Amazing Artifacts in Old House

Jewel encrusted gold chalice

Icon with Apostles

French desk with hideaways

Sevres soup tureen

Despite living in Washington DC for decades, it was only recently that we visited the Hillwood Museum and Estates. It's an old house that I'd heard about that was owned by very rich woman, Marjorie Meriweather Post. Apparently, she inherited a lot of money from her dad who'd founded Post food products (including Postum, the coffee substitute that was the source of their original wealth).  She collected all kinds of stuff including some very interesting things she bought during the 1930s from the then Soviet Russian "Republic."  The Communists were selling and melting down chalices and icons from the churches and otherwise obliterating any vestiges of the aristocracy, such as china, furniture and jewelry from rich families, much of which incorporated the history and culture of Russia.  So she bought things up and brought them back and displayed them in her house. She also liked French aristocratic items, including jewels and ornate furniture which can be seen in this house all placed where she actually lived with it.  You get to walk through the dining room and her bedroom and see a lot of her collections.  Also, there's some interesting photographs and pictures and lovely garden.  This place is worth seeing, just for seeing a way of life and the icon and china collections. Quite interesting!

View from the Japanese Garden of the house with the collections

Junk In The Neighborhood Alleys & Streets

Bureau at bus stop

Analog TV in alley

Cat asleep on dumped furniture in alley

Some mattresses at alley intersection

I've been a bit disturbed lately by the amount of furniture (mattresses, TVs, tables, bureaus) just dumped in the neighborhood.  Is this residents doing this? Is this flippers clearing out attics so they can put up popups? Are these people driving into the neighborhood and just unloading some furniture?  Are people so lazy they can't take it over to the official city dumps? Or can't be bothered to find out how to properly dump stuff or have it picked up by the City?  Just plain irresponsible!

Not Yet Disappeared: Some of the Small Business Buildings Around Us

6th and O St NW

Red Toque Cafe at 6th & RI Ave NW

Trinity Tax Man on RI Ave NE

Georgia Av at W St NW

BnJ Cafe 3rd at RI Ave NW

I've  sometimes written about how Washington DC is rapidly changing but I find myself photoing the older buildings that hold businesses.  Many of them are just brick or plain structures but it is their small street scale that attracts my eye. Many of them look as if they once were houses or apartments and have become businesses -- usually mom-and-pop or small business.  Most of them look like they were built early in the 20th century or maybe in the 1890s;  it's hard to tell as there's not usually a date on the building.  And they seem as if they could, and have, shifted from one or the other function quite easily over the past one hundred years through knocking out a few walls, widening doors or just changing the sign out front!