Landscaping One OH! One

As a follow-up to the post about my trip to the Watergate today, I wanted to post these pictures I took along the way.  The landscaping company was working on putting in these plants in an island along the sidewalk on the west side of the building which is exclusively residential earlier this week.  I stopped to admire the upgrade to the landscape and ended up talking to one of the women who was in charge of the project.  She told me she was an artist and from these shots I would agree that indeed she is.  Sometimes it only takes a small upgrade to bring a space back to life.  This area had become badly overgrown and was in need for some “sprucing up.”  So, enjoy the tour.

*          *          *

First, a little background on this historic building.

Construction began on the Watergate complex in August, 1963 and was completed in January, 1971.  The complex is a group of five buildings located next to the Kennedy Center.  The site contains an office building, three apartment/condominium buildings, and a hotel-office building. Construction was delayed for several months while the developer, government officials, and others debated the appropriateness of the complex's architectural style and height. It is considered one of Washington's most desirable living spaces.  The complex has been sold several times since the 1980s.  In the 1990s it was split up and buildings and parts of buildings sold to various owners.

The landscaping project you are viewing took place along the section of the building marked with the green and yellow flower.

And here are the pictures for you to enjoy.

Landscaping One OH! One

As a follow-up to the post about my trip to the Watergate today, I wanted to post these pictures I took along the way.  The landscaping company was working on putting in these plants in an island along the sidewalk on the west side of the building which is exclusively residential earlier this week.  I stopped to admire the upgrade to the landscape and ended up talking to one of the women who was in charge of the project.  She told me she was an artist and from these shots I would agree that indeed she is.  Sometimes it only takes a small upgrade to bring a space back to life.  This area had become badly overgrown and was in need for some “sprucing up.”  So, enjoy the tour.

*          *          *

First, a little background on this historic building.

Construction began on the Watergate complex in August, 1963 and was completed in January, 1971.  The complex is a group of five buildings located next to the Kennedy Center.  The site contains an office building, three apartment/condominium buildings, and a hotel-office building. Construction was delayed for several months while the developer, government officials, and others debated the appropriateness of the complex's architectural style and height. It is considered one of Washington's most desirable living spaces.  The complex has been sold several times since the 1980s.  In the 1990s it was split up and buildings and parts of buildings sold to various owners.

The landscaping project you are viewing took place along the section of the building marked with the green and yellow flower.

And here are the pictures for you to enjoy.

Brother, can you spare a dime, . . . well, a nickel

I did something today that I never thought I would do.  I bought one of those reusable shopping bags from Safeway.  You know, the ones that “they” want us to use these days rather than using the plastic bags that we’ve used for years.  I walked over to the Safeway at the Watergate Building (yes, . . . “that” Watergate Building) at lunch time.  When the weather is nice, I will take a walk over there during the week to pick up a few grocery items so that I have less to shop for on the weekends.  It’s a pleasant walk along the river, past Thompson’s Boat Center, over the Rock Creek Parkway and then onto Virginia Avenue, NW.  The Safeway is located on the ground level along with a wine and liquor shop, two restaurants suitable for lunch (one Chinese; the other a deli), a CVS and a few other little shops that mainly cater to the resident's of the building.  There is a 1989 Washington Post article proudly displayed on one wall of the Chinese restaurant with an article about Bob and Elizabeth Dole that is signed by Senator Dole espousing his and Mrs. Dole’s affinity for the restaurant.  The Watergate has been home to many of the Washington elite for many years.  Alfred and Betsy Bloomingdale were in residence during the Reagan years from 1980 – 1988 while still maintaining the family home in Holmby Hills, CA, part of the “Platinum Triangle” which consists of the areas including Holmby Hills, Bel Air and Beverly Hills.  But, enough of that.  Back to my new shopping bag.

As you see here, the Safeway Corporation has done a suitable job of making their bags fashionable enough to be seen with.  These are available for $2.99 each.  I was surprised at how much the bag held.  It looked relatively small when I handed it to the cashier, but when fully opened it has a large base, so it will hold quite a lot.  I would say that it would have taken 2 – 3 plastic bags to hold my purchases today and it all easily fit into this bag.

