Two Springs

School resumes tomorrow. Argh. A vacation is never long enough, is it?

ECG and I had the opportunity to visit my brother, my college roommate KRO, and her husband this week in DC. For me, the trip was a return to well-remembered sidewalks and Metro stops, but to ECG, it was entirely new. We balanced our interests: the four day trip included visits to the Smithsonian's Air and Space museum, Cowgirl Creamery, the National Building Museum, and the DC Fish Market.

Unfortunately, the weather was gray, occasionally spitting cold mini-drops of rain, and sharply windy. The freezes of the week before had chased the cherry blossoms from the trees and slowed some of the other early blooms. It was not the lovely spring of my memories.

That didn't stop my brother and I from showing ECG around some of our favorite places.



And, though the flowers were shy, I still managed to find a few, proving once again, that spring can't be stopped, no matter how hard winter tries.



We enjoyed ourselves despite the jetlag and cold--how could we not with such good company?

After returning, I couldn't help but visit the garden as soon as possible. A few days away makes growth gloriously evident, and I was greeted by tomato plants already a few inches taller than when planted, herbs that had settled happily into their new homes and were beginning to send out their first spreading branches, and seedlings that had sprung from their cages.

Also after our return, Bulgarini opened, making local food news. Foodies from across LA County joined the WWs and I in line for free gelato, and judging by the satisfied smiles and gasps of delight, I'm sure no one was disappointed. I sampled the chocolate-rum, coffee, and pistachio. The first two were great, the last, spectacular. I've never tasted something as intensely pistachio (not almond--many folks supplement weak pistachio flavor with almond extract) as this. What a great addition to our 'hood.