by Peggy Robin
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Get Out! You can be in Paris (virtually) for the Summer Olympics at your friendly neighborhood CP Bar & Grill
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Still Life with Robin: The Domin(o)ator
by Peggy Robin
Last Saturday I went to the National Building Museum with an out-of-town guest to see the exhibit on Capital Brutalism, which offers visions by various architects of how some of our city's largest and most intimidating brutalist buildings could be transformed to make them more pedestrian-friendly, or at least a bit less off-putting and monstrous. To be clear, this take on the exhibit reflects my own prejudice against the brutalist style; the exhibition's explanatory copy does not use such judgmental language and it explains that the term "brutalism" does NOT refer to a brutish indifference to people or a crude animal-like cruelty but comes from a literal translation of the French word "brut" (or its feminine form, "brute"), meaning "raw". It's called "brutalism" because the primary building material is raw concrete.
The whole paragraph above is all just a digression from the point of today's Still Life with Robin column. The Brutalism exhibit quickly turned into an side excursion for us, something we realized would be the case the instant we walked through the big front doors of the Building Museum and saw that the main event, occupying the entire, huge ground floor, was the Destination Dominoes exhibit - the work of domino artist Lily Hevesh and her team of builders.
![]() |
Image: https://x.com/Hevesh5/status/1814309871451271194 |
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Get Out! It's the Summer Matsuri (that's FESTIVAL in Japanese) at the Japan Institute & Culture Center on Saturday, 7/20 - and It's FREE
by Peggy Robin
Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Still Life with Robin: The Blooms of Summer, Part 2
by Peggy Robin
About a month ago I wrote in this space about the explosion of colorful, blooming hydrangea bushes I had observed on a short walk around Cleveland Park. I am so far out of my wheelhouse when it comes to botanical matters that I wondered if summer was always like this and I'd just never noticed it before, or whether this really was a super-spectacular summer for hydrangeas.
Now I've got the answer to my question. It's not just my own bloom-obliviousness. Yes, folks, according to the New York Times, this is an exceptional year for hydrangeas.
Here you go, all the flower news that's fit to print:
It’s Not Just Your Garden: ‘Hydrangea Hysteria’ Blooms in the Northeast
Here’s why hydrangeas are having a banner year on the East Coast and how you can enjoy them.
Read the whole article to learn the why, when, and how of this year's super-bloom -- and even if you don't read the whole thing, do click on the link below to see a Tik-Tok of the proof (taken in Maryland):
https://www.tiktok.com/@ivyarbaugh/video/7379599692667047199?_r=1&_t=8nuSeXnDXry
-----------
Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays (usually) but in this case, it was delayed until Sunday.
Friday, July 12, 2024
Get Out! It's Fort Stevens Day on Saturday, July 13, 10am - 4pm
by Peggy Robin
Fort Stevens 160! Be Part of History!
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Website: https://theparksdc.com/event/fort-stevens-day-160-anniversary/
DC’s #1 Civil War History Event – Free!
* Music of the Civil War Era!
* Historian talks about the only Civil War Battle in DC!
* Kids activities!
* Food and restrooms
Event Location: Quackenbos Street between 13th & Georgia Ave. NW, Washington D.C.
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Mgnop7adYAixBEBK8
Click here to download the event flyer.
Click here to download the event program.
Fort Stevens was part of the extensive fortifications built around Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War. This event commemorates the history of the battle fought there in 1864 and the arrival of President Lincoln to the battleground.
The fort was constructed in 1861 as “Fort Massachusetts” and later enlarged by the Union Army and renamed “Fort Stevens” after Brig. Gen. Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who was killed at the Battle of Chantilly, Virginia, on September 1, 1862. In 1861, it had a perimeter of 168 yards and places for 10 cannon. In 1862, it was expanded to 375 yards and 19 guns.
It guarded the northern approach to Washington, D.C., the Seventh Street Turnpike. By 1864 Fort Stevens was one part of a thirty-seven mile-long arrangement of fortifications, consisting of sixty-eight forts intended to defend the capital.
-----------
The "Get Out! "event of the week is supposed to be posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays, but I forgot to upload it last night, which is why it's a day late.
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Still Life with Robin: What if each Metro station gave you the "local color"?
by Peggy Robin
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Get Out! Whether You March or Watch - There's a Fourth of July Parade for You!
The Palisades Community Association Presents:
The 58th 4th of July Parade & Picnic 2024
Thursday, July 4
Parade at 11:00am | Picnic at 12:00pm
Join your friends and neighbors for an evening of Live Music * Food Trucks * Beer & Wine Garden (Takoma Bev Co.)* Kids' Activities with Let's Play America and more!
Where: Maple Ave between Philadelphia Ave & Ritchie Ave
Master of Ceremonies: Jared Garelick
When: 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Entertainment provided by the following bands:
6:00-6:45pm Takoma Park Community Band
7:15-9:00pm The JoGo Project
Saturday, June 29, 2024
Still Life with Robin: Q: What's better than a blue light? A: A hand-made sign
by Peggy Robin
Friday, June 28, 2024
Jackson-Reed HS Student's Art Was Wednesday's Google Doodle....Thanks to Your Votes!
by Peggy Robin
“Every Sunday night is filled with chaos, laughter, and the smell of food in my household.... As my life grows and changes, my wish for the next 25 years is that this tradition remains a constant.”
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Get Out! Here's to Life! And the Folks! Put 'em together and Here's to the FolkLife Festival
by Peggy Robin
It's the week of the annual Smithsonian FolkLife Festival -- and it's already underway. It started yesterday, June 26th and it runs through July 1st.
Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with evening concerts Friday through Sunday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
There's only one theme this year: Indigenous Voices of the Americas.
For everything you need to know to attend, start here: https://festival.si.edu/
See the complete schedule of performances, demonstrations, cooking sessions, and other activities at https://festival.si.edu/schedule
Festival map, brochure (printable), visitor information: https://festival.si.edu/visit
Here are a few of the events that caught my eye:
- Archery demonstration
- All About Buffalo
- Cherokee Storytelling
- Chickasaw Storytelling
- Cooking: Raw Cacao Avocado Pudding
- Cooking: Succotash
- DineTah Navajo Dance
- Mapuche Rap
- Skateboard Art
- Pele Narrative of Hawaiian Volcanoes
For some practical tips on beating the heat and planning your day, check out my advice in the June 25, 2022 column on the FolkLife Festival -- still good from year to year!
---------
The Get Out! event of the week is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays.