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This year is an election year once again. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is someone who has been through more than his share of troubles despite the fact that he was once very effective as an environmental lawyer. He has struggled with drug problems and was a compulsive womanizer who once kept a diary about his conquests.
He became controversial when he began to pivot from being concerned about the environment to becoming an anti-vaxxer who claims that vaccines are dangerous. Now he has become even more controversial. Initially he decided to run as a Democrat against Joe Biden in the primaries in an effort to defeat Biden. But then he decided to withdraw from the Democratic primary and launch a campaign for president as an independent. Kennedy has said that Joe Biden is a much worse threat to democracy than Donald Trump. Critics say that Kennedy’s run could split the anti-Trump coalition enough to ensure a Donald Trump victory in November. Yet a recent NBC News poll shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy hurting Donald Trump more than Joe Biden.
In spite of all that, most of the members of RFK Jr.’s own extended family have all announced that they will be backing Joe Biden for president this year.
Despite the turmoil surrounding Kennedy’s campaign, he has attracted some adherents who are willing to support him. I found this vehicle pulling a trailer that has “Vote Kennedy For President 2024” parked in a local parking lot
Way back in January I had attended the first monthly Campfire Sessions at The New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt Maryland and I even took photos of the performers. But then my photos got buried under other photos, videos, and screenshots and it was only when I was clearing out my phone that I stumbled upon them again. So here they are.
The Campfire Sessions started with this interesting art lecture by an artist and art historian about the life and work of Salvator Rosa. But at various parts of the lecture the person would sing a song that was amazingly relevant to her lecture. I’m almost sorry that I didn’t capture this on video because it was a neat presentation.
There are other acts who performed music. They were all very good.
Way back in December I went to a Winter Solstice/Yule party at a friend’s house. Another party attendee had hauled these huge number of pots that had a green stalk in them. She said that she had been doing this odd job where she helped someone with decluttering her home and she saw that the woman had a bunch of lily plants planted in the front yard. The party attendee has dug up a lot of these plants and put them in a bunch of pots. Then she brought them to the party and begged other party attendees to take them. I initially picked one pot but this person begged me to take more. I only chose one other pot because I don’t have a big house so I really can’t have a huge amount of plants at home.
In any case, both of my plants recently started to bloom. Here is one of them, which has a pink and white bloom.
Here’s the other plant, which has a red bloom.
A few weeks ago I took time out of the day to take a picture of a lovely sunset.
I took this photo of a gorgeous sunset from the top level of the parking garage that is located in the back of Beltway Plaza Mall in Greenbelt, Maryland.
I was doing some decluttering when I found one firework sparkler that I probably purchased from the fireworks stand in Crofton, Maryland that is usually only open for business just a few weeks before the Fourth of July. (That was back in the days when I used to travel to Crofton on Thursdays to attend meetings of a support group for those who are separated or divorced. It was before the COVID-19 pandemic and those meetings are now done virtually.) I decided to get rid of it safely in the only way that I know how—set it off then throw it in the trash once the fireworks had burned itself out.
It was also the perfect time of the year to let it off because it wasn’t the Fourth of July nor was it New Year’s Eve so there wouldn’t be police officers patrolling the neighborhood looking for fireworks that are illegal to possess and use. (Basically the sparkler fireworks are okay to set off but there are other types of fireworks that are illegal for an individual to possess because they can be dangerous to anyone who isn’t a trained fireworks professional. You can easily blow off a hand or a foot if you’re not careful.)
What’s mildly amusing is that about a half-an-hour later I had to run an errand so I went out to my car. I ran into one of the neighbors who had just arrived at the front door of my home. He asked me if I was okay. I said yes. He said that he saw some flashing lights coming from the backyard and he thought that something horrible had happened to either me or my townhouse. I had to explain to him that I lit a firework because I found it among the clutter in my home and I wanted to get rid of it.
I decided to play with the camera portion of my smartphone while I lit that firework sparkler. I shot a bunch of still photos. The one thing I noticed with my most recent smartphone (which I had only purchased just a few months ago) is that the camera takes what is known as a “motion photo.” It shoots video about a second or two before my main shot. Here is what I learned about motion photos on Samsung.
I found that if you don’t like the default image that your camera caught, you can use motion photo to scroll through those few seconds of footage until you find a better image then screenshot that one. I know what I’m describing sounds vague because I know that not everyone has a Samsung. (Most of my friends use an iPhone.) If you have a Samsung, here is how you can do the same thing.
