Monday night in Nashville. What to do? We chose The Time Jumpers, a band that’s been together for 24 years. With three fiddles, a pedal steel guitar, at least a half dozen singers, and more, we couldn’t go wrong. The music was a mix of country-western songs with lots of spirited improvisations, as Monday night is the night for the musicians to have fun. The night’s featured singer, Wendy, had been on The Voice and was wonderful. I also was amazed by the pedal steel player who produced tasty licks and precision high speed runs all night long. ...

The Charles Mingus Big Band My birthday present this year was the Charles Mingus Big Band live at Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. The band was there to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month and the centential of the birth of iconic bass player and composer Charles Mingus. We were treated to a dynamic concert, full of energy and contrast. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat A highlight was the second tune, a version of the Mingus composition “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” using the lyrics written by Joni Mitchell. Singer Frank Lacy gave an impassioned, powerful rendition of the story about saxophonist Lester Young, who married a white woman, and found “love is never easy street.” Scott Robinson started the tune with an amazing unaccompanied sax solo ...

We had a beautiful sunny day for my birthday. Jacob and I rode bikes to the National Mall, and visited the Tidal Basin. The Cherry Blossoms were well past their peak but still beautiful. As we were leaving the Tidal Basin, we came upon this monumental tulip collection.

On a lovely spring Sunday, we took Lola, Ollie and Sugar Baby for a walk at the National Arboretum in Washington DC. It felt very spacious and quiet. Trees were blooming everywhere. We were surprised to find huge columns, which were moved here from the Capitol when it was expanded. The dogs loved their walk and so did we.

We were lucky to be in Washington DC for the cherry blossoms. We decided to take a morning off from work and picked the perfect sunny morning. It was so festive: lots of people taking photos in fancy dresses, people dancing, and everyone just having a great time!