Close-Up Clarendon

NUTS!

2010-07-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

Well friends, this is the end. The end of the CUC blog. I'm moving out of Clarendon--actually, by magic of auto-post robot, I moved out about a week and a half ago--back to DC, and this is the last c-don close-up pic I have. Like this hollow shell that used to contain hope and promise, your life will now be incomplete sans blog. Please check back in to the site, though, as I may start a close-up photography themed blog for my new neighborhood in DC (Mt. Pleasant). Thanks for all of your support and comments--it's been fun!

High five!

waterfalls

2010-07-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hey, remember when TLC's "Waterfalls" video was like the coolest thing ever? Yeh, me neither. Remember when my nickname used to be Lisa Left-Eye Lopez? Yep, still is.

baby grapes

2010-07-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

These look like bunches of grapes, but this little fruit is actually smaller than a dime. Did I eat this fruit despite not knowing what it is? Yes. No, not really, but it did cross my mind...

copper wrap

2010-07-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Don't know why, but at a local construction site a half-inch wide copper tube twirled out of the ground up to about 5 feet high. This is the close edge of the loop, and you can see how it curves up and away from us to the left, with the far coil in the background.

splat mud

2010-07-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

A splotch of mud on the pavement. It's kinda cool that this doesn't exist anymore; it maybe didn't even exist within a few hours of taking this shot. And to get all defeatist on you, this file and you and I won't be around too long from now. I like how photography can capture these moments and stretch them out, just a bit. Or perhaps help make new moments.

Where is This #17 Stache

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

OK Claredactlys, another super-fun quiz! Where is this? Since it's kinda obscure, I'll give two clues--this is outside, and I've had two pictures from this location in the last couple of weeks of posts. Good luck!

NAIL nail

2010-07-22T12:00:00.001-04:00

This is an old address sign on the side of the building next to EatBar. From left to right: wood, old-timey nail, faded white background behind disintegrating black numbers.

greens and reds and browns

2010-07-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

I like how there's basically only three colors in this shot, but lot's of individual items. I also like gross bugs, 'cause I'm kinda immature.

bouquet on the limb

2010-07-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Is this a long shot of a bunch of flowers on a tree, or an extreme close up of a man's boutonniere (yes, I know what that word means) worn over his Hawaiian shirt?

loop

2010-07-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

This tangle of power lines reminds me of a roller coaster; or the an expressionist painting; or a robots veins....

draining

2010-07-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

The drain of a water fountain after a summer shower (a rain shower, that is; being a blogger, I--of course--refuse to shower or participate in your petty social norms in the physical world {scoff}).

crying chair

2010-07-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

I know all there is to know about the crying game.
I've had my share of the crying game.
First there are kisses, then there are sighs.
And then before you know where you are, you're saying goodbye.

One day soon, I'm gonna tell the moon about the crying game.
And if he knows, maybe he'll explain.
Why there are heartaches, why there are tears?
And what to do to stop feeling blue, when love disappears?

First there are kisses, then there are sighs.
And then before you know where you are, you're saying goodbye.

Don't want no more of the crying game.
Don't want no more of the crying game.

screw

2010-07-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

white plastic with screw
is this haiku for ser'us?
haikus never are

a glass forest of stemware

2010-07-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

A gaggle of wine glasses in the window of the Cracker Barrel. This is directly next to the most ridiculous store in the world: The Container Store, which is appallingly useful to shop in despite it's silly name.

wg

2010-07-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Does anyone know what these are? I see them peppered throughout Clarendon in the roads. It's a half-dollar sized, yellow plastic thing (I think plastic) that says WG....

why?

2010-07-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Yep. Gross and stupid.

shaded petals

2010-07-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

I always think this flower looks shy.

Where is This? #16 PUBLIC

2010-07-16T07:00:00.016-04:00

OK Clarendanes, where is this "public" area in C-don? Good luck, and god speed.

