How to Survive a Winter Storm Condo-style

We moved to Watergate at Landmark almost 8 years ago, but because of work schedules it was hard to get to know our neighbors.  Now that I am retired, I am finding out what a marvelous community exists here on our 32 acres and in our 4 high-rise buildings and 1 garden apartment building.  After seeing Facebook friends complaining about having cabin fever (most are in Texas experiencing a terrible ice storm) I thought about why I wasn't sharing those feelings.  There are 3 contributing factors:  We haven't lost any power so I could use the elevators - I suppose I could make it up and down 14 floors using the stairs, but do not want to find out.   The architect who designed this complex installed a tunnel system so we can get to any building and the Community Center without having to go outside - I have no idea who that person was but I am forever thankful.   The 3rd factor is the wide variety of activities available to everyone.

My day began at 8 am with some of the members of the tai chi group.  It was fun to be able to do our exercises and watch the snow fall.

Later in the day I met Renee in the community market/cafe and we walked around to see what was going on.

We first saw lots of Christmas decorations. 

Even the beauty shop was decorated and we stopped in to say hi to Jane - she patiently tries to do something with our hair so she is a hero to us.  For some reason her client did not like our idea of leaving the foil in her hair - so like a holiday decoration.

Next we went outside to see if anyone was enjoying the snow-covered hill.

Building the 1st snowman of the season

With the temperature dropping, it was time to see what else was going on inside the Community Center.

Some of the teens had already come inside

A new kind of snow board - or at least new to me.

Not everyone was just hanging out.  These 2 were actually working on a  project.

The bridge club was in session

Of course, there were people working out or just enjoying the hot tub while watching it snow.

Another snow boarder heading out

After dark I found a spot for taking a photo of Building 2's annual Christmas tree.  This tradition began about 30 years ago and even with changes in occupants it has never skipped a year.  It is visible for miles around and something the entire neighborhood enjoys.  It's visible from the platform at the Van Dorn Metro Station, almost 2 miles away.

Even with winter storms, it is a wonderful season and we are so happy to be part of the WAL community.

WWII Trip - 3 Days in London, 11/16 - 18/13

This was our first trip to London and we loved it!  We definitely hope to return.  In order to get the lay of the land on our first day, we did the typical touristy thing of getting tickets to the on-off bus and river cruise tour, which also included discounted tickets on the Eye.  Every where we went we thought the lines were long, but everyone assured us that it was nothing compared to what it is like during the summer months.

After riding around for awhile on the bus we hopped off to ride the Eye.  There are complaints that this attraction isn't worth the cost.  We found it terrific because of the views.

 Shots of the Eye taken while in line.

Here are some views from the Eye:

Big Ben

Westminister and Big Ben

Chelsea Train Station

Not sure about the modern buildings but they definitely stand out.

Storm clouds definitely gave us some concern.

We were happy to see the clouds pass on by.

After our ride on the Eye, we hopped on one of the Thames River cruise boats.

One of the sits along the river was the new City Hall.

It was time for lunch, so we got off the boat to have lunch in Chelsea.

This restaurant was a lot of fun.  We almost adopted the waiter - he really wanted to come to DC.

By the time we returned to the central area it was already getting dark - total darkness arrived at 4:30 pm.  Something of a shock to us.

We really wanted to see a play in the West End and we lucked out by just arriving at the theater and got great seats for that evening's performance of Mojo staring Brendan Coyle (John Bates in Downton Abbey) and Rupert Grint (Ron in the Harry Potter movies).  The acting was terrific, the play not so much.  Here are some shots inside the theater:

We stayed at the Hotel Russell and found it lovely and in a great location.

Note the Christmas decorations.  Actually all of London was ready for the holidays.

Such a proper doorman.  He was from Spain.  All staff we met were from some other European country, not a Brit among them.

How British!  They unmuddled our room  nicely.

The British Museum was in walking distance of the hotel so we spent our second day in the Museum.

Inside the main hall.

 The Rosetta Stone - probably the most popular item in the Museum.

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This statue looks so modern yet you can see it was done in the 1500's BC.

The oldest glass I have ever seen.

We ended the day with a fun night photo tour.

George waiting in front of the Royal Exchange for the tour guide.

Some shots from the tour

The Lloyd's of London building is amazing.  At first I thought it was still under construction but it was designed as an inside-out building.  All of the infrastructure, usually hidden, is shown.

We ended the tour with a visit to the oldest market in London - it was originally set up by the Romans.

The tour was over but I couldn't resist taking this shot of a Louise Vuitton window.

For our full last day in London we celebrated my birthday and finished seeing WWII sites.

Seeing Churchill's bunker was a must-see for us.  It was the location where Churchill and his staff conducted the war efforts.  It was located right in the heart of London - they were hiding in full view.  Because they were so far underground, they could not tell when air raids were being conducted, but Churchill insisted on going to the roof to watch the bombings.

This is the room - not a replica - where Churchill, sitting behind the red box, met with his key people. The bunker became the ideal museum as everything had been left in place the last day it was open.  The staff basically walked away.  Curators found where one lieutenant was hiding his sugar rations. Cigaret butts were still in ashtrays.

Because the staff was working and living underground, they had no idea what the conditions were topside.  One officer was responsible for posting the weather conditions.  He would change the posting to "windy" during bombing raids.  So British.

After touring the museum, we walked to Trafalger Square and found the parish church of St. Martin's in the Field just in time for the free lunch time concert (lunch time in London is 1 pm).  The performers were students from the high school of St. Paul's Girls School.  They were young but extremely talented and professional.

The sanctuary reminded me of St. John's Lafayette Square in DC.  It was larger but the same configuration. 

The window behind the alter is a reminder of the damage sustained by the church during WWII.

After a late lunch in a neighborhood pub, we started walking with no goal in mind.  We soon found King James Park and decided it was a lovely spot for a final photo shoot.

Because it was getting dark we decided to head to Westminster Cathedral for Evensong.  Some how we found Westminster Abbey but we arrived just in time for services and the boys choir was sublime.  The youngest singer appeared to be about 6 and the oldest 16 and all were extremely disciplined.   It was a fitting end to a marvelous trip.