Saturday, June 27, 2015

Still Life With Robin: Things To March For On July 4

by Peggy Robin

I love a parade -- so goes the old song, and this year on the Fourth of July there’s so much to celebrate: marriage equality, for one thing. Or for those adamantly against marriage equality, you can celebrate the linguistic extravagance of its most colorful (if vituperative) critic, Antonin Scalia. I invite you to form a contingent and march under the banner of “mummeries” and “judicial putsch” (or you can use this web link to generate your own Scalia-vocabulary to let fly and land where it will: http://slate.me/1KlmO6i.

On the other hand, you may just want to come out on the Fourth to show a bit of civic pride, and if that’s your goal, you can take advantage of your invitation from Mayor Muriel Bowser to march with her in the annual Palisades Parade, now in its 49th year. Here are the details:

What: The 49th annual Palisades Fourth of July Parade
When: Saturday, July 4th, 2015
Meet Up/Line Up Time: 10:00 AM
Parade Starts: 11:00  AM
Where: Whitehaven Parkway/MacArthur Boulevard
Sign up here: http://bit.ly/1HhxUqE 

If you would like to take a stand for DC Voting Rights (and what better day for that than the Fourth of July?), you should be able to join the contingent organized by DC Vote that has participated in the Palisades Parade for each of the past several years. I assume such a group is being organized to march this year, although when I hastily Googled the subject this evening to find the details, I must report I came up empty. If anyone can supply information on how to sign up to march for DC Vote in the Palisades parade, please post it to the Cleveland Park Listserv.

But if you want would prefer to march for the cause of peace and domestic tranquility, as well as the old-fashioned virtue of being considerate of your neighbors, coupled with the more contemporary cause of being kind to the environment, then I invite you to join the Palisades parade as a marcher in the anti-leafblower brigade, CALM (Citizens Against Leafblower Mania). I am passing along to you the invitation I received from one of the organizers, Denise Paolella, who notes that you will receive a free T-shirt if you sign up:

Attached is a photo of the CALM (Citizens Against Leafblower Mania) group lining up for the Palisades 4th of July Parade. It would be great if you and some of your Cleveland Park neighbors can join us this July 4th.  Please feel free to have anyone interested contact me by phone or e-mail.  I will provide the T-shirts for participants.

Sincerely,

Denise Paolella
d.e.paolella @ comcast.net




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Still Life With Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.


Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Get Out! - The Events Column

Photo by By Kingkongfive via Creative Commons
We wanted to share some events and activities that list members might be interested in. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 15,200+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.net.


Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv



Thursday, June 25 at 4 PM, French Story Time - includes songs, music and motion for children of all ages. A very interactive program - children have the opportunity to learn French songs, practice their French, and connect words with motion, as well as enjoy stories. Free. At the Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/45941


Thursday,June 25 at 6 PM, Talk by veteran CBS news correspondent Bill Plante on “Selma Fifty Years Later.” Light hors d’oeuvres, wine and soft drinks will be served. A presentation of the Georgetown Village. Free, but please RSVP to 202-999-8988 or email lynn @ georgetown-village dot org. At St, John’s Episcopal Church, 3420 O Street NW, http://bit.ly/1GIG4a2.  


Thursday, June 25 at 7:30 PM, “A Century of Challenges: The Holocaust's Impact on Second and Third Generation Survivors” featuring Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of Even in Darkness. The impact of WWII has had far-reaching effects on survivors’ families, even two and three generations later. In her first novel, Even in Darkness, Barbara Stark-Nemon preserves a lifetime of family stories, exploring her family's German identity and the impact of the Holocaust on their lives and on her own. Part of the the Washington DCJCC Literary Festival. At the Washington DCJCC, 1529 16th Street NW. Tickets $11.50 - $13.50 at http://bit.ly/1HeMykj. More info on other literary programs at http://washingtondcjcc.org/literary  


Friday, June 26 from 11 AM - 2 PM, Meet Linda Shrewsbury, author of “Cursive Logic: An Intelligent New Way to Teach Cursive Handwriting.” Free. At Fahrney’s Pens, 1317 F Street NW, https://www.facebook.com/ilovecursive


Friday, June 26 at 7 PM, “From Bucharest to Manhattan" with Paul Cosma-Cimpoieru, hosted by Bucharest Inside the Beltway. Using music and dance Paul Cosma-Cimpoieru fervently explores a Romanian immigrant’s experiences in the Big Apple. From the subways, bodegas, tourists, Uptown, Downtown, he reveals through this interpretive dance work what it feels like to wake up in the city that never sleeps and strive to be a part of it. Tickets are $15; email bucharestinsidethebeltway @ gmail dot com to reserve -- space is limited! Location: Goethe Institut, 812 7th Street, NW.


