Winter is not my favorite time of year. Not so much because of the cold and drab days as it is that everything seems to be in slow motion waiting for spring to arrive.
It’s also hard to get motivated make photos when the world is stuck in monochrome. But I’ve still manage to get myself out this season in search of interesting things to capture.
I don’t know how interesting that shot at the top is. In January and February we’ve had more snow than in the past three winters combined and sticking a ruler in the snow covering the table on the deck is just my way of documenting the storms. I know my friends in colder climates just laugh at an eight inch snowfall but it’s certainly a school-closing big deal here in the DC area.
With all the museums in town, we are fortunate to have many opportunities for poking around indoors. Like at a recent Smithsonian event where members, like this little girl, get to explore the Natural History Museum’s dinosaur hall before the regular opening time. I wish all of us could view this stuff through the eyes of a three-year old (I’m guessing) again.
The auto show is another fun way to spend a couple of hours out of the cold (and rain that day). Most of the new cars on display look very much alike to me. But in this exhibit, Volvo strips down one of their vehicles to show how well constructed they are. Although, all I see is the yellow industrial version of Munch’s The Scream in the middle of the platform.
A new pair of pandas have landed at the National Zoo and we got a preview at another members event in January. Although both of them were napping during our assigned visitation time. It’s a small bit of happiness in DC, especially after the consternation when the lease on the previous pandas ran out in fall 2023 and the Chinese took them back.
Finally, we have a part of winter1 I actually look forward to VSTE, our annual state conference for tech-connected educators. Although I’m not working in that world on a daily basis, it’s fun to visit occasionally to enjoy the creativity and enthusiasm of this community.
1. The VSTE Conference is held the first weekend in December, so I’m going with the meteorological definition of the season (Dec – Feb), rather than the astronomical version. Spring arriving on March 1 is a small psychological boost. :)