Gone for the summer

MAD is away from DC for the summer. No District, no MAD.

But take heart - you can follow the pastoral adventures of MAD in remote, lovely Rushford, New York by clicking here and entering the World of Bs.

MAD will resume at summer's end. WOBs will let you know.

See ya!

MAD about the summer

MAD is spending the summer away from DC and that means that means no MAD until I return.
The past few months of writing have been very enjoyable, full of discovery of places, process and software. I've spent a lot of time trying to put my experiences and my response to them into words; the focus and self-discipline have been beneficial to my adjustment to the time I spend in DC.


For the summer I'll be living in a cabin in a rural county in the Southern Tier of NYS, continuing to commute to work in Buffalo. But certainly not able to find a museum close by every single day.

So what's a blogger to do?

Must be time to begin The World of Bs.


Seems to me that most of my many favorites begin with the letter B: books, baking, baseball, basketball, babies, and balls of yarn. And my guess is that for purposes of that blog -oh and blogging- most anything can be creatively transformed into a B word. So for the summer I will be taking it easy, removing myself from the pressures of daily museum-going, and exploring all of the above items and activities and reporting on them. A request: if you have any B suggestions please pass them on!









MAD will pick up at this location in mid-august. Enjoy your summer.

Azaleas!

Last week I was told that the azaleas would be peaking this weekend. So MAD waited until now and got stuck with a rainy day.

Big deal.

MAD, MR. MAD and MADYS (MAD's younger son) took an excursion today to the National Arboretum to see the azaleas. Hillsides of azaleas - lavender, red, white fuchsia and pink. One of such a soft pink that it looked like growing cotton candy. I was overwhelmed by the color and variety. Despite the dark day, the colors were intensified by the rain.

We didn't get to see azaleas like this in Buffalo. Maybe it has something to do with the difference in growing zones. I remember them in the DC area from when I lived in Arlington in the spring of 1973.

And I believe that I remember them with my heart from the magic placed that was my grandparents' house in Mount Vernon, NY. Their azaleas were clipped, formal foundation plants. I seem to remember that a few of them were transplanted to my parents' house when we moved there. The exposure must have not been as good and they didn't seem to bloom as well. Maybe I am imagining the whole thing , but I have always loved azaleas and this very early childhood recollection seems as good a reason as any.

As if MAD needed a reason to enjoy azaleas in bloom.

Sheepish

Does the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival count as a museum? MAD makes the rules and MAD says yes.

Howard County Fairgrounds is the home of the country's largest sheep and wool festivals which makes for lots of sheep, lots of wool and lot and lots of people.

The barns are filled with artisan yarns - hand spun and hand-dyed, rovings and batts of wool in natural and rainbow of colors that make you reach out to touch the fibers. Many of the vendors sell breed-specific yarns and you are able feel the differences between Corriedale, Border Leicester, Romney, cashmere to mention only a few.

The you can see the differences - one of the barns has an example of all of the many breeds in the show. MAD's favorite is Jacob's Sheep, an ancient breed with two rows of horns that was dwindling until a program was initiated to stabilize and re-invigorate the breed.

An odd juxtaposition - to MAD, maybe you don't think so - is the exhbition of lambs and sheep, fleece and yarn next to the food boths which are selling (mostly) lamb items. No charge for the smell.

There was a lake of restrooms and a lack of places to sit. So to eat we sat down on bleachers in the barn where the animals were being displayed in the ring, vocally baa-ing and maa-ing sounding exactly like people pretending to be animals.

MAD was accompanied by MADOD (pregnant-with-twins Older Daughter) who gave her an excuse to buy yarn to make baby items as well as the joint purchase of Vintage Baby Knits, inscribed by author Kristen Rendgren to Baby A and Baby B. And we purchased yarn for each other for what has become our annual birthday gift exchange. Thank you , MADOD, for the excuse, for the birthday gift and for the day spent together.