The Fortified Capitol Building

As is our usual activity, we drove in to DC this morning for our walk that took us to the Tidal Basin. We have driven by the area every time we go to our old neighborhood, but we haven’t actually stopped and parked there for quite a while. I thought there would be some great photo opportunities for the 52Frames challenge this week at the FDR Memorial. It involves taking images from a very low perspective. So we parked the car across from the MLK Memorial and walked all over the place. We noticed a lot of helicopters and police presence everywhere. When we were done, we drove towards the Capitol and our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill to see what was happening since last week’s events. All the streets leading to the Capitol building were closed off. And all around the grounds was the black ten foot fence and concrete blocks surrounding the place. About every twenty feet behind the fence were national guards - not just there, but also on every corner within a certain radius. The supreme court was also fenced off and the library of Congress Jefferson building had police, dog, and national guard presence. The house and senate office buildings were also fortified as well as half way down the street to where we used to live. I’m glad we don’t live in the neighborhood now - it’s a bit too uncomfortable for me. When we got home we learned the Washington monument tours were suspended because of threats. I don’t think things will calm down anytime soon and glad I didn’t think about it as we were walking about, wondering why there was no one in sight. 

Covid Vaccine Scheduled

Our son was the first in our family to get a Covid vaccine. He is a cardiac surgeon and obviously it is highly recommended. He just got his second dose last week. My husband falls in the next grouping of candidates because he is over 75 years of age. We were wondering when and how we would find out when the vaccines would become available for us because there has been a lot of communication on the news, etc. I didn’t want to have to sit out in a line somewhere and hope for the best like in Florida. Ironically, yesterday we received an email from Virginia Hospital Center that my husband could sign up and schedule a shot. So I immediately got on line to schedule. The first try or two was difficult because the times were being scooped up faster than I could schedule. So I selected a date that was later in the week and succeeded. The available doses extend through the first week in February. Since we go to VHC physician group we are already patients and we could easily sign in for early registration to avoid delays at the site. We have to travel to Arlington to a central location rather than cross the street to our regular clinic, but it’s worth the short drive. So instead of having to go only twice, we will need to go four times because I am in the next group - which I’m sure won’t be called up for a while. It’s just nice to see that the process has begun in our state and that my husband and I will have more peace of mind having done this. He thought about waiting until it was my turn too, but I didn’t think he should. So the appointment is made and we have had email reminders fir early check in and we are both looking forward to it. So if we need to see a dentist or anything else we can feel a bit more comfortable. After almost a year of hibernating, at least it’s another way to stay safe. 

52Frames Leading Lines

Since I joined 52Frames a couple of months ago, we try to go in to town every week to see what options there are to meet the challenge. It’s all about photography. All I have is my iPhone while most people on the website actually have cameras. I used to have a Sony digital camera but gave it up a long time ago. I love taking photos for this blog, but I’m not a photographer. This week’s challenge is “leading lines” - and I remembered there was an outstanding front entry way to the Library of Congress where I worked for ten years. But before we went there, we checked out the Capitol south metro escalator, and afterwards strolled around the Capitol and Supreme Court - two days before the disaster occurred this week. Everything was so quiet and peaceful for our morning walk. In the end I was happy with the outcome, and there were three photos that I really liked, but chose the front of the library over the escalator and the steps from the Capitol visitor center. Next week’s challenge is taking a photo from a child’s point of view - low to the ground. Sometimes I find an appropriate option here in the neighborhood park, but I have an idea near the Tidal Basin. I’m just hoping we will not have difficulty driving in to DC to get to it. I do have to say the challenges have made me think more about particular subjects so I’m learning as I go. And getting feedback on the website is also fun. 

