Kaifa Anderson-Hall – the INSPIREation of the Nation’s Capital

Kaifa Anderson-Hall has an inspiring story to tell. She is the director for the Washington Youth Garden, a fifty-year old education program at the US National Arboretum. The Washington Youth Garden is a living breathing classroom for several of Washington’s urban children.

Anderson-Hall was in 6^th grade at a DC charter school when she was first introduced to the Washington Youth Garden. Raised by a single mom in the low-income Carver Terrace apartments nearby, she says. “The Arboretum was my childhood playground. I remember harvesting the plants at the Youth Garden, and bringing home greens to cook for my aunts.”

Anderson-Hall received her college degree in social work, but in 2005 decided to enroll in a master gardener program at the University of District of Columbia. During that time, she began volunteering as an instructor at the Washington Youth Garden. She says, “That was when I fell back in love with the Arboretum.” When the Youth Garden’s program director, the same one who mentored her as a student, retired, the Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) asked Anderson-Hall to take over the reins. Since there is no federal funding for the Youth Garden, the non-profit FONA organization raises money to keep it operational.

Throughout the school year, Anderson-Hall oversees classes of 3^rd and 4^th graders from neighborhood schools. Teresa Harris, a teacher from Center City Public Charter on the Trinidad campus in DC, talks about her experiences teaching at Washington Youth Garden: “My students are a hands-on group. They’re not pen and paper children. This type of educational environment is critical for the lessons that come from it.” Harris laughs, “Like being able to identify veggies or learning to eat all the colors of the rainbow! Every moment here is a ‘teachable moment.’ Just when you think they aren’t learning what you’ve taught, they show up here with that knowledge.”

 The curricula incorporates understanding soil science, plant identification, developing edible crops from seedlings, deterring pests, and attracting pollinators, like bees or butterflies. The kids also learn food preparation and nutrition from beekeepers and health practitioners. DC celebrity chef Carla Hall is a staunch supporter of the Washington Youth Garden and gives cooking demonstrations. One of the highlights for the students is the day they prepare veggie pizzas with homemade tomato sauce – all hand-picked from their garden at the Arboretum.

This month, students, teachers and instructors are in the throes of harvesting the garden and preparing it for the winter.

Ephesus, the Hollywood of the Ancient World

climbing the seats of the amphitheatre

Visiting Ephesus is not unlike touring the sidewalks of Hollywood. In both places, guides point out where bygone superstars lived, worked and played. Picking through the ruins of Ephesus in Northern Turkey, a guide informs me that Cleopatra’s chariot is responsible for the ridges in the stones under my feet; an image that causes me to wobble in my sensible shoes.  Walking past various structures, like the ancient library and operating theatre, I shiver despite the searing heat. Imagining the presence of others who walked here before isn’t difficult, especially when there are actors dressed in period garb happily posing for photos all around me. Roman conquerors of Ephesus may have built these buildings thousands of years ago, but their uses were quite contemporary; innovations that persist in the modern world.

 

 

Longwood Gardens – Very Engaging

I got engaged at Longwood Gardens. It’s no surprise to anyone who knows my husband that he would pick a garden to choke out the words, “Will you marry me?” He needed all the strength of those blooms, majestic trees and buzzing insects to carry him through such a challenging ordeal. So, we got engaged on a cold day in February, which inside the greenhouses of Longwood Gardens, felt like a sunny day in May. 

Longwood consists of palatial indoor conservatories and acres of paths. If you actually happen to visit in May, you’ll gulp in astonishment over the soaring Japanese Pauwlina trees with their delicate lavender petals hanging like bayou vines. There are 1050 acres of woodlands and meadows in what was originally an arboretum. It was purchased by Henry du Pont to save plots full of rare tree specimens.

Visit Durango for the Real Thing, Cowboy!

Have you dreamed of taking your kids to a magical place for real family adventure? Not the plastic adventures of Disney World, but real mountains, real rapids and real trains. Put Durango, Colorado on your must-list, because this town has that, and much more to keep a family actively entertained. 

 

Durango is a medium-sized town nestled in sky high mountains; it’s a casual place where the locals are happy to have you. Durango is home base for the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operating continuously for 126 years. The Railroad runs vintage steam locomotives, rising up 11,000 feet in the San Juan Mountains. You can ride in an open-air gondola or fully-enclosed coach for the three hour trip to the tiny mining town of Silverton.  This trip offers jaw-dropping cliffs and a spectacle of nature certain to impress. Although the tracks were constructed to haul gold and silver, visitors soon realized the views are what made this railroad so special. The train has starred in dozens of famous Westerns.

The Durango/Silverton Railroad

 

 

 

Pittsburgh: Just Ducky

Waiting for the Ducky in Pittsburgh with my family

Or See the World on a Ducky Tour

 

 

After wiping saucy eggplant parmesan off my face and simultaneously marveling at the bargain price of the enormous sandwich I bought on “the Strip,” I decide to hop a ride on a Just Ducky Tour. When the metal tank heaves itself into the water, the kids onboard hold their breath. But it makes no splash. The Ducky creeps silently and slowly below the junior skyscrapers of Pittsburgh, their rows of windows reflecting a bright July sky. It’s humid in Pittsburgh, but much cooler on the water, and the Ducky’s steady progress conjures up a breeze. Ducky vehicles were manufactured by women, during World War II, which explains why they still work perfectly 68 years later. A fat mother goose squawks angrily seeing the Ducky re-emerge from the Allegheny River onto the sidewalk. Pedestrians wave when Ducky riders yell, “Honk Honk” as instructed by their guide. Cheering from Pirate Stadium adds to the lyrics of the city.

