Ecobulb Weird Light Bulb

Lightbulbs used to be so much simpler. We always had the standard bulbs stored in the closet in case one would go out. I suppose you could say it happened regularly that a light would burn out, but it was easy to switch it out. Since we moved to the new condo five years ago it seems all of the lights are weird. The bulbs are supposed to last many, many years. The light above the bathroom sink went out and I knew it wouldn’t be easy - and I was right. The bulb is quite difficult to even get out and it is a pronged bulb that needs to twist and pop out. It looks strange and I thought we would need to go to the hardware store to find a replacement. That was until I remembered that we had just gone through this with the other fixture at least a year ago. At that time we bought a second replacement bulb thinking if one went out, the second would soon follow. Well, it didn’t soon follow but just happened, but at least we did have the replacement bulb that is supposed to last at least another five years? We rarely purchase backups any more because of the long lifetime - and they would be sitting on the shelf for just as long. Luckily the hardware store is just down the street. I’m reluctant to purchase things like this on Amazon for fear it might be the wrong item. I suppose in the end it’s worth it, but it just doesn’t seem as easy. 

ThinOptics Readers Found!

Both my husband and I need readers since having cataract surgery. We found ThinOptics to be the best brand for us. We carry them on key chains attached to my iPhone and he on his key ring. We also have one pair each in the house. These nez readers are the best thing on so many levels. While we were in central Virginia visiting family a couple of weeks ago, my husband lost his pair while we were walking about the lush land where the cabin is along the James River. I ordered another pair and they arrived home before we got back a day later. The glasses are very small and the rims are clear, so we thought that would be the end of that. Wouldn’t you know that a day or two afterwards we got a text from our family saying that they found the glasses! It was so hard to believe for obvious reasons. They go out to the cabin every day to exercise and check on things and found the glasses near where we had parked the car. So we told them to hang on to them until our next visit. In the meantime my husband has a new pair. How unlikely is that??

52Frames Photo Trending

I have been participating in the 52 Frames photo challenge for about three years? A friend of ours from the Midwest suggested it and both my husband and I have looked forward to finding suitable images for the subject matter. And I have learned a lot since I never was a photographer - just someone who always loved to take photos. There are several ways to be noticed once the entries are submitted. I have never been selected in the top three and don’t ever expect to be. But I have been selected five times in the top 52 out of around 2500 to over 3000 entries. 52Frames also has an instagram site where they select three images every day of the week. I’ve had two photos noted there! A couple of weeks ago one of the “followers” on my 52Frames website told me that my photo was “trending”. On the main website they always show the top three, as well as the instagram selections. Then on the right hand side there are three “trending” photos that change at least every day, but I don’t know how or why they get selected. Last week my photo was trending, and now again today my photo is trending. It’s a great way to get showcased and draws the attention of the other framers. I never paid attention to the main page of the website, but now I check it at least daily and was pleasantly surprised to see the little boy and his tractor in the trending section. It’s been a fun hobby and has served us well. And I get to meet people from all over the world. 

Constitution Gardens, Birds and Carp

My husband really likes taking a morning walk around Constitution Gardens. It’s a great place because the tourists don’t know where it is. We always park at the Tidal Basin, then walk past the WWII Memorial and then turn in to the park. There was a beautiful Chinese fringe tree in full bloom. The we stumbled upon a “common grackle” with the luminescent head feathers. Of course there were geese sailing by as well as a pair of ducks. There were also a lot of ducklings. The view of the Washington monument is always nice from the signers of the declaration section that you reach after crossing a foot bridge. Then we made our way toward the Lincoln memorial that is under renovation - like everything else is in the city. When we got back to the car we walked up a bit around the Tidal Basin and saw for the first time some very large fish - it almost looked like a dolphin! When we got a close look they were slapping about against the wall in a frenzied state. When we sent the photos to an expert fisherman we know he said they were carp. They almost looked like cat fish. When we drove home we passed through our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill and saw the house/basement apartment where our grandson will be living for six weeks this summer while he does his internship. It’s almost across the street from our old condo and the house where he grew up for ten years. We always like to visit and oftentimes wish we never moved. But then reality strikes and we realize it was good while it lasted, but glad we made the change. 

Smithsonian Gardens and Ducks

It’s always a treat to walk through the gardens around the National Mall. We were visiting the Smithsonian Castle last week and things were starting to look very summery. I was surprised to see so many poppies. We planted poppies in our tiny Capitol Hill patio garden one year and they looked so pretty. It seems the predominant colors of the flowers now were orange, yellow and gold. On the way back to the car we walked around the Capitol reflecting pool. Now is the time to see all of the baby ducks that sometimes use the ramps that are put out by the grounds staff. We found several ducklings huddling together on the perimeter as their parents were swimming nearby. As we walked through the US Botanic garden there were remnants of the beautiful wisteria vine overhead. A bunch of school kids were visiting and taking a break on the lawn. It was a beautiful day for a morning walk. We like to head in to town at least once a month. There is always something to see. 

52Frames Wide Aperture Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “wide aperture.” So we got a lot of images of flowers and arachnoids, and bees, ducks and other usual suspects. Then we took a morning walk on the national mall and stumbled upon the agricultural farm exhibit that was filled with all sorts of tractors and combines. I couldn’t imagine how they got these monstrous machines through the streets and on to the mall. It was a cloudy day and there weren’t very many people there for a Monday morning. The police dog was intrigued by the fake plastic cow. There were a lot of tents and vendors telling stories about the latest in ag developments. Then as we were almost near to a huge green tractor I saw a little boy in green rubber boots walking alongside it, his mom nearby with a stroller. The difference in the size of the tractor and this tyke was overwhelming. Even though this photo looked like a composite - it wasn’t. In the distance you can see the vendors and tents and the Washington Momument. Now that was an interesting counterpoint. Some of the other photos were technically better, but my husband liked the little boy and the tractor.