I have railed against purchasing one of these bags because I, for one, do not think that using plastic bags is causing the polar ice caps to melt or otherwise destroying the earth.  I do not subscribe to the current hysteria over global warming that we are bombarded with on a near daily basis by the media.  I believe this great planet on which we are fortunate to live is a great deal more resilient than most people give it credit for being.  My decision was based more on the convenience of the reusable bag.  I will keep this one under my desk so that when I take walking trips to Safeway or any other local establishment, I can load up my purchases and be on my way with a little style, rather then schlepping plastic bags around.  Another deciding factor for me to go with the reusable bag was due to the law that went into effect on January 4, 2010, demanding that all retailers in the District of Columbia were required to charge 5 cents per bag if you used a plastic bag to carry your purchases out of their stores.  Nearly two years later I’m sure that I’ve paid for more than a couple Safeway reusable bags by being a victim of this outlandish bit of legislation.  But that’s all water under the bridge now.  I am changing with the times, albeit slowly.

So that’s my reusable bag story.  My advice – get one, or two.  They really are a better way to go than using plastic bags for many different reasons.  Make the change for your own reasons rather than feeling forced to “follow the crowd.”  You’ll feel better about it if you do.

Brother, can you spare a dime, . . . well, a nickel

I did something today that I never thought I would do.  I bought one of those reusable shopping bags from Safeway.  You know, the ones that “they” want us to use these days rather than using the plastic bags that we’ve used for years.  I walked over to the Safeway at the Watergate Building (yes, . . . “that” Watergate Building) at lunch time.  When the weather is nice, I will take a walk over there during the week to pick up a few grocery items so that I have less to shop for on the weekends.  It’s a pleasant walk along the river, past Thompson’s Boat Center, over the Rock Creek Parkway and then onto Virginia Avenue, NW.  The Safeway is located on the ground level along with a wine and liquor shop, two restaurants suitable for lunch (one Chinese; the other a deli), a CVS and a few other little shops that mainly cater to the resident's of the building.  There is a 1989 Washington Post article proudly displayed on one wall of the Chinese restaurant with an article about Bob and Elizabeth Dole that is signed by Senator Dole espousing his and Mrs. Dole’s affinity for the restaurant.  The Watergate has been home to many of the Washington elite for many years.  Alfred and Betsy Bloomingdale were in residence during the Reagan years from 1980 – 1988 while still maintaining the family home in Holmby Hills, CA, part of the “Platinum Triangle” which consists of the areas including Holmby Hills, Bel Air and Beverly Hills.  But, enough of that.  Back to my new shopping bag.

As you see here, the Safeway Corporation has done a suitable job of making their bags fashionable enough to be seen with.  These are available for $2.99 each.  I was surprised at how much the bag held.  It looked relatively small when I handed it to the cashier, but when fully opened it has a large base, so it will hold quite a lot.  I would say that it would have taken 2 – 3 plastic bags to hold my purchases today and it all easily fit into this bag.

I have railed against purchasing one of these bags because I, for one, do not think that using plastic bags is causing the polar ice caps to melt or otherwise destroying the earth.  I do not subscribe to the current hysteria over global warming that we are bombarded with on a near daily basis by the media.  I believe this great planet on which we are fortunate to live is a great deal more resilient than most people give it credit for being.  My decision was based more on the convenience of the reusable bag.  I will keep this one under my desk so that when I take walking trips to Safeway or any other local establishment, I can load up my purchases and be on my way with a little style, rather then schlepping plastic bags around.  Another deciding factor for me to go with the reusable bag was due to the law that went into effect on January 4, 2010, demanding that all retailers in the District of Columbia were required to charge 5 cents per bag if you used a plastic bag to carry your purchases out of their stores.  Nearly two years later I’m sure that I’ve paid for more than a couple Safeway reusable bags by being a victim of this outlandish bit of legislation.  But that’s all water under the bridge now.  I am changing with the times, albeit slowly.

So that’s my reusable bag story.  My advice – get one, or two.  They really are a better way to go than using plastic bags for many different reasons.  Make the change for your own reasons rather than feeling forced to “follow the crowd.”  You’ll feel better about it if you do.

My Weekend Away

As I posted last Friday, I spent the weekend with my family in Richmond, VA.  I took the train from New Carrollton, MD early on Saturday morning and returned around noon on Sunday.  A very quick trip but a lot of fun.  I'm going to let the pictures in this post tell the story of my weekend rather than prattling on and on.  Enjoy the show.

