Quote this

"Measure the fish, not with a ruler, but rather by the size of the smile on the angler's face."

Mission Accomplished

Cobia fishing was on the books since November, not really knowing what the weather would be like, or how the fish would be running. We really lucked out on the weather, and the fish are migrating later this year due to cooler water. The first day we caught none, though we spotted a couple among the wads of sea turtles and stingrays. The second day, Todd and I got one, but Debbie was sad. The third day, we got three, and Jenny and Deb had reason to smile! We all were smiling thanks to the hard work of our favorite Gulf Coast Captain, Tres on the Back Atcha. I highly recommend him to any and everyone. More pictures in the rotating slide show.

Working the Weekend

You know I am not used to working on the days following Friday, and I did quite a bit of whining about having to this time. But the Nation's capital received me warmly. I flew in on Friday morning, got checked in, took a conference call and then met up with Kim. We got on the bus and hit the mall for a "pretty" afternoon. Back in grad school we used to have pretty weekends, but time is a limiting factor now. Then we traveled back to her neighborhood and had a lovely dinner outside on Bethesda Row at a restaurant called Levante's. Food was great, and we had lots of catching up to do. I headed back to MidTown and we made plans to hit the Eastern Market the next morning for veggie shopping and brunch. It was a beautiful day for both. I headed down to the National Mall for my weekend charge: judging projects in the National Sustainability Expo. And so I did all afternoon, then I was free to walk (did a lot of this activity) to meet up with Mary Beth and her SFA buddies who were hosting a film festival at Johnny Half shell that evening. Fun doesn't even begin to describe the rest of the night. Sunday, more work, less sun. Monday will wrap up the scoring of the projects and we will have the awards banquet. Then home on Tuesday. Yawn.

Who needs Easter Eggs...

With food this colorful? Red & golden beets, yukon gold & peruvian purple potatoes, and green cabbage come together for an delicious Easter soup: Russian Cabbage Borscht. Plan is to make both traditional (red) and golden varieties and then combine them in the bowl.

Where the Buffalo roams

30 days and counting until we hit the Buffalo River in northern Arkansas. Kayak is reserved, but if someone wants to volunteer to be my paddling buddy, we can carry more stuff in canoe.

Blue Sky and Trouble River

I have always been a fan of sunsets, although friends have told me it is quite trite to think so. Whatever. We may not have much to brag about here in the 'Burg, but we do get some nice views on the river when the sun is setting. I always loved the song Blue Skies by Willie Nelson, but now it will always remind me of Tim and Melissa's wedding. Trouble River--it would have to be the Boss. If I am going to be trite, might as well go all in.

Recipe for success=karaoke and beer

One without the other is still pretty good, but together they are MAGIC!

Happy Birthday Lauchlin

Happy Birthdays, Todd & Donovan!

Spring is in the Air

And love is all around, from the tree pollen on your car to the green anoles mating on your office building. Thanks to Jessica for capturing this not-so-private moment. If they didn't want us to see and discuss, they could have easily have snuck behind the bushes shown in the left hand side of the frame.