Paddles The Beaver
03/25/10 Paddles The Beaver holds court at a National Park Service news conference to announce details of new visitor services for the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival.
The Festival mascot harkens back to the notorious beaver who dined on the famed cherry blossoms until nabbed by the National Park Service. The three week festival starts this weekend.
Washington Portrait: Mary Johnson
03/25/10 The Washington Hilton celebrated it’s 45th anniversary today with presidential wax figures from Madame Tussauds to represent key moments in the hotel’s history. As part of the hotel’s $140 million restoration (set for completion in June), the hotel is also restoring its name from “Hilton Washington” (as it is currently known since 1998) to “Washington Hilton,” as it was originally christened in 1965.
Three 45-year hotel employees were also honored including Mary Johnson who has been a Room Attendant since the hotel opened in 1965. She told me that one of her first jobs was putting lampshades on all the new light fixtures.
Mandy Moore On The Hill
03/23/10 Actress and singer Mandy Moore was on Capitol Hill Tuesday to “to raise awareness of the need for safe water and sanitation in the developing world.” The event was billed as a Guinness World Record attempt to form world’s longest toilet queue but frankly I’ve seen longer lines at baseball games.
[ American Standard donated 14 toilets to be used as a backdrop (no pun). ]
Capitol Hill Tea Party
03/11/10 The climatic House vote on health care reform took place Sunday. The protesters who gathered on the Capitol lawn to rally against the bill were the same folks who’ve vented against health care reform at Town Hall meetings and Tea Party rallies for over a year now. These photos were taken at around 4pm when it became clear that Rep. Bart Stupak (D MI) and his pro-life holdouts would vote for the bill – thereby assuring its passage - in exchange for an Executive Order by the President banning federal funding for abortions. This news of this deal agitated the crowd greatly.
[The guy behind the "Obama the Dictator" sign declined to give his name for a caption.]
[Rep. Jeff Flake (R AZ) looks down at the crowd from the member's balcony.]
[Michelle Bachman (R MN) does not bat an eye talking to a gentleman in a tri-corner hat.]
[I'm wondering what he wrote before correcting the words "racial slur" on his sign.]
[Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R MI) greets a tea party protester from his home state.]
[I get the "Don't Tread On Me" flags but why bring Bogie into this?]
Immigration Reform Rally
03/21/10 Scenes from the “March For America: Change Takes Courage and Faith” rally for immigration reform on the National Mall.
Blown Away
03/21/10 The German-American Heritage Foundation Museum of the USA officially opened Sunday and what better way to celebrate than with an oom-pah band on the street out front with a solo performance by one of those long horns from the Ricola commercial?
The museum is located across the street from the Verizon Center in Chinatown, the area of D.C. which was once home to much of the city’s German immigrant population.
Kathy Griffin
03/18/10 Entertainer Kathy Griffin leads a rally to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law on Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC Thursday afternoon.
BBC After Party
03/18/10 Following the Radio & TV Correspondent’s Dinner Wednesday night inside the Convention Center, the BBC hosted an after-party across the street at the old Carnegie Library building.
[Black Carpet]
[Fox News' Megyn Kelly laughed when I told her how my photo of her taken years ago still circulates widely thru the Internets. ]
[Comedian Joe Wong knocked 'em dead at the dinner following a lame-o Obama impersonation and a comedic performance by Vice President Joe Biden that left a lot of awkward silences broken only by the sound of cricket chirping noises.]
[Full House.]
[Jennifer Manfré of the Milken Institute with CNN's Wolf Blitzer]
[CNN's John King and Dana Bash]
The Solemnity of Saint Patrick
03/17/10 St. Patrick’s – the oldest Catholic church in the city of Washington (founded 1794) celebrated St Patrick’s Day with a Mass.
[St. Patrick's pastor, Msgr. Criscuolo and Washington's Archbishop Donald Wuerl at the conclusion of Mass.]
[Gargoyle.]
[Archbishop Wuerl shaking hands with people flowing out of the church.]
[Irish Dancing.]
[Lobbyist Gerald Cassidy and Archbishop Wuerl.]
Pachyderm Parade
03/16/10 Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus’ elephants walk from their train past the US Capitol to get to their venue at the the Verizon Center.
[Asia lifts her foot on cue.]
[What a clown.]
Sinn Féin Lunch
03/16/10 Members of the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, held their annual St. Patrick’s Day week event in Washington at Bobby Van’s this afternoon.
[Bobby Van's head honcho Joseph Smith chatting with Teamsters President James Hoffa Jr..]
[Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Féin, signs a copy of his book for an admirer.]
Sound The Trumpet
03/14/10 A fine art and fashion presentation by Aidah Fontenot at One Lounge. The dancing models are wearing designs by Aidah.
DC St. Paddy’s Day Parade
03/14/10 Washington’s St. Patrick’s Day parade made it’s way down Constitution Avenue on Sunday afternoon.
[A wave from my beautiful niece Fiona who marched with her Irish dancing class.]
[Miss DC Jen Corey]
[Post parade.]
Triple Threat Threepeat
03/11/10 Birthday party for my friends Vicky, Kate and Sarah at Darlington House.
Red Carpet Astronauts
03/12/10 Toni Myers, Producer/Director of “Imax Hubble 3D” on the red carpet for the premiere of her movie at the Air and Space Museum Tuesday (03/09) evening. She’s surrounded by astronauts from Hubble Space Telescope missions.
Kal Penn
03/11/10 Last week, I had a two-day assignment photographing Harvard’s Zuckerman Fellows on their visit to DC. They met with a lot of important people – members of the Obama administration as well as with senators, congressmen and Supreme Court justices. One of the highlights was their meeting with Kalpen Modi in the Old Executive Office Building.
“Kalpen Modi serves as a liaison to the White House with the Asian-American, Pacific Islander, and arts communities. He is also known by his stage name, Kal Penn, and was written out of the popular TV Series House in order to accept his current role with the Obama administration. Prior to joining the Office of Public Engagement Modi taught at the University of Pennsylvania as an adjunct member in the Cinema Studies Program and served as a member of President Obama’s National Arts Policy Committee.”
A Cappella Al Fresco
03/09/10 The Rock Creek Chorus of the Gay Men’s Choir rehearsing on Massachusetts Avenue’s sidewalk Tuesday morning.
Sundowns
03/08/10 Last week was pretty grueling. I had photo assignments each day which started at 6 a.m. and wound up with me photo editing until around midnight. On Thursday and Friday, I came outside to a couple of magnificent sunsets after being cooped up in offices for hours.
[This is the view I had as I exited the Old Executive Office Building on Thursday.]
[After a shoot at the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, this is the Capitol at sunset.]
Obey (The Pope)
03/03/10 In Capitol Hill parlance, the “Cardinals” are the 13 chairmen of House Appropriations subcommittees. If that’s the case, then the head of the full committee, Rep. David Obey, must be Pope.
[Rep. David Obey D-WI]
[Notes taped to the huge mirror in the Chairman's office in the U.S. Capitol. That's a painting of President Garfield reflected on the far wall.]
Paddy Drives
02/27/10 Nephew Pat drives to the basket at the 7th grade CYO championship semifinals Saturday afternoon.
