The Accidental Tourist

We are in Milwaukee to visit friends and attend a wedding. Even though
we lived here thirty years, it is now an unfamiliar environment so I
try to make sure we avoid unsafe situations. I moved the footstool
away from the chair in our bedroom so neither one of us would trip on
it if we were wandering around at night. Although i didn't want to, I
brought along heels to match the dress I'm wearing to the actual
wedding. I guess I won't be needing them after all. I think I broke
the second toe on my right foot last night returning from the
bathroom. I've done it enough to know how it feels. And this morning
it swelled up and is starting to turn blue. I'm just happy I have open
toe sandals and we are staying with our neighbors who supplied me with
an ice pack and tape. In DC it took awhile to get used to moving about
our small apartment without bumping in to things. My mother always
told me not to walk around barefoot. It could have been a lot worse,
but it is nevertheless very aggravating- and hurts . And this is
supposed to be a vacation.

Back in the Midwest

We are back in Milwaukee to visit good friends and attend a wedding.
What strikes us immediately is the contrast in our previous lifestyle
to our current way of life in DC. I can honestly say I miss the two
car attached garage that was traded in for street parking; the shed in
the one acre back yard is bigger than our entire apartment; our big
borzoi; and the little kids selling lemonade down the street had a
visit from the local police- but rather than shut the stand down, he
got out of the patrol car and bought a lemonade. We had coffee this
morning with the dearest group of colleagues and friends you'd ever
want to meet. And our next door neighbor hosts are as ever so kind and
gracious. I do miss this part of living in Milwaukee. But can't stand
the winter. It's nice to know we can visit and still feel at home. My
husband prefers the urban environment to the suburban vibe any time.
But our friends are true treasures and not easily found in the
nation's Capitol.

On the Mall July 4 Fireworks, Cannons & Concert

We decided to brave the heat and walk over to the Mall last evening to watch the fireworks. All along the way there, the neighbors were staking out places to watch from those areas only they would know about. The House Building parking lot was quite full and the balconies were too. Rather than watch the concert in front of the Capitol, we walked in between that and ventured towards the pool in front of the Capitol where the cannons were set up to blast during the 1812 Overture. In spite of the heat and humidity, the threat of storms never materialized, and the crowd was able to enjoy the festivities after such a dreary week of weather damage and power outages for many. For a short time everyone could forget about it. It doesn't feel so bad to be hot watching fireworks, but we were lucky to get back inside in air conditioning. Some folks don't have that luxury yet.

The concert was playing & the police were everywhere

All of these characters must have been hot

And the show begins

The Marines in full dress man the cannons

It's been a long day

Walking back home along Independence Avenue

Happy 4th of July

It's Freezing in Here!

I know it is a horrible thing to say when so many people are without power and air conditioning, but it is absolutely freezing in my workplace. It does not matter what the time of the day is or the season. For that reason, I keep a shawl on hand, and use it just about every day. Some people in the office actually have blankets. And of course, we have no control over the thermostat. Calling in the facilities folks doesn't make any difference either. What I find most interesting is that people who like windows and warm places are usually stuck in the dark freezing places. Having grown up in Florida, I knew to always bring a sweater with me because the air conditioning always seemed to be on overdrive. But this is ridiculous. To make matters worse, our condo building - that was built in 1890's - has an all for one and one for all centralized air conditioning/heating system. There is an illusion that there is control over the temperature in each unit, but the systems shut down on a schedule that is not yours to call. These are the types of things we need to keep in mind if and when we ever move again. CONTROL over climate adjustments is a high priority. It makes a difference when you're getting "older"- especially when we had all year round programmable thermostats in Wisconsin - and know better.

It hardly matters what I wear to work

My hand is freezing!

Looks like a mummy - give me some heat please!

Hill Rag Wall Art

As we were leaving Tortilla Coast on Saturday, I checked the Hill Rag box on the corner for the July issue. I was surprised to see that it was there. We always like the Hill Rag for the cover art and the news of the neighborhood. It is the only published "magazine" we pick up. We like to read about what's happening- from the real estate exchanges to the new restaurants. But I especially like the cover art because we hang each issue in our TV room. I am hoping that one of these days my digital art Capitol Hill will grace the cover. Back in March, I received notice from the editor that the art was "appropriate" and it was forwarded to the publisher. But I am sure I am behind another 1,000 others hoping for the same outcome. In the meantime, I'll just hang this issue up in our family room to enjoy. I like the cover this month because it is about dogs. Maybe I should put a featured ad in the Hill Rag about my website LIT Digital Art and Such at Loistavaf.com. I love creating digital art of just about anything, but dogs are a treat to do. Anyone out there want to give it a try? Check out the Brown Dog post and let me know!

Cute!

About the Artist

The iPhone 4S

We got our first iPhones a little over two years ago. I got the 3GS, and my husband got the 3G. I remember it well because it was February and we had 2 snow storms within a couple days that left 2 feet of snow. Wisconsin NEVER had that much at one time! The Federal government was shut down for a week. With my new iPhone, I played a really neat interactive adventure game app called Broken Sword that got me hooked from that point. Since then, the iPad has literally changed my hobby life. I've written two children's books apps published through StoryChimes, started this blog, created a website called LIT Digital Art and Such, was a winner in The New Yorker Eustace Tilley contest, and have 2 digital art pieces on display at the Library of Congress. I'm waiting for the iPhone 5 to replace my phone, but thought the 4S would work well for my husband. It really has amazing functionality - reminds me of all the futuristic gizmos that were tauted at the World's Fair in New York back in the 60's. It's even more interesting to hear Siri actually respond to an accented command. I have always loved gadgets. And when we are together, I use his phone to get even better photos for my blog. I really wonder what the future holds - is there really a need to learn to spell and type? I'm beginning to wonder.


Converting over to the new phone

It really is amazing

Waiting for the iPhone 5