FLASHBACK AND COMPARE ONE MONTH OLD VERA&DUNCAN

One of the startling things about having a second child is the comparisons and differences that are noticed.  Some so slight only the parent can witness the changes.  I (Papa J.) commemorated every monthaversary for Duncan’s first year with a picture of him with a Teddy Bear.   I kept count of the number of months as each one passed by increasing the number of Teddy Bears used (refer to the November 8, 2007 post in the Archive drop down menu on this page).   I don’t think I’m going to do the same thing with Vera, but I couldn’t resist the first month here 2007 and 2010 for comparison.

LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER: HAPPY MARDI GRAS 2010

Here’s a brief, but picturesque overview of how and why Mardi Gras is celebrated.

http://www.fineliving.com/fine/cda/article_print/0,1983,FINE_22196_5938916_ARTICLE-DETAIL-PRINT,00.html

HISTORIC SNOWFALL BLANKETS MD/DC REGION

This is a picture outside our window of the blizzard that hit us on February 9 after the RECORD BREAKING snowfall on Saturday February 6th 2010!  For historic record I can attest that the North Beach, Dunkirk, Owings, MD area received a walloping 2 feet of snow!  About 24 inches all around!  

THAT PUTS US AS THE SECOND BIGGEST SNOWFALL TOTAL IN RECORDED HISTORY FOR THE AREA!  HERE’S HOW WE LINE UP WITH PAST STORMS:

1. JAN 1922_  28 inches
2. FEB 6, 2010_ 24 inches
3. FEB 1899_   20.5 inches
4. FEB 1979_   18.7 inches
5. JAN 1996_   17.1 inches
6. FEB 2003_   16.7 inches
7. FEB 1983_   16.6 inches
8. DEC 19, 2009_   16.4 inches

WE HAD THE BIGGEST SNOWFALL IN A SINGLE DAY EVER IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER ON DECEMBER  19, 2009!  AND BY THE END OF FEBRUARY WE WERE RECORDED AS THE MOST SNOWFALL IN A SINGLE WINTER EVER RECORDED FOR THIS AREA!

MORNING GEVALIA THOUGHTS

Do you ever look at your plate or while drinking from a glass and wonder where your food/drink originated from?  Well, we all have special indulgences that we partake in that we prize for all there nuances. 

Coffee, has been a part of our lives since we were adults.  Even though we have toned down the caffeine (about two tablespoons to  a decanter of coffee), we still relish the full bodied flavor of our favorite brands which comes from GEVALIA coffee   www.gevalia.com

I know some like the Brazilian coffee beans and exotic rare ones.  I like the ones inspired by European coffeehouses,  like the famous Antico Caffe Greco Coffeehouse.

Antico Caffè Greco
“This is an institution on via Condotti, next to Prada and near Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps, and it’s more than 200 years old,” says Faraone. Caffè Greco opened in 1760 and has been a haunt of Keats, Stendhal and Goethe. “I remember when I was a kid, the time I went to Rome, my dad said, ‘And this is Caffè Greco!’ I probably didn’t get there by myself until I was 26, but it’s always been an institution.” Faraone adds it’s a classic Italian bar where you can get coffee, dolce and drinks any time, but it’s expensive. “The interiors are fantastic and the bartenders have been working for generation to generation, passing the job down through families. But it’s more a place of history than a cool place to go.”
Via Condotti, +39 06 679 1700.

GEVALIA coffee has rights to import their coffee, which we love and serve to guests when they visit.  So, when you visit next time, ask for a cup of coffee.  We are sure you will be as pleased as we are.

SPRING/SUMMER EVENTS I

We enjoyed a wonderful “Movie on the Beach” here in North Beach for the first time.  The movie was the Batman movie with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.  Duncan enjoyed the sand and playing with the local children more than the movie ( which we only saw 25 minutes of before he became sleepy). 

The movie is the first of a series of “Movies on the Beach” at North Beach this summer, open free to the public.  All movies start at dusk and are played on a 40 ft. screen right on the beach.   Other movies scheduled this summer are:

• June 20- Journey to the Center of the Earth ( in 3-D) with Brendan Fraser
• July 25- Grease

• August 15- The Lion King

If any of you want to join us for one of these events please let us know.  I know we definitely will be going to The Lion King playing.  Just bring your own popcorn, food, blankets, chairs and bug-spray and we will be more than happy to join you.