Saturday, June 27 at 8 AM, Book Hill Dog Park’s Dog Parade and Show, with prizes for the best dog costume, best trick, best couple, and more. Meet Uncle Sam. Free. At Book Hill Park, behind the Georgetown Library at Reservoir Road and Wisconsin Avenue, NW. Rain date: June 28.


Saturday, June 27 from 10 AM - 7 PM, Friends of MacMillan Park’s Sidewalk Benefit Sale to raise funds to help prevent overdevelopment at MacMillan Park. Free admission. Over 300 items for sale from 40 donors, including everyday items such as appliances, coffee table books, furniture, and dinnerware, as well as unusual items such as: an antique Turkish Kelim rug, wrought iron decorated gates suspected of having been designed by Samuel Yellin, antique Chinese artifacts, a 19th Century mahogany and gilt cornucopia mirror, the services of a local artist who will paint a portrait of your beloved dog or human in acrylic, an Albert Einstein impersonator to entertain your party or another event, a professional-run tour of the city for 8 people, a licensed wedding practitioner who will conduct your wedding ceremony, and a professional facial massage at one of DC’s finest hotels. On the patio of Dupont Italian Kitchen, 17th and R Street NW. More info about this event and about the MacMillan Park cause at http://bit.ly/1LCYOJd


Saturday June 27 from 10 AM - 4 PM, Free Events at Peirce Mill. Take a guided tour, learn about mill machinery, try your hand at traditional children’s games. Pick up a snack. "Follow the Grain" - join a 30 minute tour demonstrating how Oliver Evans (holder of US Patent #3 granted 1789) turned milling from a labor intensive process into a continuous system using gravity and new technology. This Saturday, families can try grinding wheat the really old-fashioned way—by hand!  We will also turn flour and water into bread starters, and shake up some cream to make butter (11 AM - 2 PM). Pierce Mill is at Tilden & Beach Drive. More info: http://www.nps.gov/pimi/index.htm  


Saturday, June 27 from 11 AM - 5 PM, The Seventh Annual DC Housing Expo and Home ShowDC. This FREE event features workshops, demos, and exhibits with financial, rental, home ownership, and small business information. Learn about home improvement, energy efficient products, senior housing, home finance assistance, and much more. Prizes and giveaways! Free and open to the public. At the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW, L St entrance. More info: www.dhcd.dc.gov. To register go to:  http://bit.ly/1PZ2ANT.  
Saturday, June 27 from 3 - 5 PM, Mini Science Quest, Growing Curiosity for Science, presented by Acton Academy. Hands-on projects and scientific inquiry for kids, ages 6 - 10. Free but reservations requested at http://actondc.org.  At the Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW.


Sunday, June 28 at 4 PM, Learn to Finger-Sign! How often has this happened to you? You have just purchased an item from a craft vendor or some other independent seller, who has put through the charge using a card-reader attached to an iPad or tablet computer; you are then asked to sign your name with your fingertip on a virtual line on a touchscreen. You do so as requested but when you finish signing, you see that your signature looks like ridiculous squiggle drawn by 3-year-old. It’s nothing at all like the dignified, even elegant cursive that you normally produce with a pen in your hand. Now, with this 45-minute intensive workshop, you can learn to finger-sign with style and grace! Free. At the Calligrapher’s Nib - click here to register:  http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent.


Monday, June 29 at 7 PM, The Spy Museum Presents: "Heroes or Villains?" Vincent Houghton of the International Spy Museum will share true stories of what makes a hero or villain in real-life situations. Free. At the Palisades Library, 4901 V Street NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/48372


Tuesday, June 30 from 6:30 - 8 PM, “Murder Bay, Hell’s Bottom, and Other Long-Gone Neighborhoods from 1800s Washington,” a seminar led by Allison Arlotta - part of the DC Public Library/Knowledge Commons DC series of free classes. Free, but reservations required at http://bit.ly/1GqQBEl. At the West End Interim Library, 2522 Virginia Avenue NW


Wednesday, July 1 at 3 PM, “Heroes Brought to Life.” Magician Joe Romano will bring the heroes of comic books, graphic novels, and stories to life through the art of magic and illusion. For ages 5-10. Free. At the West End Interim Library, 2522 Virginia Avenue NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/48897  

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Still Life With Robin: Bright Spots

Photo from DCist, Victoria Pickering
by Peggy Robin

In a week of horror and heartbreak, there came something to my inbox that brought a smile to my face, and I hope will do the same for you. This two-and-half minute video was originally posted on DCist, which I heartily  recommend to anyone who loves living in DC and wants to be up on everything that’s happening here.


This above little clip may also get you to look on our often maligned (and long-lined!) local airport DCA (we long-time residents never call it Reagan!) in a more positive light.