The last THREE quizzes have gone unanswered, so I've added hints to each. Here's last week's, and the week before, and the week before. I feel like a diabolical serial killer taunting the smart-yet-unorthodox detective desperately trying to solve the case by leaving clues to my true identity and the next victim. SUSPENSE!

pecker

2010-07-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I spent 40 minutes watching a pair of woodpeckers flit about Fillmore street one morning, and this was as close as I ever got to the skiddish birds. The pecked at a large tree, a telephone poll, and one poor guy's siding on his house.

hydrant psoriasis

2010-07-15T07:00:00.005-04:00

A peeling, fading vestige of what she used to be.

ratatat

2010-07-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is just a good excuse to imbed one of my favorite Ratatat songs....

under water mine

2010-07-14T07:47:00.000-04:00

This kinda looks like those 'ol timey WWII harbor mines, but in fact it's a little red berry of some sort. Maybe a baby strawberry? Just in case, I took pains not to step on it.

rust drop

2010-07-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

You can see the metal pole in the upper-right corner that is slowly melting into a rusted layer of yuck on this sidewalk near the Starbucks (which, having written the name of that organization for possibly the first time in my life, I have to say is the dumbest name for any organization not related to traveling or banking in space).

spoke n for

2010-07-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is from the bicycle race that happened in c-town the other week. I walked up JUST after a wipe out happened, which--being a photographer--made me sad to have missed, but it was quite fun to watch the non-falling cyclists do their thing.

rot

2010-07-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

The top bar of a wooden fence had fallen to rot, and here's the bird-pecked remains of one portion.

pretty sure....

2010-07-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

...that this is a poop of some sort. Enjoy your morning.

splatfetti

2010-07-11T11:39:00.000-04:00

Paint on a wall. This is the brick wall next door to Whitlow's on Wilson--it kinda looks like a paint fountain frozen; or it kinda looks like a man who had white blood got speared by a spear with the tip of unicorn, and his blood horrifically and majestically spurted out of him. Or something.

150 ml vs 200

2010-07-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

200! This is the 200th post! High five, and thanks to everyone who checks out the blog (all 5 of you)! This is a picture of a measuring cup left out in the rain.

lacey

2010-07-10T09:15:00.000-04:00

What does this shape remind you of?

Where Is This? #15 Tips

2010-07-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

OK Clarendeagles, where in C-Don is this glorious gilded bird? If you think you know, leave a comment. Have a great Friday!

so fresh and so clean clean

2010-07-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Arlington, thanks for putting these everywhere. Why would a public works program think that putting these freshners all over the gutters help make C-Don smell better. Weird.

warm embrace

2010-07-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Come on, doesn't this remind you of a hug? Or a vicious web of deceit.... That's right, you hordes of tens of readers, I'm actually alive and we are off of robot-automated posts. This is the legit stuff right here.

paint your face

2010-07-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Much like this photo was colorized later and is in a sense both fake and real, you--dear reader--should know that I've been posting via robot for the past 5 days. I could be dead for all you know, autoposting from beyond. Actually, I'm about to go crazy from writing 10 posts in a row (I know, I know, "Boo-hoo, photo blogger actually has to write more than 8 words and spend more than 30 seconds on a post. So sad...").

snow globe

2010-07-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

For some reason, this picture looks very cold to me, but it was taken last week when it was I-want-to-wear-nothing-at-all hot out in muggy DC.

tippity top

2010-07-06T12:00:00.002-04:00

This is a shot looking directly down on a particularly tall, skinny flower. The very tip is in focus, and the body quickly recedes into a blurred nothingness of orange and green.

plate

2010-07-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

So many little plaques and parks in Clarenbomb! This one's about "our" favorite principle or something'r other. Is that a real screw? Is this screwed into cement? Really?

brick is red II

2010-07-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Actually, the mud is red, and the bricks are black. I used to be a 'mud man' on constructions sites (read: the guy who got paid cash to lug bricks and mortar to the mason). My back aches just looking at these heavy sons of guns. Luckily, my wallet is slightly lighter, since I surely paid higher taxes for these fancy bricks on the Arlington streets.

bracing

2010-07-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

The three fuzzy dots in the background of this picture are actually one man wearing a yellow newspaper jacket (for lack of a better term--perhaps newspaper lab coat, newspaper protective slicker, etc.) handing out free papers to people hopping on the metro's escalators. This is the bracing for the fancy metro awning.

just like my dreams...