RUSSIAN EASTER AT HILLWOOD

I knew that Hillwood Estate in Washington D.C. was a site to be seen, but knew very little about it.  When I discovered they were doing a Russian Easter Festival with Russian music, kiddie egg roll and an opportunity for kids to make their own “Fabrege” eggs at the same cost as any other day (and kids under 6 are FREE).   I knew last Saturday was the day to check it out.

Hillwood is an 86 room mansion on 25 acres in Northwest Washington D.C. that was once the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post.  She was the heiress to the Post cereal fortune that acquired Bird’s Eye foods and became General Foods Inc.

With all that money,  Marjorie acquired a taste for elegance.  With her third husband as U.S. Ambassador to Russia, she had her chance to buy so much russian imperial art that her collection is now the largest of russian art outside of Russia.

Fabrege eggs, glittering solid gold chalices and cups, original portraits of the Czars and Czarina’s and pieces of art from the limitless wealth of Russia during the Czarist times.

Well, it’s a site to behold.  The gardens are modest but well planned.  After all, Mrs. Post owned at least three other homes in the U.S. at the same time.  This woman born to farmer parents in Iowa learned to live like a queen.

Duncan loved the outdoor Easter egg roll on the lawn and running around with the abundant population of Russian children that were there that day.

A CALL TO SERVICE: MAJESTY,DIGNITY AND RESPECT FOR THE CONSTITUTION RETURNS TO THE WHITE HOUSE

WE HAD A WONDERFUL PARTY TO CELEBRATE THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.  HERE IS THE ENTIRE TEXT OF HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS AT THE CAPITOL.

My fellow citizens,

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive … that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

HISTORIC DAY

As we prepare for the Inauguration of President Obama, I wanted to remind everyone of another milestone towards true representation in our nation that occurred today that was mostly overlooked.  Today, Roland Burris became the  4th African American in U.S. history to obtain the office of U.S. Senator in the past 119 years.  He, along with former Senator Barack Obama (2005-2008), and former Senator Edmund Burke ( 1967-1979) are the only African American men of the past 110 years to become Senators.

Maybe, this puts the historic rise of Barack Obama in some context.

Obviously, our new President has some special talents,  which he will need to face the overwhelming cascade of problems that will be placed before him.  As we all watch this historic moment of the Inauguration of the first African American as President of the United States over the next couple of days, keep in mind that history judges a leader by the obstacles that comes his way and how he overcomes them, not by his/her race, sexual or religious orientation.  Good luck to our new President and our country.

Here’s a list of  all African American Senators of the United States

In Reconstruction era

 In modern era

WE VISIT THE U.S. CAPITOL AS THE OBAMAS ARRIVE IN WASHINGTON

We decided to take a trip into the city Washington D.C. and visit the U.S. Capitol and the new multi million dollar visitor center before things get hectic and crowded as people start to converge here for the inauguration of Barack Obama. 

We visited the day before The Obamas arrived in the city, and the day before President-elect Obama made his first visit as President-Elect to meet with congressional leaders on his economic stimulus plan.

This was Duncan’s first time to the Capitol and coincidentally his first time in a movie theatre.  The new visitor center has an impressive movie theater and film on the history of the U.S. Capitol.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081216/NEWS04/812160307

http://www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/index.cfm

I can tell all of you as someone who has  closely watched past inaugural events, if the weather is good this inauguration is going to be a gigantic task for the city.  Imagine the Million Man March plus the excitement of the Super Bowl and add at least a couple of million more people and you may get a picture of what the city will be like on that day.  The entire city will be under the constraints of the inauguration.

We would love to be there, but because of little Duncan it will be just impossible to ensure all of our safety in such crowds.  So, we will throw a viewing party at our home and watch it from the comfort of our living room.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!

NEW YEARS DAY in North Beach, MD means the annual Polar Bear Swim!  This time, our first New Years as residents, Sean decided to participate.  As I, Duncan, Sean’s mom, step-dad Mike and Clarence watched amongst a sea of at least hundreds of people,  Sean splashed in to the 39 degree ( or colder) water temperature.   What an insanely fun thing to do for New Years!

This photo was on page 1 of the Calvert Recorder Jan 7th.