And if that’s not enough to brighten your day, here’s a double rainbow for you (also from DCist):

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Still Life With Robin comes out on the Cleveland ParkListserv and All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Get Out! - The Events Column

Photo by Thomas S. Mann
We wanted to share some events and activities that list members might be interested in. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 15,200+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.us.


Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv


Friday, June 19 at 7 PM, The France Tour Send-off Concert by the Children’s Chorus of Washington and the Young Men’s Ensemble. Free and open to the public. At Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW, http://bit.ly/1MMiz18  

Saturday, June 20 from 10 to 11 AM. Dog Social, hosted by the Tregaron Conservancy. Bring your canine companion (on leash) and join us for coffee, cold drinks and treats. We will meet by the Lily Pond on the Klingle Road side of Tregaron. Free. RSVPs encouraged but not required - rsvp to info @ tregaronconservancy.org. Come out for some refreshments and meet your fellow dog-loving neighbors!  

Saturday, June 20 from 10 AM - 2 PM, “Egg Day” at Rock Creek Park. Activities for kids 3 - 8 focused on Pokey the Box Turtle, including arts & crafts, a turtle obstacle course, a ranger reading “Box Turtle at Long Pond,” a dance competition, and other fun and games. Free. At the Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW,  http://1.usa.gov/1GPJMzG  

Saturday, June 20 from 10 am to 3 pm – Jewels of Light. Bring the whole family to the grounds of Washington National Cathedral to explore the art and craft of stained glass. Learn how windows are designed and fabricated. Join in activities for all ages. For more info and tickets ($20 for the close-up tour) go to: http://cathedral.org/JOL.  

Saturday, June 20 from 11 AM - 6 PM, The Juneteenth Book Festival, held in honor of the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth (see http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm). Story times, read-along events, music and dance performances, meet the author events. Free. Children who attend will receive a free book. Reception and book awards, with DC Congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton take place from 5:30 - 7:30 PM -- free but please register at http://bit.ly/1Tvf3gN. At St. Elizabeth’s Gateway Pavilion, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, SE. Event schedule and details at http://www.juneteenthbookfestival.com/  

Sunday, June 21 at 2 PM, “The Legends and Lore of DC: Literary Capital.” Do you enjoy reading about hometown Washington, DC? The Cleveland Park Library has a local book discussion series! This month the discussion focuses on “Literary Capital”, edited by Christopher Sten. This anthology consists of fiction and nonfiction excerpts by well-known authors, covering a variety of topics about Washington, DC over two centuries. The book is available throughout the library system. Free. At the Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/48730 

Sunday, June 21 from 11 AM - 7 PM, “Fete de la Musique” at Dupont Circle, presented by the Alliance Francaise de Washington. Children’s songs with Gaspard, story time, French songs with Jean-Jacques, a brass band, salsa music from El Clan, and American roots rock by Gramophonic. Children’s activities include face painting, a calligraphy lesson, and musical instrument making. Free. At Dupont Circle. More info: http://francedc.org/Events/?id=321  

Monday, June 22 from 6 - 8 PM, “After Shelby Co.: A discussion of the present state and future of the Voting Rights Act.” Free. Panelists include Pam Karlan, Assistant Deputy US Attorney General and Keenan Keller, Senior Counsel for the US House Committee on the Judiciary. Moderated by Prof. Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Council on US and Human Rights. Free. Registration required - go to http://bit.ly/1ficAXi  

Tuesday, June 23 from 10 - 10:45 AM. Tudor Tots: Fun in the Sun at Tudor Place. Children enjoy interactive read-alouds, songs, and themed movements related to the week’s topic, sharing a shady green and tranquil setting with the grown-ups who care for them. Ages 2-4. Admission is $5 per child. Admission for adults is free. Register at http://bit.ly/1IlzaoY. At Tudor Place Historic House & Garden, 1644 31st Street NW.    

Tuesday, June 23 from 3 - 4:30 PM - Three hours of climbing adventure at the incredible ropes course at Sandy Springs Adventure - a benefit event for Wilson Crew - for $41, a 20% savings,  and a portion of every ticket sold goes directly to support the Wilson Crew scholarship fund. An online reservation assures you of no wait for a harness; all climbing levels will remain open until the end of the Wilson Crew event. Tickets available online only at https://bookeo.com/sandyspringtrees - select “Private events/fundraising” and then the Wilson Wilson HS Crew event. Sales close June 22.  

Tuesday, June 23 at 6 PM, Cleveland Park Library rebuild/renovation community meeting. At this meeting, the architect team will present general design principles and project direction, informed in part by community feedback recorded at the May 13 community meeting. Contribute your ideas to help shape our new library, scheduled to open in August 2017. The community meeting is open to all. The Cleveland Park Library is at 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW.  

