3 crows x-stitch

 
Carlos and I are in Redmond, WA now with my parents and tomorrow morning we are all off to Lancaster, CA to see my sister and her husband. We had a full (and fast) few days here visiting with friends and seeing our usual WA haunts (the Root Beer Store, Uwajimaya, and REI top that list).

A couple of nights ago we visited with our friends Judy and Terry for dinner at my parents' house. As a gift for Judy, I made a cross stitch of three crows in the Charley Harper art style (Judy likes crows). I really like how it turned out -- it is pretty simple but looks cool. I have more arty things to post about (gifts, X-mas cards), but I can't put those up until later (after people receive them).

Posting might be a little more sparse than usual while we are out and about in the Mojave!

Visiting the anthopology pod at MSC

Last week, Carlos and I were able to take a private tour (with a few other Smithsonian staff) of the anthropology pod (or the anthro-pod as I like to call it) at the Museum Support Center. This pod contains lots of really neat artifacts and collections. We first looked at the Terry Collection: human remains that comprise one of the most studied collections in the world (for pathology, forensics, history, etc.). We examined many old Peruvian skulls, learning about what different facial traumas and diseases look like on crania, then we looked at more really neat stuff in the mummy room. We saw a mummy from Peru and shrunken heads from the Amazon (while learning about different levels of shrunken head fakery -- some heads were sloths but most were human). We even were able to see a mummified bull -- one of only three known to exist!  This was a very unique opportunity to see more of the treasures housed in Smithsonian storage~

 

 

On another note, Carlos and I leave for Washington state and California tomorrow. We will be gone for about two weeks. I still have some things to blog about (like my Dad visiting DC for a couple of days) so I should have more adventures up soon!

Cephaloleia horvitzae painting

Yesterday, I completed a  project that I had been working on for a while: a scientific illustration of a new beetle species, Cephaloleia horvitzae. This genus is the group that Carlos works with and he decided to name one of the new species after his Ph.D. advisor and our friend, Carol Horvitz. As a present, I illustrated this little beetle (it is only 4 mm long!) and thought I would post some photos of the process and end product. The work involved in creating a scientific illustration is more intense than just creating illustrations with no scale specifications.

I am really pleased with how this illustration turned out and I hope Carol likes it!

Zoo Lights

A couple of weeks ago, Carlos and I visited the National Zoo to see the collection of lights put up for the holidays -- Zoo Lights! We have never seen these before, but it was a real treat to be able to visit the animals at the zoo after nightfall (the zoo usually closes every day around 6 pm). It was pretty cold when we visited so we bundled up and brought a little picnic dinner of Morningstar burgers, satsuma oranges, and hot apple cider.

This event was pretty popular and we really enjoyed seeing all the lights, hearing Christmas music, and seeing the sleepy animals in the ape, small mammal, and reptile houses. We also looked at some of the special Christmas exhibits: a clouded leopard-themed tree, edible dioramas of North American animals, and train sets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

We wandered all over the zoo, ate dinner, got a free glowstick, and had a nice time -- we will probably be back soon to see it again before we start our holiday travels in a week!

Cornish game hen dinner

 

 

Last night, Carlos and I tried a new recipe: little roasted Cornish game hens!  We bought them from a little poultry stall in Eastern Market, then used a recipe I found online (stuff hens with lemon, rosemary, and garlic, then pour white wine sauce over the top).  They turned out very delicious so we have found a new food item to incorporate into our diets!  We also made some roasted brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes to go with the hens.  This was a pretty easy and satisfying dinner that we will definitely make again.

PS. The light in the kitchen is strange so the color in the pictures looks a little weird.  Everything looked tastier in reality!

Crafty Bastards 2012

 

A couple of weekends ago (on 10 November), Carlos and I ventured out to another part of DC that we haven't yet visited: the area north of Union Station which houses the newly-renovated Union Market.  This was a REALLY cool area that we will definitely be visiting again!  Our reason for being here was to attend the 2012 Crafty Bastards arts and craft fair.  We have gone to Crafty Bastards for the past two years, but this is the first time that it was held in the Union Market area. 

We arrived about a half hour before the fair opened so we peeped around the indoor market and its varied vendors.  Union Market renovated only a couple of months and you can tell that this really gentrified building is a little out of place in its current location and seems to cater to hipsters and foodies.  I really liked it (and am neither a hipster nor foodie) -- I especially liked the bakery (we bought a huge delicious sourdough loaf for $4) and dairy (fresh eggnog!).  We also saw coffee and tea shops, an oyster bar, cheese shop, vegetable stand, and old-fashioned soda shoppe (among other neat-looking vendors).

Once Crafty Bastards officially opened, we got our wristbands (we had to pay $2.50/each for entry this year, bleh) and started our wanderings.  I am glad we came early because this space became crowded very quickly.  We looked at all of the great vendors and purchased a few goodies (some are gifts and I can't show them) -- there was a lot of really high quality creative art here!

 

After making a pin, buying some goodies, and looking at everything, we hopped back inside Union Market to get a snack: tasty vanilla creme soda and a mulled apple cider ice cream from Trickling Springs Dairy.  It was so crowded that we stood near the seating area to eat. 

 

By this time, we were ready to leave (it was so crowded everywhere by this point!) so we wandered back to the metro to go home.  I ended up buying a really cute long-sleeved shirt for myself with a little silkscreened mountain scene.  We probably won't be in DC for Crafty Bastards next year, but we will definitely visit Union Market again soon to stock up on gourmet treats.