Pat Kennedy - Your Washington, DC Real Estate Connection

Last night, I headed for the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park for the opening of the Glen Echo Labor Day Art Show. 

First, I gotta say, I can't believe this was my first trip to Glen Echo Park - like ever!  I

It originally served as a Chautauqua Assembly, then it operated as a pretty fabulous amusement park until the late 1960's.  In 1971, the National Park Service took over management of the park, and worked with arts and educational groups to make it fabulous once again.  Today, the restored park (without the wonderful old roller coaster) offers all sorts of things.  The old Spanish Ballroom hosts, not only art shows, but is a venue for Swing and Contra Dance classes on most Friday nights.  Last night, the dancers got bumped into the old Bumper Car ride.  There are also classes in pottery, painting, and glass art.  You can take a photography course, which would have to be amazing, because there is so much material there for Wordless Wednesdays!

As I walked from my car to the park, I crossed a footbridge that overllooks a beautiful creek that flows down to the Potomac River. 

Then, there was the old restored carosel - looking completely magical!

Last night, my friend, Joel D'Orazio had some pieces in the exhibit at the Spanish Ballroom.  It was fun to see him, his wife, Alice Kresse (also an artist) and their daughter Gia, now grown up and on her way to the Savannah College of Art and Design - guess who's following in her parents' footsteps! When they moved from their historic Wardman townhouse on 16th Street to their new contemporary in Bethesda, I was their Realtor!  As soon as I saw the new house, with soaring ceilings and a ton of wall space, I knew it was for them.

The opening was very well attended.  It had paintings, sculptor, ceramics, photography and jewelry.

Joel had several pieces on display.

The show runs through Monday, September 7th, and celebrating the labors of these mid-Atlantic artists is a great way to spend the holiday - if you're not out looking at houses!

When I first moved to Washington from New York, a new neighbor invited me to accompany her on a Saturday morning outing to the Bethesda Farm Women's Market.  And what an adventure!  There were, and still are, stalls selling all sorts of things, from Brussels Sprouts to sweaters to freshly baked bread and cookies.

This morning, I popped by for some flowers, a bit of ham, some sag paneer, and some really amazing oatmeal raisin cookies. 

In the old days, you had to make or grow whatever you sold.  And many of the merchants do exactly that. 

If they're selling beef, they'll regale you with stories of the cow that was romping around the barnyard until very recently.  I almost bought a free range chicken until the stall owner said they got it from a chicken farm up near Frederick, but couldn't give me any information on the food she ate or  her name.

There are stands with beautiful flowers, both fresh and dried.

The meat is amazingly fresh, and even the Brussels sprouts (which I've always totally hated) look edible.

And if you'd like a home made bags, these are stunning.  Hope I get one for Christmas!

The Bethesda Farm Women's Market is on Wisconsin Avenue just above Leland Street.  It is open on Saturday and Wednesday mornings from dawn until they sell out of food and fun.

The house at the right is in a neighborhood in Bethesda, right across the DC line in Maryland.  It's neighbors are pretty architecturally diverse, but typical of homes built between 1930 to 1955.  Some of them can be described on the MRIS profiles as "farm houses" and some are bungalows, a few cottages and, yes this place, which falls under "other".

It is the infamous "Mushroom House".  I've driven by it  lots of times showing other houses in the neighborhood, and my buyers have not generally thought of as a selling point.   

And I have to wonder, what were the owners thinking when they remodeled and reinvented what probably started out as a mid-century colonial?  

I've seen my share of odd houses.  Some are what we call "buyer specific", appealing to a few people, but the few who do like it really like it a lot.  But if the mushroom house ever came onto the market, who on earth would the target market be?  How do you find the probable purchaser for this place?