National Gallery of Art

Wednesdays are usually mom days. That means my mom and I hang out, whether it's watching TV at her house, or going to the gym, or eating somewhere new for lunch. Today has been a day that we've been planning for a couple of weeks - homeleave was originally planned to start today (which means all the boarding school kids go home for the rest of the week), but because of the excess of snow days, we had to cut it short. So, we parked by the Jefferson Memorial, as usual. It's quite a hike, but it's free parking and the walk isn't bad if you're into DC, I guess.

We could only manage to make it to the National Gallery of Art, which was our main goal anyway. It doesn't compare to any other galleries I've been to recently. The national galleries are always the best: Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Bernini, Degas, Rothko. And the atmosphere is always amazing. They had a special archives gallery based on the recent release of Monuments Men, and though it was small, it was really great. Other exhibits included Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection, and the showcase of The Dying Gaul: An Ancient Roman Masterpiece from the Capitoline Museum, Rome. The latter was made in marble in the 1st or 2nd century AD and its showing in the National Gallery marks the first time it has left Rome since 1797 (before, it was housed in the Louvre until 1816 - can anyone guess why?).

The Dying Gaul

My mom usually isn't into these kinds of things, but I appreciate how she can find something to like in pretty much any situation, whether it be Bike Week in Daytona or the National Gallery in DC. She walked around commenting and analyzing the pieces, being more drawn to the ones feature nature and splendid amounts of detail as their focal points.

Although it was cold today, it ended up being a good day to be inside admiring art. We had a great lunch (with gelato for dessert) at the café downstairs, and then headed home after the long trek back the car.

One of my favorites, Lake Lucern by Albert Bierstadt.

Hercules in bronze.

Nymph of Spring

Nymph of the Forest

Adieu Caribou! xoxo

International Food Festival

Every year, the high school that I graduated from and now work at does an International Food Festival. Our school has always been diverse, having international students coming from South Korea, China, Vietnam, and various countries in Africa. We've had students whose parents were missionaries in countries like Ghana or Kenya, or who grew up in Mexico or Puerto Rico. It's so cool to be part of a global community like that.

So, for a "school" day one Sunday out of the school year, students pick a country to represent and make booths with information and, of course, great food. I racked up quite a tab snacking on delicious cuisine.

Italian Soda. They also had delish Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato made from scratch!

South Korea's table.

SA did México . . . I feel like a joke could be made here.

Mexican cuisine

Brayan and Judy, photobombed by Hunter, for Brazil

Brendon and Ray for Brazil

I told Hayden to be Canadian - this was the look I got.

Congrats on Canada winning the Gold in both Women's and Men's Hockey in Sochi.

Drew and Derrick "selling" the shirts from the Vietnam table.

 I learned a lot about my camera actually using it in live action situations. I should probably keep it in auto focus until I get better. A lot of my pictures came out blurry, which was slightly disappointing, but just means I have to keep practicing. Yay for learning new things and eating great food!

Until next time :)

Snowpocalypse 2014

Since last night around 7:30 pm, my neck of the woods has received approximately 15-16 inches of snow. When that happens, there's one thing that is a fan favorite in my household: snow ice cream. It's quite simple really, and the ingredients are everyday items for most:

A big bowl of snow

Milk (if you want more of a nutty flavor, unsweetened almond milk is great)

Sugar

Vanilla Extract

I'm not going to give exact measurements, but basically you mix the ingredients to taste and until you get a condensed consistency. You don't want the snow to still be powdery, but you also don't want it to become soup. It's a delicious easy treat that hits the sweet spot if you're stuck at home.

If you're getting snow today, cozy up and enjoy!

Artist Is Working

I'm in the middle of a Tumblr introspection challenge, and today was "Love Yourself Day." I was challenged to drink some tea, listen to good music, and read a book. I only did one thing out of those three, but I made it my own twist. I slept in until 11, took my time getting ready this morning, and then set out on a mini-adventure.

I've been in the mood for art lately. Since I started work at 4 today, I couldn't go to DC. I remembered that Hagerstown has a nice Art Museum in its city park, but it's closed on Mondays. So, I found the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Downtown Frederick. I don't go into Frederick often and when I do, it's never downtown. I don't know the roads very well, but I decided it couldn't be that hard to find the art center, right? I had just watched a Do Lecture about a couple who sold everything they had and decided to bike down the Pacific Coastal Highway, from Washington State to the Mexican border, and one of the running themes that stuck with me was, "If you're not uncomfortable at least once a day, then you're not doing something memorable." Watch it here, and check out the site. There are a lot of cool lectures.

