molly irwin

welcome summer!

 

Few things mark the beginning of summer quite like a local strawberry harvest. This morning we arrived as the pick-your-own orchard opened to gather three flats full, with jam and smoothies in mind. I've also been considering a strawberry rhubarb pie, and will check at the farmer's market tomorrow for the rhubarb. The stalks in our local grocery store looked thick and heavy, and The Joy of Cooking suggests young, tender smallish stalks.

As I was rinsing and slicing berries -- poor things that they are (lucky to have survived the pounding rain the last couple of days) -- a lovely kitchen still life emerged.

 

As I separated a few favorites I realized that is the essence of summer in that cup. The scent and flavor of every family cookout I can recall, traditionally ended by biscuits and berries with cream.

The girls have been coming through "sneaking' them all day. Tonight we'll put on a good soundtrack, crack open a cold Magic Hat, and pull out the canning things. Tonight we jam!

weekend favorites

Favorite photos from our memorial day weekend visit with family in western New York state. We did a condensed, kid-friendly hike of Little Rock City State Park; a first for me as well. Everyone was enchanted by the place.

 

So good to just get outdoors away from the city for a bit, and to see family. That is always the best part.

urban garden update

 

top: starter pots with cucumbers, the garden bed holds two very hot peppers and mostly tomatoes. middle left: a view from the street: raised beds fill a long narrow strip along the paved driveway. I'm hoping those tiny clumps of rosemary behind the landscape rock fill out to become a medium-sized year 'round shrub. The flowers didn't take too well. I'll be replacing those and adding more. The first raised bed is all herbs: cilantro, parsley, basil. middle right: street facing view with potato surrounded by hay to retain moisture. The remainder of that bed holds beets and a carnival mix of peppers. bottom: pots hold mescalun greens and spinach to later be transplanted. To the left of the pots is basil. Dill on the right.

 

From above (taken from our third floor) you can see our patch is eclipsed by our neighbors large plot, for which they replaced most of their driveway. They have tons of potatoes in now, and will rotate in other vegetable once those are done. We're fortunate to have a long growing season; frost usually holds off until November.

The other side of the house isn't done yet. There we'll put the cucumbers and other quick-growing things such as squashes, pumpkins, and watermelon. After the holiday weekend that's the priotity.

 

Paul is devising a rain water collection plan to support the garden. Some kind of large barrels, of course, with some clever mechanism to get it to the vegetables. I'm hoping it's not like the Roman aquaduct sytem, but one never knows. Until then, like most it comes from the hose near which I put some mint. If my memory serves me mint can really spread. I do hope that's the case here. I'm looking to serve my winter mint tea addiction.

Are you gardening this year? How's does you garden grow?

quick and delicious

 

I'm not much for sweets in the morning, and when I saw that avocado staring back at me from the counter I thought "why wait for lunch?" So I toasted a whole wheat mini bagel, topped with avocado, finely diced red onion, sliced grape tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Satisfaction until 1 pm guaranteed.

a little patchwork

My first attempt at patchwork went very much like my first go at most new things: dive in and learn from the process. And learn I did.

The squares are cut from Amy Butler's retired 'Forest' line that I've had for a few years. I collected the samples envisioning our new great room with creamy beige walls festooned with softly tailored window treatments, cushions, ottomans, and table linens in the adjacent dining area from a variety of the modern natural patterns. Since the line has been discontinued that won't be happening, but I'm considering her other home decor options.

My apron kick continues with this version of the same pattern [Butterick # 3983]. I like the feminine styling of the gentle taper at the bust line, and it was available after all. Here I cut away a section of the canvas to insert the patchwork strip. Using decor weight wasn't the best move, as it was a bit tricky to stitch through the thick seams without changing the needle.

Then there was the question of how to finish the inside edge of the exposed patchwork. I decided to carefully turn them under and secure with a line of top stitching on the front. That's where I felt a bit deflated by my inexperienced hands. Somehow my hand/machine coordination became much improved by the time I got to the apron ties. Should have done those first.

 

See now ... don't you think those fabrics look good with the Burberry beige walls? Well, even though 'Forest' won't be part of the furniture, when I wear my new apron it will still be a part of the decor.

sewing inspiration

 

If I were to enumerate all the wonderful sewing blogs from whom I draw inspiration it would be a very long list indeed. These few have been on my mind lately as I think of stretching my skills on projects for the coming summer months. Photo and project credits, from top left to bottom right:

the man bag {AKA the turtle bag}, by Tiel of Tsk Tsk

gingham dress, by Meg of Elsie Marley

Hi! It's me., by Kristen of Thimbly Things

lavender eyelet dress. by Smallville shops

Today, along with some logo design work and the farmer's market I hope to fit in a little cutting, ironing and piecing together some bits of Amy Butler's 'Forest' line I've been playing around with this week.

Hope your Sunday is relaxing, revitalizing, and rewarding.

what a zoo -- part II

[ lighter crowds make winter zoo visits extra special ]

What a zoo -- part I addresses the issue of crowds and seasonality.

When It comes to visiting the National Zoo, the thing that works best for our family is to think small. Making it work for our small people benefits us all. This is our simple approach:

• Arrive the moment they open

• cover only a select territory

• Stay for a short amount of time (1 & 1/2 - 2 hours max)

• leave before noon.

We don't think of it as 'A day at the zoo', but rather -- a stop.

You can afford to do it this way because there's no admission charge and parking (typically $10-$20) is FREE with a FONZ membership, which offers discounts and benefits to other zoos nationwide. It pays for itself in a couple of zoo visits. It's the best deal going.

