alexandriacardinals

By Tommy Obert, 5th Grade

Dateline: Alexandria, Minnesota, April 16, 2011

If you thought the excitement was just too much up until now, better pop some of the blood pressure meds – it’s family photo time!

[Sister Gretch, the supervisor, and brother-in-law Mohamed at the intersection of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown – otherwise known as “The Center of the Universe.”  Gretch and Mohamed have lived in downtown D.C. since the Harding administration.]

We sent our D.C. host, Roy Gorena, off to work on Thursday to the Department of Labor, his last day after 40+ years [previously exposed]; we dined with Mark Brown, our most regular visitor to Vacationland USA, one night at the Carlyle Grand Cafe; and last night got together with our old poker group, now mostly a bunch of retired bureaucrats.

[At a Georgetown eatery whose named I have already forgotten.  Shame on me!]

[From lunch, we walked several blocks to the hottest place in town – DC Cupcakes.  Gretch said she had never been able to get in because of the lines.  It was mid-afternoon on a weekday.  The line stretched up the block, manned by power brokers in Armani suits and camel hair coats.  We decided not to wait.]

[With Mark at the Carlyle Grand Cafe in Shirlington (a section of Arlington) -two blocks of fine dining on both sides of the street, and thus, logically a favorite destination for this reporter.]

[Poker night with the patriots who kept this country safe for democracy.]

We had a Crazy Dave Owen Alexandria moment at the American Indian Museum yesterday. We were sitting in the cafeteria and happened to start chatting with a woman next to us. We told her we were from West Central Minnesota. She said, ‘Oh, Alexandria?’ Crazy Dave says EVERYONE knows Alexandria. She was from Carson City, Nevada, but knows Pat and Patty McMahon, a retired couple in Alex. Unfortunately, we do not know them – Alexandrians?

[Not a Native-American . . . but she looked good in a suit!]

From the National Museum of the American Indian, we meandered up (or was it down?) the mall to the Smithsonian Castle and it neighboring National Museum of African Art.  We were of the opinion that the latter was a great place to visit on a busy touristy week (the cherry blossoms) because it was a wonderful place to escape the ‘din’:

[Sister and big brother.]

[My hero!]

[BLING!]

[In our misguided youth, the aforementioned sister used to refer to my tushy as “the chair.”   I guess this is what she had in mind.]

[From Mauritania, from whence came Mohamed.]

[Hirshorn Sculpture Garden.]

[Henry Moore]

[Only one more to go (I think) . . .]

By Tommy Obert, 5th Grade

Dateline: Alexandria, Minnesota, April 16, 2011

Determined to finish our vacation ledger, we continue with the e-mail sent from D.C., and continue our tour of the FDR Memorial, the Tidal Basin, and the cherry blossoms:

[Your friendly neighborhood park ranger gave us our Paddles buttons, prominently displayed in all our photos.]

[The MLK, Jr. monument, to be opened soon.]

The weather has chased us indoors mostly – which is fine. Ruthie hasn’t been here for 5 years, so it’s been fun revisiting all the museums and galleries on the mall . . .

[A shameless political plug.]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/national-gallery-visitor-attacks-gauguin-painting-officials-say/2011/04/03/AFoATUXC_story.html

[On display at the National Galleries of Art.]

[Ruthie listening to an audio tour.]

[Rosie, our hostess in Sarasota.]

[The first hockey player?]

[To be continued . . .]

By Tommy Obert, 5th Grade

Dateline: Alexandria, Minnesota, April 11, 2011

This is Washington, D.C. Our nation’s capital. I lived and worked here for 30 years. I was a bureaucrat. I never wore a badge. But I did wear a photo ID. My name is Obert.

[The Department of Labor, to which I matriculated when it was a brand new building in 1975.]

Before we go any further, I feel an obligation to give you a feel for our host’s place. I met Roel Alexis Gorena in Okinawa in the early ‘70’s when we were in the Army. Strangely, we also both ended up employed by the U.S. Department of Labor in D.C. Roy got there first and bought this lovely Cape Cod in South Arlington over 30 years ago. He transformed the place into a mini-museum, and added a “California” addition to the back of the house overlooking his Japanese garden. Over the years, Roy’s interior has reflected a décor from Japanese to Old Europe to ultimately a combination of both. He retired while we were there – after 40+ years of federal service – and has aspirations of moving to Hawaii. In anticipation of such, he has stocked his house with 15 telescopes for viewing the Hawaiian sky:

[Roy’s Japanese garden and art museum.]

[Roy’s last day of work.]

I forwarded the following e-mail while in D.C. (no point in reinventing the wheel): Yup, we’re still freezing here in Washington, D.C. I’ve always found 40-ish, damp, gray, windy weather to be the most uncomfortable. We went to an REI store the other day so Ruthie could buy some winter clothes – we discovered we’re still in the their computer as members since 1997, so she got a 20% discount! . . .

[First day brunch with family friend, Betsy Greer, a great fan of the AGC.]

[It was Cherry Blossom time.  Years of experience led us to a favorite parking spot on the oval by the Tidal Basin where I played softball for more years than I care to remember.  (Editor’s note:  We ignored the “prohibition” sign.  It’s softball, for Pete’s sake!  Every team always had a cooler of beer.)  It’s seems appropriate to this photo that we just returned from a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the girls high school softball team – they must abide by the “prohibition” sign.  Oh, the supervisor had two plates of spaghetti – under the guise that women attendees were given smaller initial portions!]

[Jefferson Memorial – on the far side of the oval from Field 3 and across the Tidal Basin.]

And now for an incredible potpourri of photos from the Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin and the FDR Memorial.  Ruthie & I would ride our bikes down for this on an annual basis when we lived there.  You will note, however, the camera was crapping out with a black fuzzy ball on the right side of the photos – something that had been “repaired” before, about a year and a half ago:

[to be continued . . .]

By Tommy Obert, 5th Grade

Dateline: Alexandria, Minnesota, April 10, 2011:

[Last night in Sarasota, in Rosie and Dick’s lovely neighborhood.]

We’ve been home for a few days now – time to catch up. I’m sure the valued readership has been wondering where we’ve been (or not). It got a bit hectic there for a while – and after 22 days on the road that included 10 different overnight stops, we needed decompression.

When last we left you, we were on the road to Washington, D.C. – the place where we lived and worked until they couldn’t stand us anymore. The trip up I-95 is always harrowing at best – at this time of year we also had to battle the largest large creature migration on the planet. The Americanus Motorhomi were heading north in vast numbers, often with their “offspring” in tow. They were headed to places with strange names such as Ontario, Quebec, New Hampshire, where they will graze on summertime ethanol until it’s time once again for the autumn southern migration.

Once in D.C., we did some touristing. Our first photo was of the Pentagon, where Ruthie worked for 14 years, on a drive-by; checked in at Roy’s place (our residence for the week); had lunch at the Italian Store (my all-time favorite for subs); and then went to Old Town Alexandria, to get a taste of “home.”

[Roy’s]

[The Italian Store (it’s always about food).]

So, the above is a generic overview of Old Town, including some of our favorite restaurants.  The following couple are of “219,” an old favorite, where Obert family members arrived from all over the globe for Uncle Tom’s 60th birthday, 15 years ago.

And then we went to the Astoria, where the supevisor and I met in 1988; visited old neighbor, Pearl Austin, whose 5th floor unit overlooked Ruthie’s patio below, as well as the Washington, D.C. mall and Rosslyn, which overlooks Roosevelt Island in the Potomac, and Georgetown University.