Friday, December 31, 2021

Happy New Year!

I didn’t know what photo to use. There’s just not that much to celebrate. Luckily this holiday was never really a big celebration when we were growing up. It’s just another day. 




Thursday, December 30, 2021

A Red Fox and a Deer Family

One of the reasons I like walking in the park by our house is looking out for animals and birds that might come across our path. The other day we thought we saw a dog on the path, but it was a fox. And it was a very mangy looking thing. It was also very interested in us. He kept looking back to see what we were up to, almost posing for pictures. He really looked either very old or very sick. The fur on his rear quarters and tail was almost non existent. Then he wandered off in to the trees. Today we were walking along the stream and across the way were six deer. They blended in so well with the background that we hardly noticed them - until we did. They were watching us as much as we were watching them. I always liked animals of all sorts and I could spend hours just observing them. So I’m glad we still have an opportunity to do just that. These are the time when I wish I had a telephoto lens. 






















Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Got Free Fax

It used to be you needed a fax machine and a hardwire phone connection. It was always a pain when you needed to send a FAX. We used to have a combination printer, scanner and Fax machine. But that is long gone. Now I rarely need to fax anything - except lately when medical documents are required. I also like the fact that now I can create a pdf file using my iPhone. Since we don’t have laptops anymore some functions can be tricky to accomplish with iPads and iPhones. There are probably a lot of other things out there that I just don’t know about. That was the advantage of working - you had to keep up with the latest. Now, I learn about them when the need arises - which is what happened a month or so ago and again this week. We needed to send a document to a doctor’s office and it needed to be faxed. So I searched apps, but most of them require a subscription. So I searched on line and came across got free fax.com. It looked reasonable, and it was free. But before I used it I checked out the reviews and they were all favorable. Since I only needed to send less than three pages that include one page for a cover sheet I decided it would be worth the try. After filling in the information and then attaching the file it was easy to send. After confirming the email and checking the link, the progress of the transaction is noted. Then a success email is sent when the transaction is complete. We needed to send another fax this week and I hoped I could remember the name of the outfit I had just used. I found it again and competed the same steps. It also worked out well. There probably are other options out there. But for something that we use rarely and having a free option works for us. 








Tuesday, December 28, 2021

52Frames Combine Three Challenges Photo Op

I thought I would be able to find something interesting for the 52Frames photo challenge this week. We drove out to Alexandria by the Potomac River. Whenever the challenges are “vague” I seem to have a harder time figuring out what to do. So I just starting taking photos of things that I might be able to define later. The idea was to combine three challenges from this year in to one. The only one I knew I could do was “shot with a phone” because that’s the only camera I have. The pigeons and the seagulls were interesting. Some of the sparkling water scenes were nice. The leading lines fences and walls were okay. When I came home and started to edit the images I was very unimpressed. So I searched for something else - the bench in the neighborhood park, backlit trees - no. We took a ride in to town and the Arlington bridge was kinda nice. The top of the Washington monument was interesting. In the end I decided to take a photo of the wall vase in our house, but from a get low angle and using high key as the final improvement. After all the attempts this wall vase item looked the most pleasant. If I thought last week was difficult, this week’s “unconventional” seems to be even worse. My creative juices just aren’t flowing at the moment. 
























































Monday, December 27, 2021

Elf Delivered Surprise Package

Out of an abundance of caution we didn’t get to visit with our family in central Virginia for Christmas. That meant that the grinch wrapped gifts wouldn’t be opened until we have another opportunity. Yesterday we got a call from the lobby that a package was just delivered. We had no idea what it was because we weren’t expecting anything. When my husband brought it in, it hadn’t come from ups or fedex - the box was labeled in large handwritten letters to us with our condo number only. Then we knew. Our daughter in law and grandson dropped it off on their way to Baltimore to visit her parents. It was a very sneaky thing to do and the person in the lobby was in on the secret. We are sorry we missed seeing them, but it was a very sweet thing to do. Inside we found lovely gifts - our favorite Petit Basque cheese and a gift basket of treats made in Lynchburg. And because our grandson started his first year at the University of Virginia, a baseball cap and winter hat with a pom pom, winter gloves and fleece jacket with the UVA Cavaliers logo were heartily appreciated. It was really thoughtful. So the holidays have come and gone. It was a very pleasant surprise. 
















Sunday, December 26, 2021

Weird Weekend

All I can say it was a weird weekend. We had planned to visit our family in central Virginia like we always do for Christmas. But with the pandemic resurgence we thought it best not to worry ourselves and our family. So the appropriate grinch wrapping paper gifts will remain undone until another time. We decided to take a ride on Christmas Eve to find some lights. It was a rather disappointing event except for one house that was over the top. It was also rush hour and we got stuck in traffic. That evening the tv stopped working and we both had a heart attack. Our lifeline to normality was snatched away - even more so when the internet quit and I couldn’t even use the version app to troubleshoot. We couldn’t even find a number to call. Luckily after plugging and unplugging everything a few times it finally came back. What a lousy weekend it would have been to buy a tv when everything is shut down. We had leftovers for dinner both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Last evening we thought we would try to visit Alexandria to see the Christmas lights one last time. It was a bust except for the canopy of lights on King Street. The only thing good about going there was to find a gas station with gas for $3.17. When we came home we watched a really awful movie, but it made us forget about the pandemic and our cares. Sometimes I dread the holidays. This was one of those times. And I’m glad it’s over. 








