Homesick for DC

I spent so many years living in or near Washington DC that I feel its my home.  Yes, I am a Jersey Girl and always will be.  But DC is where I'm at peace.  I've probably said this a few times on here.  Sorry for any repeats!

I have been going through some old photos this past month and had these new edits sitting in my software, just unsure what to do with them.  I figured why not share them with you all.  These were all shot in Washington DC in 2009.  How I miss it there.... Course I was glad I avoided the harsh winter conditions DC has been having the past few weeks.

The next few are different effects of similar shots of the Korean War Memorial.

One shot of the Lincoln Monument:

One shot of the Vietnam Memorial:

Symbolic Self Portrait

My current photography class had an assignment for us to create symbolic self-portraits or symbolic abstractions.  I opted for the symbolic self-portraits.  I typically avoid being in front of the camera at all costs - well really at a heavy cost since there are only a handful of photos of my daughter and I.  Maybe one day I can change all that.  And this is a great start.

The first photo is of my favorite flannel shirt.  That flannel has been a part of my life for the past 17 years (my goodness does that make me feel old!).  I found it in my parents attic when I was 13 (just gave my age away!).  That flannel has been every where with me, even during times of neglect, it was always there waiting for me.  To make it even more special, that shirt belonged and actually fit my father when he was in college.  Its about 40 years old and still perfect - minus its tag that is about to fall off!

Next, my socks. I have an obsession for tall socks.  But they have to be funky and wild.  Argyle in crazy colors, stripes, dots, and the like.  In bright bold colors.  No cartoon characters though!  I do have limits.  My staple wardrobe color is black.  Has been since I was 13. But under those jeans and tall boots, you can be sure to find some crazy socks!  I like to hide my fun personality for only those close to me.

A big part of my 20s was numerous surgeries. I'm not ready to share my big scar, but I attempted to capture my knee surgery scar in the below picture.

One constant for the past 12 years has been my moving.  I moved in and out of college 6 times in 2 years, and then around several towns 4 times the following 5 years, then to overseas for a year, then to California - where I moved 3 times in 1 year, then back to Washington DC for a year, and now back to California.  To reflect that constant moving and the importance of comfort with all that, I took the following photo:

I am a mom to 2 dogs and a little girl.  To reflect that, I took photos of them.  The first is Cody - being dressed up by my daughter.  Then Tyler, followed with my daughter.

    

And here are some more random ones I took for this assignment that I just had fun editing.