jesus is coming. look busy.

First the republicans take over, now this; I think the world is ending. 86 degrees at nine a.m.... Living in the swamp, the heat index is a good 5 - 10 degrees higher than the actual temperature.

 

Taking up an evening picnic and Air Force Band concert at the Capitol. We had the lawn nearly to ourselves. Hmm, where else could you do this? 

 

Dusk--and a few cooling drops--falls.
 

 

Matt keeps a close eye on the bubbly (he wouldn't share). 

 

DC's Different Drummers make an appearance at a 4th of July parade in Georgetown. Hot, but luckily shaded! 

 

I walked down a few blocks from my house to watch DC's fireworks from a hill looking over the city. If you haven't seen DC's 4th of July fireworks, it's well worth the trip. I can't imagine many places that have a better show (not to mention the backdrop of our monuments). The hill I was watching from was a like a crazy street festival. I liked these pics. The fireworks are right in the middle...with smoke covering part of them as it came our way. 

 

The Capitol is a white dab in the middle. It was fun to see small 'works from people's houses going off all around it. 

 

I love fireworks. For days, people were shooting them off all around da 'hood. It covered up the sound of the gunfire for a while. 

the DMV is a drag

 

This is a huge garage where everyone in the District has to go to have their vehicle inspected. It's an odd process and a pain in the ass! My birth certificate and passport were locked in my firebox, and I don't know where the keys are since I moved. Right now I have three traffic tickets b/c my registration and inspection have expired! 

 
I finally downloaded some old photos from my phone. This is a picture from the DC Pride Street Festival. It happens the day after the parade on Pennsylvania Ave. The street is lined with food, vendors, and all sorts of local GLBT organizations. It's a great community event. Our marching band played on one of the stages. 

Yer booty shivers me timbers!

Hooray! I finally got this link to work! Sign me up on a ship with Orlando Bloom any day...

If you grow it, they will drive.

Amazing breakthroughs like this one seem to happen all of the time. So why isn't anything happening?

Spanish firm claims it can make oil from plankton
(from Reuters)

MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish company claimed on Thursday to have developed a method of breeding plankton and turning the marine plants into oil, providing a potentially inexhaustible source of clean fuel.

Vehicle tests are some time away because the company, Bio Fuel Systems, has not yet tried refining the dark green coloured crude oil phytoplankton turn into, a spokesman said.

Bio Fuel Systems is a wholly Spanish firm, formed this year in eastern Spain after three years of research by scientists and engineers connected with the University of Alicante.

"Bio Fuel Systems has developed a process that converts energy, based on three elements: solar energy, photosynthesis and an electromagnetic field," it said in a press dossier.

"That process allows us to obtain biopetroleum, equivalent to that of fossil origin."

Phytoplankton, like other plants, absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. Scientists have examined the possibility of stimulating growth of the single cell plants as a means of reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

CO2, liberated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, is widely held responsible for global warming.

Bio Fuel Systems said its new fuel would reduce CO2, was free of other contaminants like sulphur dioxide and would be cheaper than fossil oil is now.

"Our system of bioconversion is about 400 times more productive than any other plant-based system producing oil or ethanol," it said, referring to currently available biofuels made from plants like maize or oilseeds.

Bio Fuel Systems is working with scientists at the University of Alicante on the project. It has drawn up industrial plans to make the fuel and says it will be able to start continuous production in 14 to 18 months.

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Last week I was camping with my family in Ithaca, NY. It's our annual family vacation with my parents, my siblings, nephews, and niece. The Finger Lakes Region of NY State is full of gorges, waterfalls, and long clear lakes. Stay tuned for more photos!

 

The Finger Lakes are very deep (up to 400') because they were carved out by glaciers. Much of the rock here is limestone and shale, which makes beautiful gorges and waterfalls in most of NY State. The rock layers experienced uplifting at some point, which fractured the rock in straight lines and right angles. It's evident where the rock breaks off. 

 

At a winery above Cayuga Lake. Yum! 

  

  

 

Sid and Chris came down from NYC to visit Bronwyn and Me. I think they appreciated the greenery and slower pace. Though not big into touristy things, they did want to go on the paddle boats! 

 

The Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin. It was hot and steamy! Luckily, the out-of-towners were eager to paddle. 

 

Getting ice cream in Georgetown! This is one of my favorite things to do (and eat)! 

 

Learning how to fold a fitted sheet. An action shot. 

  

 

Still mystified. 

 

The oldest building in DC is this stone house in Georgetown. 

 

I don't know what these guys were, but I liked 'em. Anyone? 

 

big boys. 

 

Taking advantage of the shade. 

 

We hit the best falafel and fries place in the tri-state area. (Ok, we're not a state.) It's worth getting drunk just so you can eat this afterward.