Bald Eagle Sighting

This is Wilde Lake.  We have a lovely view of it from our living room and dining room.

Last week as I was standing at this window on the other side of the apartment I saw a bald eagle fly by.  We are on the 11th story so it flew at my eye level which was quite interesting.

Yesterday I walked around Wilde Lake and on the north side a woman told me that the bald eagle was in a tree on the lake.  It was.  What a lovely sight.

This morning as I sat at the dining room table I saw a bird swooping over the lake so I grabbed the binoculars and sure enough it was the bald eagle again.  I watched as it landed in a tree then went for my camera.

These aren't the best pictures for sure.

Next time I'll try to do a better job steadying my hand.

Wild Bird Wednesday

Countdown to Christmas - 19 Days to Go

I shopped for a new Christmas tree in October just as the stores were putting up their displays.  I remembered then that I needed to buy one since we'd sold our very tall one before we moved.

This one is called a pencil tree.  It came with lights.  Besides being slender the size of the box to store it was important because it has to fit in our storage space in the basement of our building.  This one fits perfectly.  Most of the ornaments I kept made it on the tree.

This Christmas tree sits on the front hall table.  It's perfect for that space too.

Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture

Thursday December 1st I had the opportunity to see this newest Smithsonian Museum.  It opened this fall and is very popular.  So popular that you have to obtain a timed ticket to enter.  Tickets are free but very difficult to get on short notice.  Our recreation director here at Vantage House snagged some for the 10 am opening time that day.  Lines were long waiting to enter.  Very strict security measures too just as you pass through the doors.

Here are a few photos that feature the architecture and spaces in the building.  It was much too crowded to take photos of the many exhibits.

The museum is in the shadow of the Washington monument.

Inside is full of light.

Escalators take you up or down.  Below the lobby there is a concourse and then three levels below that is where the history exhibits begin.

Going up is another three levels of culture exhibits.

On the concourse you enter a huge elevator to take you down the three levels.

See what I mean about the crowds.

There are soaring spaces.

One of the Tuskegee Airmen planes.

Lots of videos from as far back as they were made.

The grill work is reminiscent of what was made by African-American craftsmen of New Orleans and Charleston.  It covers the outside of the building.

Chuck Berry's Eldorado.

Here's the outside.  Too big for me to get into one frame from where I was standing.

Well worth the trip.

Joining Tom's Tuesday Treasures

Sackler Gallery

Another trip with Vantage House.  This time to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Arthur Sackler donated his collection of Asian art to the Smithsonian Institution with the stipulation that a museum be built.  This one is attached to the Freer Gallery of Art but unlike that gallery that is above ground this one goes down several stories from the initial ground floor.

We came to see the exhibit called Turquoise Mountain.  I'll share that in my next post.

We also spent some time in the exhibit on the Art of the Quran but no photos were allowed in there.

In the center stairwell is this monkey sculpture.

Each section represents the word monkey in a different language.

It based upon the story of a monkey that looked down into a pond and saw the moon.  He got his monkey friends to make a long  chain but when the last one reached the pond and tried to pick up the moon it disappeared.

The English version looks more like monkeys that the word.

Joining Tuesday Treasures

Retirement

It is official. I am retired after being in the education profession for the last 20 some years, 17 of which were counted toward my retirement from the school system. All in all I've put in 37 years if you calculate from when I graduated from college. My "stay at home mom" years I include as employment even though I wasn't paid. Now I'm retired with me as the boss, me to decide what I do or don't do.

On this first day, I didn't sleep in because the weather is incredibly hot. I have the sprinkler going on the garden and will be moving it around before the heat starts in. I have garden tasks to do which I enjoy, a good book to read when it gets too hot to work outside, and my first volunteer job which I agreed to do with retirement in mind back in February: editing the community newsletter.

When summer vacation would start in the past I would mentally count off the days until I had to return to school. This morning I started that count and then realized not necessary anymore. As Dan says "It's all summer vacation now."

Counting Weeks

I've been asked a lot whether I was counting down my days til retirement. The answer was no until recently when I decided to count the number of weeks of school I had. This is week 32. Not included are the weeks for winter and spring break. Wow! 32 and counting!