Capitol Hill Graffiti Wall

I’m not a big fan of graffiti. In fact, I really don’t like it. But sometimes the weekly 52frames photo challenge takes me to places that I normally wouldn’t go to get pictures for a particular subject matter. Two weeks ago the idea was to find some interesting walls. Old Town Alexandria hit the mark on that one. In fact the image that was submitted was picked top 52 out of 2000! But I was contemplating another photo - an interesting graffiti wall that is actually an “art gallery” of sorts. One of the support walls under the freeway in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood is very well done - because it’s not created on the stealth. The wall sits within a skateboard park. The freeway actually divides the old Capitol Hill with the new yards park neighborhood. We used to walk under it when we took walks over to the Anacostia River. The area will be one of the most, if not the most, dense populations in DC once all the high rises are done. Nationals Park was one of the first things built there. Since I didn’t use the graffiti wall image for the walls challenge, I thought I would take another photo for the “shot with a phone” challenge last week. I ended up using a Tidal Basin photo instead. Maybe one of these days there will be another call for something like this. I actually liked the photo - I just don’t care for the graffiti. 

Glass Recycle and A Walk in the Park

It’s starting to get hot around here. Walking in the neighborhood is like a concrete jungle so we prefer the shaded park. We don’t plan to go to the enclosed space mall either. It’s taken us a while to get back up to our two mile per day walk after being out of practice in March/April. So today we decided to kill two birds with one stone. The glass recycle bin is located in the community library parking lot that is by the park. So we collected all the bottles and drove over in the car. After dumping the glass, we started taking the shaded paths a few times around. I still find it amazing how many people do not wear masks or even attempt to move away to the other side. Because of our health care background and age, we wouldn’t leave the house without a mask - for everyone’s benefit. Regardless, I try to ignore and avoid them and enjoy the landscape around us. There are stretches that are very peaceful - and I’m always on the lookout for the cardinals. Last week we came across a heron, a duck, and a box turtle. Today the bees were out and the summer flowers are all starting to bloom. The deer must all be in hiding. When we were done we got back in the car and took a spin around the neighborhood. It’s a great alternative - we were less “sweaty” because we didn’t walk from our house and back in the intense heat, the flowers were in bloom, for the most part the path was clear, and the car got some wear and tear. Now we are sitting on the balcony before “breakfast” and I’m writing my blog - without a mask. That feels so normal. 

Washington Navy Yard

After stopping off for blood work at my doctors office in Eastern Market this morning, our walk took us towards the Anacostia River via eighth street. Our plan was to meander by the waterfront along the Navy Yard walkway. We moved over to about tenth street and down to the river, but the walkway was closed due to maintenance. So we came back to M street and headed west. All along this stretch and around the Navy Yard perimeter at least six city blocks long or more was a very tall brick wall with a few manned entrances for car and foot traffic. We started to notice signs entitled “behind these walls” that spoke of the history of this place on the Capitol riverfront. It’s been here for a long time and has gone through many changes. My initial interest was that John Wilkes Booth made his way across a bridge here somewhere as he made his escape to Virginia from Ford’s Theater. It protected the city during the War if 1812 and the Civil War. It was a bustling navy yard where ships were actually built, and also served as a celebratory site for welcoming royalty and political figures in years past. Most recently, it was the site of a disgusting mass shooting event. Maybe one of these days we will visit the museum. Since we moved to DC this area has transformed - Nationals Park, the Department of Transportation, countless apartments, condos, restaurants, retail, etc. It’s so dense now the UPS delivery people told us they are overwhelmed by the sheer density of the place. I heard it will become one of, if not the most populated neighborhood in DC. We are just waiting for the new Whole Foods store to open just two or three blocks away from where we live in Capitol Hill. But in the meantime it feels strange to think of all that has come before this. It was an unexpected and unplanned reminder of the city’s history. 

Tree and Wall Art

If you look hard enough or just simply pay more attention to your surroundings, unusual and pretty things emerge around you. This was the case on a walk in the neighborhood. In front of the Republican Club were trees with interesting color and texture, looking like they were covered with tiny insects. At the Botanical garden, the birch trees are shedding their skins creating a visual interest. By the Supreme Court across from the Hart Senate Office Building is a wall that was once covered with either a weed or a vine. Someone decided to take it down. What's left is the imprint of what used to be growing there. It looked like it was still there, but on closer inspection, the paint had been removed leaving the impression.  It would have been hard to create that art by hand. I am a person who observes and sees things most people just pass by without thinking about it. In fact, my husband oftentimes says that if I didn't point it out to him, he would have missed it. I hope everyone has someone who points things out to them.