LITs Living on Capitol Hill-Hell Blog is Ten Years Old!

Who would have guessed? Ten years ago I started a blog and really didn’t know what I was doing. All I knew was that we had just moved to Capitol Hill three years earlier, I worked at the Library of Congress, and we lived in a tiny 500 square foot condo. That lifestyle was so very different from our Midwest 1500 square foot home on an acre, a Borzoi pooch, and a suburban lifestyle. It was enough to make interesting comparisons and it just grew from there. Though a lot of the entries have more to do with every day living, the title remains. When I was updating the copyright for the new year it dawned on me that the blog hit a milestone. And for the most part I made an entry every day of the week - whether we were at home or on vacation or just away for the day. Since everything is digital I can update it quite easily - even when we were overseas. And of course there were always so many events and oddities occurring in town there was never a lack of subject matter. Even though we moved to northern Virginia almost two years ago we still go in to town at least once a week. Unfortunately we aren’t able to attend the library programs like we used to, but I still love taking photos as they are a huge part of this process. I also check the stats and have people checking my blog from all over the world. It’s also a history of my life - sort of like a diary - filled with memories and feelings and photos. Especially at Thai time it is another way to stay occupied and active. So thank you to those for reading my entries. It’s as fun to write as it is to read - ten years later. 

52Frames Self Portrait

I’m not really a photographer but I love taking photos - ever since I can remember. My dad also liked taking photos and had a very complicated looking contraption with manual settings. We used to watch his slides that he took on the wall with a projector. I had a Swinger instant camera in the 60’s, one of the first Sony video cams, one of the first digital cameras that used discs, and assorted Sony cameras. Once the iPhone came along that’s all I use now. So when I joined 52frames about six weeks ago on the encouragement of a friend, taking a photo challenge each week is the primary goal. This week happens to be “self portrait” to start off the new year. Some of the challenges are easier than others. Luckily we can drive in to DC for a broader range of options; there is the park in the neighborhood for outdoorsy things; and then there are the four walls to try to be creative. So “self portrait”was a four walls challenge - for me. I had a photo from my recent birthday that I used to sketch on my iPad. Usually I’m painting pet portraits which are a lot more complicated and take a while to complete. A simple sketch doesn’t take that long. A few other ideas popped in to my head but I couldn’t execute them without a tripod. It was hard enough to take the photo using my left hand. So, it’s an interesting way to spend time each week and then see how everyone else interprets the subject matter. Next week the challenge is lines that lead to something. I have a feeling that’s going to be a bit more complicated. 

Inspector Morse and Omega Watch Music

Some music just “gets to you.” And some of it comes from very unusual places. When I’m painting I like to listen to Vivaldi and such on Pandora. Otherwise everyone has a playlist of their favorite tunes on a device. When I worked at the library of Congress I brought my phone with me and tuned in to my favorites while taking a walk in the afternoon. Some of the PBS Masterpiece shows have beautiful orchestral and other pieces. One of our favorites is the music from Inspector Morse. It’s very haunting and the composer was a guy by the name of Barrington Pheloung. It was sad to hear that he died a year or two ago. But a more unusual piece was discovered during a tv commercial about Omega watches. It’s another beautiful orchestral piece that crescendos from simple to full out. I found it on you tube and there is a ten minute version. I could listen to it over and over. For whatever reason it brings on a lot of different memories and thoughts totally unrelated to the music itself. It just stirs some kind of emotion. So I got both tracks on iTunes and have them in my library along with all the others that remind me of my past in some way. My husband never noticed the music that was played while watching a movie. And even to this day I need to remind him to listen up. For whatever reason I hear the sound immediately. My grandfather played the horn. Maybe it’s in my genes. 

Happy New Year 2021

Every year I drag out the green and red party hats. Mine is green and my husband’s is red. We put them on just a couple of minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve to celebrate watching the ball drop in Times Square. Last night was no different. Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy 2021! 

LITDigitalart Christmas Pet Portraits

I’ve been painting pet portraits for over eight years using my iPad as the canvas and the stylus as my brush. It’s so much neater than watercolors, pastels and charcoal. The Christmas season always tends to be the busiest time of year. Luckily my studio travels with me, but this year was the first time we didn’t drive home for my birthday or Christmas. So I was able to spend more than the usual time getting the requests completed for the holiday deadlines. I really have to thank my repeat customers for remembering me. Many of the commissions came from folks I have done paintings for several years ago. That probably means more to me than any new customer, and the feedback on my Etsy site is so positive. With every portrait I always send the in process, ideas for digitalart options, and a PNG image that can be used if a background is not needed - like for a T-shirt. I never post the final portraits on social media until the holiday passes in the event someone might see it unexpectedly. Once the holiday is over I start to upload the portraits to Fine Art America/Pixels, Zazzle, Redbubble and Amazon Merch to sell the digitalart art images on products; Etsy to showcase my latest work; and all the other social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook Business page, Instagram, and Tumblr. Today I got an email informing me that someone in Suffolk, UK purchased a ten greeting card pack of my Cairn Terrier portrait. What a lovely way to end the year. The profits are tiny, but the idea that someone from across the ocean noticed and purchased my painting out of all the millions of images out there is thrilling. So, thank you so much for trusting my work. I really appreciate it! 

Almost Got Killed in the Crosswalk

As we do every morning we headed out to the park for a morning walk. As we do every time we walk to the park we have to cross a very busy street - Dolley Madison Parkway. We changed our crosswalk many months ago to another one that was further away from the very busy intersection. Usually we have to wait a while for the cars to pass by. Oftentimes there are actually polite drivers who stop so we can cross safely. Today, not only did we wait for the traffic to pass, we entered the street knowing there was a car in the distance, only to see it actually speed up and coming much too close to us. Then the driver pulled down the window, and started cursing and yelling at us. Both my husband and I pointed at the yellow pedestrian warning sign. The idea is to slow down when you see pedestrians in the street - not speed up. He drove off in a huff and I was a bit shaken by his behavior. I should have taken a photo of his license plate. Anyway, it inspired me to look up the meaning of the sign - to be sure we were in the right. And of course we were. In DC these signs were everywhere and drivers seemed to abide by them. Here, on a very busy street, some people didn’t get the message. I don’t think that person learned a lesson and there’s nothing we can do about it. But my understanding is northern Virginia drivers are the worst. That point was proven today. 

Taking Down Christmas Decorations

They have been up since the day after Thanksgiving. The greens we bought at American Plant were distributed among the large vase on the plant console table, the wall vase, and the balcony window boxes. Sprinkled in them were pine cones, berries, and sticks that I picked up in the street. And of course, a string of lights was added to make it more festive. We usually don’t put a lot of Christmas decorations up because we travel to central Virginia for the holiday. But for most people this year, plans changed. Once Christmas is over I am also over looking at the decorations. The greens were all dried out and we are always ready to move on. So yesterday I got out the box that all of the stuff is stored in and started the process of undoing what was done. The Christopher Radko ornaments that were hung on the large dining room mirror were the first to be placed back in their original box. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. Luckily we didn’t have a tree to deal with but we haven’t had one for ages. So another year has passed and it was very different than any year before it. The house looks more like itself and I kinda like it that way.