The view from here

Well,  we've come full circle with the view from our window here at Oakwoods.

When we arrived at the end March, the trees were bare and we had a great view of the parking lot and the cemetery.  Here's what we saw from our balcony:

And then spring came and the trees leafed out obscuring the parking lot and cemetery.  We watched many thunderstorms and weather patterns from our balcony.

We even saw snow.

Fall brought the beautiful leaves changing and the trees started to get bare again.  The parking lot and cemetery came more into view.

And now we're back to full circle - bare trees and views of the parking lot and cemetery.

I guess it's time to head to a new place and see how the seasons are there.

Packing out from Oakwood

I had thought that the pack-out from Oakwood wouldn't be as challenging as when we packed out from Berkeley.  But it's amazing how much you accumulate when you stay in a place.  And then there are the items we need to get especially for Brazil.

In preparation for our move to Brazil, I'd put together big shopping list / spreadsheet.  It was based on a spreadsheet that a Vibrant Colleague had put together before she and her family left for India.  I went through it and adjusted it to reflect our family's needs.  Luckily for us, Brazil has wonderful markets with great produce, fish, meat and other products we might need.  But there are still those special products that can make your life a little bit nicer - whether it's your special brand of tea, or the lotion you love, - or for our family - the varieties of hot sauces.

I also had the kids get started on their packing.

It's really important to have everything you're taking with you packed and out of the packers way before they get there.  Since we knew we wouldn't see our things for quite some time, we had lots of stuff to pack.  We also had to make sure we had clothes for the last week in Virginia, the holidays in California, meetings in Miami and then for several weeks in Brazil.  We ended up with a lot of bags!

The End of Language Training

One of the requirements for a Foreign Service Officer to achieve tenure is to become proficient in a foreign language.  There are many who enter into the Foreign Service already knowing a language, and then there are those of us who must attain proficiency in their first two posts. 

I've been in Portuguese Language Training for the past 24 weeks.  It's been wonderful and difficult and challenging and fun.  I am so lucky to not only get to learn a language as part of my job, but to be able to learn such a beautiful language that's spoken by so many wonderful people and used in so many cultures.  With this language, I'll be able to visit many continents and regions all over the world.

But it's been very hard, really hard.  I've written about how challenging it's been for me here and here.  The last 8 weeks, I've been in major boot-camp mode in preparation for my language exam.  At my previous progress report, I wasn't quite at the level I wanted to be at and knew I really needed to kick everything up a notch.  So in addition to my time in class, language lab and homework, I started meeting regularly with native Portuguese speakers to really boost my confidence.  My entire being became focused on Portuguese.  My language skills really improved and I began to feel much more confident.

The last few days before the big test day it's important to be in the right mind-set.  At that point, you're not going to learn anything new - you already know it.  You just need to make sure you're in the right head space for the exam.  I reviewed some other people's preparations for the test, and then I crafted my own version:  N. and I went to SpaWorld!

For those of you who don't know - SpaWorld is a Korean Spa located in the DC area.  It is an amazing place!  There are special pools with water jets that work every part of your body.  There are poultice rooms that are super hot and equipped with various minerals that have healing properties.  There are people who will scrub your body rendering your skin baby fresh.  It is completely relaxing!

After SpaWorld, I felt well prepared for my test.  I got a good nights sleep and went to my test rested and calm.  Of course, I didn't stay calm long - but I got through my test and thanks to the wonderful language instructors at FSI - I passed!!!!  I now have a "professional level of fluency in Portuguese" and can head off to post on schedule!

Goodbyes and Barbacoa

One of the difficulties you must face when you're in the Foreign Service is saying goodbye to friends.   There are so many wonderful and interesting people and it's great getting to know them and becoming friends.  But -  someone's always leaving and heading to a new post. 

With my Vibrant class - there was a big bunch of people who left mid-summer, and then another bunch of people that are leaving at the end of this year.  We are part of that group and have spent the last few weeks saying goodbye to many of our new friends.  It's hard to say goodbye - but nice to know that nowadays with Facebook and Skype and other sorts of things, it's much easier to stay in touch.

We had a great goodbye / celebrating the end of language training dinner at Marrakesh in DC.  Loads of fun, great food, great company - and belly dancers!

We also had a nice dinner with some good friends who are off to Cape Verde.  M. is a native of Mexico and made a wonderful Barbacoa.  He was kind enough to share the recipe.  I'm looking forward to making it once we get to Brazil.

