Washington D.C. in the dark

I had to go to D.C. late last month for a conference.  I was there with a couple of friends from work. We ditched a day of the conference to go wander the "sights". We stopped at the Natural History Museum first, then after it was dark and I was all set to get back to the hotel, one of my party insisted we hit a few of the memorials.  I must say I'm glad we did.

It's blurry. We really needed a nice tripod for our nighttime adventure. The possibility of the airplane flying through was completely random. The outcome of that was really cool though.  Thanks to Pete for playing with the camera at that moment!

Again, the lack of tripod is shameful, but a lovely shot of the T.J. Memorial. I think this is one of my favorites. The way the stone illuminates at night is incredible. There is such a warmth.

The WWII memorial is new since I was last in D.C. After the evidence of slight tremor in all hands, their was no way to attempt any photos of this memorial except in well lit areas. I'll definitely have to go back for better shots.

The monument had quotes from the people of that time. HS Truman said it right....

Looking to Travel

 This is a test of the entry posting system here.   Do pictures get loaded in groups or singles?

Evidently they are loaded in singles. Interesting. But much more user friendly loading that the "other" sites I've used to blog with...

So what are these photos?

Did I run into a camp of gypsies at some point?

Perhaps yes. Perhaps no.

These were taken in the interesting storage area of would be family. I prefer to think this was an old gypsy buggy. But I can't say for sure. I certainly didn't feel it appropriate to ask. I'd asked so many other questions.

Knowing this is such a photo friendly posting medium, I shall feel much more motivated to post pictures and the thoughts... more to come...

Glacier National Park

I got a new camera this spring. It is an SLR and the learning curve for using it is funny. I start a trip fumbling and muttering not sure what to do to get the photo right. Then sometime about 2 hours after the start of the fumbling and muttering things start to get captured correctly.

Here is (obviously) water coming off rocks. It’s too bad that the lens couldn’t get me closer. I would have loved to catch each individual drop.

The hope from taking all these photos is that somewhere I’ll start getting lucky and have some worthy of hanging in my home. REALLY BIG I’m getting closer. I figured out after the last trip that I have to shoot in RAW images in order to get my computer to help me compensate for my lack of experience.

This is such a nice shot. I took it on Road to the Sun. Or maybe it is Hiway to the Sun. Or Highway to the Heavens or… something. At any rate, the drive was slowed by road construction. I think it was this same peak that a little earlier had half of it shadowed by clouds and the other half brightly lit.

Hopefully, life will slow down enough for me in a few more weeks and I will have more time to do some contemplation. Post more pictures. Ask a few questions that can’t be answered…

Into every life...

THIS story starts before today. Way before today.

Back in 1998, I was in a pet store to see the chinchillas. Basically to kill time and entertain myself. On the way to the chinchilla cages, I walked passed a man with two white and brown bunnies snuggled up asleep. I mean, bunny vs chinchilla. What is more interesting?

Turns out these sleeping creatures were NOT bunnies. They were Jack Russell puppies and one of them just happened to be waiting to be named Henry.



Henry is now approaching elderly and is a sweet little dog. Who worries way too much. About everything.  I had noticed he was getting more and more neurotic, licking, sleeping too much and generally seeming depressed.

This was not really a surprise because Henry and I had had a fellow traveler. In 1999 I acquired a "girlfriend" for Henry. Another Jack Russell puppy named Izzie.

Izzie died in July 2006 (a really really bad year). We missed Izzie terribly and I couldn't bring myself to get another dog at the time. However, this past summer, with Henry seeming so depressed, I began searching for a new companion for him. Some little beastie to draw him and be a jolt of energy to his system.



I was careful to consider this. I wanted a friend for Henry who could respect his place in the pecking order. (Girl terriers are known for being a bit pushy about a pecking order.) I looked and looked, saw a couple different dogs and really gave it thought. I didn't think I was ready to do this, then I met Annie.

Annie is a young little thing. I was told she was about 9 months old when I met her in August. She was youthful, energetic and it turns out that she really enjoys Henry. And once the jealousy wore off, I think Henry really enjoys her. It is very sweet seeing them play together.

As a side note: I found out in November after getting Annie's adoption fee paid and mentally committing to this endeavor, Henry was hypothyroid.  I could have save a bundle if I'd only known sooner!!

Overall, I'd say Annie has been a good addition to my menagerie of one.

Until today.

I call her Tiny Destructo. She has pulled the internet cable out of the house, necessitating a visit from AT&T UVerse dudes. She has gutted several of Henry's stuffed animals. I've managed to rescue them a couple of times with needle and thread. They are currently in a dresser drawer awaiting their next surgical event. She's stolen barrettes and taken into the yard to destroy (unsuccessful!). She has gnawed some of my wooden chair rungs. Thankfully not the wood of the antique set, but I'm not happy about the new set either. And one of the more irritating feats - she chewed my favorite nasty pair of old kick around Dansko clogs. Life will never be the same...

Today she was at her finest. Let's just say I thought the flower pillow was something of a security blanket that she liked to carry around.



Evidently, I was wrong. Today it snowed in Texas.



What can you do?

I picked it up and reminded myself that this was my mess for not being more vigilant and offered up a silent prayer for puppy-hood to be over quickly...

bmh