Mary, Mary Quite Contrary...

I got this photo today from Jeff M. via phone:

It's hard to tell if you don't know what it is, but I knew instantly...

It's my beloved peony from the D.C., garden!

Jeff is in D.C., for the weekend and he and our other garden partner Sean went to visit the garden. The peony is enormous! Jeff counted 38 blooms!

Jeff and I have always had an ongoing banter about the peony. I wanted it very badly one year when we were planning out the garden. He thinks it takes up precious "real estate." I've spent years defending it against his "threats" to kill it. But even Jeff admitted he was impressed with my plant.

Then we got caught up on other garden news: the community swimming pool opened and there were already "hotties" taking advantage of it. The weirdos that troll the woods surrounding our plot were out in full force, and Chainsaw Charlie was sawing away on his endless pile of wood for his "government project."

Sounded like just another day in the garden.

And then Marine One flew over and I could hear it like I was there.

Just a typical D.C., Saturday afternoon.

Me and the peony when it was still a youngin'...

Gluttony and bliss

Every year in D.C., Jeff M. and I would organize an outing to Sushi Taro's crazy amazing all-you-can-eat sushi day that the restaurant hosted as part of the Cherry Blossom Celebration.

For $32, which includes tax and tip, you get to enter a sushi wonderland where you have your pick of nearly any kind of roll you could dream of, and where tray after tray of sashimi lines the bar. There are endless plates of tempura veggies (which I'm not a fan of), piles of soba noodles, stacks of tofu cakes, tubs of miso...you name it, they have it.

(I'm dying as I write this!)

And you can go up as many times as you like. It's total gluttony - and total bliss!

Jeff and I would get in line an hour and a half early. That sounds crazy, I get it, but if you didn't make the first wave in when the doors opened at 12 p.m., you'd be stuck in a line that wrapped around the block waiting for other gorgers to trickle out.

Thursday night, the Nagel-Warren Mansion here in town hosted an all-u-can-eat sushi night also for $32. A group of us went to check it out.

We had a blast, and it was good. We got plate after plate of some very nice fish. But there were hardly any rolls - which are my favorite. And there weren't any of the fixins - like soup, edamame, or dumplings. And I ended up paying a LOT more when it was all said and done.

It was a fun first-time event for the inn to hold, but at the end of the day I'd be happier going to my beloved Tokyo Bowl (a.k.a. Burger King sushi). You get more for your money and I leave more satisfied.

The cast of characters: Me, Don, Todd...

Cast 2: Molly, Brandon, Annie...

Cast 3: Salmon, white tuna, tuna...


I have NO idea what I'm talking about here...


Um...yeah. You can't take this group anywhere! We have Angry Walrus, Happy Walrus, and Goofy Walrus. The fam's all here!


The Mansion's owner took us on a tour of the place later. It was awesome! I LOVE, LOVED this painting...

My country 'tis of thee

Yesterday, I went to a send-off ceremony for WWII vets from Wyoming who were participating in the Honor Flight, which helps fly vets to D.C., to see their memorials - for free.

The ceremony was at the Taco John's Event Center in Cheyenne, Wyo. These old vets gathered with their families and friends to listen to military, state and city officials send them off to the WWII Memorial on the National Mall.

It was moving. Servicemen and women, some in wheel chairs or with walkers and oxygen tanks, were finally going to get to see the really spectacular monument to their service.

As they filed out of the TJ's Center down an aisle flanked on either side with flags, I stood at the end watching and trying not to cry.

Patriotism gets me every time.

Mappiness

A girlfriend in town just called to see if I had any maps of D.C. Her roomate's son is doing a project on D.C., and needs a map to show various landmarks.

I pulled out my big D.C., guidebook to see if there might be something in there they could use.

Thumbing through all the maps of the different neighborhoods made my heart hurt.

I don't miss living there.

But sometimes I just miss...it.

Smell a rat

In D.C., I lived in Dupont Circle - the most wonderful neighborhood in the world.

Ok, that might be a bit of a stretch, but it IS fantastic. So fantastic that several of my friends eventually followed in my pioneering footsteps and migrated to my 'hood as well.

To get them off on the right foot I thought we should all do something to explore their new neighborhood. We went to the First Friday event where you tour all the crazy art galleries filled with terrible art, then landed at one of my favorite neighborhood hangouts: Kramerbooks.

Over food and lots of drinks we decided to have outings every now and then for just us - the Dupont Dwellers.

It stuck.

I got a Dweller email today: Cins is planning a Cinco de Mayo dinner at her place.

