Christopher Radko Ornaments

The colorful glass ornaments are the Christmas decorations I remember as a child along with the colorful lights. My dad and I would get the Christmas tree right around my birthday. None of those ornaments remain, except I still have the stocking my mom knit for me soon after I was born. It has my name and a Santa on it. It, along with my brother and sister’s stockings, were hung on the cardboard fireplace. It was all so believable. All these years later we have one box of Christopher Radko ornaments. When we moved to DC fourteen years ago we left behind just about everything, but I kept that box that we got in Chicago. The shiny vibrant colors and images are so captivating. The snowman is my favorite. Usually we aren’t home for the holiday, but I always put these ornaments up - just not in the usual way. This year they are hanging from the top of the dining room mirror at various levels, above the console plant stand that has a vase stuffed with greenery and branches, birds, icicles, Santa, berries and lights. The only other ornament is a glass partridge in a pear tree that I got for my husband when we first met. My stocking is in the foyer. All I can say is the theme should be “I’ll STAY Home for Christmas” this year. What a fitting song. 

Condo Christmas Photos

After thirteen years, we left Capitol Hill over a year ago and now live in a condo in northern Virginia. Since March - for obvious reasons - there have been no in person meetings or gatherings in the building. Last year there was a Christmas get together but since we were out of town we didn’t attend. So this year instead of having a celebration of sorts, the manager of the building and board requested that home owners send in photos of your Christmas decorations that will then be shared with everyone in the communication update at the end of this week. We don’t do a lot of decorating, but since we will be home this year we did more than usual. We filled our balcony window boxes for fall/winter with pansies, liriope and English ivy, then stuffed them with boxwood, ferns, pine cones, berries and sticks. Inside, the greenery was placed in the wall vase along with two birds, sticks and icicles. On the plant table the bulk of the greens were placed in a large vase with sticks and icicles, along with Santa, my favorite Christopher Radko ornaments on the mirror, the first partridge in a pear tree ornament I gave my husband all those years ago, and a string of tiny white lights. So we combed through the photos we thought might look nice and will forward them this week. Even though it won’t be in a picture, the Christmas stocking my mom knitted for me when I was a baby was hung in the foyer. Usually we travel to central Virginia for Christmas. This year it’s just the two of us - but at least we will have some reminder of the holiday.  

Broken Worry Beads

I wasn’t there when it happened but I could hear the dismay at the other end of the house. The amber worry beads were scattered all over the floor. For whatever reason, the string broke after twenty four years. My husband got those beads when we visited Iran in 1996. He bought them at the bazaar near his old house where his father used to have a shop. He was always jingling his keys - which was rather noisy - so he tried a few strings of beads just to stay busy. Gradually the need for the beads subsided and this amber set was put aside to admire more than use. So we gathered them up and tried putting them back together. I looked for string, thread, wire - anything. But not even thread and needle would fit through the tiny holes of the beads. How on earth they were made in the first place was beyond us. It’s almost as if they were strung, then heated and melted shut. So the beads now sit in a baggie until we can figure out how to repair them. At least we have all the pieces. 

Long Shadows and Bridges

When we lived on Capitol Hill we walked every day rain or shine. Our wardrobe covered about every case scenario, but I still hated rainy weather. When we moved to northern Virginia, we drove to the mall whenever it was too hot, too cold, rainy or otherwise unpleasant. Since that is no longer an option over the last nine months - we haven’t stepped inside any building for anything - except for blood work. So our walks are outside again. Although if it is really rainy we will walk the parking garage eight to ten times around. It’s not the most pleasant experience but it gets the job done. Walking is like a pill on some days. You just need to swallow it whether you like it or not. This morning was exceptionally bright and beautiful - the kind of fall weather that one wishes could be like it for the rest of the season. So we went over to the the park in our neighborhood for a lovely promenade. Along the way the our shadows were long across the several bridges, trees, benches, and paths we passed through. Some of the shadows were crisper in the clear blue sky. All the beautiful leaves have long since fallen and everything had a golden hue. Sometimes I forget the miserable isolation we find ourselves in. It could be worse but it’s still annoying. When I think of the golden years this is not what I had in mind. 

52Frames Texture

This is the fourth week I have been participating in a photography website that was introduced to me by a friend in the Midwest. If nothing else, it makes you think about something else once a week. You need to submit a photo every week based upon the specific subject matter. The photo needs to be taken that week - no archives allowed. Then, a commentary is added about what inspired you, how the photo was taken, etc. Since I’m taking pictures all the time for this photo blog, it’s not that difficult. My only camera is my iPhone, and I’m certainly not a professional photographer like so many who participate are. The first week was circles, the second was nature, then color. This week is texture. I spent half an hour fooling around with the magic carpet little mobile in our bedroom with just the right light, but ultimately decided on a pillow cover. I like the result to be whimsical and pleasing to the eye - not dark or daunting. Every week the album is posted and comments can be made about them. You can also start to follow and get followed. Emails are sent when there is any action made on your photo. So far it’s been fun and I hope I continue to feel that way. Next week is black and white.... I’m already thinking about what it might be - which is the whole idea.  

Coldwell Banker Christmas Window

It’s an every year event. Since we moved to Capitol Hill we always visit the Coldwell Banker Christmas windows on Pennsylvania Avenue. The windows remind me of the old time storefront displays with moving parts, lights, and overall cheerfulness. Since we moved to northern Virginia, we drove in to town last year in the evening to get the full effect. And we did - including a near iPhone robbery disrupted at the last minute. But that’s another story. Yesterday we drove in to DC for a morning walk with the idea of seeing the decorations and wandering through Barracks Row. And of course, they are nothing like they usually are since all the shops are still closed up or out of business. But, given the circumstances, a great effort was made to recreate the annual display. There were no lights, no moving parts, and a few less windows. But there was still a bit of cheerfulness. The city is still very quiet and it just doesn’t feel the same. We are hoping to come back one evening to visit the Capitol Christmas tree and the Eisenhower memorial just to see the lights. So this year was a bit of a disappointment - like everything else for the last nine months.  

Barracks Row Capitol Hill

There were a lot of geese. They were everywhere. We noticed them as we drove towards the Lincoln Memorial on the newly opened Memorial Bridge taking us from Arlington to DC. The bridge was under construction for the last two years and finally ended last week. We try to head to DC every week for a change of scenery on our morning walk. I wanted to check out the Christmas window display at Coldwell Banker on Pennsylvania Avenue. We found a parking space in the old neighborhood and walked towards Barracks Row on Eighth Street. Maybe it was the time of the day, the cold of the season, and the continued emptiness of the city - but it was just not the same as when we lived there. Everything was just yucky. All the restaurants are half closed or closed and trying to make do with sidewalk and street seating. I don’t know how that could possibly succeed in the winter months. The noise of continuous street repairs was deafening. Driving through the narrow streets on our way to the freeway seemed worse than usual. The difference is we aren’t used to it anymore. Things just don’t have the appeal they used to. Or maybe it’s just me.