A brief introduction to the purpose of my visit.  My nephew, Nathan, received his black belt in karate on Saturday.  He asked me if I would attend and told him I would.  My sister and her husband and Nathan picked me up at the Staples Mill Road station in Richmond on Saturday and we immediately headed to the event with a stop along the way to pick up lunch, which was divine.  Chicken fingers and potato wedges and blackberry cobbler from a local deli topped off with a Diet Orange Crush.  Now I ask you, . . . does it get any better than that.  I don't think so.  Nathan and I bought $7 worth of Scratch & Win lottery tickets and won $1.  I will be mailing that $1 winning ticket to him later this week.  (I thought I left it in the car but I found it in the back pocket of my jeans when I got home.)  After lunch we made our way to the venue, which started promptly at noon.

There was a large number of participants all achieving some level in their martial arts training.

Here are some shots of Nathan practicing before his actual test in which he had to break a board - no easy task!!  He is the handsome fellow in the center of each picture.

And here is a picture of him preparing his moves for the instructor.  (He is the second one in, last row.)

Nathan receiving his diplome.  I was hoping to get a shot of him when he turned around but that did not happen.

It was so wonderful to see him and all the others perform their moves.  Martial Arts training teaches children discipline and responsibility which is so important.  He will be a stronger and better person for having gone through this training.  We are expecting big things from him later in life.

*          *          *

I started taking pictures soon after the train left the Staples Mill Road Station in Richmond.  Here is a shot of the business class car on this early morning train headed north.

Here we are at Quantico Marine Corp Base in Quantico, VA.  It was very brisk on Sunday morning as you can tell by the way this couple is bundled up as they make their way to the station.

As we were pulling away from the Quantico station, I got this shot down Main Street.  A step back in time.  This sort of reminded me of the Main Street in Orange, VA where I grew up.

A little further down the tracks we crossed the Occoquan River in Occoquan, VA.  I particularly like this shot with the menacing clouds overhead.

As we reached Washington and were getting closer to arrival at Union Station, I got in this shot of the Washington Marina.  This is a wonderful section of town where many dock their boats all year round.  A little further down but out of sight of this shot there are fresh seafood vendors set up along the banks of the Potomac selling all sorts of fresh seafood brought in from the Cheasapeake Bay.  Anything you could ask for they have.



Just before we entered the tunnel that would eventually take us to the main platform of Union Station we stopped and I was able to get this picture of 6th and D Street, SW.  The city has been actively upgrading both the SW and SE parts of the city over the past several years.  This is one of those areas that has benefited from those efforts.  Once filled with blight, you see here that the area is clean and well maintained and is once again a vibrant part of the city.

Another shot further down D Street, SW.



Once we reached Union Station, I took the opportunity to record some of the activity going on there.  The gentleman climbing down the side of this locomotive had been perched further up with his trusty bottle of Windex cleaning the front windshield of this locomotive.  Doing his part to make sure everyone enjoyed a safe trip to their final destination.

This is my train, the Amtrak 88 Regional with a final destination somewhere in New England.

We left promptly at 11:25 AM.  It has been my experience that Amtrak is superb in keeping to their schedule.  I was the first stop in Maryland.  Only a short 7 minute ride to New Carrollton, MD.  And once I arrived and made my way up the escalator, my chariot awaited.

Little Baxter was in no mood for pictures as is evidenced here.  He was glad I was back but not so happy to record the moment on film.

And so ends my slide show of my trip to Richmond this past weekend.  As I said earlier, it was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad I took the time off from my busy schedule and traveled down to see everyone.  To my wonderful nephew Nathan, I love you more than you could know.  I am so proud of you for achieving your black belt.  I am glad that your mother and father have signed you up for another 3 years of martial arts training and I cannot wait to come back for the ceremony when you achieve your black belt, level 2.  To my sister Gwen and her husband Randy, thank you for inviting me and shuttling me around this weekend.  I love you both.  To my sweet niece Sarah Paige, you are a light in my life.  You are so talented.  Keep drawing and painting.  I hope to one day fly to New York to the opening of your gallery.  I love you.  To my mother and grandmother, I love you both.  Take good care of yourselves and I hope to see you again very soon.

