Eastern Market Reborn

June 26, 2009: The historic Eastern Market reopened today after a $22 million renovation forced by a devastating fire in April 2007. The main building, designed by Adolf Cluss, opened in 1873. Eastern Market is the last 19th century food market which is still standing and operating as a fresh food market in Washington DC.

A large crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting which included Mayor Adrian Fenty, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (who shops every weekend at the market), and Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells. Mayor Fenty and Councilmember David Catania can be seen in this photo (center left):
As part of the renovation, the 19th century building received 21st century restrooms on the ground floor, 21st century heating and air condition, new windows based on the original designs, skylights were added to the roof and the original building now opens directly into the North Hall which was added at the end of the 19th century. The interior has been painted a 19th century mauve and, for the time being, everything is spic and span.

"Waking Up in Eden" Garden Launch Party

June 22, 2009: Lucinda Fleeson does the gardening in the Capitol Hill townhouse where she is a tenant. It was the perfect spot for the launch party for her book, "Waking Up in Eden." Lucinda left a career as a journalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer to move to the island of Kauia (Hawaii) to develop fundraising for the National Tropical Botanic Garden. Her book discusses her experiences, the NTBG and the work of botanists trying to preserve native Hawaiian plants from extinction. In March, she spoke about her experience to a meeting of District 1, National Capitol Area Garden Clubs.

Louise Smith introduces Lucinda; Kramerbooks sold first editions:

A Holy Feline Conversation

June 23, 2009: The sacra conversazione:

Our Ladies of the Local Burka a/k/a The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara take a hike:

Raining All the Time

May and June have been unusually wet and the garden is thriving. Here's Maggie, "Our Lady of the Flowers":

And Frida with Priscilla:

On a sunny afternoon we headed off to Annapolis and ran into a torrential downpour which dissipated by the time we reached Riva Road:

At Kenilworth Aquatics Garden, we found two dragonflies mating:
For more Kenilworth photos, you can go here.

DC Pride 2009 -- the Festival

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, June 14: We go early to see the various booths before the Capital Pride Festival gets too crowded (we're no longer young enough to do crowds). Civil War general George Meade seems to stand watch over the festival:












A parrot and a piper:

We were taken by this 1972 Australian "Moke" and its very charming owner Smitty (left). He's VP of the Straight Eights Region of the Lambda Car Club.

We noticed the horizontal fins on this 1960 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Super: "The top goes down . . . so does it's driver!"; and the vertical fins on the 1961 Lincoln Continental









Festival viewed from I.M. Pei's East Wing of the National Gallery of Art:

DC Pride 2009 -- the Parade

17th Street NW, Saturday, June 13: Arguably the best ever, this year's Capital Pride parade lasted over two hours. Valerie Harper led the way:

Earl, David and Frank Kameny, a gay rights pioneer:









Ms Blair Michaels and Southwest Airlines:









DC's Different Drummers:

Councilmember Tommy Wells and his wife Barbara:
Rainbow Families and Radical Fairies:









Gay Baptists and Gay Catholics:









The Rawhide two steppers:

Roller Girls and the DC Fringe Festival:











And their little dog, too:



























The Gay Mens Chorus:









Lou Chibbaro, the first person to have a career as a gay news reporter:
PFLAG and the ACLU:









Homoto and Chesapeake Bears:









The crowd during an interlude:









Ms Ella Fitzgerald:
Ziegfield's and DC's venerable womens' bar Phase 1:









The DC Cowboys:









The DC Eagle with Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather:
The Duplex Diner:
The Academy:

Gay marriage "causes global warming?":









Brit Chicks:









BEST IN PARADE: Freddie's Beach Bar does Wizard of Oz:
Photographees and photographer:









The Big Apple Corps from New York City:









The Washington National Opera:









Nuwear:












The end of the parade: