I Found Vanny Again!

She was performing outside the foggy bottom metro when I left work at 8:15pm. If you are going to work late on a Friday evening, it can't be too bad if it ends this way. Go out and find her, if you haven't heard her yet. She is excellent!

Inside of the Islamic Center of Washington

Last week, I had finally taken photos of the Islamic Center and entered its premises. But, I hadn't gone into the Prayer Room. With Arefa and kids, borrowed abayas from the center, we were all able to go in. The room is small, but captivating in its beauty. I'm so glad Arefa insisted we go in. 

Beautiful Arches

I love this part of the ceiling

Chandelier in the center or the room

National Postal Museum

Murtaza, Arefa, Aaliya and Saleem came to DC because Bhai Murtaza had a conference in DC. I joined Arefa and the kids to see the Postal Museum. 

The museum floor, on the lower level, has tiles that look like envelopes with a stamp in the corner. Such a smart design :)

Notice the Envelope-esque Tiles

We saw a mail wagon. These were used to deliver mail. As the train pulled up at stations of smaller towns, the train would not stop, just slow down. And, the mail bags would be flung on to the platform, while other bags full of mail for delivery were picked up with the train moving!

One of the exhibits at the museum is the PostSecret exhibit. In 2004 Frank Warren founded it. People mail in secrets on homemade postcards. This ventures has received hundreds of thousands of postcards. Some of them were displayed individually, some placed in a large pyramid, and most of them in storage. 

PostSecret Postcard Pyramid

One of the PostSecret Postcards 

A Heart Wrencihing PostSecret Postcard

There were a lot of interesting stamps and mail displayed at the museum . 

A Swedish Feather Letter

I enjoyed seeing stamps from Oman. 

There were a LOT of stamps from India, divided by state amongst other things. 

Sindh Dak Post: These stamps from the Sindh District were the first issued in India, and in Asia. The 1854 the Indian government recalled all unused stamps from Sindh, making the scarce today. The red stamp is also rare because the fragile wax caused many to fall apart. Sindh is now in Pakistan

Sindh Dak Post

The museums has interactive bits, where you can go through a whole bunch of stamps on a screen and email 10 to yourself. I did it, and here are the 10 I picked: 

They also let you design a stamp and email it to yourself, in two version - a current version, and a historic one. Here's the one I designed: 

Aaliya designed her stamp

Monuments at Night, with Kristina

Photo Courtesy, KZH

After the NG event, we decided to walk around and look at the monuments in the night. I hadn't done it since Saurabh had done the Monuments at Night Photography class and I had tagged along. Kristina had never done it. So, with 5 glasses of wine in us, we walked around DC looking, enjoying, and photographing these beautiful structures. I have always maintained that they look best in the night. :)

We first stopped at the Washington Monument. There were a few people there, so we were able to ask someone to take a photo of us and didn't have to resort to selfies, as we usually do.

First Stop - Washington Monument - Photo Courtesy, KZH

We then saw the WWII memorial. This one is my favourites at night. The water, the fountains, the way the light hits it. Gorgeous. 

Next, we went to the MLK memorial. This one, I hadn't seen before in the night because it wasn't there when I first did monuments at night. 

MLK at Night

The view of Jefferson Memorial at night, across the Tidal Basin from MLK is striking. A jewel risen from the water. 

Jefferson, through the bars

From MLK, we walked to see the Korean Memorial. This one looks amazing at night! The soldiers sometimes look like they are alive. 

They look life-like, don't they?
Korean Memorial

We ended the night at the Lincoln Memorial before we took ubers to go back home.

Lincoln Memorial, Against a Stormy Sky

Us with Lincoln - Photo courtesy, KZH

 As cliched as it is, the shot of the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial is always stunning.

Washington Monument from Lincoln Memorial

"Botswana - The Last Sanctuary" at the NG Museum

I love going to the travel event at the NG museum. They are usually interesting, the food is always delicious, and drinks are flowing. All of this at the whopping cost of $0. I am so going to miss events like this in Eugene, and really, in any other place we live in, in times to come.  

Saurabh was travelling during this event, so Kristina and I did our monthly June date at this event. Unlike the Switzerland event we went to in April, this was excellent. We got there a few minutes early and went into the champagne reception. The cheese sticks, which I remembered from the Swiss event were just as yummy and we were able to enjoy 2-3 glasses of champagne before we headed to the auditorium for the main event.

Second glass, and loving it!

So, um, yeah, I leaned on that rod and it fell. We were headed to the Grosvenor Auditorium after the Champagne Reception. A couple had a good laugh at my expense.

Once everyone was seated, they had Batswana dancers enter from the doors and dance down the aisles to the stage, where they continued to perform. They were excellent! The rest of the event proceeded in typical fashion, with people from National Geographic and Bataswana delegates speaking about the country. I have been enamoured by the Okavango Delta for a while now, so it was fun to hear more about it. During this event, they introduced Dereck and Beverly Joubert, who were there! I was so excited. I first came across their work when a few years ago the NG museum did a Lions and Leopards exhibit, and all the photos and stories in that exhibit with theirs. Their story is amazing, and they do great work. 

Waiting for the main event to start

The Batswana Dancers coming in

Batswana Dancers

Okavango Delta

After the event, we filed back into the reception area, for more drinks and food. We ate, drank, talked, stood in line to take photos against a green screen, so it looked like we were near some wild animal. The Batswana dancers performed again, on the stage there, and I spotted the Jouberts again. I had 4-5 drinks in me at this point, and with inhibition tossed away, I was able to approach them, talk to them and IT WAS AMAZING!! I have never been able to do something like this. They are the nicest people, and talked to me at length, while I, likely, completely behaved like a fan girl (and had basically abandoned Kristina for the duration. Terrible!).

Reception Area

They had this deliciously flavoured lemonade, but I can't remember what fruit it was. Fail!

Green Screen Photo. Oh! Look! SPLASH! 

Batswana Dancers Performing at the Reception

I asked if I could take a photo with them, and they agreed. But, not only did they let me take the one photo, when I checked it, Dereck said, let's take another one! AAAAAH! <3 font="">

With Beverly and Dereck Joubert!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, it was an excellent excellent evening! And I was on such a high when we left. 

This might be my last event at the NG museum before we leave, and talk about ending with a bang! :) 

DC. DC. DC. Always surprising, Always amazing!!