Whole new ball game

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Fri 8 Jun 2012 00:25

On Tuesday I went back to Du Pont and visited the Phillips Museum - easily the best art museum in Washington, housed in a Beaux Arts building.   This is a private one so had to pay for the first time!   I then did some real shopping in Georgetown, such a treat.   Didn't (obviously) find what I was supposed to be looking for but bought some shorts in Gap (where their sizes have definitely changed from the UK - I was 2 sizes smaller, and no, I am not thinner after all this eating) and long sleeved T shirts.   The weather has blessedly been cooler for the last few days - much better for touristy things.   And then I negotiated my way back on buses and Metros.

 

Rob had stayed on board to change the oil, and do some proper work which seemed a very poor exchange for him.

 

On Wednesday I did the National Portrait Gallery and American Art (one museum confusingly) which was a bit of a disappointment;  and the Women in Art museum, again not mind-blowing but it did have a brilliant exhibition of Sister Mary Corita's prints from 1960s endorsing love and peace (and religion) using lettering and words from advertisements of the time.   Doesn't sound riveting but it really was impressive.   And anyone who knows me will know it hurts to say anything positive about a nun!

 

Rob meanwhile had had a horrible day sorting out the back-filling problem on the loo (again), completing oil and diesel filter changes and then working with the magnificent Bill on our fuzzy SSB.   But horrible it might have been, everything has been a great success.   Yet more bits and pieces to change - including the aerial up the backstay we had replaced in Antigua, which has proved a waste of time.   We actually think that this thing will finally be a useful piece of equipment (rather than an a potential anchor angel).

 

We all had to be ready for 1700 hours to meet up with Scott, Freddi, David and Candy to walk to the baseball stadium and watch the local team, The Washington Nationals (who Freddi very keenly supports) against the New York Mets.   Firstly we had a drink and watched them warm up, then climbed the ramps to the very top of the main stand and took our seats.   Along the way we indulged in two half-smoked dogs and fries from the institution that is ‘Bill's Chilli Bowl’ - very good indeed but incredibly messy to eat.   And then drank beer and we watched the game with extremely good commentary/instruction from our friends.   It was fascinating to hear it from the experts (and would have been a complete waste of time if we hadn't had all this information) and the Nats (currently top of the league) won - so what more could we ask for. The Americans certainly don’t enjoy any cracks about their ‘World Series’ but the truth of the matter is even stranger because they have two major baseball leagues: The American League and the National League. These two leagues are equal in status and play a regular season then at the end of this, they play each other in the ‘World Series’, BUT the two leagues have different playing rules, so never mind a global game, they have not got one set of common rules themselves. When they play this series, they play using the rules followed by the home team! Mustn’t mock really, but we need to get our own back a bit as they are making a very big issue of the way of 1812, which is apparently some skirmish we drew (but not before we sacked and burnt the White House and the Capitol Building). I have been in denial about the war of 1812 until they pointed out in the bar this evening that Lonnie Donegan had a hit in the UK with a song all about it (Battle of New Orleans)! Rob

 

Today I have been washing every bit of cloth that will go in a washing machine, on shore and catching up with some internet stuff.    Rob has been trotting round town collecting his chest highs from the repairer's, bit of food shopping and installing the new cables and fuses for the SSB.

 

Tomorrow we will do a proper food shop and get the boat ready for going back south towards the Chesapeake on Saturday.   All good things must come to an end sometime, but Rob would be quite happy to settle here for a very long time.   We have made some great friends, the Yacht Club could not be any better in any way.   Sadly they are in the midst of a forced re-build and slight re-location by the city which has caused consternation in the club.   There is a big vote next week when everything becomes set in stone.   These changes will start to occur in late 2013 so anyone thinking of coming may want to factor that into their schedule!   They are such a professional outfit that I am sure details will be on their website as and when.