I told the crew I was happy I still made the cut - even though I will obviously not be attending.

And even though my new home near the state Capitol technically makes me what we call people who do basically everything on Capitol Hill in D.C. - a "Hill Rat."

Choppers and chai

On my way to City News for coffee with Annie yesterday I had a D.C. flashback...

Two helicopters came out of nowhere, flying together across the open sky.

It was JUST like when the president flies in and out of D.C. There are three helicopters that go up - and come down - at the same time for security purposes: presumably so you don't know which one he's in when they're up.

I can't tell you how many times on my morning run, just past the Lincoln monument, I would be detoured because one of the helicopters was supposed to come down in the "grassy knoll" right alongside my route. The place would be crawling with cops and barricades creating this strangely busy scene on my otherwise peaceful and pretty little route.

There were always three helicopters flying around D.C.'s airspace it seemed. And it was always cool. Every time. Without fail.

Annie nicely informed me - after I gasped and made some weirdo comment like, "It's the president," - that it was just the base practicing.

I then explained why this seemingly everyday thing around Cheyenne was so like an everyday thing around D.C.

We admired it for a moment then we went happily along to our lattes.

Snow-white blossoms, and just snow

The crew in D.C., did the annual cherry blossom breakfast at dawn at the Jefferson Memorial today. I thought I would do a sister event in Wyoming with breakfast at the Lincoln Memorial on I-80 between here and Laramie. I planned to be on the road at 5:30 a.m. so I could get situated for the sunrise, but a crazy blizzard that started up last night had all the roads closed.

Plan B was to sit down at the state Capitol with some coffee, but one look at the sky completely covered in dense clouds at 6 a.m. told me there would be no sunrise. I was bummed because I was hoping to be with my East Coast friends "in spirit," but nothing could be done.

So, I went to work rolling out cinnamon rolls - not because being disappointed drives me to make cinnamon rolls, but because I had invited some folks from work over for a pre-MS Walk breakfast. Pretty sure the race would be canceled, but not sure if people would still show up to eat I went ahead with the making of the rolls.

I felt like such a farmer girl: up at the break of day rolling out dough for breakfast!

Brandon was my lone guest. We ate then decided to venture out to Wal-Mart for something to do. In Wyoming, snow storms don't mean snowed in - especially if you have 4WD. I also kept my haircut appointment...I will not let Mother Nature keep me from having good (ok, given the weather here - decent) hair!

The rest of the day? Reading by my fire. Some organizing. And more baking. Weather like this makes me want to bake. It doesn't help that I've had INCREDIBLE urges to make chocolate chip cookies and red velvet cupcakes for a while now. I think the time is right.

My neighbor's car and my front steps: The East Coast crew might have cherry trees in snowy bloom, but I've got the real thing. Hmmm...I don't think I've come out on top with this one...

The old homestead

My friend Jamie left me a message yesterday telling me an apartment is available in my old building that she may be interested in. She wanted to know what I thought of living there...how could I begin to tell her how much I loved it?

My response:

Hey!

I got your message last night and was planning to call you today!

So...the apartment that's available is on the corner too? Just five floors above where I was?? That is THE best location in the building for an apartment. You have tons of light and windows. You've got the little breakfast nook place. I LOVED that there was a sort of a "wall" "separating" the living room area from where my bed was. It made it seem like separate rooms.

I LOVED my apartment. The management was good at fixing things if there were problems. The location can't be beat - except when it comes to parking. That can be a real pain. But you'll get a feel for the good/bad parking times and places. I loved how all the church bells would ring around there on Sundays. I loved the smell of roasting coffee floating in the morning air from the Java Hut on 17th and Q - and I loved sitting there on weekend mornings having my bagel with cream cheese and lox. I loved the big trees in the front drive that would get all flowery in the spring...I loved being able to walk to the High Heel Races! There's a Whole Foods three blocks away! HR-57, Rosemary's Thyme...I LOVED how it was such a busy street in D.C., but in the early mornings you felt like you had it all to yourself. I loved hearing the transvestites coming home from Chaos. HAHAHAHA!!!

The laundry room was totally upgraded about two years ago. I hardly ever had problems in getting a machine. Ummmm...what else?

I think you would really, really enjoy it. Especially if it's the exact same apartment only a few floors up.

OMG!!! You might live in my old building!!!!!

End of the Line

Today I got my 2008 White House Christmas tree ornament in the mail, and it is beautiful.

It's also significant because it is the last White House ornament I will order.

Each year, I get my White House ornament through my old Senator's office. I've got one for just about every year I was in D.C. I went ahead and ordered one this year because I was there for part of it, but after this, no more.

