52frames_music

I used to play the organ, but that was a long time ago and we don’t have that or any other musical instrument in our house. I looked around for my old charm bracelet that I knew had an organ charm, but the photos didn’t look good. My husband likes to drum his fingers so I thought about a pan and some chopsticks. But he isn’t much for posing for photos like this. He was listening to music with his earphones and iPad, but I wasn’t impressed with the result. So for last week’s 52Frames photo challenge we decided to drive down to the national mall and see if anything would pop up - in my head. I was relegated to thinking about a song that inspires a scene. And there is was - the national air and space museum. It has been closed and under construction for the last many months, but the signage and tarps that surround the outside of the building are still in place. There were caricature rockets and aircraft on the fencing that hides the construction behind it. Then it hit me - a favorite Elton John song “Rocket Man.” So we walked to the front of the building on independence Avenue where I knew there was a portrait of the Apollo 11 astronauts. With the leaves hiding and the sun partially shining on the ever so young faces of 1969 I found a reasonably decent image to portray the sentiment. With a bit of enhancements the green and orange colors balanced out the black and white space suits. The real thing would have been better but this option would have to do. I love that song and remember listening to it while driving home for Thanksgiving from college. It’s a little better than a photograph, but it means a lot more. 

The Magnolia

There are tons of magnolia trees by the house office buildings on Capitol Hill. There is something about this huge white flower that I find attractive. Yes, there are also beautiful magnolias that bloom in early spring at the Enid Haupt gardens by the Smithsonian castle. There are probably hundreds of magnolia types out there and the Washington region is filled with them. The branches also look lovely for Christmas decorations. So when we walk through the neighborhood park I look forward to seeing the magnolias that bloom around the library. Once they finally bud it seems the blooms don’t last that long. But that seems the case for just about any flower. Maybe it’s the sheer size of the petals and the interesting center. I was keeping my eye in one particular bud, but it was spent after just a couple of days. It feels like spring passed us by so quickly and now summer is in full swing. Compared to last year this is heaven. Soon we may need to resume our daily walks in the mall because of the extreme heat and humidity. That’s going to be a weird experience. The commercialization can never compete with nature. 

 

Yas Bakery Goodies and Tea Cups for Graduation

Last week today we were en route to our grandson’s high school graduation. It’s been 18 months since we saw our family who now live in central Virginia. We all used to live on Capitol Hill for several years. While I worked at the Library of Congress, my husband babysat and ferried our grandson around. So we had a great opportunity to know him well. So we always stop at Yas Bakery the day before we leave and stock up on treats before we visit. This time we wanted to get something special as a token of the big event. So we got a huge box of cookies, a few different spices, candies, flat bread, pistachios, sour cherry jelly, saffron, and some sour relish. Then I noticed some really pretty tea cups with silver rims that looked like larger versions of cups my husband has from Iran. What freshman college student wouldn’t love a set of these? It was really the thought of it that was inspiring - not very practical - but one never knows. Our grandson still surprises us, so we thought we would surprise him too. So I wrapped the glasses up and put a copy of the life sketches painting on the top under the bow. It was a unique gift - and he really liked it. 

Dental Visit

It sounds like a car wash. Four weeks ago I had a “power wash” performed on my teeth and I would need to return for a “deep clean” in another month. In between visits my husband is having other issues, including implants. He could have all of his teeth replaced for a small fortune. What made it worse was we moved two years ago and we hadn’t met our new dentists yet. Neither my husband nor I had been to the dentist since the pandemic and it obviously created teeth problems. We always went every six months, but I had to cancel our first appointment because my mom passed away, and then we were stuck in the house until we got vaccinated. So today I returned for the “deep clean” which meant cleaning under the gums. That meant some sort of sedation. I was ready to get novocain, but decided to start with the topical number. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, but having had TMJ surgery almost forty years ago makes going for any dental procedure difficult. Now I need to return in four months rather than six, and need to start using several new appliances to keep my guns healthy. That includes a gum stimulator, extra wide floss, a proxabrush, and advanced dental picks. Having a mouth full of fillings, crowns, and wearing a night guard every night cause bacteria buildup so all of these utensils are required. I always flossed and used dental picks and brushed all of the time. Something happened over the last year - and I can feel it in my bones and my teeth. Hopefully my teeth will weather the storm and stay with me for years to come. Now it’s time to make a doctor appointment. 

