Shenandoah Donut

And... I went back to Shenandoah today. This time I went by myself and drove almost the entire length of the park. It felt like I had the whole park to myself. I didn't go hiking or anything - I wouldn't want to fall off of a cliff or get stolen or something - but I got a good workout climbing all over the place to get pictures of pretty things:

Wild Geranium (I think)

Wild Columbine

Large-flowered Trillium

Trail that I really wanted to hike but it was raining and I was by myself
so it's on my list to do next time.

Cinco de Mayo!

Free stuff is fun. Especially when it keeps your beer cold.

Chicken Chili

Here's my version of a pretty healthy chili. I've tried beef and turkey, but I love this recipe the best:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons cumin
1 28-oz can chunky-style tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1 can corn, drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Heat deep pot on medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Brown chicken, breaking it into small pieces. Add onions and garlic and let cook for 5 minutes. When onions are translucent, add cumin and chili powder. Combine well. Stir in green pepper and jalepeno. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste. Add corn and beans. On medium heat, let heat chili heat through. Add rosemary. Reduce heat to simmer, cover. Stir ocassionally. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes before serving.

For a spicier chili, add several drops hot sauce or a more robust chili pepper.

Corn muffins are excellent with this dish.

Enjoy!

Skyland 2

Here are some of Amanda's pictures:

Groundhog!

I could be a park ranger...

Our room (far left)

If anyone is interested in going with me this weekend, just let me know!

Skyland

This weekend, Amanda and I left the city behind and headed to Shenandoah National Park. We had a hotel-ish room with an amazing view of the valley and of my feet:





For dinner, we headed to the Tap Room where we dined on bar food and some interesting drinks:


I had a few of the Prohibition Punches. And soon felt like I had been punched. IN THE FACE.

Sunset

The walk back down the path to the room was slightly challenging after all of the "SHINE." Here's me posing on boulders. Yeah, because that's a smart thing to do when all liquored up: climb things:


We only stayed one night (probably for the best after our bar tab), and the drive back to DC on Sunday morning was one full of twists and turns. And deer just chillin' by the side of the road:


Finally, the colors were starting to emerge. Gorgeous!

I think that I might go back again this weekend. I just can't get enough!

ABC Family Movies

(This post is dedicated to K-10)

Ever since Saturday morning tv turned into Japanese robot anime hell on earth and primetime tv turned into 'Who Can Produce the Worst Reality Show,' I have lost my taste for most everything on television (except when it comes to Scrubs, the best written show on tv. And even though NBC treats it like the red-headed stepchild of all of its mediocre, poorly-written shows, I will continue to watch no matter how many times it changes time slots or days. I love me some Zach Braff).

BUT...

It's nice to know that ABC Family has some amazing made-for-tv movies that you do NOT want to miss. Here are several of the most recent ones:

This Time Around
Basically, anything starring a former cast member from 90210 gets an 'A' from this reviewer... no matter how badly acted it may be. Bad acting it is not, however. Carly Pope plays Mel, an advertising guru in Chicago. She had a mad crush on Drew, played by Mr. Brian A. Green (that's Brian Austin Green to most of the world who remembers him as David Silver) when they attended junior high together, but a mean prank by his then, and current, bitch of a girlfriend forced Mel and her best friend, Gabby, to switch to a different high school. As Drew struggles to open his restaurant on time, which advertising agency does he choose? Mel's, of course! But he has absolutely no clue who she is... Will they fall in love, even though she was a major nerd in middle school?

Lucky 7
Starring everyone's favorite bride, Kimberly Williams and the always delicious Patrick Dempsey (oh how I love Can't Buy Me Love), this is a wonderful tale for those of us who think that they can plan everything - even the way that our lives will end up. Amy is only seven years old when her mother dies, but not without concocting a "timeline" for her young daughter to follow. Amy follows it religiously, from running for student office, going to summer camp, and becoming a lawyer. But she runs into a snag when it's about time for her to meet Lucky Number Seven - the man that she should marry. Will it be Daniel, Mr. Perfect, or Peter, Mr. Mysterious?

Celeste in the City
Borrowing a former Buffy cast member and making him extremely gay, this film teaches us to be the person we are inside - but with a little help from our New York cousin and his FABULOUS friends. Celeste moves to NYC from Podunk, Middle America and soon comes to realize that people aren't as friendly in NYC. Imagine that! And adhering to gay stereotypes is not the way to learn about the cute boy who lives in your building above the kareoke club.

I Want to Marry Ryan Banks
This one takes the cake mostly because we have a 90210 cast-off as well as a Buffy cast-off. Ryan Banks (Mr. Brandon Walsh himself, plus a few lbs.) is a C-list celebrity who makes good movies but can't help finding himself in the tabloids. Charlie is a gorgeous bartender/bookshop owner in Boston who ends up an unwilling pawn in a new Bachelor-esque reality show which is meant to find Ryan a wife. But don't forget about Ryan's best friend/manager, Todd (the super-cute Bradley Cooper). He's sacrificed everything to make Ryan a star. Will he ever be happy? A hilarious take on reality tv, for those of you who have ever been forced to watch The Bachelor/ette (which I refuse to link to because it's horrific).

If I had to choose, I would have to say that This Time Around is the winner. Brian A. (seriously, who is he kidding?) Green has gotten HOT and it's a sweet, believeable storyline. But Lucky 7 runs a close second. Check them out!

Shenandoah

My mom came to visit this weekend, and we headed to Shenandoah National Park on Sunday. It was raining when we got to Front Royal, VA (the site of the northern entrance to the park), and pouring when we got to the ranger booth. We were told that it was rainy and foggy and we wouldn't be able to see much of anything and that it was supposed to be like that all day. But we went ahead anyway.

At the Dickey Ridge Visitor's Center, we were greeted by this little guy (though I think that he was annoyed that he couldn't get to the delicious honeycomb inside the tree):


When we stepped outside after spending only a few minutes in the center, it had stopped raining and the sun was out. This view, completely covered with fog only minutes before, welcomed us to the park:

As we drove along in our sweet rental car (I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS! Seriously, that's what we had!), I would stop every so often to take pictures. I loved these trees:

As the fog lifted throughout the park, it was obvious that the rain had made everything seem so much brighter and alive:

But then the fog threatened to overcome us!
It didn't. And then I spotted the deer:

This little song sparrow was very brave:
There are so many lookouts and stopping points in the park. You can't possibly stop at them all, but they are well worth the time:

Interestingly, as the car climbed up through the mountains, we noticed that many trees had yet to POP! You can see from many of the shots (like above) the brown areas. Those are higher up, and the trees there were covered in buds - no leaves yet! We stopped to hike a few times. This place was about halfway up the mountain and had some leaves, but not all:

There were gorgeous trees (called Redbuds) all over the park:
As well as Flowering Dogwoods:
I really didn't want to leave, but I'll be back again this weekend, and this time, I'll be staying in the park overnight!

Pink

Happy Easter!

From a cute baby:

Sunday Stroll

Took these pictures on the walk home from Eastern Market today:






It was a gorgeous day. I love that it's finally spring!