Nordic Cool 2013 in Kennedy Center

February 19-March 17, 2013, the Kennedy Center presents Nordic Cool 2013, a month-long international festival of theater, dance, music, visual arts, literature, design, cuisine, and film to highlight the diverse cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as the territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Áland Islands.

    
I watched a play "Bird in Magic Rain with Tears" - U.S. PREMIERE, on 2/21/2013. This multimedia two-act play revolves around the intertwined fates of three characters--a conceptual artist grieving over her son's death, a boy-prostitute searching for the truth about his past, and a terminally ill businessman longing for love.

I also attended Iceland Symphony Orchestra 3/4/2013 : Ilan Volkov, conductor, Garrick Ohlsson, piano. I only stayed for VILMARSSON: bd (U.S. Premiere) and GRIEG: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16. I was more impressed by Rasmus Lyberth who is a Greenlander, singer/songwriter who has powerful voice and hand gestures and Greta Sundström who is an Åland Islander accordion player who played classical pieces to folk music and dance-friendly pop tunes.

Blues Alley: Mike Stern Band (feat. Dave Weckl)

Blues Alley was founded in 1965 and is a jazz dinner-and-nightclub in an alley off Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood. This was my first visit to the venue.

 
Mike Stern is an American jazz guitarist and multiple Grammy nominee. Me and my friend arrived Blues Alley early to get very front seats and saw Mike Stern before the show. Mike was very friendly and nice, and I took photos with him and the saxophone player after the performance. This was a good starter for a jazz newbie like me.

Dumbarton Oaks Garden & Museum in Winter

This was the second visit I had with the same friend who introduced me to the garden two years ago. Time flies. We both grow into better selves and appreciate our life deeper.

Dumbarton Oaks Garden & Museum is located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. The 50 Years of Pre-Columbian Art and Byzantine Collection currently at Dumbarton Oaks Museum were pretty impressive in terms of the collections as well as the exhibit facilities and lightings, even though they were just a small portion of the total 80,000 collections. You can browse the collections online: http://museum.doaks.org/IT_0

The gardens were beautiful in Winter and should be even more beautiful in spring. You can enjoy a virtual tour: http://www.doaks.org/gardens/virtual-tour

To Mary's Rock the long way, 21 miles, 5850 feet elevation gain

There were only three of us taking this hike. Thanks for their motivation to push me finishing this hikes in 7 hours, a break through of my personal record in terms of speed over 20 miles.

I know one day I will move to different countries and wish I can take my friends with me.

GWNF! Duncan Knob and Strickler Knob

It was one of the hikes I asked myself why I was doing this to myself at 20 F on Sunday morning walking in the snow?!I thought I could test my new spikes but the road conditions did not require them at all. Me and one other hiker decided to skip the rock scrambles yet we were shivering in the freezing air while waiting.

My new best friend came from west Africa was just 32 yrs old and has a 17 yrs old daughter studying at the US. She just finished her MBA in London and ready for working for the US State Dept. She traveled to a lot of countries and will give me suggestions for my 2014 trip to Africa. According to her, Africa is cleaner than India.

George Washington National Forest (Lee Ranger District)

Duncan Knob and Strickler Knob with Rock Scrambles On Massanutten Mountain!

15 Strenuous Miles