the joy of the farmers market

almost all DC neighborhoods have a farmers market, which is such a gift. the ability to get seasonal and local produce has become, over the years, more and more important to me. [i'll refrain from writing about my evolving thoughts on what to eat (including my switch back to eating meat after nine years as a vegetarian), but i do attempt to follow michael pollan's mantra: "eat food. not too much. mostly plants." and i try to eat locally (so much harder than you would think) and mostly in season (again. so hard).]

there are a few year round markets in DC - in eastern market and dupont circle - but bloomingdale has its very own farmer's market from may - november. i love the ability to wake up, have a cup of coffee, and wander down the street to our very own market. no cars, no crowds, just the neighborhood.

i have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of our market and awaiting fresh, local produce and the sometimes strange and new things to buy and try. and although quite small, the bloomingdale farmer's market does not disappoint



[kohlrabi, lettuce, turnips, summer squash]


[peas and potatoes]


[fresh cheeses]


[fresh baked bread]


[so many herb plants]


[strawberries and peas]


i look forward to seeing how the offerings evolve over the summer. the first week we went there was kale offerings, a variety of lettuces, and strawberries and not too much else, but this week there were also summer squashes, snap peas, potatoes. summer will just keep getting better.

i only have eyes for you

the hirshorn is (yet another) incredible smithsonian museum on the mall - an art and sculpture garden - with a round, wheel-like smooth concrete exterior. back in, oh march (?), an outdoor exhibit at the hirshorn began. reading about it in the washington post, it caught my eye as something interesting - projections of images on the outside of the building with music playing. from sunset to midnight every night until may. sounds interesting, right? and then months passed and life continued and all of a sudden it was the last night of the exhibit.

so down to the mall we went one saturday evening. and coming out of the l'enfant metro station, we were greeted by the chorus of "i only have eyes for you" and greeted by this sight:





i couldn't tell if the exhibit has a beginning or end, but after about half an hour, we started to notice repeats, although not in a particular order. the exhibit, by doug aitken, is called "song 1" and is a series of images projected during the looping of "i only have eyes for you" (by harry warren and al dubin). different versions of the song, some sung by the people in the video, a sort of elaborate and glorified music video, but so much more than that.









the projections are of various things, people, empty streets, footsteps, a factory, cars driving, the lyrics, records spinning. and as you walk around the building, you see different things and the whole environment contributes - the trees casting shadows on the building and then of course, the fact that you are at the mall, with cars driving by and people. under the wheel part of the building, you can see people illuminated as they walk through the interior, contributing, in a way, to the official art.





what a wonderful city this is. people with blankets and picnics watching the exhibit, others staring in awe, others looking confused as to "what is going on here, exactly?". the exhibit has closed now, but its just an example of all the wonderful and surprising things to do here...

all around the world

most countries around the world have an embassy in DC. and many of them are clustered near dupont circle in an area known as "embassy row". many of the embassies are old homes that have been converted into their current use and are stunning beautifully restored homes. once a year, they open their doors and welcome visitors inside for an event called "passport DC". there are samples of food, culture offerings, information for potential visitors etc. it's a great chance to experience part of a culture of another country (well, many in one day) and see inside many of the gorgeous embassies.

some are more interesting than others, but all offer up some sort of cultural experience, even if it is just interacting with the people who work at the embassy.

indonesia:


[entrance]


[entryway stairwell]


[i can't remember what this is. perhaps war dressings for a horse?]


haiti:




[haitian kites]


chad:


[playing the finger drum]


cote d'ivoire:


[bringing drinks to people waiting in line to get in]


[cote d'ivoire-ian food]


venezuela:




turkey:




brazil:


[ambassador's house]


[sitting room]


[wall murals]


[capoeira]


sri lanka:


[traditional costumes - sari on me and sarong on ivan]


benin:


[crafts from benin]


[dancing and singing in benin]


we missed the EU embassies, which were open the next weekend. and we only went to 16 of the 40 embassies that were open, so there will be plenty of the world to explore next year :)