Air Force Memorial At Night

This photo completes a year of postings, so I wanted to revisit my first subject, the Air Force Memorial that overlooks the Pentagon. The variety of ways the gentle arcs can fill the screen of my camera still thrills me. To me, this memorial shares many of the same virtues as the Vietnam Memorial's etched black wall. It is simple and abstract enough for visitors to get whatever they want or need out of experiencing it. I took this picture at night, setting the timer then propping the camera on my shoe. No tripod. A good trick to remember in a pinch.

Pies

This is the glass case by the cash register at Lapp's, a Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant in Lancaster, PA. A pastry case inevitably sends me off into a reverie. I imagine frosting rosettes made from ribbons and strawberry tarts studded with beads. Every display of cakes reminds me of artist Wayne Thiebaud, whose paintings often feature desserts. Pies reign at Lapps. But red velvet cake coexists peacefully among the cherry, apple and shoofly pies. I like this photo, taken with my camera's Illustration setting. It emphasizes the textures and homey qualities of the offerings. They make no pretense of being as photogenic as a tarte aux framboises. Anyone up for a slice of pie?

The Tulip Zoo

The cherry blossoms have passed their peak. Just off the Tidal Basin, tulips are now the centers of attention. Carefully confined within geometric islands of yellow and red, pink and orange, the tulips stand in segregated crowds, orange with orange and yellow with yellow. The tourists, almost as numerous as the tulips, shuffle along the between the tulip islands. "Joshua, look at Mommy!" a mother, camera in hand, calls to her son. Three-year-old Joshua, who has been positioned by his parents on the other side of this particular tulip island, is about to grab the irresistibly red bloom closest to his chubby hands. Joshua's father prevents this particular tulip from meeting the fate of so many others, but he cannot prevent the tears and frustrated wails of his son. It's just another fine day at the Tulip Zoo.

Photo Time

The Quilters' Heritage Celebration is winding down and my annual visit to Amish Country is coming to an end. I spent Saturday teaching my "Crazy Quilted Pins and Pendants" class to a group of talented and enthusiastic women. A shared sense of accomplishment whirled around the room in a big noisy wave as we gathered up the nearly-completed projects and pinned them on the board. Everyone grabbed their cameras. I hope that each person will look at those photos and see in them a record of a day when we conjured up art from fabric and beads, ribbons and ideas, embroidery floss and creativity. We can do whatever we set our minds to doing.