Barbacoa

Clockwise from top:

Chile, guajillo

Chile, ancho

Sesame seeds

Mexican oregano

Bay leaf

Garlic

Cloves

Marjoram

Black pepper, whole

Take all of the above ingredients and put in boiling water (enough to cover) for two minutes to soften.  Blend until fine with some of the water and some salt and strain into a pot.  Re-blend the residue with some more water and re-strain.  Repeat these steps until sauce is nice and red.  (Straining everything is an important step and helps prevent heartburn!)

Use the liquid to braise the meat (beef, pork, ribs, goat, lamb).  Add the meats - you'll want a mixture and cook at a low simmer for about 2 hours or until done.  The meat should be falling off the bone and very tender.  

One option is to pull out the meat and shred it and let it crisp in the oven - like carnitas.  You can also reduce the sauce so that it thickens.  You can also use some of the liquid to make rice and serve along with the meat.

Serve the meats and the sauce with warm tortillas, chopped onions, cilantro, limes and avocados.

Weekend in New York

We actually went to New York in July, I'm just now getting around to posting about our amazing trip.  Since the kids were at Camp Grandma and Bompa, we decided to take advantage of a free weekend and head to New York.  I hadn't been in many, many years and K. had never been.

We left Friday afternoon on the Vamoose Bus to New York.  There was a lot of traffic so we didn't get to Manhattan and checked into our hotel until around 9 or so.   We had a great recommendation from a Vibrant Colleague for a restaurant in Little Italy.  It was wonderful and at his recommendation, we had the deep fried calzone - yummy!  It was glorious to sit outside at 10:30 on a warm summer night and watch the people go by.

The next day we took one of those Hop On / Hop Off tours and explored New York.  But first we made a pilgrimage to the famous Essa Bagel.   Yummy whitefish on pumpernickel!

The Hop On / Hop Off tour is a great way to see a lot of the city in a day.  We had a great time on the open top of the double decker bus.  First we saw lower Manhattan.  And then we stopped for a rest at the Plaza and got some lunch and walked through Central Park.  After that we toured upper Manhattan finishing up at the Metropolitan Museum.  It was very crowded so we hopped a cab and headed to the new High Line Park through lower Manhattan.  It's this glorious urban park that has been built on old elevated train rails and winds through several blocks. There were lots of people promenading and several vendors selling refreshments.  I got a Latin-style popsickle - super yummy!

We then strolled through some neighborhoods stopping at one point for some great NY style pizza.  Eventually we ended up at the Staten Island ferry and from another Vibrant tip - took the free ferry to see the Statue of Liberty around sunset.  It was beautiful!

We walked up the east side of the island through different neighborhoods and got a late night snack before heading back to the hotel - we were exhausted!

The next morning we headed back to DC and more Portuguese studying!  It was a whirlwind, but loads of fun.

Holiday Traditions

Every family has their special traditions and it's always nice to learn what they are.  This year, with us being in this odd state of transit, we've had to forgo a lot of our usual traditions.

But we were able to keep up with some traditions:

Like Theo - our Elf on a Shelf,

And Toffee!  My father's sister started this tradition years ago.  She would send a big care package at Christmas and the part that we all looked forward to were the bags (one for each of us) of her very special homemade toffee.  Oh - we loved that toffee!

So now it's a tradition in our house.  I make it every year and it's great to give away or bring to parties.  I'm glad that I was able to make it this year - despite all the transition.
 

Sue’s Toffee

 Don’t double

2 C sugar

2 C butter (not Sweet) (1 pound)

2 C almonds, chopped and divided into big pieces and dust (1 cup of each)

chocolate chips

Line cookie sheet with foil and scatter larger almond pieces evenly.

Cook butter and sugar together over low heat at first, then higher heat until reaches 305F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over almonds on cookie sheet evenly.

Wait 5 minutes then scatter chocolate chips over toffee.

Wait 2 minutes and spread melted chocolate over surface of toffee and then sprinkle almond dust.

Let cool completely (4 hours), break into chunks.

And enjoy!!

Adventure Park

We'd been promising the kids a fun "kid-friendly" activity for a while.  They've been wanting to go to an amusement park - but here where it snows - they close right after Halloween.

So we checked Adventure Park USA in Maryland.  It was the only amusement place that advertised as open all year.  But when we got there, we found that only the indoor penny-arcade stuff stayed open - the miniature golf and roller coasters were closed.

But we still had fun!  We got to play a bunch of video games,

play laser tag,  and go on a very cool ropes course.

And of course play tons of Skeeball!

Flags of the World - in Food!

