May’s Mutterings: Rants and Ramblings
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Inn at Little Washington weekend (aka I want to come back in my next life as one of my kids)
As you may have noticed from my blog posts, the Inn at Little Washington is a favorite restaurant of ours, with a combination of stunning food and warm hospitality. (We always feel treated like family when we go.). This past weekend will be remembered in the family chronicles as the Inn at Little Washington weekend.…
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Chef Mavro (Honolulu)
Chef Mavro is the one restaurant through the years that we always ensure we visit when we are in Honolulu. February is the tail end of black truffle season, and we were fortunate enough to ride the coattails of one of our favorite ingredients. The restaurant is currently offering a four course chicken dinner option,…
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Hawaii (without the kids)
For our annual “ditch the kids” vacation, Jim and I went back to one of our usual haunts—Honolulu. (My parents were kind enough to come and stay with the kids.) It was a beautifully relaxing and restful vacation where we took long walks around Diamondhead and ate our way through the city. Some highlights include:…
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Book review: Mary Russell’s War by Laurie King
Mary Russell’s War: And Other Stories of Suspense by Laurie R. King My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love this series. I love everything about this series. I love the fact that it’s Sherlock Holmes. I love the fact that Sherlock Holmes found an apprentice worthy of him. I love the fact that the…
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Book review: Everything Under the Heavens by Dana Stabenow
Everything Under the Heavens by Dana Stabenow My rating: 3 of 5 stars I bought this book because it is uncommon to find English language historical fiction books about China. This book takes place in 14th century China, at the end of the reign of Kublai Khan (the grandson of Genghis Khan). The main character…
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Deer Valley 2017 (aka Flight from DC)
Washington, DC area locals know that every four years in January, it is best to leave town, no matter who has been elected president. Downtown DC is shut down for security reasons, traffic is even more horrible than usual, and the kids get a day off of school. We fled town for Deer Valley at…
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Inn at Little Washington December 2016
Another one of our annual traditions is to go to the Inn at Little Washington after Christmas and spend the night. While Jim and I usually do it with just the two of us, this year, we took the kids. (I know—I want to come back in my next life as one of our kids,…
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Book review: The Trouble with Dukes by Grace Burrowes
The Trouble with Dukes by Grace Burrowes My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the first book I’ve ever read by Grace Burrowes, and I was very pleasantly surprised. (I know–I’m on a romance kick.) The characters are deftly drawn, especially the secondary characters, which made the book particularly enjoyable. I expect the hero…
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Pyromaniacs enjoy!
I should have put this video up earlier, but last year, we had a lesson on how quickly a dry Christmas tree can burn (it’s a pyromaniac’s dream)…
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A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre
We have an annual holiday tradition of going to see “A Christmas Carol” (this predates our time in Washington, DC and kids, for that matter). The bonus of seeing it in DC is that the play is performed at Ford’s Theatre, leading to the kids’ worst nightmare—a cultural event AND an educational event rolled into…
Got any book recommendations?