Tree and Wall Art

If you look hard enough or just simply pay more attention to your surroundings, unusual and pretty things emerge around you. This was the case on a walk in the neighborhood. In front of the Republican Club were trees with interesting color and texture, looking like they were covered with tiny insects. At the Botanical garden, the birch trees are shedding their skins creating a visual interest. By the Supreme Court across from the Hart Senate Office Building is a wall that was once covered with either a weed or a vine. Someone decided to take it down. What's left is the imprint of what used to be growing there. It looked like it was still there, but on closer inspection, the paint had been removed leaving the impression.  It would have been hard to create that art by hand. I am a person who observes and sees things most people just pass by without thinking about it. In fact, my husband oftentimes says that if I didn't point it out to him, he would have missed it. I hope everyone has someone who points things out to them. 

Omaha Steaks Thanksgiving Dinner

No, it will never be like Mom did and I am too lazy and really dislike cooking. My husband doesn't care for turkey, but we are hosting a five person Thanksgiving dinner next week. My favorite Jennie O brand isn't available anywhere in town and you can't even order it anymore! Last year we tried Omaha steaks and it suited the purpose. With a vegetarian in the group it becomes even more interesting. The contents arrived in a big styrofoam container in dry ice. It was unpacked and promptly put in the freezer. So aside from the two pound turkey breast for three people will be a big pot of soup for most of us, and a special vegetarian treat my husband makes - and he loves cooking.  In the end it's not about the food anyway. I would rather find a cozy restaurant and let someone else deal with the preparations. If you have a difficult time starting a conversation they even enclose some cards to get you started. I don't think there will be a need for them. 

Six Hundred Facebook Likes

I set up a Facebook business page about 18 months ago. The idea was to promote my digital paintings and create a place to showcase work "in process," finished projects, link it to my other websites like Pinterest, Etsy, You Tube, Fine Art America, and also throw in some DC photos I take around town. It's taken some time but I finally hit the 600 "like" landmark. It really takes a lot of work and a lot of attention. Every day the page is updated with something, including any reference of my paintings in treasuries showcased by my peers in Etsy. I always ask my customers if they would allow me to use their finished commissioned paintings as samples in my shop and on the page, and most of them do. So if any of you would like to help me reach the next milestone and beyond, please check out LIT Digital Paintings and click the "like" button. I would be forever grateful! If you're looking for a one if a kind gift for someone, please let me know that too! 

Capitol Visitor Center - A Good Time to Visit

Every once in awhile on my afternoon break I will walk over to the Capitol Visitor Center. Usually I walk the long halls of the Library of Congress Madison Building to get away from my desk in an office with no windows and an escalator churning overhead. I get to the CVC by traversing the underground tunnels that connect all these buildings. I still have a piece of brick from the Jefferson Building when the groundbreaking ceremony for the tunnel that connects the Library to the Capitol occurred. Depending on the season, the CVC is wildly busy with tourists and school groups. Now, however, it is really quiet. You could easily see all the exhibits and take the tour at a leisurely pace. It is worth it to see these sights. So if you are ever in the mood to visit Washington DC without a big headache, this is the time!

Supreme Court North Garden

I'm not sure what the construction was all about but it seems to be coming to a close, after at least two years or more. The high fences surrounding the Supreme Court on the north side have been replaced with chain linked fences. So now we can see what is actually going on. The garden on the south side is for the most part complete (see previous blog) and it looks as though more green space, rather than garden, is planned for the north side, where there is more traffic along Constitution Avenue. The sidewalks surrounding the whole building have recently been replaced as well as updating and cleaning the front facade. It will be nice to have the sidewalk returned to us so we no longer have to walk in the street. It still amazes me that we pass by these majestic buildings routinely as they are a part of our neighborhood. In Milwaukee it was primarily a very suburban neighborhood, and if we were adventurous, we had Grant Park by Lake Michigan to explore. We rarely had to deal with construction, but probably didn't need to impress anyone either.  

Folger Shakespeare Library and Theater

We've passed by it many times on walks around the neighborhood and finally decided to go in and see what was inside. The Folger Shakespeare Library is right next to the Library of Congress Adams Building near the rear side of the Supreme Court. Neither I nor my husband are Shakespeare fans, though we both really liked Kenneth Branagh's Henry V movie. And we stopped going to plays many years ago, but had season tickets to the Milwaukee Rep for at least ten years. There is an exhibit about four centuries of staging Shakespeare, and there is also a very small fifty person theater for shows and productions, set to look like Shakespeare times back in the day. But I'm told the major focus is that it serves as a library for Shakespearean scholars to take delight in the materials that are available here. Outside is a garden, that obviously looks very English. For those who like these sorts of things, it's so close at hand if you live in this neighborhood. And we may consider taking our out of town guests here, if they or we think of it. 

Montpelier - James Madison's Home

We had not taken a day trip for awhile, so decided it might be a good time to go back to Montpelier since it was renovated to it's original state. James Madison's home is located in between Culpeper and Monticello and is about a two hour drive from Washington DC. We visited there when we first moved to DC, but at the time the house was being renovated from the pink DuPont monstrosity back to the original state, so there was not much to see. Even though it was dreary outside today, the trip was fun because our dear friend came along with us. And that always makes it more entertaining. Along the way we saw a tree full of turkey vultures, and on the way back they were feasting on a deer carcass. After all, Montpelier is out in the sticks, surrounded by a retired thoroughbred horse farm established by the last owners, the DuPonts. But our journey was to learn more about the behind the scenes man who seemed to be out shined by his more verbose, vivacious, and likable wife Dolly. And, I work at the Library of Congress where there is a Montpelier Room, and is also home to the Madison papers. There is even a statue of him in Madison Hall in the Madison Building. You do come away with an even greater respect for the guy, but for some reason, he seems to be lost among the more prominent kinsmen of the time.  It makes you wonder how one moved about when all this important stuff was being discussed. And once you arrived you stayed for awhile. At least now it only takes two hours rather then three days. Some things have changed, but his thoughtful contributions to our American history have not.