I want my ornaments to really represent that time of my life. I want them to have sentimental value and meaning. If I just kept ordering them - like pretty much anyone could - they wouldn't stand for anything important like they do now.

Since this will be the first year I've had my own tree I expect it to be a little skimpy on ornaments. But that's ok, because it won't be skimpy on meaning!

Super Bowl

I've thought all day how I may just ignore the returns tonight and wake up tomorrow morning with a new president - kind of like Christmas morning!

In reality, I knew I couldn't help myself and I would flip them on to at least listen.

I was more interested, however, after a friend texted me from the Hawk & Dove bar in D.C., an old watering hole for me. Suddenly I really wanted to be there too.

Politics is a sporting event in D.C., and this is the Super Bowl. People are packed into bars across the city right now, gathered around televisions, drinking, discussing strategy, and cheering for their "team."

It's exciting. So exciting. After my friend's text I was a little sad - and very jealous - because I also wanted to be in the thick of things with everyone!

Don't misunderstand - people care here too. It's just different in D.C. - there it's politics on steroids.

I admit though, since being out here I've generally cared less about the details of what's going on there. So, I guess it's most appropriate that I'm not at some bar with a bunch of political fanatics, but on my couch with a glass of wine and my pj's.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Last night was one of my most favorite times of the year: the High Heel Races in D.C.

Every year during the week of Halloween, one of the biggest gatherings of people and drag queens you might ever see gathers just one block from my old apartment.

Thousands - THOUSANDS - of people turn out to watch drag queens parade up and down the street then sprint two blocks in their highest of high heels.

It is trashy, crude, and not exactly PG. Man, it's great!

This isn't an event you just meander into either. It takes planning and coordination. The timing on everything has to be just right or you'll find yourself 10 people deep and not able to see a thing.

There is always pre-drinks, then staking out a piece of curb on the main, ahem, "drag."

Then, after the awe and excitement is over, there's the wandering around to gawk at costumes and snap pictures with your favorite drag dressers. Mine is always the super fancy group that picks a new theme each year and does something over the top elaborate - like Metro stops, or board games, or types of candy. Spectacular!

The closest thing I have here are the saloon girls that walk around town...


Here's a short little video to give you a taste of the night:



And some pics from last year's event:

The fancy group as board games...


And again...


Hmmm...


The Spice Girls!


Mrs.(?) Clause...


I had to have my picture with these gals because I also own this exact costume! My make-up generally looks a lot better, however...

Not the Only One

I just got off the phone with my friend Erin, who is a very close friend from D.C., and who recently moved back to California with her now husband.

She is in D.C., for the first time since leaving. She called to tell me she was staying in the hotel above the bar/restaurant Urbana, which is where I dragged a bunch of people when it was new and where I had the first part of my 30th birthday party. Super cool place.

Anyway, we talked about what it was like to be back for the first time after leaving. Turns out, I'm not alone in the way I felt when I went back for the first time.

Erin talked about the knot of anxiety and the overwhelming feelings of nostalgia she had as she crossed the bridge into town. She wondered if life in D.C., which she also loved and was such an integral part in shaping who we are, would become distant-feeling like her time in Argentina, a country she fell in love with and that also shaped who she was when living there for a year.

She said she told her mom it was weird to be there and not be living there. Yep.

And she talked about how her life is in California now, but D.C. will always have a place in her heart. Yep again.

I was afraid the feelings I had when I went back, as real as I thought they were, were just me being overly dramatic. Many would say that was probably it, but I know now that it wasn't. I'm not the only one D.C., meant a lot to and am not alone when it comes to missing that city like crazy.

Even though I really am happy to be back in my Western home.

Home Again, Home Again - But Which One?

I know I’ve been M.I.A. the past week. I went to D.C. for the weekend and have just been…tired…since I returned.

John and Sara's wedding was this weekend and I went back for the big event - and it was totally worth it, as I never doubted the wedding itself would be.

I did doubt, however, the wisdom in returning to my old home so soon.

I was anxious all week, and as the trip got closer my feeling of anxiety got worse. As I told several friends, I likened the trip to visiting the grave too soon.

I don't want to live there - but I do miss components of my life there - and I didn't want to have to say goodbye again to friends and the things about the city that I love. I dreaded Sunday.

But, I made it through the anxiety and had a great time. I got to see lots of friends and I went to several of my favorite places: Rosemary's Thyme for happy hour...my little 17th St., coffee shop for an iced coffee...shopping at H&M...etc.

