Nice Snow Pictures

The Holly

In contrast to yesterday's ugly snow pictures, here are some pretty ones. Hopefully these will inspire thoughts of winter loveliness. Or something.

Left: Shadows and Patterns ... Center: Potted Winter ... Right: Snowcapped
(Click to enlarge)

On a different note, for the next week or so, D.C. Confidential will come to you from the road. I'll be visiting a hall of fame, a presidential library, a riverside city with a colorful religious history, a famous and familiar monument, a geologic phenomenon, some big sky, and the city where romance is sleepless. Come by tomorrow and the next day and the next and see where my travels have taken me!

Snow a la Tropica

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 03/09

601

The Aftermath: Slush, ice, and salt

Today's post is number 601. How I missed that yesterday's was 600 is beyond me, but there you have it!

Yellow snow...

It snowed here yesterday. In the city, we got six inches of lovely powder. Today, in a bit of snarky humor, I bring you the ugly aftermath: slush, salt, dirt, and a dog or two. Come back tomorrow and I'll give you the pretty snow pictures.

*****

Portrait of D.C. Confidential
Photographer: Bob Crowe, Saint Louis Daily Photo

In other news, yesterday evening I had the privilege of meeting Bob Crowe of Saint Louis Daily Photo and his friend and fellow photographer, Thom. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet Bob for a photo walk in my fair city, but I am pleased to feature Bob's portrait of me, taken later that evening over dinner at Jaleo. Thanks, Bob! It's a nice picture.

Photo copyrights: Snow pictures, D.C. Confidential, 03/09; Portrait, Bob Crowe, 03/09.

Service

The President-Elect and Mrs. Obama motorcade after a stop at Calvin Coolidge H.S.
as part of the National Day of Service during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
(Click on image to enlarge.)

Yesterday, President-elect and Mrs. Obama spent the day engaged in service projects throughout the city. Mr. Obama started his day at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, visiting wounded troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Later in the day, he traveled to Calvin Coolidge H.S. to thank volunteers who were gathered to write letters to service personnel overseas. It's that latter event I wish I'd known about because I live two blocks from Coolidge and would have loved to participate in that. Coolidge H.S. is also our neighborhood's polling station, so it was exciting to see the president-elect at the same place where so many of us cast our votes for him!

The motorcade of President-Elect and Mrs. Obama : Calvin Coolidge H.S. :
Brightwood : Washington, D.C.
(Click image to enlarge.)

That said, though, I did get to see the Obamas in their motorcade as it left Coolidge and zipped down Sheridan Street to whatever their next engagement was. Word spread quickly throughout the neighborhood that they were at the school and by the time I got there with camera in hand, there was a crowd of 200 or 300 people lining the street. It was a thrilling moment, shared with folks from all over the neighborhood who came out to cheer our next president.

As an added note, on Sunday, the Obamas worshiped at Nineteenth Street Baptist, which featured here as one of The Churches of Sixteenth Street a few weeks ago. The church is about a mile and a half from where I live. Needless to say, it's been a pretty exciting few days on this end of town!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 01/09

Sugarfoots

Ms. Barbara El Wilson, Owner and Creator of Sugarfoots Dolls

This week's 100 Strangers series features Ms. Barbara El Wilson. I met Ms. Wilson the other day, because she's the owner of this red gate. I was walking by her house last week and, wanting to photograph it from inside the yard, I knocked on her door to ask permission to be on her property. We started chatting and she invited me to see her business.

Ms. Wilson is the owner and creator of Sugarfoots dolls, which she describes as "an old-fashioned doll with a fresh new look." The multi-cultural dolls are completely handcrafted and mimic the old-fashioned rag dolls of yesteryear with their hand embroidery and unique and bright outfits. The dolls come in cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar cream skin tones and in two sizes--25" and 15". If you're looking for a gift for a child, these are great! In fact, the next time I'm over at Ms. Wilson's, I'm picking one up.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 01/09

Winter's Kiss

Winter's Kiss : Hydrangea

I love hydrangeas and there are a ton of them in my neighborhood. Apparently many of them are planted around here, because a child or grandchild gave them to someone special as a Mother's Day gift. Most of them are bought at the local Safeway on Georgia and Van Buren. Eventually, they find themselves transplanted in yards and gardens and grow to be large, colorful bushes of pink and blue and purple and green. In the winter, they mute their pastels and turn brown, as in the macro shot above. Even in their dormancy, they're beautiful.

