katydid...brave the crowd & cold to see the 44th President of the US sworn in.

(spells OBAMA)

And it wasn't as bad as I had expected. I've been to the Mall (notice the capital letter. I'm not talking a place to shop) for the Fourth of July fireworks before. So, I was expecting a ridiculous amount of people. I was expecting pushing. I was expecting impatience (especially given the 20 degree temps!). I was expecting, in short, the worst.

Instead, people were unbelievably civil. There was no pushing even when we were being herded like cattle down 18th Street. No yelling. And, despite almost no visible security on the Mall (I'm sure there was some there, but I didn't see anything other than snipers on the roof of a museum), nothing bad happened. Being a DC-area resident, while you aren't expecting a terrorist attack every.single.day, you are acutely aware of your surroundings and know, for a fact, that there are hateful people out there that are very willing to do stupid shit.

We ended up on the north side of the Washington Monument. We weren't far from the Jumbotron showing the ceremony & had a view of the front of the White House. Not too shabby.

Today I witnessed history. And braving cold & crowds was unquestionably worth it.

And here's the photos to prove it!

The crowds:

The Obama support:

And, FINALLY, the swearing in:

katydid...find a lost blog entry.

My memory is weird. I'll forget where I've put my keys just moments after I've set them down but, at almost the same instant, I will have a very vivid memory of the past come rushing back into my mind. Today, that "memory" was of a weekend when we went to Meadowlark. In August.

May they keep you warm on this cold January evening and remind you of how beautiful summer really is. And they totally prove I'm a forgetful procrastinator!

katydid...visit Miami for xmas.

I confess, I got a bit "arty" with the photoshop with these pictures from the Everglades. So, yes, that noise is indeed fake.

I'm not a huge fan of over-processing of photos, as many of you know, but sometimes everyone is a hypocrite.

These spores both fancinate me & creep me out. Since I'm planning on growing most, if not all, our vegetables from seeds this year expect many a photo of a plant in 2009.

katydid...visit Florida.

Over Veteran's Day weekend hubz & I went down to visit my 'rents. The weather was perfect and it was a nice mini-break. Here's a collection of random snap shots of our trip

katydid...vote.

I totally rocked the vote Nov. 4th. Here's proof!

katydid...see fall colors.

I've been lazy (big surprise, right?) and haven't gotten around to uploading photos like I should. Shame on me! Well, ladiez & gents, hold on to you hats b/c you're going to get 3 posts in ONE night! Try to contain yourself.

This is from 3 weeks ago when the hubz & I went to the National Arboretum. I believe it was "peak color" for the DC area. This year we had nice color since the weather was consistant. Last year, everything just turned brown & fell off. blech.

katydid...use her Meadowlark Annual Pass.

Gotta make it worth it, right?

This plant facinated me. We got there in the morning, shortly after they opened, so many things were still covered in dew. With the dew and the sun, this little guy looked like it had been Bedazzled.

And, of course, you know I *love* messing around with filters in black & white & applying a slight tint...