A friend and Vibrant Colleague of mine recently sent me a link to the results of the Sydney International Food Festival.  They had an extraordinary competition that required people to make the country flags using traditional foods from the country.  The results are amazing - great food styling and creativity.


Here's the Brazilian Flag - banana leaf, limes, pineapple and passion fruit.

Here's the link for the rest of the flags - check them out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the first Thanksgiving that I haven't spent with my family - other than those times in college when I went home with a friend to share their Thansgivings.

Usually, for Thanksgiving, we all get together and cook and have a great time.  It's a great chance for me to really play with different recipes and experiment - with an incredibly appreciative audience.

But this year is different.  We're on the other coast and since we'll be heading back to California prior to moving to Brazil - it didn't make sense to take the time and the money to head west.  So - we stayed here.  We could have joined an number of potlucks - but since this year, Thanksgiving fell on K.'s birthday, we wanted to spend the day with the four of us.

And what a day we had!  First opening presents.  And then a great hike at Great Falls.  I just love that place.

Check out the high water mark for 1936!

We had a Thanksgiving feast at a local restaurant.  (I know - everyone is surprised that me, a chef, didn't cook.  But cooking would mean spending time away from celebrating with my family - better to purchase a dinner out). 

And then we had a rousing game of family Monopoly where I completely took advantage of my lovely daughter.  I was able to talk her into purchasing Indiana Avenue for me and then accepting Water Works for the $1000 rent that I owed her.  But eventually, my inability to land on Free Parking resulting in me forfeiting my two monopolies and K. and her winning the game.

A great end to a great day!

Old Friends and the Eastern Shore

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit my friend from college at their place on the Eastern Shore.

Being from California, I'm always curious how other places "live on the coast".  I've heard great things about the Eastern Shore, but had never been there.

We had a great time and it was absolutely gorgeous!!!  Apparently there's more miles of Maryland coastline than there is California coastline.  This is due to the Chesapeake Bay and all the inlets and rivers that feed into it.  What this means, is that almost every home is on the water - and many with docks and boats.  It's breathtaking and really lovely.

My friends place is just wonderful.  We got there and were able to go in their boat over to St. Michaels for lunch. 

Along the way we got to see many of the homes that are on the water.  There's quite a variety - from simple, cozy cottages to enormous estates.  This is where they filmed the movie Wedding Crashers. 

The town of St. Michaels is quaint and historical - it reminded me a bit of Carmel or Mendocino in California.

We went to this great place for lunch - the Big Pickle! Great food - try the Duck Wings and the Pastrami Egg Rolls! 

O. got a hot dog and it was the biggest one I'd ever seen!

After lunch we strolled around town a bit and checked out the local brewery.  They make awesome beers! 

We also found a store that had a younger sibling of Beyonce!

We got our picture taken in front of the lighthouse and then headed back to J. & B.'s place.  After several rousing games of a new charades-type game, we built a fire in their outside fire pit and roasted marshmallows.  The stars outside were glorious!

Eventually we headed home.  As you can tell - it had been a wonderful - and exhausting day!

Crabs!

I've been wanting to have crabs since we moved here.  I remember having them with friends when I had lived here before and really wanted to experience again - this time with my family.

So this weekend we made the trek up to Cantler's for crabs.  

Of course - since it shouldn't just be about the food, we checked out the fall colors and the Chesapeake Bay as well.  First we went to drove out to Sandy Point State Park.  The drive was beautiful and the park was very quiet and peaceful.  When we got out of the car, we realized one of the reasons it was so quiet and peaceful - it was cold and windy!  But beautiful.

O. found a great "caveman stick".

And we saw some deer.














Then it was time to head to Cantler's.  It's down a windy residential road and sits right on the water.  The Chesapeake Bay has so many fingers of water throughout the region here.  It seems like everyone can get waterfront property and it's just so beautiful - especially with the leaves changing.






O. and I shared some crabs.  He had lots of fun using his mallet to crack open the legs.  K. was kind enough to clean the bodies for me to then pick out the meat.  Unfortunately, N. was feeling righteously vegetarian that day and was concerned about flying bits of crab from all the mallet action.

After lunch we walked down to the water where they bring the crabs in and sort them.  You can see why they call them Blue Crabs.

They were yummy and it was a good time.  Some time I'd like to do a side-by-side tasting of Dungeness Crabs and Blue Crabs.  We had Dungeness Crabs growing up and they are so tasty - and because they're bigger, there's more meat and less picking the small bits.

Of course I'll have to try the Stone Crabs in Miami sometime.