Round Up

Well, my favorite month is here and I am thrilled. It's still too warm for my taste, but the weather is getting there.

We attended the Progressives rally last weekend on the mall. I haven't been to a rally in years. I used to go all of the time, but I just stopped going. The weather was great and there were tons of people with very creative signs. I had forgotten about that special feeling you get looking around and seeing so many different types of people (remember we Progressives are about inclusiveness-not exclusivity) and listening to the various speakers. Marian Wright Edelman always gets to me. She is a tiny powerful woman and once you hear her speak you won't forget her words. We plan to attend more of these gatherings in the future.

If you live in the WDC metropolitan area here are some fun things to do this month. Great if you have some children in your life, or if you are just young at heart:

Boo at the Zoo
Butler's Orchard 30th Annual Pumpkin Festival
The Enchanted Forest
Summers Farm Adventure
34th Annual City of Fairfax Fall Festival (kind of underwhelmed by their website)
Nightmare Manor

150 covers of Lolita.

List of the 2010 MacArthur Fellows.

There used to be a Bagel Bakers Union.

Of course there is a National Caves Association for all of the spelunkers out there.

25 photos of camouflaged animals.

Diggin' this skull print dress.

I am so addicted to Radiolab. The podcast on Famous Tumors was fascinating. And speaking of famous tumors Henrietta Lacks finally received a headstone. If you don't know who Ms. Lacks was then you must read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Even if you aren't a science nerd like yours truly-read the book.

The Radiolab podcast entitled Vanishing Words was also fascinating. Sheds new insight into Agatha Christie's later books.


It's getting to be time for wrist worms.
The Rare Book and Manuscript Room of the University of Pennsylvania has digitized over 2000 photographs of poets.

Love this candy corn tree. This one too (I thought Lillian Vernon went out of business.)

I would love to stay at the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon just so I could see their library.

Meet the wood stacker.

7 image search tools that will change your life.

The privatization of public libraries makes my blood boil.

I like They Draw and Cook website. Everyday an artist or illustrator submits a recipe. What a cool idea.

I'm ready to settle back with a cider doughnut, burn my Mountain Lodge tart and read a good book by the fire.

That's the Round Up for this week. Have a wonderful long weekend (even if it is for a stupid holiday).

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. " George Eliot