Weekends in July

Here we are in the thick of summer and the living is easy……… well let’s just say I’m not sitting on the front porch in excessive heat during the evenings sipping a mint julip. As the days slip by, I’m inclined to stay in air-conditioned comfort instead of trekking outdoors. Living outside the District of Columbia and within the metropolitan area gives weekends a new perspective for exploring and relaxing. It’s a great place to escape from the ordinary.

Breeze Bakery Café located in Annandale Virginia a suburb of Washington DC is the perfect spot to for a cool treat after spending the day museum hopping or hiking throughout a few of our parks. This delight is called the Breeze Yogurt Snow with fruit, shaved ice and coconut. It’s a phenomenal treat to share.

Last weekend in northeast DC a friend and I went to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to attend the Lotus and Water Lilly Festival. Behind the Capital is an oasis of trees and ponds lined with cattails. Lillie’s sit on the water and lotus blossom’s rise from the same source. To walk around viewing this beauty is astounding. Each turn and wherever you look stroll there is so much to experience; dragonflies flitting across the pond’s, buds getting ready to open and every once in a while, the wind brushed passed our faces. Attending a park with such beautiful gardens is the perfect way to relax and be inspired.

Lunch at a quaint establishment called Rice Paper-Taste of Vietnam at the Eden Center on Wilson Blvd in Falls Church was the perfect spot to revitalize. After being in the heat, we started with a young coconut & juice drink that had sliced coconut and shaved ice in the glass. The Rice Paper combo platter was the perfect summer dish, made with seafood, pork, and marinated beef all grilled and served with grape leaves and vermicelli patties. Items are placed in lettuce and rice paper wraps and then dipped in tasty sauces for added flavor.

Nothing tops spending time with family at the National Museum of Natural History on 10^th St. & Constitution Ave., NW. My adorable niece and nephew had a wonderful time exploring dinosaur bones, and seeing the bull elephant along with the blue whale. It’s a great place to understand the natural world and to learn of our beginnings.

Stay stylish,
Kathleen