Tuesday, June 23 at 6:30 PM, Cleveland Park Library Fantasy Rebuild Meeting. At this meeting discover what could be built as a replacement library if the budget, the space, and our imaginations were all unlimited. To see what others have done under similar circumstances, go to http://bit.ly/1GtIwB8 and http://bit.ly/1L0ScpG . To view and comment on fantastic ideas for the redesign of the Cleveland Park Library, go to http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent.  

Tuesday, June 23 at 7 pm, Historic Kit Houses of Cleveland Park. Join local kit house expert Catarina Bannier for an illustrated talk on early-20th-century kit houses by Sears, Aladdin, Lewis, and other companies. Learn about kit houses in Cleveland Park and how to tell whether your house was built from a kit. Gather for refreshments at 7:30; the talk will start at 7:45. At the Cleveland Park Congregational Church, 3400 Lowell St NW. Tickets (free for current CPHS members, $10 for non-members) available now at http://www.clevelandparkhistoricalsociety.org. Space is limited to 50 people and registration is required.  

Wednesday, June 24 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, Knowledge Commons DC presents “Waste Not: Food Waste, Resource Conservation, and You,” a class led by Will Reid. The American food industry discards 150 million pounds of food every day — the equivalent of 523 Titanics per year! This class will review the causes of food waste and ways to reduce it, debunking myths along the way. (For example, is the food you are throwing out actually bad?) In addition, you’ll learn how to co-opt this system of entitlement to help feed the world and save the environment. At City Blossoms: Marion Street Intergenerational Garden, 1519 Marion St. NW in Shaw. Free, reservations required at http://bit.ly/1CemJJx

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Still Life With Robin: Gotcha Sriracha?

Artwork by Andrew Yasgar
with Sriracha sauce bottle from Huy Fong
by Peggy Robin

Today I decided to do something about a little problem that’s been nagging at me for weeks. What’s this “sriracha” I keep hearing about, seemingly everywhere I turn? They talk about it in food truck reviews, it keeps popping up in recipes in the newspaper and on the internet, and I see it on the condiment shelves of gourmet and specialty food stores. I’m tired of being so behind the curve.

First, a little background, for those of you who are even farther behind the curve than I am. Sriracha is a hot sauce that may have long, deep roots in Southeast Asian cooking….or maybe not. But it took off as the trendy taste sensation just a few years ago, starting around 2010 when Bon Appetit magazine dubbed it the "ingredient of the year." Since then restaurant menu creations spiced with sriracha have won a whole bunch of industry awards. (This quick history comes from the Huffington Post, my go-to source for news of the hip and famous: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/21/sriracha-history_n_4136923.html).

After a little more Googling (looking at just a handful of the seven point nine million results) I learned some basic facts: You are supposed to say “See-racha.” (I had been pronouncing the first syllable like the beginning of Sri Lanka. Apparently, that’s wrong.) Here are eleven other things you might want to know about sriracha: http://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/14-things-you-didnt-know-about-sriracha-including-its-proper-pronunciation (from Thrillist).

On a more immediately practical level, here’s a list of some of the most common things you can do with sriracha:
* You can make a sharper shrimp cocktail sauce: http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/sriracha-shrimp-cocktail/
* Use it to spice up your gazpacho soup: http://rockinarugula.com/2013/07/30/spicy-gazpacho/
* Turn your tired old spaghetti and meatballs into red-hot spaghetti with zingy sriracha meatballs: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/02/sriracha-marinara-with-meatballs-recipe.html
* Grill your salmon after glazing with a maple syrup sriracha lime glaze: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2013/06/grilled-salmon-maple-sriracha-lime-glaze.html

And here’s what I did with my first-time-ever cooking with a few tablespoons of sriracha: Sirarcha/ranch beef tacos: http://www.cookaholicwife.com/2013/12/recipe-swap-sriracha-beef-tacos.html -- quick and easy and they turned out much zippier than tacos made with your basic salsa from a jar.

What else have I learned in my evening’s investigation and experimentation with sriracha? Unfortunately, that it’s already old hat! My final Google search returned this piece about the downhill trend: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/10/the-sad-truth-sriracha-the-worlds-coolest-hot-sauce-is-losing-its-edge/. I guess I’m the proof – when I start cooking with the hip new ingredient, it can’t possibly be hip anymore. So what’s the newest great thing in food? According to restaurant consultants Baum andWhiteman it’s ….are you ready for this?....insect protein powder! I’m sure it will taste phenomenal .... as long as you pour enough sriracha on it.

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Still Life With Robin is published on the Cleveland ParkListserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays. 

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Get Out! - The Events Column

Rosedale Conservancy Community Picnic
We wanted to share some events and activities that list members might be interested in. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 15,200+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.us.


Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv


Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12 at 8 PM, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each year that the Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade has put on a free outdoor Shakespeare play, they've expanded the number of performance weekends; now in their third summer, they are back with A Midsummer Night’s Dream on June 11-12; also on June 18-20, and June 25-27, at Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown, 1041 Wisconsin Avenue NW. You may want to show up an hour early to get a prime blanket laying spot. More info: http://www.fgcitizens.org/.

Friday, June 12, Women’s World Cup Soccer  (USA vs Sweden) Viewing Party, presented by the Embassy of Sweden and the Dupont Festival. Viewing begins at 7:30, fun and festivities, with DJ and pre-game program get started at 5:30 PM. Free. At Dupont Circle, see http://bit.ly/1PzgoDL for details. 

Friday June 12 and Saturday, June 13, 11 AM - 7 PM, the National Maker Faire will give curious, inventive people a place to share what they love to make. Attendees at this family-friendly, free, fun-for-all-ages event will have the opportunity to interact with hundreds of makers showcasing STEM projects, crafts and more. At the University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW. Learn more and get your free tickets at: http://nationalmakerfaire.com.  

Saturday, June 13th, from 10 -11:30 AM, Shape Tenleytown's Future. Ward3Vision and Tenleytown neighbors have been working on a "visioning" exercise to identify problems, discover opportunities, and imagine how the area might grow and evolve. Now it's time to for the next steps toward making Tenleytown a model of livable, walkable and sustainable development. Ward3Vision needs input. Join neighbors for a couple of hours and share thoughts about how to improve the center of our neighborhood. Metro creates special opportunities and challenges for our neighborhood, and we need to be able to tell developers, city planners, the educational institutions, and the traffic engineers what we, as the residents, want for Tenleytown’s future. Please RSVP to info @ ward3vision dot org. Registration and coffee starting at 9:30 AM. Free. In Room 200, Mary Graydon Hall, on the campus of American University.  

Saturday June 13 from 10 AM - 4 PM, Free Events at Peirce Mill. Learn about the Peirce family and the other mills that operated along Rock Creek. A 20-minute orientation video presents the mill as it would have operated in the 19th century. Games for children ages 3 and up from 11 AM - 2 PM: Mills are giant machines; learn how they work, play with our toy water wheels and make your own wind-powered wheel from paper, then step inside Peirce Mill to watch our big wheels in action! Mill in operation from 11 AM - 2 PM: Watch the waterwheel turn and learn how the flow of water into the "buckets" brings the wheel to life and sets the machinery inside the mill in motion. Peirce Mill is at 2401 Tilden St NW, http://www.peircemill-friends.org/  

Saturday, June 13 from 10 AM - 12 PM, Creek Critters - Macroinvertebrate Sampling Made Easy. Join Rock Creek Conservancy and Audubon Naturalist Society to learn to use the newly-released “Creek Critters” smart phone app, which guides beginners through the process of getting into a stream, collecting small aquatic insects that live in the stream, and identifying those critters to create a stream health report. This is a great activity for parent-child teams. Please download the free "Creek Critters" app before you come to the stream (iPhone users download from the Apple App Store, android users download from Google Play). Where: Meet in the fields behind Ohr Kodesh Congregation at 8300 Meadowbrook Lane, Chevy Chase, MD. What to bring: Bring your smartphone. Wear shoes or boots that you don’t mind getting wet and plan on staying for at least 30 minutes. What will be provided: We’ll provide all collection and identification materials, including waterproof pouches for your phones.  More info: http://bit.ly/1f3Voow  

Saturday, June 13 from 11 AM - 2 PM, Friends of the Tenley-Friendship Library Book Sale. Great prices on books for gardeners, cooks, art aficionados, children, and more. CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, Members of the Friends of the Library may come at 10 AM for special members-only sale. Not a member? Come at 10 and join at the door. The Tenley-Friendship Library is at 4450 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. The sale is in the large meeting room on the second floor.  

Saturday, June 13 from 3 - 8 PM, Family Fun Zone - part of the Capital Pride 2015 Festival. Balloon art, face painting, snacks and drinks for kids and their parents. Free. At Stead Park, 1625 P Street NW. For more info on all the Capital Pride 2015 events, see http://capitalpride.org/parade

Saturday, June 13 from 4 - 8 PM, Strawberry Festival at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, featuring fresh strawberries, strawberry shortcake, picnic foods, baked goods, plants for sale, jewelry and other crafts, pony rides, moon bounce, games, face painting, climbing wall, entertainment, tours of historic Rock Creek cemetery. Free admission. At St  Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rock Creek Church Road and Webster Street NW. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/750955655014740/  

Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14, The 40th Annual Capital Pride Festival and Parade. Two days jam-packed with events -- see http://www.capitalpride.org/events-365/ for ticketed and free events. The parade takes place on Saturday at 4:30 PM from 22nd and P Streets NW and travels 1.5 miles through Dupont Circle and 17th Street, passes by the Logan Circle neighborhood and ends along the revitalized 14th Street corridor at S Street. The review stand is located at 15th and P Streets, NW; another announcement stand is just east of Dupont Circle on New Hampshire Avenue. A sign language interpreter will be available at the 15th and P Streets review stand.  

