by Peggy Robin
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Still Life with Robin: Bear gang steals trash can from Connecticut driveway
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Get Out! Travel to "Ireland on the Wharf" on Saturday, March 16 (St Patrick's Day minus One)
by Peggy Robin
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Still Life With Robin: Tick, Tick, Lose!
by Peggy Robin
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Get Out! And Celebrate Women's History Month at the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday, March 9
by Peggy Robin
This one’s for the ladies (and everyone else, too) as the Portrait Gallery hosts its annual Women’s History Month festival for all ages! Come see our newest portraits of Oprah, Beyoncé, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and other inspiring women. Join the celebration in the Kogod Courtyard, featuring performances and workshops from The Washington Ballet, art activities, spotlight talks, scavenger hunts and story times– there will be something for everyone!
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
11:45 a.m. The Washington Ballet Adult Division, Modern Dance Performance and Workshop
12:30 p.m. Spotlight Talk: Oprah Winfrey
1:00 p.m. Author Talk: Debbie Levy
1:30 p.m. Book Signing: Debbie Levy
2:00 p.m. The Washington School of Ballet Youth Performance Ensemble - Performance and Ballet Workshop
2:30 p.m. Spotlight Talk: Carmen de Lavallade
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Still Life with Robin: It's National Old Stuff Day!
by Peggy Robin
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Get Out! It's Leap Day! Or Stay In & Watch the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions
by Peggy Robin
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Still Life with Robin: A taste of Paris in Cleveland Park? Mais non, le goût de Nantes!
Photo by Fresh Baguette |
On Wednesday I went to the Grand Opening of Cleveland Park's new cafe, Fresh Baguette. Despite the crowds (converging for the announced baguette giveaway, I'm sure, as well as from a desire to check out a new eating spot!), the long line moved quickly, staff members were pleasant and efficient, and all the choices looked so tempting.
The display cases were filled with baguettes and many types of loaves and croissants, most of them warm from the oven. Now we can live like the French, right here in our neighborhood.
Well, I have French relatives and have spent some time with them in their homes, and one thing I love about their lifestyle is the way it's so normal to pick up a fresh baguette on the way home from work -- so many people walking home with a baguette under the arm. Fresh baked every day -- that makes the sensuous, yeasty aroma of bread one of the everyday glories of France.
But I wasn't reminded so much of my relatives in Paris as my time spent visiting my daughter for the year she lived in Nantes, in the northwestern province of Loire-Atlantique. Nantes is a medium-sized city with much less hustle-bustle. Yes, there are bakeries on every corner so that people can get their daily baguette, but when it comes to food, it is known as the home of a particular brand of cookie, produced by the famous LU factory.
Here's your mini-history lesson from the LU website (UK version) https://www.lubakery.co.uk/en:
LU’s story begins in 1846 and in true French style, romance played a key role in their creation. In the city of Nantes, Jean-Romain Lefèvre and Pauline-Isabelle Utile fell in love over their shared passion for baking and their desire to make the most delicious biscuits. Putting the first initials of their surnames together, LU was born.
Thanks to the excellence of Lefèvre-Utile’s recipes, the biscuits factory gained a stellar local reputation. In 1882, LU even won the gold medal during the Nantes Exhibition.
Over 176 years later, LU remains an icon of French culinary heritage.
So here's what I noticed the first time I walked into Fresh Baguette: I scanned the long narrow shop and my gaze quickly fell upon the back wall, with shelves of so many different packages of LU cookies --many of them hard to find in the US-- I felt as if I'd walked into a shop in Nantes. And like any small French specialty shop, there were just a few shelves of the products, all very prettily arranged.
Besides the LUs, there are different types of jam in jars, some pates, a little sac of French sea-salts in large crystals, some chocolate bars.... None of these things are listed on the website, which features the breads, the sandwiches, quiches, macarons, madeleines and other pastries and desserts, and the coffees and other beverages. See: https://www.freshbaguette.net/menus/
They cater, too!
I wish I
could say this is going to be my daily little taste of Nantes.... but
malheureusement, I have recently been put on a low-carb regime and I'm sticking
to it. But for all those who are not.....bon appetit!
------------------------
Still Life
with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on
Saturdays.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Get Out! Get Out! The Cinema Calls -- it's the DC Independent Film Festival
This year, the DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF) is paying tribute to André Singer, a renowned documentary filmmaker. The festival will feature a special invite-only preview screening of his latest film, "Meeting Zelensky," at Landmark's E Street Cinema on Wednesday, February 21 and Sunday, February 25 at 12:15 PM to the public. The preview will be followed by a panel discussion.
We will also be featuring an additional documentary of his, WHERE THE WIND BLEW, on Friday, February 23rd at 5:30 pm at JxJ - Washington in Cafritz Hall. There will also be a panel discussion featuring director Andre Singer, Justin Ahasteen, executive director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office and Cheryl L. Reed, author, journalist, and professor.
After each film screening, you'll have the chance to participate in interactive Q&A sessions with the talented filmmakers, cast, crew, and industry experts. But that's not all - we have a bunch of other fun activities planned too! There will be panels, workshops, and pop-up events throughout the forum that will cover a wide range of topics, like animation and even a masterclass with the honoree to discuss his 50 years in documentary filmmaking!
The director of WOLFPACK, Cédric Peyster – Le Roux, will showcase his gripping tale that unfolds in a future where the youth hunt the older generations at night, putting 50-year-old Matthieu in a fight for survival. The film and Q&A with the director will be held on Friday, February 23 at 9 PM at the Regal Gallery Place Theater. Tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite.
To top it off, there will be live dance performances by the cast of a TENS ACROSS THE BOARD to really celebrate the occasion on Saturday, February 24 at 7:20 PM. They are championed by Black and brown LGBTQ artists in dance, music and fashion, the St. Louis ballroom community.
At The Way It Was: PARIS RESTAURANTS IN THE 1970'S screening on Sunday, February 25 at 4 PM and 5:45 PM, we're bringing in a local French chef and his wife, a French food blogger. Anina Belle Giannini is author of the very popular Le Chefs Wife blog and her husband is Sébastien Giannini who is about to become a partner at L'Avant-Garde in Georgetown. They'll be giving a simple demonstration followed by a wine tasting - sounds pretty good, right?
On the closing night of the festival, there will be a Q&A session with DCIFF Founder, Carol Bidault de l'Isle, and Executive Director, Deirdre Evans-Pritchard, who will also give closing remarks. You can find a complete schedule of programming for DCIFF is available here.
You won't want to miss out on the excitement of DCIFF's milestone anniversary! Get your tickets for individual screenings, or take advantage of our event passes, through Eventbrite. Exclusively on FilmFreeway, you can get tickets to film screenings with limited availability.
To learn more, visit dciff-indie.org and stay up-to-date with the latest festival news and updates. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and be part of the action by using the hashtag #DCIFF2024.
DC Independent Film Festival
dciff-indie.org
dcindiefilmfest@gmail.com
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Saturday, February 17, 2024
Still Life with Robin: We'll Always Have Squirrels
by Peggy Robin