The zoological park sits on a long winding hillside between Connecticut Ave. and Rock Creek Park. Even though it's gradual, that hill can be killer on little legs under 10 years of age.  We avoid a climb alltogether by choosing either the top OR the bottom and park our car in that area of the lot accordingly. We locals drive.

I know that the zoo web site recommends taking the metro, and that may work, but the metro is several blocks south of the zoo. Bear in mind that by the time you reach the zoo entrance, your children will have already walked several city blocks to get on and off the train. I'm not suggesting that my kids are lazy -- they have boundless energy for things of their own choosing, but they don't have much of an attention span, or grasp of delayed gratification.

Regarding which animals to see, there are simply no bad choices. I know some of our best discoveries have been the less prominent sections like the aviary, the wild 'Prezwalski's' horses, or lingering while the seals splash and play in their pool on a hot day. Hard to say whether that correlates to less bustling activity in that particular area at the time.

Panda viewing tip: You don't need to enter the Panda trail to see them. The Asia trail which runs parallel to the Panda walk sits about 10' higher, offering a slightly different but equally good vantage point. Also, from there you can take in the river otters and fishing cat without backtracking.

We don't eat at the zoo. Sticky, salty, pricy options at the various cafe's leave much to the imagination. Rather we pack a small cooler. Even so, we leave the hectic zoo atmosphere behind before enjoying our picnic. It's just usually time for a break from all of the overstimulating sensory commotion. The kids need some down time. That may be even more important if they are off-schedule on a vacation trip.

If you've arrived by metro you might opt for an outdoor table across Connecticut Ave. at  Starbucks or the Zoo Bar, which serves a pretty good burger, a delicious carrot soup and a cold beer.

The National zoo web site includes maps and a ton of useful information.

In what ways do you make the most of your visits to the National Zoo?

what a zoo -- Part I

 

This post is about two things: 1) Navigating the National Zoo, and 2) Busses filled with school children. Since the second issue colors every aspect of the first, that's where I will begin.

From my earliest recollection, April and May are the designated school field trip months. This past week as I chaperoned the first grade zoo trip it seems every other school within an 7-mile radius had the same plan.  The same was evident during our visit to the Natural History Museum last week.

If you can at all control it ... this may be the best bit of sage advice I have to offer regarding family travel to DC: avoid April and May. I could not be more sincere.

The summer months -- while they may be a bustle with visiting families -- do not include the overwhelming noise that comes with rows of six pre-schoolers holding hands across a horizontal string, while their teachers continually raise voices above each other in attempt to provide directives en-mass. Or pre-teens attempting to out-cool each other by exercising their one chance for freedom within the dictatorial system.

No, despite the beauty that comes with cherry blossoms and tulips and early greenery in comparison to northern climates, I would advise a June or August choice over spring months when planning a destination DC family adventure. Winter would even be better if you have the flexibility of time.

Think of it, the content of those museums does not vary that much. Most of the traditional touristy activities take place inside. They are not weather contingent. Moreover, who wants to be stuck inside on a gorgeous spring day. NO ONE! That is why they are all at the zoo.

Consider yourself warned. And please, don't write to me that you were here in June and still encountered too many tour busses for your liking. Busses are part of the landscape, but the spring months ARE in fact more intense and extreme in that regard. You'll just have to take my word on the subject.

As evidence to the point, my daughter was asked to re-count something of her visit to the zoo, so she dutifully wrote that she enjoyed seeing the elephants, along with a detail illustration of an elephant spraying water. There is no doubt in my mind that she had simply been overwhelmed.  As the leader of her small group of three, I can assure you we went no where near the elephant house.

Having said all of that, don't let me scare you away from the National Zoo. It is a wonderful place and with little careful planning can be a memorable part of any visit to DC. I'll share some ideas in the next post: what a zoo -- part II.

the happiest flower

 

A little sun was all they needed. I can't believe there was a time when I thought daisies were too tall for my yard. They are a little spot of perfection in front of our big chestnut oak. I feel like Kathleen Kelly having received a bouquet of daisies from Joe Fox, in You've Got Mail. Watch out neighbors ... you may be witness to spontaneous whistling and singing.

fortified + a question for you

 

Mother's Day had flowers,

 

good food and drink,

 

and a field.

It also had a thoughful poem, a "speshial" love note, and just the right creamy coffee brought in while I took my time surfacing.

The best part of our day was certainly in the way we managed the unexpected. Life is like that after all, and by staying focused on what was good for us collectively we got much more happiness and satisfaction out of the afternoon.

After winding around to a couple of destinations, our final stop was Fort Stevens. I had no idea it was even there -- an unassuming plot of grassy mounds in the middle of an otherwise non-descript residential neighborhood. Fort Stevens was a part of DC's fortification against Confederate troops during the civil war. It was on this site that Abraham Lincoln came under attack in July of 1864. Forty-one soldiers lost their lives there that day.

All of this was not lost on the kids. While they mostly enjoyed their freedom to roam about, they piled on questions when we got back in the car. They were curious, and a bit spooked, about what might be inside those bunkers.

I hope that Mothers Day festivities were fortifying to your family as well.

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It occurs to me that our adventures around Washington, DC might be helpful to families planning a visit. We tend to approach our weekends as tourists in our own back yard, and I have shared a number of those experiences here on the blog. I'm thinking I might collect those posts together as a highlight feature.

Would that be of interest, dear readers?