Good morning, DMV! It’s Wednesday, February 18. I forgot to wish you all a happy Lunar New Year. And a happy Ramadan. Also, an update for online readers: After I sent this newsletter, a few people wrote to me to tell me today is Ash Wednesday: so blessed lent, too! It’s hard for me to keep track of all the holidays when I’m surrounded by people from so many backgrounds and cultures. I always have to search up how to say “happy [insert holiday].” So, carrying on …
As we gallop into the year of the fire horse, let me show you what I saw last week in Northwest D.C.
[If you can’t click through to that Instagram post, try clicking here.]
That, my friends, was a video I took last Tuesday as I was heading to the Metro station after the Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace event at the National Cathedral. Seeing a massive crowd turn out to see dozens of monks at the cathedral was something. But seeing the horseback riders on the street was something else.
I was approaching 34th Street NW and Woodley Road NW when I heard the hooves on the pavement. They were four riders. They stopped at a red light. As it flipped to green, they galloped on.
I was kinda blown away — I love strange sightings. Who are they? What gives? I vaguely recall having read about them but couldn’t immediately find the info online. If you know, pray tell — preferably by clicking to read online and sharing your intel in the comments.
Anyway, my favorite thing about Chinese new year is the dumpling parties. My family went to our neighbor’s home Sunday for their annual dumpling feast. And we plan to go at the end of the month for another round of dumplings, hosted by a neighbor who had connected with me through the Post Local newsletter. Huzzah.
If you are looking to celebrate, here are lists of events around town from the Washington Post and WTOP.
A former colleague who reached out to me yesterday sent me a lovely note for the Lunar New Year: “May we find the strength and speed of a horse this year.”
🧶 Meeting up with crafters
Tomorrow, I plan to join the DC Threads crafters who meet twice weekly at the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
I’m taking my current knit project: a white tank top made with mercerized cotton yarn that a friend gave me.
I’ve been to this event once before. The crafters were making ornate and intricate sweaters. One woman was spinning yarn with a small battery-powered gadget.
Bring your craft projects and join. If there is an event in the Kogod Courtyard, the DC Threads event page says they’ll meet at the cafe at MLK Library.
📷 Your joy
(Alfonso Narvaez)
Alfonso Narvaez, a 63-year-old resident of Alexandria, Virginia, sent in this photo he took last month during the arctic blast. He included a brief note.
“Had to preheat the car and use a chemical deicer to clear the windshield which was a shame because it was so beautiful in the morning light!” he wrote.
In my neighborhood, the ice-encrusted snow is melting fast, though the sidewalks and roads still have some long, thin “snowcrete” mounds — created by plows after the Jan. 25 storm.
❄️