2010-07-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

...deflated. Not really. Other metaphors for this shot?

whale tail

2010-07-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Fourth! Yep, this is actually a whale tale--anyone know where from? And if you like flags--and I know you do--here are two pics that I've posted on such topics before.

staple paple

2010-07-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

So this is a shot of.... OK, somehow I have water in my ear and I'm loosing my mind. Banging my head: no. Leaning it to one side and shaking: no. Hoping it out: no. Someone please kill me...

red glow

2010-07-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

These whirligig seeds are red--WTF?! Crazy. It's spiky leaves and shadow are in focus more than the pods, which helps create a nice glow.

where is this #14 whitelinesdontdoit

2010-07-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

OK Clarebears, another Friday quiz. Where in Clarendon is this? Kind of a tough one this week, I think. I thought last week's was kinda easy, but it's still sitting there unsolved. Who will unlike these magical secrets?! So exciting....

splat

2010-07-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

I liked the patters of splatters and shadows on this glass overhang above an apartment-complex doorway.

gill

2010-07-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Kinda looks like a diseased fish's gills. Have you ever really thought of the word "gill" before? It's really kinda gross. I'm glad my last or first name isn't 'gill.' This is actually a call box outside of a parking garage, and these are the downward facing slits of a speaker cover.

Bells of Doom

2010-06-30T07:16:00.000-04:00

Like Ma Bell, I've got the ill communication. A manhole cover with a bell on it, babies. For an extra benefit, here's a great song from MF Doom!

almost there

2010-06-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

More Pio Pio goodness. So, El Pollo Rico seems to be the favorite in the area, but I want to make a plug for my Guatemalan friends at PP, who are nice and whose chicken is delicious.

pio pio!

2010-06-29T07:57:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite places to eat in Clarendon, Pio Pio. I don't have a car, but walking through their drive-through is a treat of weird dilapidated signs.

b-day!

2010-06-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

A midnight surprise from someone special!

sad grass

2010-06-28T07:39:00.000-04:00

Some sad, sad grass. I think this is paint from when the gas company marks underground lines OR a new regulation on energy use. Hard to tell.

viole{n}t

2010-06-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Actually, nothing violent about this violet flower. Notice how deep the white center is--it's nearly on the same focal plane (nerd) as the green leaf to the left, which is at the base where flower and stem meet. His younger brother is below. I like the soft focus contrasted with the spike of the leaves.

up, up, and away

2010-06-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Yep, same flower. Super fuzzy, but I like how the crest of the flower pedals kinda burst towards the top of the shot.

up, up

2010-06-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Same flower as earlier. Actually, when I took these shots, I didn't look through the lens--I just held the camera down low and hoped for good stuff to come out of it.

up

2010-06-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

The stem of a flower; the wind was blowing, and it created a nice blurred effect that I really like.

Where Is This? #13 greenie blue

2010-06-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

OK Claredites, another quiz for another Friday. Where is this green, blue and black thing in c-don? Anonymous-Super-Former-Coworker got last week's quiz, and after two weeks of dizzying anticipation Kinney finally and correctly guessed the previous week's close-up conundrum. Good luck.

answer

2010-06-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

question

2010-06-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

terminator blood

2010-06-23T12:00:00.002-04:00

I'm generally not an alarmist, but I feel--and can not stress the importance of this message enough--that we have entered a time when robots from the future have come back to hunt our brightest minds in an effort to win a yet-unexperienced world war. This photo--obviously--indicates that a robot-on-human fight took place, and said robot received some sort of wound, but did not have time to let this spot of humanoid-like-metal-blood re-generate with the rest of his killing self. Just in case, more here on how to kill these evil robots.

devil's in the details. and metros.

2010-06-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Don't know who does this, but every time they put up a new advertisement someone writes "666" on all of the faces. Oh Clarendon.... So evil.

do you smell what the Bub is cooking

2010-06-23T07:33:00.000-04:00

adsfMy roomie's dog, Bubba, takes in the sights and smells of C-don.

bust a

2010-06-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is a good example of why I like macro photography. I saw this Styrofoam nut and walked past it but then thought, "You know, that might look kinda cool, I'll take a shot," and then when I zoomed in, I saw that there were these little bugs climbing all over it. So easy to miss the little things. That's what she said.

a perfect day

2010-06-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

Pretty much had the perfect weekend ever, including some time spent solo on the porch with a fine cigar, a beer, and a good book.

extra! extra! party hat abandoned!

