long time, no blog

Tuesday was our season finale with the Gensler softball team. We  both had good games, but it was all business for us. The people on the team are very nice, but we really don't know them so we just focus on softball, which is weird but an accurate assessment. Ben continued to take advantage right field, and the tendency of the opposing team to place their weakest fielder there. After Ben hit home runs in his first two at-bats, the opposing pitcher complained to the umpire that he was stepping out of the batter's box. After the warning about stepping out of the box, Ben showed he was human by flying out. This brought to an end Ben's 23-23 streak at the plate in DC softball.  The game came down to the final inning and the mighty Gensler squad held off the charge to get the victory taking the Ben/Kelly DC softball record to 9-0.
 
The Capitol has been all wound up the past week over the Anthony Weiner scandal. Everyday Kelly has to walk past a group of reporters and cameras camped outside his office hoping to catch a glimpse. Luckily his office is next to the Rayburn foyer, which hosts various functions almost daily. Last week Google set up shop in the foyer and put out a nice spread of cheese, fruit and beverages. Kelly also got a chance to hang out on the House floor. She was able to sit down and take it all in. It was awesome. For about 15 minutes, she got to relive all the historic moments of the chamber. The one that kept running through her mind was "December 7th was a day that will live in infamy". She kept looking at the rostrum and imagining FDR giving that address to Congress.

After work on Wednesday we went out for a drink with a friend from Missouri. He worked for Robin on her campaign and we had met him a few times at various functions. As a D.C. native, he has served as valuable resource for us on city living. We talked about living in D.C., Missouri politics, D.C. politics and enjoyed a few beverages in the blistering heat. We headed across the street from Union Pub over to La Loma for some awesome Steak Nachos. They were excellent and only 6 blocks from our house.


Thursday meant more softball, this time with our Missouri team.  Somewhat ironically, we crushed the Orange Crush team.  In the 1st inning, we managed to bat through the whole line-up once without an out.  Ben was pleased to start a new hit streak and raise his 2 home run per game streak up to 6 straight games.  Kelly nearly had a home run,  but was tagged out at the plate after a miraculous throw from the outfield.
 
After a long week, we welcomed Friday with open arms. Ben took the Metro down to the Capitol where we had lunch with an old law school friend of Ben's.   Friday evening was quite as we needed to catch up on a little sleep from a long week.  Eastern time and televised sporting events (in this case the NBA finals) do not help Ben & Kelly get to bed at a reasonable hour.  Monday Night Football could be real trouble this fall.
 
Saturday was filled with life chores and getting the house in order.  Ben made enchiladas for dinner.  After which, we headed downtown to see if we could get tickets to the Chelsea Hander stand-up show.

We were able to get a great parking spot and an even better tickets. As many of you know,  Chelsea loves little people (i.e. the vertically challenged) or as she calls them, nuggets. Believe it or not, we sat next to a pair of nuggets that also happened to be Chelsea's #1 & #2 fans. The concert was good and we laughed almost the whole time. Kelly wished her sister Katie would have been there because she would have enjoyed it even more than the nuggets sitting next to us!  After the concert we wandered over to the Lincoln memorial to see it at night. It was well worth it. 

 
We woke up early Sunday and headed to Baltimore. We had breakfast at the "Paper Moon" which was arguably the best biscuits and gravy in the world or at least in Kelly's world. It was an eclectic little joint, filled with old manikins, little toys attached to the wall and all kinds of objects hanging from the ceiling. It was a little taste of Eureka Springs in Baltimore. The food was outstanding and a place we will patronize as many times as possible. 

After breakfast, we stopped at the old Goucher college where Ben's maternal Grandmother attended college in the late 1930's. There were 3 beautiful stone buildings that still remained. We spent some time walking around the campus and discussing his Grandma's life.  

We headed down to the inner harbor for a stroll and a sno-cone. The harbor was really pretty, however a little touristy. Next up, Camden yards. They were giving away Orioles hats at the gate which got Ben's blood pumping. We took our new hats and took cover from the rain. 

After a short delay the game was underway. Camden Yards is a beautiful stadium and is certainly one of the best in the majors. The game started with a bang as Johnny Damon led off with a home run.

While it looked bad for the Orioles in the 1st, they managed to climb back in it.  Some thought there might be a little magic in the air for the home team.

Despite some impressive rally caps, the Orioles lost in the end. As honorary O's fans, we decided to track down some Maryland comfort food.

After a nice seafood experience, we headed back to D.C. as quickly as possible to get the dogs out for a potty break. They were very excited to see us  and made it the whole day without an accident. We took them on a long walk an enjoyed the cool temperature. Dex took the opportunity to stick his tongue out at authority.