Saturday, December 25, 2021

A Thoughtful Neighbor

It wasn’t the Christmas we expected. Our plans to visit our family in central Virginia came to a screeching halt this week amid the pandemic concerns.  We would have all been worried the whole time so we decided it was best for us to just stay home - for the second time. Luckily we were able to visit with them at Thanksgiving. Because we thought we would be out of town, our Christmas decorations were limited to filling the out door balcony baskets with greenery and sticks. That left an empty house. One day this week there was a festive bag hanging on our front door. Inside was a chocolate surprise along with a card from our next door neighbor. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise. We don’t really know anyone in the building since we moved to our condo almost three years ago. The pandemic really ruins things for a lot of reasons. But over time we have run in to each other here and there. She is a wonderful reminder of what the holidays are all about and we are so fortunate to have her as our neighbor. 










Friday, December 24, 2021

Thursday, December 23, 2021

We Are Going to Stay

We were thrilled to visit our family in central Virginia for Thanksgiving. I thought about bringing the Christmas presents - just in case - but decided against it. Now I regret it. We eagerly accepted our invitation for Christmas - like we have for the last many years. But over the last few days with all the news about the new variant, we decided it would be best to stay home rather than worry about it the whole time we were there. We have a college aged grandson and our family just got their boosters. We wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the traditional things we always did - no indoor dining, no church service…. We didn’t want to wear face masks in the house and we didn’t want to just stay one day instead of the usual two. Taking tests every day is not our cup of tea. We always looked forward to visiting because it is a very pleasant four hour drive and a great excuse to leave our prison. So as it was last year, we will be spending the holiday with each other. As my mom always said - things could be worse. It doesn’t make it any less disappointing. 




Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Should We Stay or Should We Go?

Both my husband and I got vaccinated last January, February and March. He got the Moderna vaccine and I got the Pfizer vaccine. He got his at our doctor’s office and I got mine at the community health center. We were thrilled. At least we were able to attend our grandson’s high school graduation in between the pandemonium. Then we got our booster shots at the grocery store pharmacy at the end of September. We were confident enough to visit our family in central Virginia for Thanksgiving. Our grandson was in his first year of college and his Covid test was negative so that was even more reassuring. While visiting our family we began hearing about another variant. Three weeks later everything is up in the air. While I was wrapping Christmas gifts last week I was doing it half heartedly. As the days progressed the news starting sounded bleaker. Everything once again seems out of control - at least for now. We were planning to visit central Virginia again for Christmas. Now we aren’t so sure. The family was just boostered this week. The cases are skyrocketing everywhere. We have been so careful the last two years the last thing we want to do is get sick. We literally are on the fence. By the hour we keep changing our minds. We went grocery shopping today just in case we end up staying home. I suppose the grandson’s Covid test results might influence the outcome. We just aren’t feeling really confident right now. Maybe we could plan for another time once things settle down? Thank goodness we don’t have reservations for anything. When is it going to end?




Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Old Fashioned Christmas Cards

I have to admit that I stopped sending out hard copy Christmas cards a long time ago. I transitioned to email Christmas cards several years back, then stopped doing that unless someone sent a card or greeting to us. I used to love helping my mother send her cards out. I would sit with her at the dining room table as she wrote the notes and then I was responsible for sealing the envelopes and putting on the stamps. When we moved to the DC area fifteen years ago I sent my college friend all the cards she had sent me over the years when we cleared out the house. It was like a time capsule for her. I don’t send cards any more because we tend to stay in touch so much more regularly on social media. There are those that do still adhere to the Christmas tradition. Today we received three hard copy Christmas cards from friends in Hawaii and Wisconsin. It was pleasant enough to receive them and now I will reply via email and text. That sounds almost impersonal, but worth the reply. Since we have forever stamps that are rarely used these days I’m not even sure what the postage is now. I have to give credit to the traditionalists and really appreciate the nostalgia. I wonder when it will end completely? 




Monday, December 20, 2021

52Frames In the Middle Photo Challenge

This week’s 52Frames photo challenge subject was “in the middle.” So we thought that going in to town would be the best option to get some decent images. We parked on the mall and started at the National Gallery of Art. The building just opened and it was fairly empty, so I had an opportunity to get several wide angle views of fountains, corridors and galleries. Then we headed out toward the Capitol to see the decorated Christmas tree that came all the way from California. The US Botanic Garden was next and we visited the trains that were in display outside. The morning walk continued past the American Indian museum, the air and space museum, and in to the Smithsonian Castle. Then we walked over to the sculpture garden and the skating rink across from the archives. There were actually a few good photos. While I was editing them another option stared me in the face. There was my husband, in the middle of the day, in the middle of the room, in the middle of the recliner, with a pillow in the middle. He takes a nap every day and this was the best inspiration for the challenge. While he was asleep I stood up on the ottoman so I could look down on the scene below and try to get a reasonable shot. Even though it probably isn’t the best image around, the idea - to me - was wonderful. I don’t think he was too impressed with the final outcome, but I posted the photo anyway. Usually he is a good sport. But I’m not so sure this time.