Greetings from Fredericksburg

Paul and I picked up Annmarie in Woodbridge and spent a lovely day in Fredericksburg with her and Cheryl, beginning with an awesome brunch at Legume, a pescatarian resaurant with lots of vegetarian options (I had vegan biscuits and gravy, eggs benedict rancheros, yogurt with nuts and fruit, potatoes, and a peanut butter chocolate chip bar; some people got omelets and pancakes). We did a little shopping at Irish Eyes and a few of the many antique stores on the way to the Hugh Mercer Apothecary, founded in the 1700s before the Revolution and run by a man who knew George Washington.

After smelling many traditional cures and meeting surprisingly adorable leeches, we stopped for drinks at Hyperion Espresso (where I caught a Snorlax!), then walked to the James Monroe Museum, which is at the site of Monroe's former law offices and has exhibits on his political career, items from his homes, and a collection of his books. After that we walked over to the LibertyTown Arts Workshop, which is really a collection of artists' studios like the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and has a lot of delightful galleries of pottery, glass, jewelry, metal, and paintings. We finally walked through town back to our cars by the river and drove to Stafford to have dinner at Carlos O'Kelly's.


Star Wars Antique Shopping


Outside the Apothecary Shop


And Inside, With Leeches And Amputation Equipment


In the Courtyard Outside Monroe's Offices


Gallery At LibertyTown Arts Workshop

We dropped Annmarie off at home before her cats, like our cats, could become overly depressed from several hours of no new treats in their food dishes, and got home just in time for the start of the SAG Awards, which I always like because it's performers talking about performers rather than critics or producers judging them. I very much appreciated that Ashton Kutcher came right out demanding justice for people in airports being denied the things the U.S. has always stood for, a theme echoed by several presenters and winners, including the cast of Orange is the New Black whose members shouted out the countries they or their relatives had come from. The memorial montage was utterly brutal, beginning with a quote from Alan Rickman straight through to Carrie and Debbie.

I was very happy for Mahershala Ali from Moonlight, who talked about the kinds of persecution children face, and John Lithgow, who won a well-deserved award for playing Churchill in The Crown and insulted Trump without even naming him by saying he wanted to repeat Meryl Streep's Golden Globe speech. I was rooting for Westworld's Thandie Newton but I'm not particularly sorry Claire Foy won for The Crown, too; I'm much more annoyed that Emma Stone won, but since Viola and Denzel won for Fences, and Hidden Figures won the ensemble award, I won't complain too much if the same thing happens at the Oscars. Now we're watching Cousins do in the Pro Bowl what he did too often this season playing for Washington.