My return in August, for a whole month, was to spend time with my son Roy, his wife Shannon, and grand daughter Nelum. Coming from sizzling Hong Kong, the mild late Summer/early Fall weather was a pleasure. Roy and Shannon made sure that I had some outings, with wine tastings, visits to a vineyard, al fresco dining, and a day out with other Sri Lankans.
Shannon & Roy at the wine tasting in nearby Bethesda.
In the States, I associate vineyards with California, but they are actually spread far and wide. (While living in Alabama, I remember visiting a small winery which used Muscovy grapes, and where the owner told us that he was constantly battling local religious fundamentalists who were trying to shut him down.) Anyhow, the wine tasting was a surprise because of the two dozen or Maryland vineyards that were represented, and also for the good quality of the wine. (One red, I must say, tasted like kerosene.) They closed off a block to traffic and provided live music to enhance the ambiance. The prices were on the high side compared to Californian, Australian, and New Zealand wines, but I guess with a smaller volume of production it would be hard to keep prices low.
The following weekend we visited a nearby vineyard where the tasting was free. Roy and Shannon tasted the wine while I took care of Nelum. We had lunch at a nearby hamlet, Mount Airy, where I saw this lovely town hall right on main street.
Montgomery Village, built in the late 1960s, was one of the first planned developments in the States. Unlike new developments where every inch is used-up for houses, where one needs a car even to get to the next block because there are no side walks, MV has lots of footpaths, a few lakes, swimming pools, tennis coats, green space between houses, and even a golf course. The populations has risen to 40,000 and MV now has its own zip code. What I most enjoy while staying there is the morning walk I take around a nearby lake. For a whole month, I enjoyed the fresh air along with lots of geese, chipmunks, and other walkers, some with dogs. Once, I even saw a fat beaver. The geese were a bother with all their poop on the path, but only once did I see dog waste, a welcome change from Hong Kong where some dog walkers seem to care little about what they leave behind.
Roy now works at the Catholic University of America as the director of international student and scholar programs, and Shannon, Nelum, and I visited him once. Roy commutes to Catholic U. by the Metro train, a welcome change in a country obsessed with driving. The beautiful national Shrine on campus, with it's East European style dome, caught my eye. Inside the shrine, I saw a window dedicated to Our lady of China, which I had not seen in any of the churches in Hong Kong.
Roy manning our loot at the flea market
Montgomery Village organized a flea market, and we rented space for US$25 and had a whale of a time selling some of the junk that had accumulated at home. We chatted with the people who stopped by, walked around looking at what others were selling, snacked, and in the end made a profit of $70! By far, people watching was the most interesting part. They rummaged through other peoples discards, bargained, and walked away with a one or two dollar purchase as if they had found hidden treasure. On a sunny and breezy September morning, I had an enjoyable time. Roy is planning to empty his basement at the next flea market.
On my last Saturday, we were at the Sri Lankan day organized by the Sri Lankan Association of Washington DC. I was glad to see that the association was still going strong after 35 years, and recalled the meetings I used to attend as a student long ago. A large number of Sri Lankans and guests turned-up, enjoying the music, the food, cricket, and other sports. My sister Beaula was visiting from Florida and she seemed to be happy to see many old friends, having lived in Maryland a number of years ago. Roy is the president-elect of the association and he'll have his hands full next year. I hope to be there when the Sri Lankan day comes around.
Beaula, Roy, and me
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