Yeah that's right. I am a fan, I even feel better about paying my VA taxes now…read more We live in a very hilly area of Oakton. After all the crazy storms this summer we ended up with a drainage...chasm in the easement between the road and our retaining wall. Water would run down the street side creating somewhat of a riverbed that would then empty into our neighbors yard creating a pond. Maybe doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but we actually like our neighbors... We decided to submit a work request on the VDOT website. We honestly didn't think we'd hear back. A couple weeks later utility markings started showing up on the street and in our yard. Mysterious machinery would park up momentarily, sometimes people would get out and poke around... The markings had to be redone 3 or 4 times because of more rain but a couple months later BOOM. New draining ditch, all nice and neat running all the way to the end of the street to a storm drain. Hooray VDOT!

Went to see the PEEP show in Occoquan. It was awesome! Enjoyed ourselves. A++++++ Voted for the…read morehockey team and peeps-fil-a to win. Great Easter experience

Super cute little town w convenient street and parking lot parking…read more The shops along this street are majorly attractive. Plenty of trendy stores, boutiques, restaurants, ice cream shops, and art studios. I am looking forward to returning to catch more of these cutesy views and patronage a few more small businesses as everyone has been so kind to me locally.

We were invited to the Embassy residence for Dutch Tulip days. It's event they organize each year,…read moreevery time it has a theme. This year was 80 years of freedom. Honoring Rosie the Riveter, the US cemetery in Margraten and Anne Frank. We were welcomed by the head of communications. He told us a bit about the theme. After that we could roam around, take pictures and enjoy a cup of coffee. It was a wonderful Dutch event.

We were invited to the Netherlands Embassy residence to celebrate the tulips and more importantly,…read more80 Years of Freedom. The tulips are celebrated every year, but there is a theme also and this year, on May 5th, it is celebrating 80 years since the Dutch Liberation. The residence is decorated with tulips in many colors and several different types(there are double blooms which look like mums and some with a distinctive edging). We were welcomed by the Head of Public Relations who led the group of approximately 60 visitors upstairs to the Dining room and also to the Drawing room, both of which were beautifully festooned with tulips. There was also a tribute to Anne Frank. There were place cards on the table with excerpts from her Diary. There is large poster of Rosie the Riveter with 3500 tulips in front of her as a tribute to the women who did their part in WWII. This is in the Drawing Room. After our tour, we were welcomed to take photos of the rooms, hallways and the staircase, all decorated with tulips and to have a coffee, tea or orange juice( met een koekje).

The Japanese Pagoda is a small pagoda located near the Tidal Basin south of the National Mall. The…read moreattraction itself is not super big but it's very popular when the cherry blossoms are out and blooming. It's near the FDR Memorial and you might just miss it if you're not paying attention. The contrast was interesting seeing this tinier statue with the humongous National Monument in the background. It's a nice pagoda but I spent probably 30 seconds looking at it and taking pictures before we left. I would recommend checking this out if you're in the area for the cherry blossoms.

This is pretty any day, but especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. If you want to…read moreactually read the inscription or get pictures without tons of people, go any month except late March or early April. This is also an excellent sunrise/sunset photo opportunity. You can take the #1 Circulator bus from Union Station and get off at stop 6 or 7. It costs $1 per stop. You need dollars or your metro card.

This is one of three locations where you can find historical markers for the Battle of Brandy…read moreStation, the largest battle predominately fought by mounted soldiers in North America and de-facto start of the Gettysburg campaign. Of the three sites, this is closest to the ford so technically it should be the first stop if you're going to hit all three in the order of the fighting. Not a lot to see here thought; just an empty field with a very short mowed walking path. The other two historic markers are at 20362 Fleetwood Heights Rd (which had a separate Yelp entry) and the corner of St James Church Rd / Beverly Ford Rd (my GPS read it at about 13198 St James Church Rd). Each is only a few minutes drive away. Ironically, of the three, the St James Church Rd location is probably the most interesting - yet it's the only one without a Yelp entry. To see the other location, look here. http://www.yelp.com/biz/battle-of-brandy-station-brandy-station And yes there is hunting in the area; I waved at some guys who had their bright orange vests on. If you keep going over the concrete bridge, you will be rewarded with several other historic markers on the hill.

