Capitol. I got to go to the top of the Washington Monument as well as spend a really meaningful time at the Vietnam War Memorial. You guys definitely need one of those bracelets that she had! And the views from a lot of these places are just breathtaking! We need to come back.
It's a lot of fun to see the city with people who know where they're going and what they're doing! And Dana is a great tour guide!
It was fun to meet her husband too...talking about science at the dinner table with two science-minded folk was pure heaven!! I haven't had a good discussion like that since...well...one of my last lecture classes! (No insults intended to present company...)
And yesterday was my visit to Jenn. For a change of pace, Jenn planned a day out of the city and away from the hustle and bustle of D.C. We “kidnapped” Mary too. Okay, we convinced her that she needed a mental health day. I told her that if Aleta can do it, so can she.
Mary gets carsick and neither Jenn nor I wanted to have to see that, so we piled into Mary’s car. Both Jenn and Mary have Honda Civics, but they are easy to tell apart and it is not just the color. Jenn hardly has to use hers and Mary lives out of hers.
Well, we hit the road and immediately got stuck in traffic on the Capital Beltway. I definitely don’t know how Mary does the commute to Virginia every day. I don’t blame Mary for having a grocery bag of cds in the car. It is probably the only way she stays sane and doesn’t resort to road rage. Luckily the accident was only a fender bender and we were only temporarily delayed. According to Mary, had it been rush hour, we might actually still be there!
Our first stop was Annapolis, Maryland’s state capital. Most people incorrectly think that Baltimore is the capital. Annapolis was a good stopping point on the way to the Eastern Shore. We decided to have a seafood lunch on the City Dock at Phillips. Mary has been to both Phillips in Baltimore and D.C., but this was her first chance to try out the youngest restaurant in the Phillips franchise. Of course, I followed Jenn’s lead and ordered the Maryland crab cakes. You haven’t been to Maryland until you have enjoyed a crab cake and Annapolis is the place to have them. Mary stuck with her favorite dish, the broiled seafood platter, which I got to sample after having Jenn distract Mary.
What was the ingenious distraction you ask? Wouldn’t you know, the United States Naval Academy is right across the street from City Dock. If Phillips hadn’t truly lived up to the hype, I would have been convinced the girls pick the restaurant for a different reason. What is it with the opposite sex and dress whites?
After crossing the Bay Bridge (4.3 miles shore-to-shore) and traveling across the Eastern Shore, we finally made it to Assateague Island National Seashore. This is one case where you can’t get someplace fast on the east coast. It took about 4 hours, not counting lunch, and we never left the state! Assateague is actually a barrier island with beaches, migratory birds and those famous ponies of Chincoteague fame. There is only two ways on the island - one on the north end (Maryland) and one on the south end (Virginia). Unfortunately, you can’t get from one end the other while on the island; vehicle access is limited. We paid the $10 entry fee and headed to the beach. We quickly changed into our swimsuits at the bathhouse and headed up the boardwalk toward the sand dunes. What a sight! To make it to the crest of the dunes and look out and see the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.
Being Tuesday, the beach was not crowded, mostly families hanging around. There were some kids building sand castles and others riding the little waves on body boards. This was Mary’s first trip to the island and we both headed for the water. Even though the average water temperature is supposed to be 69 degrees, it certainly felt colder. Jenn confessed that despite being a marine biologist, she is afraid of the water and it was only with some pleading that I managed to get her to stick her toes in the water.
We had a jammed packed day relaxing at the beach. We soaked up the sun, shared a picnic and listened to the sound of the waves. We joined a game of Frisbee, hiked across the sand dunes and even watched some locals crabbing. Did you know that people go crabbing with chicken necks?
The best part of the day was getting the opportunity to see the famous wild ponies of Assateague. The horses are a main attraction for visitors to the islands. However, it is important to note these horses can be worse then Jupiter on a bad day. We saw people approaching the animals on the beach and even people feeding them out of car windows. Jenn says that too many of the horses lose their fear of humans and cause injuries, traffic jams or are killed on the roads.
I bet Trixie remembers Marguerite Henry’s book, Misty of Chincoteague. Did you know that this book is based on a true story? Each year in July, the “salt water cowboys” herd the horses across Assateague Channel where many of the horses are auctioned off to raise money for the fire company and to serve as means of population control. Could you imagine being a “salt water cowboy” during the Pony Penning? I wonder if they take volunteers, I am sure that Regan would be first in line. The swim is always scheduled for the last Wednesday of July followed by the auction the next day. That means the swim is next week!
Jenn had some great stories to tell of going to Chincoteague in 2000 for the pony swim. Trust me, I was laughing with her and not at her and is a tale that you have to hear in person. Trixie would be hard pressed to have a more exciting adventure. Next year we will have to make sure that the Pony Penning doesn’t conflict with Trixie Camp.
Since, Mary was planning our day tomorrow, the girls convinced me that I should just crash with them. Sophie, Jenn’s cat, was waiting for us when we arrived. She rolled over on her back and squirmed in delight in anticipation a belly rub. You can immediately tell who rules the roost in this house. It is so cute to see Jenn and Mary fuss over this white ball of fluff. Jenn even has a photo album of just Sophie. I am not sure if it is endearing or just really weird. Mary has revealed that Jenn has some serious issues about things like loading the dishwasher and even dared me to leave the remote on the coffee table. I don’t know if Mary is being serious, but just in case, I think that I will avoid upsetting Jenn and just leave the remotes alone.
At least, I got to sleep with one of the girls. Sophie was curled up on the futon ;-)
I am having a FANTASTIC time. I'm not ready to leave. Can I stay longer? *grin*
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