Another day in Paradise

It was just another day in Paradise, lounging under the colonnade, watching the people saunter by, contemplating the meaning of life. 

Be good and have fun,

TR

Birds in a Church?

Taxidermy in the Smithsonian Castle.  The Smithsonian is a vast collection of museums and galleries. People who have not been to DC think of the Smithsonian as a place, but it is a collection of many big places, each one with a unique focus and collection.  This image was captured in the Castle, sort of the visitors center for the Smithsonian.  This room was once the library, modeled after the library of great European Universities. It has served a variety of purposes over the years, including being the dinning room for a restaurant for a decade or two (I had lunch there once.) At the moment is a gallery of north American history, art, and science.  A wonderful space.

TR

Rising Above

Life is about rising above, not getting stuck in the mire that can be everyday life.  The trick is to rise above without losing perspective by placing yourself on a pedestal and forgetting what it is that you have risen above.



Glass Houses

Dutch parable: don't worry about what the neighbors see, god sees all

American parable: people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones

Transport

I am always looking for the next ride to someplace.  DG bought new wheels, Mazda 3 hatch.

Underground

Mass transit was one of the reasons that we moved to DC, being able to get out and go places without fighting traffic and parking was a major plus, along with having all kinds of places that are worth going to (museums, monuments.)  When I travel I like to ride public transit, in the last couple of years I have ridden the transit systems in San Francisco, LA, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, and London.  They all have advantages and disadvantages but they all have one thing in common, they are a great way to get around a big city - and I love big cities.

TR

The Wide View

Last Saturday we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and yes there were people running up the stairs and acting silly.  This is an incredible museum.  Great space and a good collection. The building is very wide, the image above was taken in three exposures using the panoramic mode on my camera.  Neat?

TR

Pink?

We are back from Philly and feeling quite in the pink, doing quite well.  We took a couple of nice train rides and spend most of Saturday in the art Museum.  The picture above was taken on a visit a few years ago.  I have no idea why the water was pink that day, but it was, kind of a striking color. 

TR

Concord Moment

I occasionally hear the phrase, "Concord Moment."  What is it?  A moment of great achievement.  The Concord represented a monumental technological achievement - and one that we let slip into obsolescence.  Why do we achieve great things and then let them slip away without building on the accomplishment? 

TR

Belly up to the

seafood bar in Seattle.  This was taken at a seafood restaurant in the Pike Place Market in Seattle, reminds me of all of the great NW fish.

TR

Wheels

I am thinking it is time for a new car.  Big Red is great fun, easy to drive and very complex with all kinds of complex toys.  Complex toys that are failing, not because of use, but age.  She only has a little over 46,000 miles on her, less then 4,000 average miles per year.  She is also very large, a real challenge to park and maneuver.  Despite her overall size, she has little limited cargo space.  In short she is great fun to drive, tons of get up and go, at 2 1/2 tons she will squeal the tires if you put you foot down, but not very practical and starting to need maintenance.  We started looking at possible - sensible- replacements today.  Shopping will be interrupted for a couple of weeks due to other travel.  But it is time to get the ducks in a row and find something shiny and newer.

TR

Staying Ahead

Having lunch, or being lunch, it is always a simple matter of staying ahead.  Each day we keep our eyes on the goal, move ahead, one step at a time.  If we keep doing this, we are having lunch, instead of being lunch.  Be the bear, or be lunch, I'd sooner be the bear. 

TR

Happy New Years

This is a completely random photo, taken in the Haupt Garden at the Smithsonian Castle.  Welcome to 2012 - Best Wishes for a great year. 

TR