Play Me, I'm Yours! In the last few days, pianos with this written on them have started popping up all over downtown Norfolk. Each one decorated and painted in a different way. The piano in the food court of MacArthur Center is done in bold blocks of color. The one in front of the Moses Myers House is decorated to look like a small replica of the house, complete with a mirrored fanlight in the roof.

Play Me, I'm Yours is also the name of Luke Jerram's public art project. This traveling exhibit has visited 55 other cities around the world, including London, Paris, Boston, and Munich. The purpose of the project is to encourage people to "take ownership of their urban environment" and encourage people to connect with each other.

We took the kids downtown this weekend to hunt out a few of the pianos. By parking at MacArthur Center we could walk and visit the ones at Slover Library, Moses Myers House, and MacArthur Square. The kids enjoyed picking out melodies and making up their own songs, and also listening to the talented other pianists waiting to perform. Some people had brought guitars to play along and some were singing along. Others were lifting up the lid of the piano to see the inner strings and hammers. Even the babies enjoyed taking their turn at the keys.

I think this was a wonderful project. Not only did it get us out and about on a beautiful day, chatting to strangers, but it got our older kids interested in piano. Anouk has asked for lessons and ever since we have been listening to a lot of piano music and talking about it. Being able to sit and play whatever you want in a special space is empowering -- not only for kids but for anybody!

The pianos will be in their spots through June 4. Click here for a map of where to find them all.

You might not think an artist who focused a lot of his work on showgirls and courtesans would be the most kid-friendly, but the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit going on at the Chrysler Museum now is one of the most enjoyable we've been to for a long time. Toulouse-Lautrec's world wasn't only dance halls, it was also a wonderful place where bears walked through the city on leashes, women dressed like wedding cakes with their skirts billowing around them and everything was just a little brighter and richer than it seems now.

Anouk really enjoys the kids books set in Belle Epoque Paris (Madeline series, Diva and Flea, the Family Under the Bridge) so a lot of these sights and scenes were familiar to her. But there were some unfamiliar things, too, including a wonderful exhibit of Japanese woodcut prints that were both beautiful on their own and interesting in the way they influenced Lautrec's work. A stop by the little art station let the kids put everything together in making art of their own. Another highlight was the repetitive whirling video of a can-can dancer twirling and whirling in a fascinating loop.

Right now the Lautrec exhibit is going on just next door to the amazing Infinite Possibility exhibit (more on that later!), so a visit to the Chrysler is definitely encouraged. The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec is on exhibit until June 17, 2017.

During a recent trip to the nation's capital, we stopped by Dumbarton Oaks, a spot that is right in the middle of it all but often overlooked. When we lived in the district we walked by this walled mansion several times but never really noticed it was there!

In the 1920s - 40s, Dumbarton Oaks was a family home (which is hard to imagine) but today is a museum known for its art collection and beautiful gardens, and research library. The museum was closed when we went but there was so much to do in the grounds that we didn't really notice.

The house features a total Great Gatbsy glamor. Did people really used to live this way? The gardens, the jewel in the crown, are a showcase of architecture and gardening and landscape design and what happens when they are put together in a thoughtful way. It feels a little bit like an enchanted castle from a Disney movie come to life.  At every turn fun spots to poke around: a delicious smelling orangerie, tiered gardens, a shimmering art deco swimming pool, and paved mosaics to trace with toes. In the sound garden, each of the chairs played a different sound, so just sitting with your friends made a symphony!





For those of you who are babywearers, the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks were designed by Beatrix Farrand, whose art was immortalized in the Pavo Textiles Farrand series of woven wraps. It's one of my favorite pieces of textile art and favorite carriers, so it was a fun aspect of the trip for me!

The museum will open on April 25 but the gardens are closing on July 17 and won't open back up until Spring 2018, so if you happen to be in DC, or are thinking of going, now is the time to plan a trip!

P.S.: Eat at the nearby Simply Banh Mi in Georgetown when you go! It's kid-friendly and delicious and the staff is completely wonderful. <3

Halloween at the Chrysler Museum is one of my favorite things about the holiday. Each year, the staff dress up as works of art and wander the museum so visitors can find them. The costumes are always so creative and this year was no different, with staff dressing as works of contemporary and classical painting, sculpture, even glasswork! Each staff member gets to pick their art piece, and talking to them about how they came up with the concept of their costume is definitely part of the fun (this year's fave: the woman who covered herself in straw and roamed around as one of Monet's haystacks from the Agrarian Ideal exhibit going on now.)

The kids definitely enjoyed the special Halloween hunt, and marking off their finds on the scavenger hunt map (prize: candy) But they also enjoyed just spending time at the expanded play area at the back of the museum, and shuffling through the books, games, and toys there. Note to self: keep this in mind for blustery days this winter.

The Chrysler has some exciting programs for kids and families coming up this month, including Tickle My Ears, on Friday, November 3, and a wild-West themed Free Family Day on Saturday, November 12. More info here.

A few weeks ago, James's parents came to visit and we spent an afternoon at Bluebird Gap Farm, one of our favorite weekend spots. That October day the Hampton Master Gardener's display garden was in bloom with fall pretties and we spent some extra time exploring it. A lot of time, actually -- there was a lot to see.

The garden is bigger than it looks from a distance, divided into beds for flowering plants, veggies and fruits, bulbs, grasses, and evergreens. There's a scent garden and rain garden and spots to showcase things like bog plants and compost and xeriscaping (A. and I loved poking around the Bug House and I think we might end up making one for our own yard?). Oh, and there's also a little free library full of books on nature and gardening manuals. Don't forget that. (We brought home Manfish, which has started us on a journey of all things Jacques Cousteau).

Most people head to Bluebird Gap for the animals but the garden is worth a trip in itself. And if you're thinking of visiting, make sure to stop in for the Bluebird Gap fall festival this Saturday (Nov. 21). More info about that here.




If you're looking to enjoy this fair fall weather and get outside a little more before it gets cold, check out our #HRVA Garden Guide here. 

Thanks to the giant duck, you probably know by now that the Chrysler Museum has reopened. We were really missing it in the year and a half that it was closed -- it's such a great free place to go with kids and their programs are really top notch. A few weeks ago, our playgroup met up to revisit this old favorite and see the changes that were made. The Chrysler has such a nicely curated collection of things to see, it's really a treasure box of a place.

The main thing that impressed us was that the museum is a lot more interactive for kids and adults alike, now. There are plenty of places to sit and reflect and some special ways to share your thoughts and some of your own art, if you are so inclined. We also liked the community gallery, which allowed locals to vote on and assemble their favorite pieces of art all in one place. The kids were extremely taken in by some of the exhibits, namely the modern art wing and the exhibit on mummies including, strangely, the kind of gross video that plays on a loop there. Sadly, they didn't seem to want to spend much time in the photography exhibit, which I was looking forward to, so we'll have to plan an adults-only visit soon. We all loved the new courtyard, with the fountains and trees and gravel paths, it was a great place to hang out for a while and run off some steam (depending which age group you belong to).




There were a few kinks -- some of the display cases in the artifact rooms are too far above the kids' heads which meant there was a lot of hefting them up to see, over and over again, and the children's art room (drawing supplies, giant beanbags!) is situated in probably the most echo-y spot in the whole place which was awkward at times. But overall we are really loving the new and improved Chrysler and looking forward to our next trip.

Have you been inside the Chrysler since it reopened?