My Capitol Building

We lived on Capitol Hill for thirteen years and recently moved to northern Virginia. We still go in to town at least once a week to visit our old neighborhood. I worked at the Library of Congress for ten years. Because of the department I worked in, I was able to see the Capitol visitor center being built, and walked through it twice behind the scenes before it opened to the public. In the afternoon I would oftentimes walk through the underground tunnels from the Library to the Capitol just to see the crowds, or even visit the post office. We visited the Capitol when I was about six years old, and many times after that for high school trips and family vacations. The Capitol is probably the one building I have more photos of than any other. We saw two presidents lie in state under the rotunda, took our friends and relatives there for the Capitol tours, watched so many protests, saw it in all seasons, watched the Christmas tree get put up, saw the kids sledding down the hill in winter, watched three inaugurations, walked by it every day on our morning walks; saw the dome being restored; listened to the army band concerts on the steps in the summer, viewed it from the top floor of the library, watched the marathon runners fly past it, created my first Christmas card from DC with its image, watched the Fourth of July fireworks and cannons by the reflecting pond, watched all the events on the mall with the Capitol in the backdrop - the library book festival, the Pope, and any one else of significance, attended many senate hearings, saw it at night and during the day, rain, sun and snow. I have a lot of memories of this place. Yesterday I spent the day looking at a lot of the photos I had taken of this beautiful building filled with history - the major I had declared when I started college all those years ago. It’s an imposing and majestic place. We were just there on Monday of this week for a morning walk and more photos. I need to post the images on my Pinterest page because they mean a lot to me and I can’t fit them all on this blog. The Capitol will never look the same. 

Model Ships

Our friend in the Midwest shared with us a photo of a ship in a bottle he just completed. It’s tiny, and took quite a while to make. And, having some allergy to wood, created a sniffling experience on top of it. Prior to that l, he made one that took thirty years to complete! When I received the image, it reminded me of the ships my dad made. A few of them were placed on the fire place mantle and my brother took them home with him after my mom passed away last year. I remember him and my dad building these ships. We even had a kayak made out of animal skin that my dad got in Greenland while serving in the Coast Guard, along with a couple of walrus teeth. My dad loved the water and his time traveling around the world on destroyer escorts and buoy tenders. He has a meticulous scrapbook of his twenty one year career in the military, including documentation of a serious event - bombing of their convoy - during WWII in the Mediterranean. My parents took many cruises after they retired. Anyway, our friend reminded me of my dad’s history and his love of the water. The funny thing is, I don’t care for the water. But I remember all the ships my dad took us on over the years, and he was always so excited about it. 

2020 Custom Pet Portraits

Looking back on 2020, several custom pet portraits were ordered and many of them came from repeat customers. It’s always such a great compliment to be contacted by someone I have worked with before. They know my work, the process from start to finish, and liked the results enough to request another. Oftentimes the requests are for memorial portraits. I’ve been painting pet portraits for over eight years, soon after the first iPad came on the scene. I found an app that could be used for painting and never looked back. It’s so much neater than water colors, pastels, and charcoal pencils, and my studio comes with me wherever I go - although last year we didn’t go anywhere for obvious reasons. So thank you for ordering the portraits. I loved painting every single one of them. I know how much those pooches and kitties mean and it is my privilege to be a part of those memories. 

Time to Update Amazon Merch Digitalart

The Black German Shepherd is the most popular item in my Amazon Merch shop. Someone out there really likes it because every month a couple of TShirts  are sold in all different women, men and children sizes and colors. It’s like someone takes orders at a dog show or something. I can’t tell who it is because Amazon does not provide that level of detail. My Amazon shop is called LITS Pooches, Kitties, and other Sweet Faces. My limit was 100 items. But now that I have sold a few, my limit has been raised to 500. Unfortunately, if you don’t sell an item, it is removed after six months. And I haven’t been keeping close track of my status and just realized a lot of the items will be expiring. So that, along with the increased limit, means I need to spend a lot of time to repopulate my shop. I don’t mind it, but everything has to be done using my laptop instead of my iPad. I hate using the laptop. Plus, all the images have to be sized perfectly to meets the required file sizes. That means I need to resize all the images specific to each product, and convert them to PNG files from JPEG. It’s a rather tedious process. Additionally, Amazon has also updated the products to include phone cases and pillows. That means even more detailed sizes per product. And, there are now five or so countries that each require their own specific products. Most websites have one item uploaded for everything. So, it’s a big project in front of me and will keep me busy for quite some time. Last month I sold a Vizsla and an Eskie so they will get to stay on the website. As for all the others? I need to upload the files again and hope for a sale so they will stay on forever, and add the new portraits I painted for Christmas. And this is just one website I have... it’s no wonder I save it for last.