Gear Heads: Cycling on the Eastern Shore

The Delmarva Peninsula is an optimal place to spend your days on the road, and I don’t mean traveling: staying close to home and grounded…on a bike.  The roads and trails of the Eastern Shore are ideal for active travel. The sparse traffic, the flat streets and the pedestrian friendly towns cry out for you to visit them on two wheels.

A Family of Fireworks Fanatics

Before I dated my husband, the closest I came to fireworks was viewing them on the Washington Mall with strangers.  My husband is a devoted family man and works long hours as a surgeon saving lives. But when it comes to fireworks, he’s really charged.  This man drives to every show in town and some far away. We have seen fireworks in several cities across the country. The best was Seattle, where Independence Day festivities began with a military helicopter flying a giant US flag over the crowd while piping “America the Beautiful.”It was an unforgettable sight, not to mention the strange sensation of wearing a coat and hat on that July night in the chilly Pacific Northwest.

Fireworks from Georgetown

Monumental Moonlight

Attention all Washington Area residents: Go Do Something Fun! Surprise yourself with a moonlight stroll among the Presidents. I love taking the Metro downtown to the Smithsonian stop or L’Enfant Plaza. Both drop you close to Constitution Avenue. Point yourself in the direction of Abe or perhaps Thomas.  Wander among Franklin and his companions, Eleanor, Fala and the guys in the Bread Line. All lit up against a black sky, the stone statues are nobler and even more imposing, beckoning you to reflect on their words spoken long ago. Fewer tourists venture out at night, so it’s a much more intimate experience.

Sante Fe – Besides Great Architecture and Food, Jewish History too!

Walk the festive streets of this must-see destination, and you will step back and forth in American history. Wander the streets unhurried, and you will be treated to conversations with pleasant, informative street vendors selling handmade art.  This is a pedestrian friendly city with beautiful parks scattered throughout. Santa Fe has the more outdoor sculptures than any other city in the United States.  Visit the Oldest House in America, for a picture of the earliest American architecture and its Native American influence. 

Santa Fe is the Land of Blue Doors, where houses are surrounded by low walls, sage and juniper bushes.  The stately, colorful holly hock flowers rise above the brush and wave gracefully in the wind.  Children will love interacting with the numerous pieces of outdoor art which are easily accessible to the pedestrian. Touch the rough and smooth structures, each with a story of the American West to tell.

Santa Fe is a noisy city of outdoor music, protestors, Vespas and honking horns.  Nestled in  the Sante de Cristo Mountains, St. John’s College hosts escapees from the Washington Area. Lucky students can learn the classics, while soaking up the culture and art scene thriving in Santa Fe. 

One sight missed by most, is the top of the Basilica which has the Hebrew letter “Shin” on its soaring entryway.  When the Catholic community ran out of funds to finish the building located in the heart of the town, Jewish merchants bailed them out with donations of money and craftsmen to finish the Church.

Santa Fe is famous for its art and jewelry, for good reason.  Every store and gallery beckons the visitor to imagine her life bedecked in precious stones and metals. He dreams of an art etching worthy of bragging rights.  It is hard to walk the streets without spying some unusual treasured:  a key chain made of New Mexican license plates, giant painted gourds and hand stitched wall hangings.  It’s waiting there for you among the gourmet restaurants and cowboy bars.       

A short drive leads to native American outposts with bargains on beads, pottery and leather goods. 

Santa Fe’s 400^th anniversary is in the year 2010.

Mom Made – Why Homemade is best for kids

 Heather Stouffer is living the life made famous in Diane Keaton’s movie “Baby Boom.” When entrepreneur Stouffer, 32, was pregnant, she said the most pressing issue on her mind was feeding her baby.  Stouffer comes from a family of foodies; her brother started the gourmet grocery store, Balducci’s, and her mother was a chef.

At first Stouffer sought out healthy, organic food for her son Emory.   After coming up empty handed, she began to make her own.  Stouffer used family recipes and ground up organic fruits and veggies.  Friends asked her to make extra, and soon she realized there was a huge void in baby food market.  She and her husband took out loans and began her company called Mom Made.

The food is prepared and then fresh frozen into scoops to heat and serve.  Her products were only available in the Washington DC Area at first. By the end of 2007, Mom Made was introduced in health food grocery stores up and down the Eastern seaboard.  She is busier than she has ever been and loving it. Emory is still her tester, and she has expanded into products for older children now.

Stouffer says, “Babies develop their palate between the ages of zero and two.” She believes using spices and variety at an early stage will help build up a baby’s acceptance to different tastes. Nutrition experts such as Julie Leopold, R.D. of Inova Fairfax Hospital, concur.

Stouffer is articulate and passionate about her company. She represents the mission most of us share, doing work that we love and providing a healthy lifestyle for our kids.

Making pasta from scratch at Chef Bryans Kitchen in Rockville