Kohler Kitchen Sink Utility Rack and Feet

We have a large Kohler stainless steel kitchen sink. It was recently “repaired” because it was sinking - the brackets and glue weren’t holding it on to the quartz counter top. I’ve also been wanting to replace the ugly white cutting board/colander that sits on top of half the sink. It’s functional, but takes up a lot of room. I found a stainless steel small Kohler sink rack that serves the same purpose. It’s a drying rack for small items and has a cup for utensils to soak. Additionally, the white rubber foot protectors on the kitchen rack that covers the bottom of the sink are very hard to keep clean. So I ordered replacements in black. It all arrived yesterday and I am happy with how it looks. But my husband is not as thrilled. He wants holes to be drilled in the cup so the water drains rather than accumulates. He misses the cutting board but there are two smaller boards readily available. The colander is still available when needed. The countertop just looks a bit neater and cleaner and the rack can be put in the dishwasher. I consulted with him before getting the it - showed him the video, etc. Since he is in charge of the kitchen little changes like this make a big difference. I’m sure by next week he will be very happy with the arrangement. 

52Frames_wideangle

I don’t think I interpreted the photo challenge correctly this week. It was all about wide angles. But I was more focused on the “looking up” from below, but too low and not at the wide open spaces. Because I use my iPhone for taking photos, the images are already shot at a “wide angle.” But I used the panorama function too to go even wider. In spite of that I used the camera+ 2 lightbox app to crop them at 16:9, although I suppose I really didn’t need to since wider was better. There were a few cicadas options. It’s an every 17 year phenomenon and the insects are everywhere. I like the magnolias that are blooming too. And from the fourth floor balcony there are some great opportunities to catch my husband walking both to and from the dentist office. The bench in the park was okay. But I really liked the fountain that sits in front of our building with the waterfall effect. The tiles and the splashes and the sea foam color looked nice - even better when I enhanced the image. What I like about the weekly photo challenge are the comments made about the effort - especially connecting with our friend from the Midwest who introduced me to this activity. This week the these is “music.” I have no idea what that’s going to look like. 

Exactly Fifty Years Apart

We are exactly fifty years apart. It’s one way to remember how old he is. Our grandson is 17 and graduated from high school this past weekend. I was also 17 when I graduated from high school. We haven’t visited with him and his family since Christmas 2019. Because everyone is vaccinated, we decided to make the four hour road trip to central Virginia. It was like going from serious COVID restrictions in northern Virginia to a place in time before the pandemic. It was a great occasion to finally take the plunge, and it felt weird. In some respects it seemed like it had been over a year and a half, but at the same time it felt like just yesterday. It was a very rainy weekend but the weather finally turned in our favor for the event, although it was very cold - especially since the graduation was being held in an outdoor stadium. It’s also the first time I did not keep up with my daily blog entries. I just didn’t feel like for the first time in ten years. Our grandson has been a joy and is someone to be proud of. He was the salutatorian in a class of over 300+ seniors, excelling in math and advanced college studies. He also likes to cook, is outdoorsy, and plays at wrestling, baseball and track. He’s extremely polite and kind. So, we had a really nice time finally getting away for the weekend, and for a great reason. He will be attending UVA in Charlottesville and we are more than happy about it. Now that we are back home both my husband and I feel bewildered and out of it. I looked around for my high school graduation photos and sent off a few, along with his dad’s to make comparisons. The diplomas look exactly like they did back then. Some things never change.