Rudzu Maize and other good things

I found a source for real Latvian rye bread and it isn't far from my office! Last week at Debbie's retirement party I happened to be wearing my amber necklace and struck up a conversation about it. Turns out her mother is from Latvia and she knows the local sources, including the store European Delight Deli & Bakery which is just a short walk on the other side of the Twinbrook metro station. They've got a lot of other products, especially from the Balkans, Russian, and Eastern Europe. In fact a lot of it has labels I can't even figure out!

Here's a real-from-Lativia loaf of rye bread

In other food news this was a really excellent chocolate bar I got at Cost Plus World Market a while ago. It is worth remembering for future reference.

This brings me to pictures of DC. Aniekan Udofia is my favorite mural artist working in the city and he has two pieces in Barracks Row and Eastern Market.  

"American Express" by Aniekan on 8th St SE, south of the freeway...call this Barracks Row South.

Cirque du Soleil at the Eastern Market Aquatic Center

Note the DC flag theme (3 red stars and 2 red stripes) worked into the mermaid's ribbons.

Last week Greta and Shinyoung were in town for a workshop on the data in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) and they hung out with me on Sunday. Really fun to see them! When are the rest of you going to come visit me? That's how I see new things in the city too. For example we found the gorgeous Leonardo da Vinci piece in the National Gallery of Art this time. Ginevra de' Benci is lovely and she's the only da Vinci in North America.

Greta and Shinyoung on Pennsylvania Avenue

Greta and Sarah on Pennsylvania Ave

Greta really likes her Cumberland at Taylor Gourmet

 A couple of weeks ago the serviceberry bushes (genus Amelanchier) in front of the church on 4th Street were just loaded. I picked a bunch and showed several neighbors that you can eat them too. Many years the berries get an orange fungus and aren't appetizing, but the cooler weather this spring must have protected them. I can pick them faster than huckleberries because they grow in clusters so I can grab berries by the handful.

Loaded berry bushes

Basket of berries

Service berry muffins

Finally here's proof that I've been busy lately. Four meetings that required airplane travel this spring!

Lots of name tags

And some pictures of us

Mari is thinking

So is Evan

But Sarah and Kuma are napping

Aren't we cozy?

Ready for the ride.

Bye to New Haven

The cousins

Walking around New Haven

That's what we did, ate and walked. It was a really nice weekend.

Sleeping Giant State Park 

Into Sleeping Giant State Park

The woods in winter

With spring running over the rocks

Can you spot the wild Evan?

Climbing East Rock

Crossing Mill River

Evan and Kuma well bundled up

Panorama from the top. This is most of New Haven.

Evan lives about half way up the main street (Orange Street) and slightly to the left.

A hundred years ago the New Haven town fathers put a great monument on the top of the hill. 

Looking down at turkey vultures. Can you spot all 4?

Descending the Giant's Steps

Houses of New Haven

Lots of great Victorian houses here. Evan lives on the top floor of the blue one. 

Walking around Yale

They have a nice campus although I think the architecture is sometimes over-the-top historical re-creationist. And not even American history, they are trying to be Oxford-on-the-sound or something. It was really fun to get the insider tour from Evan on a beautiful sunny Saturday. All of the undergrads are gone because it is the middle of spring break.

The biology building on Science Hill

More science buildings, I'm not sure which.

 

The Farmington Canal path through campus--it will be a long bike route once the outer reaches are done.

The outside of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

They have a glass tower of books in the middle, rather like the King's Collection at the British Library.

I really enjoyed this display of book endpapers.

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

There is the Yale main library--designed as a church of knowledge

Evan in his place

Very scholarly gargoyles

An inner courtyard, probably at Bramford College

More Oxfordian architecture

The overwrought tower--Frank Llyod Wright famously preferred to stand inside so he wouldn't have to look at it!

Another green

The main lounge at Branford College where Evan is an Affiliated Graduate Student

Escaping the gates

Here's their seal

Now this is the oldest building on campus. Cool Federalist architecture! Why did they abandon it? Appropriately enough this is the Philosophy building.

It's a carved puppy detailing a pillar.

The courtyard of the law school. 

Feet on flagstones.

A different attempt at building a college. This was supposed to have ivy-covered walls but ivy doesn't like the mortar they used! So this block sticks out like a sore thumb. 

Bye Yale! Nice to see you.