An Urban Exploration

 In 2023,  we will be spending about half of our time in Metropolitan Washington.  We are "grand parenting".  Can I find natural habitats to satisfy my photographic interests? This winter, I've been including a good number of black and white edits that look largely at form in an image when colors are frequently lacking.

An initial exploration was the Great Falls of the Potomac on the Virginia side.  It's a powerful falls, and that was my focus.

The falls is huge, but the real feel is better captured in a close view.  The sky would be a distraction, right?

Our location in DC requires only a five minute walk to be in Rock Creek Park where I can find many walking trails and also park roads closed to thru  traffic.  On one morning, I road a bus north towards the Maryland border and quickly was on a nice trail into the upper part of the park.  The traffic on Sixteenth Street was roaring, but in the park I only saw a few walkers.  The trail topped a rock bluff overlooking the creek.  The next day I returned to reach the opposite side of the creek.

I discovered several beds of wildflowers along my path.  Next week, I will be back for these as I expect the Snow Drops to be blooming.  

Along the creek, I discovered early hints of spring including these red maple tree buds. 

The stream side beech trees were still holding onto last year's leaves.

By all appearances, Rock Creek Park is an old growth forest.  There are no sawed off tree stumps; no evidence of any timber harvest in a century. I saw many truly massive trees.  Along the banks of the creek, large trees often send their roots over the bank toward the stream. Beautiful.

Near Military Road, I came upon the Joaquin Miller Cabin at a stream side picnic grove.  The cabin's namesake was an eccentric poet who lived in it from 1883 to 1885.  Originally located at Sixteenth and Belmont Streets, it was relocated to the park when city growth targeted it for removal.

Here's a final discovery from my rambling along the creek.  I wonder how I will treat these scenes when the leaves begin to add greens and also start to hide some of the details I find so easily now?

Of course,  I did find some colors to celebrate even in early March. This bunch of daffodils is far removed from any garden.  Perhaps the squirrels relocated them?

Another good location I have found is Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.  It is rich with carefully designed flower beds and ornamental trees.  These Asian Witch Hazel flowers were more dazzling than the nearby native varieties.

On my next visit, I am hoping to find more flowering trees including the famous Japanese Cherry Trees.  Finding them in bloom will require some mastery of the bus system plus some magic with the spring weather. I make no promises. 

I am actually surprised at what I could find to photograph, and also that Rock Creek Park was largely free of litter.

Paul

Exploring the Capitol Mall

The National Mall in Washington just became much easier to explore with the introduction of the Circulator Bus. A huge amount of walking is avoided at a very modest fare. It begins in front of Union Station and makes a figure-eight passing in front of the National Gallery and the Smithsonian Museums of Natural and of American History before circling around the Washington Monument. It then goes clockwise around the Tidal Pool to deliver you to the Jefferson, ML King and Lincoln memorials. The route returns passing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and again circling the Washington Monument on the way to return up the opposite side of the National Mall.

While in DC at a family celebration, we explored this new way to see the mall. It was extremely hot, and the Circulator allowed us to easily visit those sites, such as the Jefferson Memorial, with little stress. Here are some photos of what I found.


 I began straight off the Metro near the Capitol walking from the Federal Center stop to the US Botanic Gardens at the foot of Capitol Hill. It was 10 am, so I began outside before the heat soared.





The gardens offer a quiet  place among the constant traffic around the Mall. Still small glimpses of the buildings sneak into view like the National Museum of the American Indian (which is highly recommended).








Given the  heat, I found the gardens in surprisingly lush bloom.  This ramada was surrounded by native plants in brilliant bloom.

Hidden in among the natural stone were a wide array of colorful summer blooms like these.










Nearby is nice water garden with a Mallard drifting about looking for feed. The bench seemed a welcoming place to relax, but on this hot day visitors seemed more intent to keep moving and rest inside the air-conditioned conservatory areas.
















As the heat built above 90F, I, too, retreated to the Conservatory building. One of my favorite places was a tropical orchid display.

Across the Mall,  one can board the Circulator at Union Station or at the National Gallery of Art.  The attractions at the east end of the Mall (near the Capitol) are easy to visit, so we rode to the west end.  Our first stop was the Jefferson Memorial.  Stepping off the bus, the west side is seen.  It surely echoes Jefferson's Monticello.



The east side presents massive steps up to the rotunda.  Note the red "Bike Share" bikes parked in front. They offer a second way to easily move through the city. Residents love them for fast commuting.






Inside the rotunda, Jefferson's statue is flanked by some of his most notable writing. His declaration of "We hold these truths to be self evident" flanks his left shoulder.











Another of his statements to the statue's right shoulder was new to me and certainly apropos 239 years later.  I felt moved to record it.

