Oh boy, look at these neat-o appliances I got at garage sales recently:
Twin Kirby vacuums, with box of attachments:
Hoover with set of attachments:
GE Mixer:
Proctor toaster, before they became Proctor-Silex:
Arvin Heater:
Steam-O-Matic iron:
Mickey Mouse® phone:
Oh boy, April is Spring Cleaning season with Super Trash Days in Alexandria, Chevy Chase, and Herndon. We saw some nice junk piles this year, and I collected some great stuff.
Notice the hot tub:
Big giant pile of computers:
There were a lot of TV's out this year, many of them probably working.
The Enemy Trash Collectors sent a special truck just to collect and recycle electronics.
I sort the stuff on the deck as it comes in.
Stack of microwaves on mini refrigerator.
Cat stuff:
Baby stuff:
The black and white kitty looking at the junk:
Some highlights:
Rare Rainbow vacuum:
Antique GE Phonograph:
Dyson vacuum:
Bissel steam cleaner:
I got a lot of nice vacuums this season.
Most of the stuff I clean and repair, and donate to local charities. Organizations I gave to last year include:
A Wider Circle
American Rescue Workers
Bethany House
Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center
ECHO
Fairfax County Humane Society
Fancy Cats Rescue
Friends of Homeless Animals
Habitat for Humanity
Montgomery County Humane Society
Northern Virginia Family Service
Salvation Army
United Community Ministries
Oh boy, it's the Crosspoint DC Super Bowl® party and Chili Contest.
The Super Bowl® apparently includes a football game, but I don't really care about that, I just enjoy the yummy food.
After last years disappointing loss, I tried to come up with a better chili formula. I combined features from a few different recipes.
And I was competing against 2 other entries; there's mine on the left.
The votes started coming in. My chili seemed to disappear before the other two, which was encouraging.
And then Chris S. announced the winner was Chili Number 1! And I let out a shriek!
And the prize is a $20 Hard Times Cafe gift card!
And the kitties are happy with the winnings.
Some have requested the recipe, so here it is. (Darn, I guess I'll have to come up with a new recipe next year.)
1 can kidney beans
1 jar small onions
1 green pepper, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 pound ground beef
2 cans tomato sauce
Spices:
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
Bay leaf
3 tsp. chili powder
3 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or hot sauce)
Pre-cook the beef in a skillet until no longer pink; set aside. In a pot, add the green pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, and spices; bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the beans, onions, and cooked meat; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. About 8 cups.
And I also brought a batch to Raquel S.'s party.
Here's some video of people playing Guitar Hero®:
see more at
www.youtube.com/catmeowpurr
Oh boy, I have some photos and video from the Inauguration. I almost filled up 2 4GB cards and it's taken a while to review things.
Sunday January 18 was the We Are One Concert at the Lincoln Memorial; attendance was about 400,000.
People walking to the concert:
World's longest line of portable toilets:
You had to get there hours earlier to get a direct view of the stage, but they had big video screens set up.
Weather was sunny, not really cold.
This concert included many top acts.
Bruce Springsteen:
John Mellencamp:
Sheryl Crow:
Will.I.Am:
Stevie Wonder:
Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Usher:
The Edge and Bono from U2:
Adam Clayton from U2:
And the Big Guy, Barack:
And the Pretty Big Guy Joe Biden:
I established a new You Tube channel for the Inauguration videos,
www.youtube.com/washingtondcview
Some videos:
Bon Jovi:
John Mellencamp:
U2:
Barack:
See more at
www.youtube.com/washingtondcview
And then I went to the parade on Tuesday January 20.
This is the fifth inaugural parade I've been to; I've been to every one beginning in 1989, except 2001, when I was on a cruise.
And I know from the past that a bleacher seat is highly desirable; otherwise you have to arrive hours early to find a spot where you can see the parade, and just stand there in the cold. And all the parades have started later than announced. This year the tickets were $25 and 5,000 were available. And this was expected to be the most attended event ever in Washington. So I visited the Ticketmaster web site at the exact time they went on sale, but no, they were sold out within a few minutes.
But fortunately we have Ebay. Within a few days I was able to get one from Ebay. But it cost, um, a bit more than $25. Well a lot more. But it's OK, this is such an unusual event.
The parade was supposed to start about 2:30, but you still had to get there hours early, before the route was full and they closed further entry. No cars allowed anywhere near the event; the only way to get there was by train. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get there at all; several trains arrived, but they were full and no further passengers could board. And it was about 20 degrees. I just left that station and went to another station near the beginning of the line, and was able to board a train there. Wasn't sure if I would be able to get there before parade access was closed. Arrived about noon, and yes they were still letting people in. But still had to wait 3 or 4 hours in about 25 degrees before the start of the parade.
I was at Pennsylvania Avenue at 12th Street, as you can see, the viewing area was at capacity, and anyone standing wouldn't have much view of the street. (Meanwhile, a few blocks away, I hear there were about a million people on the Mall watching the Inauguration on big video screens.)
Actually the parade didn't begin until 3:45. And it didn't get exciting until 4:15, when Barack and Michelle arrived. They were walking up to about 11th Street, just before my location, and I was able to get a little video of them. They got back in the car before I was able to get a still photo, but here is their car:
Then Joe Biden came walking by, and I was able to get a better photo of him:
About 80% of the people left after Barack passed by. I stayed a little longer.
Aloha:
The Illinois float:
Whatever came thereafter, I think almost no one saw; after being in the freezing cold since morning, almost everyone left.
Some video:
Barack walking:
Army Band:
see more at
www.youtube.com/washingtondcview
Abby nap time with the big giant dog.
