Twice on Sunday Bonus Photo - Fortress America

For this week's extra photo from my archives, we have this shot I took of the Old Post Office Pavilion in DC earlier this week.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)

Day 270/365 - At the Folklife Festival

This was the final day of the Smithsonian Institution's 2009 Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC, so I had to make sure I got my butt up off the couch and went. Each year the Folklife Festival highlights three aspects of various cultures -- one or two of which are American and the remainder international. This year the three sections were "Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture," "Cymru/Wales," and "Las Americas: Un Mundo Musical."

Going to the Folklife Festival is always a great way to expose yourself to other cultures without having to leave home to do so. And the food they offer for sale at the various stands is usually really interesting. This year I went with one dish from each culture. I think the Welsh section was the most interesting. They had several arts and crafts displays and cultural presentations. The other two were good as well. The "Giving Voices" part had good storytellers and spoken word performers and "Las Americas" had some fun music and dancers.

The fireworks yesterday and the Folklife Festival today (neither of which cost a dime in admission) are just two of the many reasons why DC is such a great area in which to live and work.

(Taken with my Nikon D90)

Day 219/365 - Dream House

This is one of my favorite buildings in the world, even though I've never been inside it. It's the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building. It was built in the late 1800s after the Smithsonian's collection outgrew the Castle that was its original home. For the next 70 years or so, this building then displayed the entire holdings of the Smithsonian until they started segregating the collection by subject matter.

The Arts and Industries Building has been closed for the past several years. The interior is in poor condition and they haven't yet come up with a plan or the funding for renovating it. It was still open and being used as an occasional exhibition space when I first came to the DC area and I figured there was no hurry about going inside it. I figured I'd have plenty of time later. Wrong answer.

I really love the way this building looks. I love the design and the shape and the colors and the patterns and the materials of it. I don't much care for any buildings that were constructed after the 1940s. They just seem bland and cheap and soul-less. If I was a jillionaire, I'd like to have a home that was a scaled-down version of the Arts and Industries Building. That would be ideal.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)