Bench

Detail of cast iron work on a bench in Old Town.

Goodbye James Brown. Goodbye President Ford. Goodbye 2006. Happy New Year!

Decorative Doorknob

Detail of old doorknob in Old Town.

GWMT at Night

George Washington Memorial Masonic Temple in the dark of night.

Color Bands

Okay, yesterday’s image stunk up the place, I admit it. Hey, they can’t all be winners. Really, I was just testing you to see if you were paying attention. All those who didn’t leave comments yesterday passed the test.

Today’s photo is much better. The dramatic dark blue clouds, the quickly fading pale pink sunset sky, the rose-tinted Blue Ridge Mountains are much more interesting. Looking at this scene now, it looks utterly peaceful.

To capture this moment of nature’s glory, I’m standing in the parking lot of a Sear’s Auto Repair shop at the edge of Landmark Mall. Cars are whizzing in front of me on the other side of the cyclone fence on their way to I-395. I just aimed the camera up a bit so they wouldn’t interfere with the shot. To the left is Little River Turnpike, itself a river of traffic. It’s nippy, and my ungloved fingers are getting stiff from the cold.

Today’s photo is much better. I absolve myself for yesterday.

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

This scene made me think of an old farmhouse on a lonely country road, far from the hustle and bustle of the suburbs. But no. On a little hill just above a busy highway sit these two buildings, and they’re not farmhouses. A little to the right is a 12 story apartment building. A little to the left is an abandoned Chi Chi’s restaurant and a Comp USA.

Naked

Naked trees salute the evening sky as the sun sinks below the horizon.

I have yet to find a vantage point from which to capture a fabulous sunset without something ugly or intrusive spoiling the shot. But this worked for me!

Joyeux Noel!

What could be more perfectly appropriate than a Christmas tree with an Eiffel Tower ornament to honor Eric of Paris Daily Photo, the creator of the City Daily Photo community. Merry Christmas everyone!

Santa, I’ve Been a Good Dog

It never fails to delight me when I discover yet more evidence of how dog crazy people in this town are.

No snow in sight, so no white Christmas for Alexandria this year. We’ve been having unseasonably warm weather for the past several weeks. I’ve had my heat on only two days since November.