Do not steal flowers! Although, at this time of year, who'd want to?

This sign made me smile. Sadly, in the spring, when this flower bed and many like it throughout the neighborhood are in full, resplendent bloom, there will be some who think they are entitled to pluck a flower from someone's private property as they stroll past. Hence, the sign. Right now, though, I don't think there's much risk of anyone taking anything.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 01/09

Service with a Smile

Ms. Terry: Brightwood Post Office's friendly postal clerk

Continuing my 100 Strangers series, this is Ms. Terry. She's a United States Postal Service employee who sells stamps and helps customers with their mail and packages at the USPS' post office on Georgia Avenue at Tuckerman Street. Ms. Terry has worked for the USPS for 26 years and has been at this location for the last two years. The last couple of times I've gone to the post office, she's always been there ready to help all of us and doing it with a smile.

Today, I happened to have my camera with me and she asked me if I was a photographer. I replied, "Erstwhile." Then I asked if I could take her picture. She very graciously said yes and here is the result!

If you live in Brightwood, be sure to stop in and say hello to Ms. Terry. And maybe the next time I go in, they'll have the Chinese Lunar New Year stamps I was hoping to buy!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 01/09

Red Fence

Red Fence at Sunrise : Brightwood : Washington, D.C.

Out walking the other morning, I saw this red fence gate.* I liked the way the morning light was hitting it.

* Error on my part. There is no fence around this house. It's a stand-alone gate.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential

The Falling Leaves...

Rain dappled gingko

Scattered

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Sun-kissed blanket

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

Red maple beauty


Cest une chanson, qui nous ressemble
Toi tu maimais et je taimais
Nous vivions tous, les deux ensemble
Toi que maimais moi qui taimais

Mais la vie spare ceux qui saiment
Tout doucement sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable
les pas des amants dsunis

Oak undertones

The last bits of fall have dropped from the trees and are covering the ground in their splendid colors. A few oaks and maples are still holding on but, for all intents and purposes, fall is pretty much done. Here are a few shots of the last colors of fall and a little bit of nostalgia a la Edith Piaf.

Gingko carpet

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Two Things Challenge: Bent / Straight

Straight lamppost... Bent telephone pole

This week's Two Things Challenge was Bent / Straight. I saw this telephone pole a while ago and knew it was perfect for this!

Similar shot, different perspective

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Bright Fall

Complementary colors in fall splendor

I took these pictures last week, before it turned overcast, wet, and gloomy. I'm throwing them up here to beat away the gray we've had the last few days. Fall colors are almost gone now.

Contrails
(Click image to enlarge)

Aside from the ginkos, oaks, and elms, most of the trees have dropped their leaves. And all we need for the others to lose their leaves is a good stiff wind out of the north.

Standard time

With the return of fall and standard time, the sun is a little more to the south, which results in some bright days when we see the sun. I love fall and am glad it lasts so long in this area. I'll be sorry to see it go.

*****

Side note and shameless self-promotion here... Today, one of my photos of the Third Church of Christ, Scientist was use by CNN International in a feature story they ran about ugly churches. Here is Churches at a Changing Point. My thanks to Mike Steere at CNN in London for contacting me and asking permission to use this photo.



Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08
Screen shot: CNN International, 11/13/08

Tenacious

Someone needs to send this flower a memo: It's fall!

I walked past this late bloomer the other morning on my way to the high school in my neighborhood. I love how it's poked its head out between the fence as if to say, "Hey, look it me! I'm still here!"

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Ground Color

Lone leaf...

I love fall. When I'm out walking, I'm looking up and down and all around at the glorious colors popping out everywhere. Here are just two examples of some of the lovely color I've seen in the last week or so.

Colorful ground cover

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/08

Worth the Wait

Voters in line at 8:00 a.m. at Calvin Coolidge H.S. in Ward 4

I was like a kid at Christmas this morning. I couldn't wait to vote! The polls in D.C. opened at 7:00 and I was in line at 8:00. If the line I was in is any indication, turnout today will be historic. I waited a little over an hour to vote, but as I said to a fellow voter, "This is a line worth waiting in."