Sunday, June 14 from 1 - 4 PM, Community Fun Day at the Forest Hills Playground. Moon bounce, face painting, games, snacks and drinks, puppet show, activities for all ages. Sponsored by Capital Memorial Church. Free. At Forest Hills Playground, 32nd and Chesapeake Streets NW. 

Sunday, June 14 at 5 PM, Beau Soir Ensemble in concert, featuring Carrie Rose, Flutist, Jennifer Ries, Violist, and Michelle Myers Lundy, Harpist. Works by Debussy, Villa-Lobos, Leclair and others. Free -- free-will offerings accepted. At the Church of the Annunciation, 3810 Massachusetts Avenue NW, http://www.annunciationdc.org/roth-concert-series.html  

Sunday, June 14, 5 - 8 PM, Rosedale's Annual Community BBQ and Picnic. The Cleveland Park Jazz Quartet will be performing. Bring a potluck side dish or dessert, your blankets, lawn chairs, frisbees, family and friends and come join us -- all are welcome! On Newark Street between 34th Place and 36th St NW. Free. More info: http://www.rosedaleconservancy.org/  

Sunday, June 14 from 5 PM - past midnight, The 4th Annual DC Flag Day Festival at Dupont Circle. Bring your DC flags or get one when you arrive. 5 - 6 PM: Gearing up, face painting, flag distributing. 6 - 7 PM: Speakers, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Dan Silverman - Prince of Petworth, and Shana Glickfeild - DistrictLove.com & BeeKeeper Group. 7 - 8pm: DC Flag and Tattoo Flash and Flesh Mob + March to Eighteenth Street Lounge for party-time and musical performances from Bluebrain, Jonny Grave and the Tombstones, Fire and the Wheel, and Adrian Parsons (DJ set). The Flag Day event is free, but donations of $5 or $10 greatly appreciated. http://dcist.com/2015/05/flag_day_is_coming_back_to_dupont_c.php

Monday, June 15 at 12 noon, Washington History: Walking the Spirit of Black Foggy Bottom. Join Dr. Bernard Demczuk, assistant vice president for District relations in GW’s Office of Government and Community Relations, on a walking tour of Foggy Bottom. This 2-hour tour will encompass 33 significant African American sites on GW’s campus and across the historic Foggy Bottom neighborhood, which was predominantly African-American from the early 1800s to 1970. The tour will explore the significant role African Americans played in developing the nation’s capital. Wear your walking shoes. The tour will go on rain or shine, and will meet in the museum lobby for introductory remarks. Free, but reservations are required. Location: Meet at the George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum lobby at 701 21st St NW. RSVP: http://connect.gwu.edu/site/Calendar/1642644295  

Monday, June 15 at 4 PM, Happy Birthday, Magna Carta! Though we won’t have a cake big enough for 800 candles, we can still celebrate -- although the barons who forced King John to accept the “Great Charter” were definitely not in a party mood when they confronted him in the field at Runymede in 1215. But put on your chain mail and bring your own homemade birthday “carta” to this anniversary feast, where you may sing “Happy Birthday” in Anglo-Saxon (if you’re on the side of the barons) or in Norman French (if you take King John’s part) -- or in Latin, if you want to sing in the language of the Magna Carta itself. For details of the celebration in England, go to: https://liberteas.co.uk/. For more about the party here in Washington, DC see http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent

Tuesday, June 16 from 12:30 - 1:30 PM, Bloomsday and Yeatsday. The Embassy of Ireland invites you to celebrate Irish authors James Joyce and W. B. Yeats with readings and music and a bicycle rally. Participants are encouraged to dress in the style of the early 1900s. Free. At Dupont Circle. More info: http://bit.ly/1FK20ih  

Tuesday, June 16 at 7 PM, Local Author Shannon Morgan talks about her book 100 Things to Do in Washington, DC Before You Die. Free. At the Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th Street NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/49069  

Wednesday, June 17 at 1 PM, “DC by the Book.” The Georgetown Library hosts a free class on using the “DC by the Book” website http://dcbythebook.org/, a public resource about literature set in Washington, DC. The Georgetown Library is at 3260 R Street NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/48694  