2010-06-21T12:00:00.001-04:00

This was one of the first pictures I ever took with my camera and lens. It was a cold, cold day, and I couldn't figure out why in the world a child's party hat ended up on a Washington Post newspaper dispenser in the middle of Clarendon....

bamboo x 2 x 2 x 2

2010-06-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

A bamboo fence on at the Barton Community garden at 10th and Barton streets. You can tell this is an old photo, because you can see the snow in the background if you squint just right. I enjoy how they have a large padlock on the three-foot high fence--in all fairness, I did have a nearly irrepressible desire to break in and dig up bulbs, etc., but the lock stopped me.

you name it

2010-06-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

What does this look like, or what could explain such a pattern to exist? You tell me....

mearls

2010-06-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Metal pearls. This is actually a short chain on a fire-hydrant type thing above the metro station, connecting the cap to the hydrant spout. Why I thought anyone would find that interesting, I'm not sure, but here we are my friend.

Where is This? #12 orangeyello

2010-06-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

OK Clarenlanders, time for another Friday quiz! Where is this vibrant R E L in CLarEndon? No one has figured out last week's quiz--the pressure mounts!

parched hydrant

2010-06-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Why are there so many different colored fire hydrants in Arlington--seriously! Orange, yellow, combos of the two.... OK, that's really about the extent of it, but I'm used to a red-hydrant town where 'mericans are true 'merica.

antici...

2010-06-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

...PATION! Little dude about to jump--got lucky and caught him as he hesitated, looking--surely--before he leapt.

luck-o-the...

2010-06-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

Close-up Cloverdon. Apparently, for every 10,000 boring three-leaf clovers, there is one four-leaf good-luck charm. The record for freak-leaved clovers is 21 leave set by a man with no life. Just think of how many hours he could've spent alone taking close-up photographs! What a lame-o....

...irish

2010-06-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

A flag on St. Patty's day a few months ago. I remember that this day was particularly warm and sunny, but still had a chill to the air. Clarendon was forty shades of green. This was taken outside of O'Sullivan's Pub at Wilson and Washington.

antennae II

2010-06-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

In my theme of antennae, and of things that take a lot of effort to do relative to the gains, here's a picture of some honeysuckle. These are my favorite flowers. I used to spend hours at my grandma's and by our pond out back picking apart the stems, pulling out the interior strand of plant, and licking the tiny drop of honey-like dew from the core of these wonderful smelling buds. After taking this picture, I tried to relive that moment, only to realize that you get a tiny, tiny amount of tasteful pleasure for a good deal of work. It's kinda like watching Jurassic Park, and realizing that you misremember how awesome the graphics were....

antenae

2010-06-15T07:07:00.000-04:00

Did it take 10 minutes to get this shot? Yes. Is it the best shot ever? Hmm.... No. I've found that shooting insects is pretty fun more for the sport of catching them than for the resulting photo.

theoretically valueless

2010-06-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

I've heard that if Bill Gates is walking down the streets and sees a $100 bill, it's not worth his time to bend down and pick it up (since he makes more than that in the same amount of time needed to grab the greenback). I, however, don't make more than a dollar per second, BUT I did see some kids playing nearby so I left it in hopes of making one of their days.

shoo, fly

2010-06-14T07:05:00.000-04:00

A little guy atop a little flower. The tricky thing with a macro lens is that the range in which things are in focus is very, very narrow. Fortunately, the wings, mouth and eyes are all pretty equally deep here and hence crisp: you can see the intricate film of his wings, the geometric patterns of his eyes, and the delicate parts of his tiny mouth.

open point

2010-06-13T07:00:00.002-04:00

The side of an electrical box--not really sure what an "open point" is, but I am currious about why the O's are the ones peeling most quickly. Perhaps a delinquent boy named Olyn tried to steal them. Perhaps birds exclusively use O's to build their nests. Perhaps some was trying to write a threatening, anonymous ransom letter. Thoughts?

for whom the bell tolls

2010-06-12T17:50:00.001-04:00

A small seed shell on a plant that reminds me of the bells we used to use in Catholic mass to wake up the old guys (I'm sure there's some deeper meaning behind the bells, but that's what I always thought when I was a kid). As an alter boy, that was really the only think I remotely enjoyed about mass.

man down

2010-06-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

While living in Bulgaria, I had a friend (who was drunk) that fell down a man hole. Another time, she (drunk) tried to climb up a chimney.

This one's for you, Chimneysweeps.

Where Is This? #11 sunshine

2010-06-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

OK Clarinets, this one has a pretty big hint in it so I'll be sadly disappointed if no one gets this week's quiz. Good luck! Congrats to Aaron for quickly solving last week's puzzle, and to Anonymous for finally solving the stumping quiz from a few weeks ago (it was the headstone shop on the corner of Washington and Highland)! High fives all around!

sign day 2k10!

