ok, so our spring break plans are starting to gel.....i faxed my reservations today for hillwood, marjorie merriweather post's estate in washington dc........noted for its gardens as well as its russian collection...faberge eggs, icons....etc.......her first husband was the american ambassador to russia right after wwI,...so she came home with a load of loot.......to visit, reservations must be made in advance, presumably so they can run backround checks.....i visited several years ago..i had to disclose my address in dc, even if it was a hotel, and i could not visit on the day i called....they made an 'appointment' for later in the week....like a dental visit.......the family money came from post cereals......and she married well........her daughter (only child) was the actress dina merrill.....the merrill of the wall street investment bank was one of her husbands........anyway, scw and i were slated to go there last spring break, but my mother-in-law died so we went to the funeral in cincinnati instead......the same day we are also going to dumbarton oaks, an estate in georgetown owned by harvard. and noted for its byzantine and pre-columbian collections.........we will also take a turn through georgetown u. while we are in the neighborhood........


i have made an interior decorating decision....i have decided on fabric for drapes and armchair covering........my mother will locate it on her 4 state mission trip with her sister-in-law......she has the swatches and the store locations, and the knowledge about how many yards..........the current chair and drapes in question were in place when we brought scw home from the hospital, so i believe i can safely replace them without guilt........the fabric is grass green ground with flowers in rust and burgundy and purple.......very happy......

i am home early because our evening kitchen help turns out to be quite capable.......the new guy, tommy, was making cute garnishes as i was leaving.....a good sign.........of course, they are all new guys, so to speak......no one working at night, except jerry and i, have been at trc longer than january.........most less.......but they each came with experience.........somewhat annoying is the constant topic of conversation in the kitchen......food.......iron chef, bobby flay, emeril.......i am not so into food that i want to discuss it 24/7..........worse, none are readers..........well, that is not the worst thing...they are all so much younger than me....i feel so old these days.........