Wednesday, June 17 at 6:30 PM, “Mapping Segregation in Washington, DC” is a public history project documenting the historic segregation of DC’s housing, schools, recreation facilities, and other public venues. The project’s website, to go live in June, reveals the widespread presence in DC of racially restricted housing, mainly east of Rock Creek Park. Discover why many of DC’s “historically black” neighborhoods were once exclusively white, and how the city’s racial geography has been shaped by segregation. Learn about legal battles over covenants fought along racial dividing lines, and find out why DC was central to the struggle to abolish covenants nationwide. “Mapping Segregation in Washington, DC” was organized by Prologue DC historians Mara Cherkasky and Sarah Shoenfeld, and GIS specialist Brian Kraft of JMT Technology Group. Free. In the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW http://dclibrary.org/node/47155    

Wednesday, June 17 from 7 - 8:30 PM, Celebration of Reno School Restoration and Exhibit. Tenleytown Historical Society and James Albright, Principal, Alice Deal Middle School invite you to visit the restored Reno School (at Alice Deal Middle School) and see the new glass connector joining Reno and Deal schools, and the "unveiling" of Tenleytown Historical Society’s exhibit on the history of Reno School and the Reno community that existed on the site of today’s Fort Reno Park from just after the Civil War to the 1930s. At 7:15 PM: Short program with remarks from Tenleytown Historical Society, Council Member Mary Cheh, and Deal Principal James Albright. Place: Reno School, 4820 Howard Street, NW (behind Alice Deal Middle School) – enter through door to new connector at rear of Reno School. Free. More info: http://on.fb.me/1L2qeuS   

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Still Life With Robin: News for Procrastinators

Can elephants fly?
by Peggy Robin

You are hereby warned that the following news articles (with or without videos) may cause procrastination, keeping you from doing something more productive for at least four minutes. The justification for bringing you this clickbait is that by looking at this stuff you could conceivably learn something about A) panda care in Turkish zoos; B) elephant aerodynamics; C) canine intelligence; and D/E) piscine precipitation.

A)  From BBC in Turkey (no subtitles necessary): Zookeeper gives oral medicine to a pair of panda twins: http://on.fb.me/1HSmA0h 

B)  From Twitter: Dumbo is real!

C)  From the world of viral videos (that is to say, I have no idea where this one got started, but believe me, it’s spreading like a wildfire):  Dogs taught to obey the command “wait”:

D)  And from CNN: Are eels raining from the sky in Alaska?

E)  And finally, (since the above story was couched in the form of a question, leading me to Google the proposition to see if it's been documented elsewhere), here's a somewhat more substantiated case of raining fish in Australia:

Have a good weekend, everyone!

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Still Life With Robin is published on the Cleveland ParkListserv and on All Life Is Local http://alllifeislocal.blogspot.com/ on Saturdays.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Get Out! - The Events Column


We wanted to share some events and activities that list members might be interested in. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 15,000+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.us.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv


Thursday, June 4 from 4- 6 PM, Author Talk, “Whose Child Am I? Unaccompanied, Undocumented Children in US Immigration Custody” by Georgetown University Professor Susan Terrio. Free. RSVP at http://bit.ly/1Q81UuY  In the Baker Scholars Conference Room, 550 Regents Hall, Georgetown University, 37th & O Streets NW. More info at https://isim.georgetown.edu/whose-child-am-I 

Thursday, June 4 at 7 PM, The Crime and Punishment Museum presents a workshop on "Fact vs. Fiction." Do you love to watch forensic experts and detectives solve cases on TV? Come by the Takoma library, where the Crime and Punishment Museum will show you just how true to life those shows are, and find out how crime cases are really solved. Free. The Takoma Library is at 416 Cedar St. NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/48377 

Friday, June 5 from 8 - 10 PM, Our City Festival: This DCopian Life. Feedel Band will perform while locals share stories detailing the Ethiopian experience in DC. This event is part of the Our City Festival (http://bit.ly/1Glsaxx) celebrating Washington, DC through film, music and literature. For adults. Free, but please register at http://bit.ly/1Fv9Agx.  

Saturday, June 6 from 8 AM - 1 PM, The DC Government’s Eighth Annual Truck Touch. Free and fun for the family! Come experience the high-tech equipment and vehicles used to provide vital city services. Learn how they operate to serve you better. Kids can climb aboard, work the gears, and honk the horns! At RFK Stadium - Lot 7, located off Oklahoma Avenue NE. More info: http://dpw.dc.gov/page/truck-touch-2015 

Saturday, June 6 from 9 AM - 1 PM, Key Elementary School’s E-Cycle Spring Fling. Recycle your old electronics and scrap metal and keep those materials out of the landfill. Potomac e-Cycle will make sure your electronics & metals are handled safely. An Eco-Shred truck will be on hand to provide professional and secure document shredding and recycling for a small fee per box. *There will be a $20 charge for accepting CRT monitors and TVs; $5 charge for LCD Monitors and TVs; and $10 per hard drive destruction. For a complete list of what can be recycled see: http://palisadesdc.org/documents/ecycle.pdf. Free. In the Hurst Terrace parking lot at Key Elementary, 5001 Dana Place NW. More info: http://palisadesdc.org

