24 Photos of An October Day in McMillan Park #BloomingdaleDC

View toward Bryant St NW

those lovely tanks

Some work underway

Inside the work area

View to Bryant St NW

View to Childrens Hospital

Ivy covered tower

Chimney vents

Derelict doors

Filtration system

Work area

Blue plastic trash barrels under filter system

Chichenitza type steps

Workman weeding

Dereliction

Ladder up Ivy Tower

View to Bryant St NW

Walking down from some appointments at National Rehabilitation Hospital recently, I saw the gates open at McMillan Park and since I had my camera with me of course I had to start snapping away on that beautiful sunny October day. There were some workmen cutting the weeds back and some others doing something else but I really wasn't sure what was going on. Nobody bothered me except a young man walking through asked me if I had walked through from North Capitol street which was a pretty strange inquiry as I don't think there's any gates over there.  Anyway, as usual I noticed the lovely chichinitza steps, the wonderful weatherbeaten doors, and the orange and green ivy climbing up the sides of the water towers.  I decided to take some long view shots towards the hospital and the Catholic cathedral to show how open is this space.

Filter system

Water towers

View toward Shrine

Underground sand filter tank

Path with view to Bryant St NW

View to North Capitol Streeet

View to Veterans Hospital

Bloomingdale Sites

 I really like this tree and this flight of fire escape stairs on the back of the building at the corner of New York Avenue and First Street NW. You know that when spring comes you will hardly be able to see the stairs when the tree leafs up. And the funeral parlor on the corner of Randolph and North Capitol with the mural on the side is probably one of those buildings that is going to disappear one day as every few years somebody tears down something of the Old Washington and puts something New up and before I know it it's all changed around me. By the way, the mural on the wall has a statement that says "Don't look down on a man, unless you gonna pick him up."

Slippery Ice Brings out Samaritan Neighbor

Stairs now have salt on them

I thought I was walking carefully enough down the front steps this morning when I left the house but oh no, on the second step down my feet went right out from under me and I slipped and bounced down the stairs on my back, banging and bruising my left elbow and lower spine all the way down. Basically, the steps were coated and crusted in clear ice, like a sheet of glass, after a night of freezing rain. When I got to the bottom --  about a four foot drop! -- I just laid there looking up at the sky, skirt blown up, yelling in pain. A kind neighbor heard my cries and came over and helped me to climb back up the stairs -- on all fours -- back into my house. He also helped pick up some of my belongings that had scattered out from my bag and made sure I was okay and got back into the house without further slipping and with my possessions.  He was very kind and thoughtful and I later realized that he was in the middle of taking his two children to school and had taken time away from leaving them in the car to pay attention to me. It's a wonderful blessing to have neighbors who are kind and act as Good Samaritans!