Deserted DC Streets

Last week I was on the hunt for photos that had something to do with “unexplored.” The idea was to see something that we had never visited. We started out at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum. Then the next day we went to River Farm in Alexandria. The next day we went to the Department of the Interior. And the last day we drove over to the. National Mall and walked to the Portrait Gallery that wasn’t yet open. There was an orchid show there but it was unlikely we would see it because we were on a timed meter and it would be too late by the time we could finally get in. So we meandered around the portrait gallery area and found that it was no longer the way we remembered it. There was hardly a soul in sight. The streets were empty, there weren’t a lot of pedestrians, and there wasn’t much traffic. Chinatown was deserted. We stumbled upon City Center - a place I have been wanting to see since we moved away from Capitol Hill five years ago. We watched it getting built - with all of the “fine shops” and condos galore. The pink and red lanterns strung about were nice enough, but the stores were empty and there was a security presence on every block. It actually was quite sad. Perhaps it gets busier in the evenings and weekends. I don’t think I care to visit again. 

Bubbles Macro photography on Redbubble, Pixels, and TeePublic

Since I started making custom digital art pet portraits over ten years ago using my iPad, many of the designs and portraits were also used to populate my storefront websites. Those websites include Redbubble, Pixels, and TeePublic. For the last three years or so I started to participate in the weekly 52Frames photo challenge. I have learned a lot since I am not really a photographer. I just love to take pictures. And each week the challenge is different. This week is complementary colors. Usually I just try to find objects or scenes that meet the requirement. But this time I thought I would try something different. I learned about taking macro photos of oil and water. But I would paint the complementary colors first on my iPad and use those designs as the backdrop to create the bubble images. And also photos that were taken that have those colors could also be used as backdrops. The end result was really interesting - to me. There are so many lovely abstract images that emerged - too many to even figure out which one I want to use this week for the challenge. And because I like them so much I am also starting to upload them on to the websites. You can create so many different products using these colors - red/green, purple/yellow, and orange/blue. It can be very time consuming but fun at the same time. I don’t expect a whole lot of response, but it makes me feel good to know that I learned something new and the outcome is pretty. 

Daughters of the American Revolution Museum Visit

We had been to the Daughters of the American Revolution theater twice. As a Library of Congress employee I got free lottery tickets to see Gershwin prize winners Willie Nelson and Billy Joel  - they needed people to “fill the seats” and we were very happy to oblige. We have never been to the museum so we went last week to visit to get an image for the 52Frames photo challenge. We walked over from the Tidal Basin and the building is situated close to the White House. It was built in the early 1900’s. We were lucky to have a docent who was free to take my husband and I on a whirlwind tour. Unfortunately half of the building was under renovation, but we were happy with what we saw. That included the huge genealogy library, a lovely gallery space used for weddings, and several historical rooms. The views from the gallery were lovely - including one of the Washington Monument. There were dining rooms, bedrooms and sitting rooms - all decorated in period pieces designed by the represented states. I ended up creating a composite image of the mirror in the gallery and the wallpaper from an early 1800’s Virginia dining room. Afterwards we walked around the building on our way back to the car. It was nice to see the inside of the building we have walked by so many times. Maybe when the renovation is done we will visit again. 

River Farm in Alexandria

Last week the 52Frames weekly photo challenge subject was “unexplored.” So we tried to come up with some ideas of places we had never been to visit. And one of those places was River Farm on the Potomac River. February probably isn’t the best time to visit a farm or gardens, but it was worth the try. It is located right next to Mount Vernon and the land was once owned by George Washington. The original house still stands but has been enlarged and renovated several times. It is now a wedding venue and an artist by the name of Dhamin Jassim has works on display for purchase. We were almost the only people there. We parked next to the house and did a walkabout. The white rocking chairs on the porch overlooking the Potomac River would be a great spot to sit in the summer. The gardens were still in winter hibernation. There were hints of spring with a few crocus popping out along the paths. There wasn’t much to look at inside the house - although this is the national horticulture headquarters and this place does have quite a history. In the back was a dilapidated shack. We walked around the circular drive and path a couple of times before leaving. It is unlikely that we would ever visit again, but I am glad we checked it out. 

52Frames Unexplored Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “unexplored.” That topic took us to four places that we had never been before. The first was the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum. We had our own personal docent who took us from one historical room to the next. I ended up creating a composite image of a very old mirror with a cool reflection and placing it on the wallpaper from an early 1800’s Virginia dining room. The next day we went to River Farm along the Potomac. The land was once owned by George Washington and is right next to Mount Vernon. The only good photo was some flowers with the house in the background. The next stop was the Department of the Interior. What I thought would be a decent museum was almost nothing to see. But the security to get in was more stringent than in any other place we have visited in DC. The intended last stop was the Portrait Gallery, but it didn’t open until 11:30. So we walked the streets around Chinatown and the new City Center. The whole vibe was very sad. It was literally dead except for a couple of coffee shops. I can see why the arena wants to move to Alexandria. The crime has put a big dent on a once vibrant community. The number of empty buildings is overwhelming. So it was a busy week for checking out places we hadn’t been to before. It was all very interesting, but for some reason I prefer the old familiar places.