Saturday, June 6 from 11 AM - 5 PM, The 26th Annual Glover Park Day! Children’s activities, arts and crafts, live music, food from local restaurateurs, dog obstacle course, Washington Animal Rescue League dog and cat adoption, much more -- see http://bit.ly/1EXOPbH for details. Free. At Guy Mason Rec Center, Calvert St and Wisconsin Ave NW, http://gloverparkday.org  

Saturday, June 6 from 11 AM - 5 PM, Celebrate Petworth 2015! Local music, family entertainment, art, crafts, food, and fitness all set amidst new and seasoned businesses of the Upshur Street corridor at this year's Celebrate Petworth! Free admission. In the 800 block of Upshur St NW. More info: http://facebook.com/celebratepetworth  

Saturday, June 6 at 12 noon. D-Day Commemoration. Friends of the National World War II Memorial will commemorate the 71st anniversary of D-Day with a wreath-laying ceremony. The National World War II Memorial is at Independence Avenue at 17th St NW.

Saturday, June 6 from 3 - 5 PM, Mini Science Quest: Growing Curiosity for Science, presented by Acton Academy. Hands-on projects and scientific inquiry for children ages 6 - 10.. Free, but please reserve at http://actondc.org. At the Chevy Chase Library, 5625 Connecticut Ave NW. 

Sunday, June 7 from 9 AM - 2 PM, The Greater Brookland Garden Club's 15th Annual House and Garden Tour. Come see what is behind the door of the house or garden gate that you have always admired! Tickets are $15, available in advance at www.gbgc.org or at Petals, Ribbons & Beyond, 3906 12th St during business hours; $20 the day of the tour. The Brookland neighborhood contains an architecturally mixed variety of homes interspersed within the original all-Victorian community. The homes on the tour provide for a marvelous contrast both in architectural style and in how the gardens are implemented. Homeowners will be available at each property to provide details and answer questions.  

Sunday, June 7 from 10 AM - 6 PM, The 3rd Annual Taste of Peru. Cooking demonstrations, samples from local Peruvian restaurants. Admission $15; pay vendors for food. At Dennard Plaza, University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW. More info at http://tasteofperudc.com; advance tickets at http://tasteofperudc.com/tickets/  

Sunday, June 7 at 3 PM, Congressman John Lewis will speak about his role in the civil rights movement and will sign copies of his graphic novels, “March, Book One” and “March, Book Two” (both available for purchase). Refreshments and photo op with the Congressman. At the Palisades Community Church, 5200 Cathedral Avenue NW, http://bit.ly/1KaM6Tw   

Sunday, June 7 at 3 PM, Concert by the Washington Conservatory Community Orchestra, conducted by A. Scott Wood. Free and open to the public. At the Washington Conservatory in in the Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ building, One Westmoreland Circle, Bethesda. 

Monday, June 8 at from 6 - 9 PM, The Taste of Antarctica. Chill out and enjoy DC’s most unusual food tasting ever - with samples of ice pops, sno-cones, and that most popular of  penguin treats: krill. New this year: Chefs flown in from the McMurdo Station will show you what they can do with a microwave and some random canned goods. For ticket information and event location, go to: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent  

Tuesday, June 9 from 2 - 4 PM, Advocacy and Grassroots Engagement at AARP. This is the third session in Iona’s “Take Charge and Live Well” community advocacy series. Come to IONA and join AARP’s Gigi Hart Bessicks, who will give an overview of AARP and the how the organization collaborates with volunteers on advocacy efforts around retirement security issues. Issues include Social Security, protecting older workers against age discrimination, livable communities and anti‐fraud protection. Ms. Bessick, a senior advisor in the AARP Campaigns Department, also will cover health care issues like Medicare, Medicaid, long‐term care, and caregiving. See more at: http://bit.ly/1BLgug1. Free. Iona Senior Services is located at 4125 Albemarle Street NW. Registration appreciated - email: community @ iona.org  or call 202.895.9420. 

Tuesday, June 9 at 7 PM, Author Talk: Catherine Tuerk discusses her book, Mom Knows: Reflections on Love, Gay Pride, and Taking Action, a series of essays from the loving mother of a gay son to other parents who might be struggling with their children’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Covering two decades of her work as an advocate for LGBT people in the D.C. area with organizations such as the Jewish Social Service Agency, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the Children’s National Medical Center, and as president of the DC chapter of PFLAG, Ms. Tuerk’s essays dispel homophobia and promote advocacy with love and compassion. Free. At the Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW, http://dclibrary.org/dcpride