The line continues up the block in front of the school.

The enthusiasm for this election was palpable and people are excited! One young man was voting for the first time. Another talked about how he hopes this election will result in more opportunities for everyone, not just a select few. We all agreed that America's isolationist policies have to end.

I spoke with voters whose parents and grandparents led the way in the fight for racial equality and justice. The shine in their eyes and the hopefulness in their voices was inspiring. Many of them have fought long and hard to see this day when one of their own is within reach of the White House.

Voters waiting in line to verify their registration and receive a card
that then allows them to pick up their ballots and vote.

I saw voters of every demographic. Sure, the majority of them were black, because D.C.'s population is largely black, but there were white people, Hispanics, Asians, young and old, gay and straight, Christians and atheists, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, able and disable, decideds and undecideds. I saw my neighbors I know and people from the neighborhood I've never met. In short, I saw America. And it is voting!

The D.C. voting ballot. Note in the upper right hand corner that
we have candidates for the offices of U.S. senator and U.S. representative,
even though constitutionally we are prohibited from having equal representation
in Congress. Nevertheless, candidates run every cycle in the hope that the Constitution
will be amended and we'll have representation.

If you haven't yet, please, get out and vote. It's the best time you'll spend in a line. Ever.

*****

Steven, a first time voter, and Mr. Johnson, a retired math teacher,
wait in line to vote.

Continuing my 100 Strangers series, I spent the better part of my hour talking with these two gentlemen while I stood in line. We had a lovely conversation while we were waiting to cast our ballots. Both of them have lived in the neighborhood a long time. Steven, the gentleman on the left, grew up a few blocks from where we were standing and attended high school at Calvin Coolidge--the location of our polling station. It was Steven's first time voting! Mr. Johnson lives not too far from here either and is a former math teacher. His son, Brandon, was with him. This was Brandon's second election. Mr. Johnson declined to state how many elections he's voted in!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 11/04/08

Two Things Challenge: Textures / Shapes

Textured glass in rectangular shapes create an impressionist portrait of fall :
St. Gabriel's Catholic Church : Washington, D.C.

This week's Two Things Challenge was Textures / Shapes. Unlike some past challenges, this one was pretty easy. This first photo is my favorite of all the ones I took. I actually snapped it a couple of weeks ago when I was photographing St. Gabriel's Catholic Church. My cell phone rang while I was in the sanctuary, so I stepped into a side vestibule to take the call. This was the view out a tiny window in the outer door. I love the simple shapes, and the different textures in the glass panes made the fall colors outside look a little like an impressionist painting.

Shapes : Geometry is everywhere!
(Click images to enlarge.)

These other photos are things I've stumbled upon over the last few days as I've been out and about. For shapes, I noticed this wall at the entrance to a parking garage on L Street between Connecticut Avenue and 17th Street NW as I was headed to the Metro the other day. Then this manhole cover grabbed my eye while I was out walking. The geometric shapes screamed out "Photograph me!"

Textures : Peeling paint and peeling bark
(Click images to enlarge.)

For textures, I love the juxtaposition of texture on a human made structure and texture on a natural structure. In this case, peeling paint on the door of a garage and peeling bark on a maple tree (I think. I'm bad when it comes to tree varieties!)

There you have it! If you'd like to see how others interpreted this week's challenge, visit 2 Things Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 10/08

Two Things Challenge: Black / White

Farragut North Metro Station

This week's Two Things Challenge was Black / White. I really had a hard time choosing which pictures to use for this challenge. In the end I settled on one people watching/structural architecture combination, a nature photo, and a slice of urban decay. I had a number of others I wanted to use, but that would have been going overboard. However, in the next week or so, I'll post one or two of the other pictures from which I had to choose.

The first photo (above) is the fare gate level and train platform at the Farragut North Metro station on the Red Line (Glenmont to Shady Grove.)

Morning glory in the morning sun

This second shot is one I grabbed a few mornings ago on my walk. The sun had just come up and caught this morning glory at the right angle, making it almost transparent.

Not just closed on Sunday. Closed every day.