My Weekend Away

As I posted last Friday, I spent the weekend with my family in Richmond, VA.  I took the train from New Carrollton, MD early on Saturday morning and returned around noon on Sunday.  A very quick trip but a lot of fun.  I'm going to let the pictures in this post tell the story of my weekend rather than prattling on and on.  Enjoy the show.

A brief introduction to the purpose of my visit.  My nephew, Nathan, received his black belt in karate on Saturday.  He asked me if I would attend and told him I would.  My sister and her husband and Nathan picked me up at the Staples Mill Road station in Richmond on Saturday and we immediately headed to the event with a stop along the way to pick up lunch, which was divine.  Chicken fingers and potato wedges and blackberry cobbler from a local deli topped off with a Diet Orange Crush.  Now I ask you, . . . does it get any better than that.  I don't think so.  Nathan and I bought $7 worth of Scratch & Win lottery tickets and won $1.  I will be mailing that $1 winning ticket to him later this week.  (I thought I left it in the car but I found it in the back pocket of my jeans when I got home.)  After lunch we made our way to the venue, which started promptly at noon.

There was a large number of participants all achieving some level in their martial arts training.

Here are some shots of Nathan practicing before his actual test in which he had to break a board - no easy task!!  He is the handsome fellow in the center of each picture.

And here is a picture of him preparing his moves for the instructor.  (He is the second one in, last row.)

Nathan receiving his diplome.  I was hoping to get a shot of him when he turned around but that did not happen.

It was so wonderful to see him and all the others perform their moves.  Martial Arts training teaches children discipline and responsibility which is so important.  He will be a stronger and better person for having gone through this training.  We are expecting big things from him later in life.

*          *          *

I started taking pictures soon after the train left the Staples Mill Road Station in Richmond.  Here is a shot of the business class car on this early morning train headed north.

Here we are at Quantico Marine Corp Base in Quantico, VA.  It was very brisk on Sunday morning as you can tell by the way this couple is bundled up as they make their way to the station.

As we were pulling away from the Quantico station, I got this shot down Main Street.  A step back in time.  This sort of reminded me of the Main Street in Orange, VA where I grew up.

A little further down the tracks we crossed the Occoquan River in Occoquan, VA.  I particularly like this shot with the menacing clouds overhead.

As we reached Washington and were getting closer to arrival at Union Station, I got in this shot of the Washington Marina.  This is a wonderful section of town where many dock their boats all year round.  A little further down but out of sight of this shot there are fresh seafood vendors set up along the banks of the Potomac selling all sorts of fresh seafood brought in from the Cheasapeake Bay.  Anything you could ask for they have.



Just before we entered the tunnel that would eventually take us to the main platform of Union Station we stopped and I was able to get this picture of 6th and D Street, SW.  The city has been actively upgrading both the SW and SE parts of the city over the past several years.  This is one of those areas that has benefited from those efforts.  Once filled with blight, you see here that the area is clean and well maintained and is once again a vibrant part of the city.

Another shot further down D Street, SW.



Once we reached Union Station, I took the opportunity to record some of the activity going on there.  The gentleman climbing down the side of this locomotive had been perched further up with his trusty bottle of Windex cleaning the front windshield of this locomotive.  Doing his part to make sure everyone enjoyed a safe trip to their final destination.

This is my train, the Amtrak 88 Regional with a final destination somewhere in New England.

We left promptly at 11:25 AM.  It has been my experience that Amtrak is superb in keeping to their schedule.  I was the first stop in Maryland.  Only a short 7 minute ride to New Carrollton, MD.  And once I arrived and made my way up the escalator, my chariot awaited.

Little Baxter was in no mood for pictures as is evidenced here.  He was glad I was back but not so happy to record the moment on film.

And so ends my slide show of my trip to Richmond this past weekend.  As I said earlier, it was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad I took the time off from my busy schedule and traveled down to see everyone.  To my wonderful nephew Nathan, I love you more than you could know.  I am so proud of you for achieving your black belt.  I am glad that your mother and father have signed you up for another 3 years of martial arts training and I cannot wait to come back for the ceremony when you achieve your black belt, level 2.  To my sister Gwen and her husband Randy, thank you for inviting me and shuttling me around this weekend.  I love you both.  To my sweet niece Sarah Paige, you are a light in my life.  You are so talented.  Keep drawing and painting.  I hope to one day fly to New York to the opening of your gallery.  I love you.  To my mother and grandmother, I love you both.  Take good care of yourselves and I hope to see you again very soon.