2010-06-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Another street sign, this one to denote something about parking or some such non-pedestrian nonsense. I took this near the farmers market in Courthouse (be quiet Clarendon snobs) and spent 15 minutes discussing cameras with some friendly homeless guys in the small park in front of the jail.

4B or not to be

2010-06-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Even though the 38B is OBVIOUSLY superior to the 4Beezie, it still gets props. I like the sharp lines of the sign compared to the blur of morning sky and trees high above.

evergreen

2010-06-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

Close-up shot of the tip of an evergreen tree. These are the little blue seeds that--as a child--we would foolishly use as b-b pellets when the metals ones ran out, or that we would throw at the girls we liked. Stupid kids...

so tired

2010-06-09T07:43:00.000-04:00

Don't know why I'm so tired this morning, but I thought this picture was apt. This is a sticker on the side of a large garbage bin, listing the things that are not allowed (tires, flammables, batteries, babies, etc.).

locked down

2010-06-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Continuing with the theme of security, a picture of heavy-duty bike chain dangling--without it's bike friend near by--on a bike rack. These are the chains that people usually drape around their necks Rambo-bandolier style, with the material to help soften the links.

poppin and lockin

2010-06-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

A key hole, about the diameter of a nickel, on an electronic box that controls the traffic lights.

what's up, buddhi

2010-06-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

A small, pocket-sized book of the sayings of Buddha, perched meditatively atop the chain ropes of an outside cafe.

what's up, buddy

2010-06-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

This reminds me of gummy bears. [Bud > hair > hairy bud > haribo > gummy bears.]

death grip

2010-06-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

A tree root that grew itself around the fence it loves. What does this first one look like? A turtle biting a worm? A zombie hand? What else?

LE PURPLE!

2010-06-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

A gift from france from mi amor. Similar to the lack-of-word-knowledge from the previous post, I'm not really sure how to speak the words of french, so please excuse me. This is a small box of "chocolat noir noisettes 56%" called "Laduree."

PURPLE!

2010-06-05T06:29:00.000-04:00

A host of purple daffodils. I actually have no idea what these things are, other than cute as a button. (Excuse me while I invoke my inner grandmother....)

Where Is This? #10 bored

2010-06-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

OK Clarenadians, time for another weekly close-up quiz. Where in Clarendon is this? Last week's winner was GG from DC--congrats! STILL no winner from the previous week--lame. I've added another clue to help in the comments section.

salty bricks

2010-06-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

After the blizzard earlier this year, the bricks on this pathway were stained white with salt and chemicals for about a month.

fond memories of not hot

2010-06-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Since it hasn't snowed in awhile, here's a flashback to the Snowtorious B.I.G. earlier this year. 'Member how much we complained about the cold? It's always greener on the other side (or whiter; or cooler; or something).

why I love living with dogs: an ironic post

2010-06-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

stare down

2010-06-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

This is the top of a white picket fence, about 4 inches above one picket. Is that the right word? I don't even know. After two beers on an empty stomach after a game of softball after 3 hours of writing a speech, I'm pretty much useless.

stalking

2010-06-01T11:45:00.000-04:00

[close]

[closer]

[PANTHER ATTACK!!!]

{sub-question, WHY would you put this in your yard...?}

micro battle of death

2010-06-01T07:03:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok, I've been remiss lately in posting two pics a day, so today you'll get two sets of pictures--that's right, a mega dose of macro. The head of this flower is about the diameter of a tennis ball, for scale, and these little guys were crawling around and on one another, vying for domination of their little, pretty world. If anyone knows the names of this plant or bugs, holler at me.

34-72

2010-05-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

This is the side of a crate filled with tombstones. Yep, that's right: tombstones. There's a company that makes headstones here in the heart of Clarendon. Their store is situated at a surprisingly busy intersection, and it must be prime real estate. I can't figure out why they're still there and haven't sold that location yet.

shocking

2010-05-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

I worked at a certain university in Kansas that had a certain mascot named Wu-Shock. After their basketball team reached the Sweet 16 and our mascot/monicker started getting some play in the media, the powers-that-be became vaguely aware that "shocker" meant something other than our mascot name. I--being a young and cool kid--was asked to explain to these older, wealthier, stodgier folks why people were making fun of our name in a sexual context. Very uncomfortable for me....

meuahhh!

2010-05-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

{you should write a haiku about me}