It was time to hop on the next Circulator for an air- conditioned ride to the Martin Luther King Memorial. The work of the sculptor appeals to me both for the overall memorial's design and for the beauty of the sculpture.









We were making excellent progress at a pace far exceeding what could be done on foot.  Back on a Circulator for the Lincoln Memorial.  More steps.

The view from the steps is a classic one towards the Capitol.












We found the Lincoln Memorial to be the most crowded of all.  The classic photo standing in front of the great statue seems to be the ultimate proof of a visit.  It took patience and holding the camera overhead to simplify the image.

















Our long-delayed visit to the west end of the mall complete, we were again on the Circulator for a final stop at our favorite spot on the Mall.  The National Gallery of Art always has new exhibits, plus our beloved gallery of impressionist paintings. As usual, many hurry through taking snapshots without really seeing, and a few settle on the sofas and really see the art.


This time, there was a painter copying Monet's The Artist's Garden at Vétheuil. This would seem to be the best example of really seeing the painting. It seemed that few visitors paused to see the paint being applied.  Isn't that a chance to go back in time as though Monet was working the canvas?

Thank you for allowing me to take you along on our exploration of the National Mall using the Circulator to catch some of the high points.  The standard fare is $1.00 for up to two hours of boardings.  They run very frequently too.

Paul

A Delight- US Botanic Garden

Once a year, the US Botanic Garden hosts an open house at their production facility across the Anacostia River in DC.  Pam and I can thank our daughter Liz for learning about this event.  It was a special way to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversery, and to do it with our daughter. We were lucky to have a sunny and unusually warm March day too.

The Botanic Garden is best known for their conservatory near the US Capital on the Mall. The clearest recollection I have of my first visit to Washington as young boy is the conservatory and the wonderful orchids. That was nearly sixty years ago.  So, visiting their green houses was greatly anticipated. 

As we entered, the staff was clearly excited to have this opportunity to show off their facility from the sophisticated climate control to the wondrous collection of flora. Perhaps my boyhood recollections of the orchids most strongly directed me to the orchid area. This is where all of the real work occurs to deliver a beautifully flowering plant to the conservatory.

We were quickly welcomed by Clive Atyeo, one of their many expert gardeners.  The time melted away as our host shared so many details of the nurturing that goes into the orchids. 

These are master gardeners who expertly optimize temperature, sunlight, humidity and nutrients in a clean environment with amazing results. I realized later that I had failed to write the names of the orchids in my notes, so you'll have to forgive me for not being able to include the proper names of the blooms. Just enjoy, as we did.

This is one of the Lady Slipper orchids, probably of the Cypripedium genus.  I was taken by the small size of the bloom compared to the wild Cypripedium acaule that I love to find in the New York woodlands.  In addition to the beauty of orchids, the range of sizes amazes me as they can be as small as a pea or as large as a softball. 

Those who know me would expect I carried a large photo pack, with advanced digital SLR camera, tripod and multiple lenses, but that was not the case for this day. I continued my quest to use the iPhone camera when possible, and only backed that up with a Canon G9 point and shoot. So, let's just continue with photos that record the wonders of the Botanic Garden.  I'll caption those with the iPhone.  All images have minimal editing.

Here are three images that show some of the variety in bloom arrangement and size.

Canon G9

iPhone

Canon G9

iPhone

  There are also varieties that produce large clusters of flowers.  Wonderful to see in many different colors.

iPhone

There were other beautiful flowers and succulents, such as this cactus and yes, Amaryllis, unlike what I have seen in the flower shops.

iPhone

iPhone

So, the morning at the US Botanic Garden was a delight for a wide range of visitors including children.  The staff was excited to show what they are accomplishing on that one day a year where they are open to the public.  I have already placed a reminder on my calendar for next year.



Paul Schmitt

 Postscript for the photographer

If you are following the differences between iPhone and G9 photos, there are lessons about what each can do, and what it's best to avoid. First, the size of the iPhone allows you to get into very low or odd positions not possible with a bigger camera.   That is a plus.  Since the iPhone lens has a very wide angle lens, it is key to look at the background as much as the subject. If it is cluttered away from the subject, then the G9 with the zoom lens can crop out the background.  If the iPhone can get close and show no background, it works. However,  then you must also check that you are not too close to focus.  So, to isolate a subject, the point and shoot still has the advantage.   I also found that I rejected many iPhone photos because the sunny day created very bright areas that the wide angle lens included. The light burned out the pixels.  Best to work in the shade or on cloudy days.  Since you cannot adjust the exposure manually to compensate for over-exposure, the exposure adjustments on the point and shoot win the day. Still, it is fun to see what the iPhone can do, and sometimes it will be the only camera to have with you.