4 year anniversary roadtrip

Joyful autumn & Happy Halloween to everyone!  For our fourth anniversary, my sweetheart Matt and I took a road trip to Wilmington, Delaware!  The great estate of Winterthur is awesome. Even though the home and grounds are quite extensive, it has a very naturalistic feeling. Before touring the museum and home, we took a bus-like trolley around the gardens tour.  

The house tour was great, very informative, and professional.  Museum exhibits were also quite interesting and informative.  The guide told us that Mr. Dupont was very patriotic, and avid collector.  He purchased and preserved in the late 1800’s several items that were being destroyed. I have to give Mr. Dupont big kudos for his naturalistic and preservationist approach to decorating. I especially enjoyed the Tiffany exhibit, learning how the glass was made and about  the famous company, Tiffany & company. Please hurry, they have a Tiffany exhibit until January 3, 2016.  It is worth viewing.

 

Please feel free to check out the Winterthur website: home and museum of Winterthur

After a fun but tiring day of exploring the museum, we built up a thirst.  

Please check out the fun nightlife of Wilmington.  The food and beer is delicious at the Iron hill brewery.

I would highly recommend seeing the River walk at night and going to Iron hill brewery.  You will not regret the fun.  Please check out their website: ironhill brewery

After a good & restful night’s sleep another place for a quick visit is the DuPont environmental education center.  Even though it is mainly for school field trips and college excursions, the center is both informative and peaceful. For all you early risers out there the center is also known for bird watching.

 We had a nice but hot guided educational walk just looking at the plants, wildlife birds and fish of the Christina River and marshland from the boardwalk loop.  When we were there in late afternoon, and most animals were resting. We did get to see a few plants and animals.  Matt and I also asked the knowledgeable guide a few questions.

Please check out the website: Nature center

Afterwards one can walk down and grab lunch or dessert.  Matt and I can personally vouch for Molly’s and their delicious milkshakes.  The River walk is just as cool during the day.  Wilmington is a blue-collar town and has these huge cranes as decoration.  In addition, the view of the skyline of Wilmington is awesome as well.  We did see and do more but that was our trip in a nutshell.  I definitely want to go back and explore the Brandywine Valley.  Anyone of my girlfriends want to road trip? Tax-free Christmas shopping trip? Thanks for reading & watching.

Feel free to check out this cool website: Brandywine valley There is a ton to see and done in the area.

Happy blogging & video blogging!

2 posts in one!

 This is a continuation of my girl’s history day post.  Feel free to go to any, all, or none of the suggestions with yourself, or one or more friends.  “The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters.”  Audrey Hepburn  The main point of this blog is to explore, learn, and eat.

We enjoyed the exhibit titled Through the African American Lens: a Preview of the National Museum of African American History and Culture at American History and I highly recommend it.  There is definitely something new to learn.  Even though we quickly browsed through it because it was a long day.  Most of us five ladies were tired and hungry.  It was also a Saturday and crowded.  One section that really caught my attention was about African Americans and religion.  The section was divided between Christian, Muslim, and Jewish.  I have never really thought about African Americans as Jews.  It was a good preview of what African Americans have contributed to American society, and what will be in the new National museum.  My good friend said that one of the highlights for her was the dining room table where Thurgood Marshall and others worked on the Brown v. Board case.  Stay tuned next year in 2016 because it will be opened in 7-13 months.

In the future National African American history museum does need to work on their online presence.

Please feel free to check out the website: Through-the-African-American-Lens

 

For four months, I had the honor to work temporarily at the Library of Congress.  When you go to the Library of Congress building, it is an experience all by itself, very awe-inspiring and impressive.  While on break, I viewed two good exhibits: Hope for America (about Bob Hope) and Pointing their Pens: Herblock and fellow cartoonists confront the issues.  Both exhibits are in the beautiful Jefferson building.  I enjoyed the old video clips and audio in the Hope for America.  In addition, I did not realize how much Bob Hope influenced America.  If you are looking for more old school and a lot of reading, you should go to the Pointing their Pens exhibit.  It was interesting to see the old cartoons and learn more about the issues back then. If you want to see the last aforementioned exhibit (Pointing their Pens), it closes March 19, 2016.

Please check out the websites.  https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/

pointing-their-pens-editorial-cartoons

Now if you don't mind, go on over to my foodie blog for two restaurant reviews in DC 

adventures in cooking & eating

Happy adventures and blogging to y'all!

 

Fun history day with the girls

I am not going to apologize for the 18 months since my last post, just offer an explanation and catch-up y’all up on my life.  Life is busy and messy.  Matt have been busy working, I have been applying for jobs, volunteering, cooking, and daily/weekly home maintenance/cleaning.  Matt and I also have been going out on our own dates together.  In addition, last year early June I threw my friend a baby sprinkle for her little girl.  Toward the end of last year, I started to learn and take up quilting and sewing.  Finally, from January-May I worked at the Library of Congress in DC where I learned alot.  So anyway, I digress but I am back for 2015.  There will be exciting new changes hopefully coming for us in the future.

Last weekend, May 30, I had the pleasure of going to the American history museum & Freer gallery in Washington D.C with four good girlfriends.  We had a fun history day just going around talking and catching up.  In the words of Anna from Frozen, I paraphrase, “Do you want to go to a museum?”  A museum anywhere really is a great place to meet old friends and family, discuss issues, and learn something new.  Even though it was hot, humid & crowded we all made the best of things.

Anyway, I would highly recommend the new and temporary exhibit “Hear My Voice: Alexander Graham Bell and the Origins of Recorded Sound.”  We spent about 50 minutes at this exhibit.  I found it fascinating and learned a lot.  One of the most exciting aspects of the exhibit is actually hearing the old recordings and listening to Bell’s voice.  For all the people who complain that the U.S. Federal government cannot work together and get things done, this is just one example to prove that they can get things done.  The exhibit was a collaboration of three different agencies, and they came up with a system called IRENE in 2009.  The three agencies are Library of Congress, Department of Energy, and Institute of Museum & Library services.

There is just one complaint about the exhibit, that there was a lot of reading.  At one point, I was overwhelmed and confused.  One just has to focus, read, think, and rest.  It was nice that right outside the exhibit exit there was a bench.

You still have seven months to go see it because it closes January 31, 2016.

Please check out the link.

Temp exhibit hear-my-voice

            As I wrote earlier, we also went to the Freer gallery on a whim toward the end of the day.  It had been a long day on Saturday, and we were tired from the heat.  We spent ninety minutes walking around, but I learned alot in a short period.  Again, I would highly recommend a visit to the Freer gallery.  There were several beautiful Chinese landscape paintings and ceramics that we saw.

Chinese landscape paintings already closed on May 31, but by clicking the link though you are able to see many of them.

You have about 6 months left to see the beautiful Peacock room because it closes Jan 3, 2016.

There is so much to look at here, so this is another exhibit that is overwhelming.  Please click and check it out online.  Peacock Room

Whenever you have some free time, please check out some of the marvelous Chinese art collection at the freer gallery online by clicking the link.

Chinese art collection

Overall, in conclusion it was a good, fun-filled day of history, learning, and talking.  We are five young and active women after all.  We did what women do best, just talk, catch up, and gossip.  Hope you enjoyed my mini story of my day with friends. Thanks for reading. Until next time, happy blogging.