Finally, on a different walk a few days ago, I wandered along 3rd Street NW between Kennedy Street and Missouri Avenue and stumbled on this sign in the window of what was once a Chinese carry-out place. The place is now vacant except for a note on the door announcing the store's closure due to an illness in the family, a few chairs, and lots of dust. Oh, and this sign, of course!

To see the other participants in this week's challenge, go here.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 10/08

P.S. If you want to see these photos in color, go to Standing Room Only.

Friends

Mr. Leon and Mr. Yarborough, chatting in the middle of the street.

Tuesday morning, after my walk, I came home to find these two gentlemen talking in the street outside my house. Knowing one of them, I sidled up and said, "Mr. Yarborough, obviously you missed a lesson in elementary school."

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's not safe to play in the middle of the street, don't you know?"

He laughed at me and poked me in the ribs, then we spent the next 30 minutes or so chatting. I snuck this photo of Mr. Yarborough and his friend while they traded stories.* These two gentlemen are my neighbors. The one on the left is Mr. Leon (that's his first name. I don't know his last name.) He was a school maintenance engineer for more than 30 years in the D.C. public schools. He lives across the street and down a few doors. On the right is my next door neighbor, Mr. Yarborough. He's a retired D.C. police officer with more than 30 years on the MPD. He's also the nicest man and I love having him as a neighbor. He and Mr. Leon have been friends for longer than either cared to admit!

* Which, for the record, I then showed to them and asked if I could use on my blog. Both of them said yes.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 10/08

Skywatch

MPD Dispatch Tower reaches for the sky

Out walking yesterday, I realized again just how fond I've grown of the Metropolitan Police Department's dispatch tower on Georgia Avenue. It can be seen in upper Northwest Washington from as far away as the U.S. Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. It's a point of reference in this part of D.C. and, combined with yesterday's blue skies and gauzy clouds, it makes a perfect subject for Skywatch Friday.

To view more than 300 submissions to this growing, global phenomenon, go here.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 10/08

Hitchcockian

The birds! The birds! Ahhhhhhhhh...
Or, put another way, pigeons perched on the peak of a purple place.*

While I was out and about a few mornings ago, I caught this scene on the roof of a home in my neighborhood. The early morning sun backlit the house and line of pigeons so perfectly, all I could think of was Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. If you've ever seen this psycho-thriller from the 1960s, I can guarantee you've never looked at gatherings of larger birds the same since. Or, maybe I'm projecting and just speaking for myself.

If you don't know what movie I'm referring to, here's a preview remake from YouTube to jog your memory. By the way--the lead actress in this film is Tippi Hedren, mother of actress Melanie Griffith.

* I'll have to go back one day and take a picture of the house they're perched on. It's a horrendous shade of purple. I have no doubt the surrounding neighbors and realtors hate this house!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential

Lazy Summer Days

Simpler, quieter time

It's Labor Day Weekend in the U.S.--the last long weekend of the summer. The next holiday for most of us won't come until Thanksgiving in November. In a few weeks, the light is going to start changing and we're going to softly rollover into fall. As I get older, the seasons seem to go by faster and time feels compressed. I often wish for the days when life moved slower and hours were longer. Now, it seems like we're in a hurry to get everywhere and pack everything into less time. Just makes me tired thinking about it. Today's photo is of an alley in my neighborhood that made me think of simpler, quieter times.

Hope your weekend is relaxing.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential

In Session

Takoma Education Center : Piney Branch Road and Aspen Street NW

School starts today in the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland. Universities and colleges, high schools and middle schools, and elementary and pre-K all go back to shiny classrooms. It's time for new pencils and crayons, books and paper, glue and tape, clothes, shoes, and backpacks--all the stuff that makes returning to the halls of education exciting for about five minutes!

L: Calvin Coolidge High School at 5th and Tuckerman Streets NW
R: Paul Junior High Charter School at 8th and Oglethorpe Streets NW

These are pictures of four of the schools in my neighborhood. I wanted to take snaps of kids and parents arriving, but given how weirded out people get by strangers with cameras around kids and sans children of their own, I decided to skip that.

Brightwood Elementary School : 13th and Nicholson Streets NW

To everyone returning to school, have fun! To those of you driving on the roads of Maryland and the District, please drive carefully. And to the kids in the Commonwealth of Virginia, enjoy your last week off!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 08/08