Washington D.C. Marine Corps Marathon

My husband ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. this year so I have a few photos to share. The weather was perfect, a mild autumn day, light drizzle in the morning with the sun peaking out here and there in the afternoon. The trees were in the middle of their fall gorgeousness and the city was much prettier than I expected. It was my first time visiting D.C. and I hope to come back someday soon.

Beautiful fall trees with the Washington Monument in the background. 

Runners cruising past the band playing across the street.

There were plenty of signs to cheer on the runners.

Marines at the water stations. I think that is the Smithsonian Castle in the background.

Another shot with the Washington Monument.

Thumbs up!

Free Band Aids! Excellent fan support :)

Running a marathon is hard enough. Running a marathon and carrying a large flag really takes focus!

Its always great when you spot your runner in the crowd like this person did. 

So many runners!!!

Another great sign.

Here is my runner :)

Congratulations to all the finishers! 

Happy Friday!!!

Lazy Hazy Days

There has been no lasting improvement in air quality this week. At times it does clear up but there is no way to predict when it will clear or for how long. It just depends on which way the wind blows.  So I mostly stay inside and run our air filter 24/7. When I do go out for groceries I try to make it a quick trip wearing my N95 mask for the short two block walk to the train. Sometimes I keep my mask on in the store and until I get home again as it seems like the haze works its way everywhere. Some of the train stations are more open to the outside than others, some stores are closer to the street than others. It's hard to know if its safe to take the mask off or if its best to leave it on. I have seen some people just leave it on so I've decided to do the same. Its sort of hard to put it back in place once I have my groceries and my hands are full anyway. Our upcoming trip to the USA is going to be very nice break with clean fresh air! Until then I found a few items at our grocery store that I thought I would try to photograph and share this week. Product photography is my least favorite thing so here goes...

Yeo's Grass Jelly Drink. The first time I had it I thought it was really gross. I had it again recently and it was sort of good, I'd even say I liked it. After googling I think it is made of aged and oxidized mint leaves. Yeah, still not sure but I think it is. It doesn't taste minty though, more like an old soda that has gone flat. Maybe if you had just been chewing on a piece of mint gum and then took a sip of a flat soda...did I say I liked it? Maybe I didn't like it. I'm confused. Maybe I was super thirsty the second time I had it because I was planning on drinking this and I couldn't do it. Maybe the haze has altered my taste buds. 

The part about grass jelly drinks that I do not care for would be the jelly. It is like a jello consistency and it was unexpected. Not sure surprises like these are always welcome when drinking a soda. Maybe I prefer all drinks in cans to be non chunky. I know, I'm so picky. ugh. 

And then I found these guys. Very interesting. They were in a bag in the vegetable bins. They are small and hard and sort of rubbery like. They are Water Caltrops from Taiwan, aka Water Chestnuts.  Sort of look like little moustaches. I lost my nerve and decided not to try them so I have no idea what they taste like or anything but aren't they cute? 

Happy Friday!!!

Singapore Haze

UPDATE: I'm hoping this post works, my last post had bad photos....

Not much for photos this week unfortunately. The air quality in Singapore has been bouncing from unhealthy to hazardous due to smoke from fires in Indonesia. As soon as it clears I'll be able to go out again. We have had reports that it could last until November. Let's hope that isn't the case.

Photos taken from our balcony on a clear day and one from a recent hazy day. Thanks to guest photographer Geoff Koopman for the photos ;)