It was so natural to be there! Oddly so, in fact. I felt like I was home from vacation from my new home. I guess that's what happens when you live in a place so long. I was there eight years. I've been in Cheyenne roughly eight weeks.

D.C. and I will always have a little love affair. We fell hard for each other immediately and very few cities will ever compare. Cheyenne and I don't have the passion for one another that D.C. and I did, but we're still on a first date feeling each other out.

I think this could go somewhere...

Winds of Change

Here I am, with a glass (or so) of red wine, about to recount the nuclear option I recently decided to pull on my life.

This is Kim's Colorado Countdown - or my thoughts on leaving a life in the nation's capitol for a life in the nation's playground.

The beginning:

My move back West has been a perfect storm brewing for a while now. I've been in D.C. for seven years - leaving on my eighth - and how long I would stay has always been in question. However, forever has never been an option. I always knew I would head back West, but I didn't know when that would be. Turns out it's within the next 30 days.

The thing about D.C. is it sucks you in. From the endless, upward bound jobs you can pad your resume with to the unending list of things to entertain yourself with, not to mention the sheer fact that you're living in the Capitol of the United States of America...and for a history buff like me, this is an absolute dream come true.

But, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. I've spent most of my 20s in D.C., and as I enter a new decade of my life I have the itch to experience something new.

So, here I go...with no job, and no real plan but to live with my best friend of about 16 years in Colorado...

The first 24 hours of my decision were touch and go. I didn't know when I would break into tears - I was lucky to make it five minutes! I even bought waterproof mascara to shield me from any unexpected waterworks. But, as the minutes tick by I become more and more ok with my decision. That's because I know it's the right one. It's just a hard one.

You see, I've LOVED this city. Every nook and cranny...from the Love Cafe on U St., to the up and coming bars/restaurants on H St., or any other D.C. neighborhood, to the "Good Morning Man," in front of Union Station, to the way the light shines from the Capitol signifying they're still in session, to the way Lincoln presides over the Mall, to the rowers on the Potomac on my early morning runs, to the row houses that make you just see the Colonials walking the streets, to the smell of my local coffee house roasting coffee beans, to the way my peony blooms in my community garden, to the Bishop's Garden and the prayer rooms at the National Cathedral, to the white lights adorning my favorite tree in the city, to having a martini at Utopia, to hunting old books at Second Story, to Sunday mornings sipping tea and reading the Post in my breakfast nook, to Cups coffee shop trips in the Senate, to dancing late night with drinks from Edgar at the Hawk, to the church bells that ring all around me on Sunday mornings, to the chess players in Dupont Circle, to singing karaoke at Peyote, or Rockit Grill, or any other karaoke venue in the greater D.C. metro area, to the aging 1600 sign on my building, to the High Heel Races, to yearly orchard trips, to my favorite antiques store outside Leesburg, to Virginia wineries and The Railstop in The Plains, to the way the yellow paint on my walls changes shades depending on the sun's mood, to 24 hour weekends at Kramerbooks, to driving past major monuments on my way to Target for toothpaste, to Eastern Market Saturdays, to the all-you-can-eat Cherry Blossom sushi buffet at Sushi Taro, to a brunch of a bagel and cream cheese with lox at The Java House (the same place as the roasting beans), to the way the sky looks different every day around the Washington Monument, to how close you feel to the White House on the north side of the building, to having to change your running route because the president's helicopters are landing between the Lincoln and WWII, to my FAVORITE running strip on the Independence side of the Lincoln, and to the way the sky looks as I'm running that strip, to the Go Out Gurus and the Thursday edition of the post.com City Guide, to happy hours at Rosemary's Thyme, to E. St. Cinema and the recently closing Dupont cinema, to a life-changing discovery of Splenditos at Helix, to ice skating at the National Gallery followed by hot toddies at the Tabbard, to UW watch parties at Crystal City, to finding a country dancing haven at Nick's, to COWPIE, to the sound of the geese and ducks on the pond between the WWII and Lincoln, to the Weeping Willow I pass right there while I'm running...goodness! I could go on. Especially if I started including all the personal memories and stories! This would become a run-on blog indeed!

The point is: I've had a lot of time to notice, experience, and LOVE the elbows and knees of D.C., or the otherwise not outright beautiful or obvious parts of the city... the parts only a person truly in love could appreciate - right down to the homeless villages around McPherson.

But, the time has come for a new love affair. I know it'll be hard to replace or compare some of the above, but I've got to try.

So...here's to all the places I didn't mention but still love. Here's to all the memories not mentioned at all...here's to my D.C.