DC Driver’s License - Again!

We just went to the SW DMV station to renew my drivers license two months ago. I couldn’t renew it on line because I needed the new required upgraded version. You need to bring documents for citizenship, social security, and two forms of ID for DC residence. It was packed when we arrived so we had to wait in line for quite some time. So my husband’s license expires next month. But after a certain age you need to get both medical and vision documentations filled by your primary care and eye docs. So after about a month of back and forth we finally had all the required paperwork. So yesterday we walked over to the same DMV office. It was empty! My husband walked right up to the desk, and got the paperwork to fill in. Before he could even finish it, his number was called. So I waited in the waiting area that soon began to fill up. It didn’t take too long but my husband said he got a brand new employee that had to ask someone for help for everything. All I care is that he finally got his temporary license after some issue with the property tax bill that shows our address. Anyway, what took me twice as long to get through took him no time at all. That seems to be the story of our lives. He is the roadrunner and I am Wiley Coyote - even when it comes to renewing your drivers license. 

Capitol Hill Architectural Styles

We headed east toward another part of the Capitol Hill neighborhood on our morning walk. It was a lovely sunlit day and everything looked shiny bright. The more familiar town houses were lovely - the type of structure one thinks about in this area of town. But what was unfamiliar to us when we first moved here thirteen years ago was any thought of a more modern take on today’s living. I may be wrong but I thought one needed special dispensation to construct or even change anything that didn’t meet strict historical Capitol Hill standards. So it was surprising when we came across a couple of new builds that looked completely out of place. They seemed like they really belonged somewhere else. My idea of a great house is one that looks old but the inside is completely new. What do you think? 

Car 54 Where Are You? on Amazon Prime

I stumbled across it when I was looking to save a few shows to our Amazon Prime video watchlist. Car 54 Where Are You? was a show we watched when I was a kid. The theme song reverberates in my head and is as familiar to me as it was then. I still know the words. And I remember Toody and Muldoon in our living room. We oftentimes would lay on the floor with pillows under our heads in front of my parents. My dad had his own leather chair and the best view. He LOVED television and always had the latest set he could find. We would be able to get a color tv if my brother, sister and I came home with all A’s and B’s. I think he would have gotten that color set anyway. So it was with a great feeling of nostalgia that we watched the show last night. It was very clever and funny and I laughed out loud a few times. Even the commercials were interesting to watch. We used both Prell Shampoo and Tide Detergent - the power of marketing. Fred Gwynn became a favorite of ours on the Munsters, but also as the judge in My Cousin Vinny. I think I am my father’s daughter - the best television and watching fun shows in the evening with my husband. We still use Tide detergent. (Photos were taken off our TV screen)

Westminster Dog Show Hounds and Borzoi

We watch the Westminster Dog Show every year so we can get our Borzoi fix. We had a beautiful Borzoi named Tatiana when we lived in the midwest and we miss her very much. It’s a rare sight to see one in the DC neighborhood though we have come across one or two in the last thirteen years. I’ve jumped out of my car to stop and see the lovely creatures and talk to the owners. We’ve also gone to a few dog shows just to see the hound group. So last night we watched the hound group on Westminster. For whatever reason it seems the Borzoi is never talked up like other breeds. Of course we consider that quite insulting! Unfortunately our favorite didn’t win the group but at least was selected in the final bunch. That is one thing I really miss about living in the Midwest. That dog was just plain wonderful. 

National Borzoi Rescue Foundation

We had a Borzoi names Tatiana. She was simply delightful. It’s been over 13 years since we lost her. But I’ve been keeping up with Borzoi stuff from Instagram, dog shows, and following the National Borzoi Rescue Foundation on Facebook and their website. We applied for a rescue a few years back but we decided not to go ahead at the time. We worked with Carol Backers - who is retiring from her post after many years. I was asked to do a couple of custom portraits for her and was pleasantly surprised when those images were used on her Facebook retirement notice. In fact, one of the images is used on my business card. So thank you Carol for all the wonderful work you did for the most elegant breed of pooch out there. 

LITDigitalArt Trends

I used excel spreadsheets a LOT. I was a regional director of performance management operations in a large health care system in the Midwest and an infrastructure program specialist at the Library of Congress. Now I’ve been retired for three years and don’t even have excel on my laptop. Since I use my iPad for everything I have even less use for excel. But I always liked to see outcomes shown in a visual way with graphs and charts. I would hang the displays in my office to highlight progress - or not. And they always got attention. I started my on level be LITDigitalArt shops in 2013. It started with Etsy for commissioned pet portraits and ready made digitalart. Then it expanded to Fine Art America/Pixels, Zazzle, Redbubble, and Amazon Merch. I also have my own website that links everything together. So I decided to track the overall performance of my on line shops. Because I have to report the information for taxes, I decided to figure out my earnings, volumes, and dollars per piece over time from 2013-2018. Unfortunately I can’t create my graphs but it was interesting all the same to see the numbers. I’ve made adjustments to the price charged per custom portrait over time, opened ready made image shops where the percentage of take home is pennies, and used social media to the max to promote my work. I used to have a storefront to display my work but decided the printing and foam board costs far exceeded the benefit. A new iPad and printer also added to the initial expenses but now my operating expenses are essentially my time. It’s been an interesting process and it just goes to show that I like tracking things. I guess it’s in my blood. I’d still like to dump the data in to a spreadsheet! 

Canada Geese Everywhere

They are everywhere. In any direction there are flocks of Canadian geese. As is our usual routine on Saturday morning we take a ride along the GW Parkway along the Potomac River to McLean. We have breakfast at McLean Family Restaurant and then go for groceries at either the Safeway across the street or Harris Teeter in Tysons. All along the drive starting at the Washington Monument, Memorial Bridge, Kennedy Center, and Roosevelt Island the geese are feasting on the grass, floating in the river, or flying in unison overhead. When I worked in the Midwest there was a nest of Canadian geese on the grounds. We were told to stay well clear of it because these birds can be quite nasty. So I enjoy observing them from a distance. With the freezing temperatures we have had around here the geese must be disappointed. But for the moment there is plenty of sunshine and great scenery. Who can beat that?