So, with that being in mind, I decided to do something uncomfortable. I listened to some wonderful music on the ride to and from Frederick, and I drank water instead of tea, read artist info instead of books. I got there and basically had the whole gallery to myself. It was filled with photography, watercolors, and acrylic pieces by local artists. It's small, and runs on donations, so if you ever go, don't be afraid to give them your pocket change or a check. Their gift store is amazing, with a lot of prints and hand-crafted jewelry and accessories. Frederick is definitely a cultural city; it has old, historic aspects but also a great contemporary food, art, and music scene. Worth the trip, every time.

Afterward, I walked along the Carroll Creek Promenade, which is always wonderful. The creek was frozen solid, and there weren't a lot of people out because of the cold, understandably. I was able to spend an hour in the area before heading to the Visitor Center, which has only been in its current location for three years. The lady at the front desk gave me a ton of brochures and suggested a 14-min movie that runs on a loop. It's actually really good, so if you go there, plan 14 minutes for it, and pick up maps on the C&O Canal, the Appalachian Trail, and the Civil War landmarks in the VA-MD area.

Lastly, on my way home, I swung by Sweet Frog and got some frozen yogurt. Everyone was nice that I came across today, and I came into work feeling peaceful and rejuvenated. It was definitely a "Love Yourself Day" for sure. So much fun.

Where my car was parked - a cute antique store on Carroll Ave.

Cheesecake fro-yo with strawberries, blueberries and a graham cracker dusting.

Orchids and Snowfall

As soon as the snow disappeared with the warm weather yesterday, more snow came today. It's still warmer than usual, but with temperatures promising to drop back down below freezing, I'm curious to see how long the snow will stay this time.

I went home for a little bit today, since my mom was working, to take care of her dogs, and she has the most beautiful orchid she's been taking care of for quite a while now. She's never been good with indoor plants, but I guess because of the orchid's low maintenance, it's the kind of flower that can survive under my mom's care. I snapped a few pictures today since it was just stunning against the backdrop of snow from the living room window. If you're a flower enthusiast, I hope you enjoy them!

Warm Walking

Yesterday was a literal day of rest in the Dunbar apartment. Having slept in until noon and being greeted by the warm rays of the sun, I lazed in my pajamas, read, and took cat naps with my cat all afternoon. In the evening, I ate popsicles and watched the movie HERE. It stars Ben Foster and is set in Armenia. It's a Sundance Film Festival winner, and if you're interested in watching it, here's a heads' up:

• There will be more for your eyes to drink in than anything else. There isn't a lot of dialogue, and there are intermittent parts of narration with a lot of film noise. It could be viewed as a slow-paced film. However, the landscape of Armenia is stunning, and the people are beautifully portrayed.
• It will make you want to travel. It's an off-beat sort of pick-up-and-go movie. Will, the main character, is a cartographer based out of San Francisco. He took the job so he could work independently and search for "the edge of the world." He meets Garadine, who is a photographer. She decides to pick up and go with him as he maps the landscape. Between the two of them, it brings a sense of quiet adventure. It's nothing like the heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping Walter Mitty, but it's a relaxed, beautiful take on travel and spontaneity. 
• There is a romantic storyline. However, the cool thing is that it isn't overdone. It's part of the main storyline, but it's not. Armenia is the background, but also the foreground. The two are the main characters, but they're not. It's an interesting film.
• There is a lot of room for interpretation. So, watch it with friends, if you'd like, and discuss elements of the film to see what each of you got out of it.

Catch it on Netflix if you're a subscriber. If not, it can be rented on iTunes for $4.99.

This morning, I woke up to gray skies, but warm weather. Even now, I can see a spot of blue in the sky, but it's gray for the most part. Since I didn't go anywhere yesterday, I decided to just take a walk around HVA's campus with my camera. I used to do this when I was younger, but it costed a lot to take pictures on film and get them developed. Half the time, my mom didn't understand why I would take pictures of the things I did. Digital SLR cameras are awesome because you don't have to wait for your pictures to be developed (which can also be a con, I guess), and you can have the freedom to take and/or delete whatever you want to. So, below are some pictures from my brief walk this afternoon. (It probably would have been longer, but classes started this past week and I'm swamped with reading. Lame.) Enjoy :)

If you're planning on watching the Super Bowl tonight, be safe and have fun! I'm putting my money on Denver ;)