Union Market & Union Station

It is a while since we have been in to DC to explore a new area.  Today we chose Union Market - billed as Washington DC's farmers market.  

It is a new building adjacent to a rather run down area alongside the railway tracks as they come out from Union station.  The old market area, in addition to a building which was formerly a wholesale fruit and vegetable market, seemed to comprise a series of rather dubious, unhygienic looking and dingy lock-ups with unappealing signs such as 'Goat, slaughtered daily on our farm!'

In the new Union Market the mood was altogether different.  Very modern stainless steel counters and many deli style shops and stalls offering an eclectic mix of cooked foods.  We imagined that the new and old markets might be uneasy neighbors with the new market being a 'gentrification' of the old working market area.

The fish stall featured some rather unusual offerings which may have been more at home in an aquarium..

On the bakery stall, a reminder that Thanksgiving is close..

We wandered back to the metro and travelled one stop to Union Station. 

 We have travelled from here several times but  have never really looked at the old station building, which has a striking interior..

The station was built in 1908 and has experienced several major renovations, the current one is to replace the gold leaf on the barrel ceilings - it was damaged during the 2011 earthquake.

Long journeys start from here, as well as the fairly short journey to New York which we have done, trains were departing today for more distant destinations such as Chicago, Miami and Boston.

Flowers for Thanksgiving

You may remember from previous blog posts the wonder of the disguised chrysanthemum - here in the guise of a Thanksgiving turkey.

I had not actually seen them this year until a friend reminded me and also showed me these extraordinary tie-dyed/splashed poinsettia..

In the Giant supermarket they also had these rather more tasteful pots of herbs to complement the Thanksgiving turkey..

And finally a lovely, if pricey, range of seasonal bouquets and arrangements..

Auction Fundraiser

This morning as part of the monthly general meeting, the Women's Club held a fundraising auction.

A huge variety and number of items were brought along and donated by members and these were grouped into 'lots'.  Beside each lot was a box.  Members then bought tickets for 50 cents each and dropped one in the box of any item that they were interested in - a 'Chinese' auction.  Later a single winning ticket was drawn from each box and the item was handed over to the lucky winner.

It seemed to work well.  A few larger items were sold via a 'Silent' auction and a total of $780 was raised in just a couple of hours.

I came home with an eclectic mix of items including some nice pieces of jewellery and a box of unsold items for the Bargain Loft!

Papasan Chair

The only problem with volunteering at the Bargain Loft is that it can lead to surprise purchases, on impulse.

So it was yesterday that we were looking for a place to display this 'Papasan' bamboo chair, which is quite large, and I decided to try it out.  It was so comfortable that I found myself buying it.

Embarrassingly it didn't quite fit in the car, but this morning someone kindly delivered it for me to the house.

I tried to take a selfie to show Lauren but that didn't really work.. arms too short.

So on our return from a quick after dinner walk around the block this evening, David took this for me..

It isn't necessarily a chair that promotes a good seating position, but it is very comfortable.

It comprises three pieces which are not attached to each other - a round base, a dish shaped bamboo shell and a giant round cushion.

Now to see if I can get back out of it..!

Seasonal Illuminations

At the Reston branch of Home Depot, all is ready for Christmas, with a large array of pre-lit Christmas trees and many other decorations for the front lawn..

There were also some impressive inflatable decorations..

We managed to resist!

Ice Rink in the Sunshine

Each year the ice rink in Reston Town Centre, under the pavilion, opens on 1st November.

Today it was very bright and sunny and there were distinctly damp patches in the ice.

The ice rink will stay open until March 2016 which allows time for many young people to attend classes and learn to skate.

The Christmas tree was looking slightly incongruous in the bright sunshine today, with its oversized and very shiny decorations.

The tree and the town centre will be illuminated after the Holiday Parade on the day after Thanksgiving, next week.

Everything in order..

After a lot of hard work (mainly on David's part) the pile of wood has been transformed into a neat stack.

It was a beautiful day today, as this photo of Christmas trees outside Home Depot clearly shows.

No time or energy left for dealing with the leaves today so they will wait for another day..