A Weekend Away

Today we're not going to talk about gardening or home renovation or the weather.  Why?  Because today I am preparing for a trip to Richmond, VA.  I will be spending at least part of the weekend with my family in Richmond.  My nephew, Nathan, is receiving his black belt in karate and requested my presence at his graduation.  I have my train tickets and I am looking forward to the visit and to being there for this momentous ocassion.  Pictures and possibly a video clip will follow, provided that I can figure out how to use the new video camera.  Maybe my nephew can teach me.  You know the kids today are very technologically advanced.  Much more so than my generation.

A Weekend Away

Today we're not going to talk about gardening or home renovation or the weather.  Why?  Because today I am preparing for a trip to Richmond, VA.  I will be spending at least part of the weekend with my family in Richmond.  My nephew, Nathan, is receiving his black belt in karate and requested my presence at his graduation.  I have my train tickets and I am looking forward to the visit and to being there for this momentous ocassion.  Pictures and possibly a video clip will follow, provided that I can figure out how to use the new video camera.  Maybe my nephew can teach me.  You know the kids today are very technologically advanced.  Much more so than my generation.

A rainy weekend along the eastern seaboard

Looks like we are in for a rainy Friday . . . and Saturday . . . and Sunday.  It is impossibly humid here today.  I just checked Accuweather and they are predicting 3 - 4 inches of rain by the end of the day on Sunday.  I hope our friends across the Potomac in the Huntington section of Alexandria, VA do not experience more flooding from these rains.  Many homes were flooded over there with the rains from hurricanes Irene and Lee and many are still dealing with the devastation from those two storms.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that there is no more flooding.

This will be another busy weekend in the continuing effort to get the dining room renovation completed and ready to show on November 7.  I ordered new fabric to cover the dining room chair seat cushions with yesterday.  Here is a sample:

I ordered this fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club (http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/).  I have ordered from them before and have never been disappointed.  They have some very good quality fabrics and many times you can find what you are looking for on sale.  This fabric is called Clark Stone by Swavelle/Millcreek.  Their description:

"Beautiful, brown & charcoal gray, chenille upholstery fabric with latex backing by Swavelle/Millcreek." 

Since I am using browns and grays in the renovation of the dining room, I believe this is the perfect choice for the seat cuchions.  I got this for $12.95 per yard on a 54" bolt.  Compare at $22.95 per yard.  So all in all, I am happy with everything about this fabric - the weight, the colors and the price.  Now I just need to get it and get out my electric staple gun and start covering some seat cushions!!

A rainy weekend along the eastern seaboard

Looks like we are in for a rainy Friday . . . and Saturday . . . and Sunday.  It is impossibly humid here today.  I just checked Accuweather and they are predicting 3 - 4 inches of rain by the end of the day on Sunday.  I hope our friends across the Potomac in the Huntington section of Alexandria, VA do not experience more flooding from these rains.  Many homes were flooded over there with the rains from hurricanes Irene and Lee and many are still dealing with the devastation from those two storms.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that there is no more flooding.

This will be another busy weekend in the continuing effort to get the dining room renovation completed and ready to show on November 7.  I ordered new fabric to cover the dining room chair seat cushions with yesterday.  Here is a sample:

I ordered this fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club (http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/).  I have ordered from them before and have never been disappointed.  They have some very good quality fabrics and many times you can find what you are looking for on sale.  This fabric is called Clark Stone by Swavelle/Millcreek.  Their description:

"Beautiful, brown & charcoal gray, chenille upholstery fabric with latex backing by Swavelle/Millcreek." 

Since I am using browns and grays in the renovation of the dining room, I believe this is the perfect choice for the seat cuchions.  I got this for $12.95 per yard on a 54" bolt.  Compare at $22.95 per yard.  So all in all, I am happy with everything about this fabric - the weight, the colors and the price.  Now I just need to get it and get out my electric staple gun and start covering some seat cushions!!