Washington, DC - Blizzard of 2009

I spent the morning out with friends trekking around the Capitol in one of the biggest snowstorms in recent history - about 20 inches or so in just over 24 hours.  Below is one of my favorite images from our outing is of the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree which sits on the West side of the U.S. Capitol.  On a clear day you would be able to see a long stretch of the National Mall down to the Washington Monument which is about 15 blocks away, but with the snow coming down at about two inches an hour when this image was taken you were lucky to be able to make out the trees that sit about 15 yards away.  A fun fact is that the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has provided the Christmas trees since 1970.

Michael Moore :: Capitalism, A Love Story

I managed to get a hot ticket tonight to the DC premiere of Michael Moore’s new documentary, “Capitalism, A Love Story” at the Uptown Theatre.  He introduced the film and then ended up sitting right behind us.  It was pretty cool to basically watch the movie the he wrote and directed with him a few feet away.  The film is a powerful rally call to Americans to wake up and take back control of their country.  The film is opening across the country on Friday and I highly suggest that you go see it.  The images here are of Moore doing a live interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on the sidewalk outside the Uptown after the film ended and of a greedy corporate fat cat posing with moviegoers.

Fritz : The Walter Mondale Story

Congratulations to my former professor and good friend Melody Gilbert of Frozen Feet Films in Minnesota.  She shot and directed a thoughtful and inspiring documentary about the former Vice President and presidential candidate, Walter Mondale, which premiered in DC at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs as part of SMPA’s 2009 Public Affairs Project Conversation Series.  SMPA Director Frank Sesno was joined by Mondale before and after the film to discuss his life in politics and his thoughts on the direction of the Obama White House.  I urge you to learn more about Fritz, The Walter Mondale Story and I encourage you to read about Melody’s other films.  She is an amazing person and a personal inspiration.

This image was captured before the premiere at a VIP reception.  Melody is introducing Walter Mondale to her daughter surrounded by family and friends.  I have to admit that I didn’t know a lot about Walter Mondale before I met him and saw the film but he is as genuine a person as I could ever hope to meet and I think that contemporary politicians could learn a lot from his wisdom.  One of my favorite quotes in the film comes from Al Gore who says, “You can divide every vice president in American history into two categories, pre Walter Mondale and post Walter Mondale.”  The man literally redefined the vice presidency and after he served it would never be the same.

Rockstar Grandmother, Ann’s 93rd Birthday

Eleven of us gathered near Valley Forge, PA to celebrate my grandmother’s 93rd birthday on July 8th.  She is a rockstar, still doing her 30-minute morning walks almost everyday.  We all had a great time and a HUGE chocolate cake and a great party thanks to the planning of my mom and aunt Linda.  Happy Birthday MomMom!

Washington DC, Bike Polo :: Washington Post Magazine

On Sunday the Washington Post Magazine featured some images from a project that I have been working on about Bike Polo.  There is a little write-up about what I have been up to with a two-page spread (below) and there is an extended online image gallery with the text from the story here.  I finally played a few games just before the story came out and had a lot of fun.  Thanks to Arlen for lending me a mallet and a little bit of coaching as I was getting going.  We ended up playing during a downpour that flooded a corner of the rink and I managed to score once.  I will be going back to play again and plan to begin incorporating audio and would really like to do a series of portraits.