Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter Cajun Crawfish Boil

A huge success, thanks in large part to sharing of the costs and responsibilities, Amy hosted a great crawfish boil this weekend. Ryan and Brett headed up the cooking, she cleaned and readied the yard, and I just provided the accessories--corn, potatoes, mushrooms, sausage, and yes, even asparagus. It was Easter weekend, after all. Lots of fun, lots of work, but all worth it.
This little critter made a strong case for being released, as he latched on to both Brett and Ben. They both refused to let him clamp onto their ears for a photo op. Weak sauce, indeed. In the end, he was able to convince them not to throw him in the boiling pot of deliciousness. I hear Brett ate him raw. Post purge, of course.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Earth Day in DC



At the 11th hour, I was asked to travel to DC last weekend for the National Sustainability Expo on the National Mall. I answered the call to service and spent two days talking about our research critters and projects, while navigating the mud. Those of you who have known me for a while know I have issues walking in optimal conditions. We had a lot of VIPs come through, including the head of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, Commanding General of USACE, LTG Van Antwerp, shown here in the stylish black and yellow Army tracksuit, Deputy Commanding General Temple, Ms. Jo Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Karl's daughter, Julia. The look on her face is a result of my telling her I was staying at the Ritz Carlton. She was not consoled by the application of government rates.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Whine and Wine session with Liz



A last minute weekend trip to DC meant I got to see my friend Liz! We took the opportunity to catch up and drink some soured grapes, eat some great food, and talk about boys. One of the many perks of work travel is that sometimes you get to hang out with people you like!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I heart houseguests!

Delays to the blog are a function of many things, but I choose to blame my impossibly slow wireless at home. I was fortunate to have houseguests recently, hailing from the distant lands and other countries of Canada and Texas. Leslie and Lila made the early morning flight from Houston for some visiting with old friends and Kelly and Tim flew in from New Brunswick and road-tripped from Nashville.

We sat in the shade at the World, while Tim and Kelly calculated whether it qualified as a dive bar. It scored higher than any other bar they had sampled. Lila chased the cats and evaluated my housecleaning skills (she was not impressed).
She met some of the locals, Sarah Steevens and Will Kennedy. Picture stolen from Team Kennedy's blog.
And she LOVES pudding! Soy, of course.