Recently visited DC for a conference and had a day of meetings on 'The Hill'. This was my first…read moretrip to Rayburn, and it's a doozy of a building! Wear comfortable shoes with exploring this House Office Building. Shoutout to security - friendly and super efficient!

We visited the Rayburn office before our scheduled Capitol tour during our DC trip. An intern…read moreguided us through the tour and did an excellent job. The office has plenty of restrooms, and we found the second-floor ones to be noticeably cleaner than those on the first floor. We spent some time in the cafeteria and found it to be quite comfortable.

Andrew and I visited Fort Meyers today to visit the Caisson Stables of the Old Guard. It's a little…read moreknown secret that the public is allowed to visit the army base to see the horses. I follow the Old guard on Facebook and found out about this, and naturally insisted on Andy taking me. I learned a great deal during our tour. The soldiers who are assigned to the caisson typically have no previous horse experience. They undergo a 10 week horsemanship class before they're allowed to ride in funeral processions. They also learn how to perform their own farrier services on the team, and have to be able to work without a farrier stand in case they're in the cemetery and need to replace a horseshoe on the fly. Can you imagine holding up a draft horses leg by yourself to put a shoe on?! There is only one mare left on the team of roughly 55 horses (give or take) because the mares tend to get too sassy with the other horses during ceremony. They're phasing out grey horses because of health problems (they're prone to skin cancers) and they're difficult to find in general. our tour guide said some of the best horses they've had we're actually mustangs from the BLM. He said they tend to acclimate better to tough conditions than the other horses. I also learned that the Caisson is a French word for box and is the box seat you see at the front of the carriage. In war times, that's where the ammo and dry goods were stored to stay out of the elements. The bronze stars on the carriages are polished daily and cost almost $500 a piece! The harnesses are also a lighter weight version as opposed to what you see on the Budweiser Clydesdales to keep the weight off of the horses. The soldiers clean and polish the tack every morning and every evening when they return to the stable, and their typical work day runs from 4:30AM - 6:00PM. I was so happy to have this experience and would highly recommend it to all!

What a hidden spot! I did not know here are horses!! I saw them at some ceremonies tho…read more Price: Free. Parking: Free. I saw one sad looking horse. No name tag at the door. That's why 4 stars. Besides her or him, they enjoyed food from kids;)

Was in and out in less than 15 minutes. $75 fee for 5-Year Visa application (only available for…read morethose with relatives or family history in Vietnam). Application fee payment by credit card is preferred (VISA, MasterCard, and American Express all accepted).

I visited the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington, D.C. because I needed to apply for a tourist visa…read more Since I live nearby, I thought why not check out the embassy while getting some business done? Some embassies are beautifully designed. Alas, the Vietnam one is pretty much some office on the 4th floor of the building. There is no sign outside letting you know that the embassy is located inside the building. I had to match the street address number to the physical building. Granted, there was some construction going on in the lobby, but still, you wouldn't know the embassy is located there if you're just walking on the street, unlike most other embassies. Maybe this will change when all the construction is completed. Note the hours of operation: 9AM-12PM, 2-4:30PM It's government work, so of course there is a long lunch period and they are strict with the times. They do visa services in both the morning and afternoon. For some reason, you are not allowed to take photos/videos, but you can have your phone with you. Also, if you text the phone number on their website, they actually will get back to you via text (nice blue iPhone text). Pro-tip: You can enter the small lobby of the consulate during the lunch period and get in line while waiting for it to open. You don't need to wait outside of the building or in the elevator area.