Basically I didn’t like the default images that my smartphone captured so I scrolled through the motion photos until I found some shots that I liked better. Here are the pictures that I captured.
I also decided to try another feature that’s available. You can convert your motion photos to video footage if you follow these instructions. I did just that. I edited the converted videos into one video clip then I uploaded it on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
I think the motion photo feature can push my photography and videography to new heights. It’s a useful thing to have whenever the pictures you take don’t look great. It’s also useful if you had only taken still photos but you realize later that you wished that you had shot video and you get a second chance to create a moving video from your motion photos.
First up is my Election Day sticker that I received for voting in my local town election.
In the state of Maryland where I live, we usually have off-year elections in incorporated towns for such offices like city council and mayor. The elections for major offices (like president and the two houses of Congress) won’t be held until next November.
Here is a mural that is on the outside of the building that houses the Otis Street Arts Project in Mount Rainier, Maryland.
I had attended an artist reception in that building. It was my first arts-related event that I attended since the COVID-19 pandemic. We were required to wear masks for the exhibition part until we arrived at a main area where the refreshments were located and the huge doors were opened in order to provide ventilation. (That particular building is a former warehouse so there are doors that are large enough to accommodate a tractor trailer truck.) I socialized a little bit but I didn’t know too many people at that reception.
Before I went to that reception I had volunteered to help out at a table on behalf of the Maryland chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign for a couple of hours that was at a Halloween festival that was held in Beltsville (it was on the last Saturday before Halloween). It was also an unusually warm October day (the temperature was about 80 degrees).
So I went from that festival in Beltsville straight to the artist reception in Mount Rainier where I stayed for about an hour but then left because I was tired and I didn’t know too many people at that reception.
The reception was for an exhibition that was held by a guy whom I first met years ago at one of the Artomatic events and we became Facebook friends. (I learned about his reception through one of his Facebook posts.) His name was Roy Utley and he had been battling cancer for the last several years. At one point his cancer had gone into remission but it recently came back with a vengeance at stage four level. In a way it was a miracle that an exhibition of his work was put together despite his illness.
I saw Roy at that show and he looked tired. He had a lot of visitors around him who talked with him so I wasn’t able to speak to him. I think I may have signed a guest book (but I don’t remember for sure). I was tired myself from going to that other event first.
A few days after I went to that reception I found out on Facebook that Roy had died. At least Roy was able to attend the reception for his last art exhibition that was held in his lifetime.
If you’re in the Washington, DC area and you have free time, Roy Utley’s last exhibition, Live! From the Chair, is still up at the Otis Street Arts Project and it will remain until December 2, 2023. The Otis Street Arts Project is open to the public on Saturdays from 12-4 with other days and times available by appointment only. For more information, visit their website.
Last summer I attended the German Festival at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. I drove to the North Linthicum light rail station then took the light rail to the fairgrounds. When I was on my way back to the Fairgrounds light rail station after spending a few hours at the festival, I saw this interesting little wooden statue that was perched on a fence. I took a photo of it with the intention of writing a post about it and then promptly forgot about it for a while. It was only last month when I was clearing my phone of extra photos that I came upon this picture again.
I thought it looked pretty cool with the clouds in the background. Here’s a closeup of that shot, where you can clearly see the sash that the muscular man is wearing that says “Andy Strong.” (I guess Andy Strong is the name of that little muscular man.)
I was in Baltimore on a Sunday attending the second and final day of VidCon. As I was walking back from the Baltimore Convention Center to the parking garage where I had parked my car I noticed this plaque on the sidewalk that was devoted to the 1,000th curb cut that was created in Baltimore for people who have to use walkers, wheelchairs, baby strollers, or wheeled suitcases.
It basically said “Mayor William Donald Schaffer and the Citizens of Baltimore. 1,000th Curb Cut. July 22, 1985” and it included the internationally recognized symbol of a stick figure in a wheelchair. The one thing I love about walking around Baltimore is that you can encounter sudden unexpected things like this.
I learned about this festival when a local Meetup group known as Geek Nights Out were organizing an outing there. I’m still trying to meet new people and the theme of the festival sounded intriguing so I signed up. (After all, I hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Universit of Maryland at College Park.) That event was known as the 1A Fest and it was described as a celebration of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that guarantees the freedom of speech, the right to assemble, the right to redress grievances to the government, and the freedom of religion.
Then the week before that festival I came down with a cold. I took the last couple of unused COVID-19 tests that I still have at home and tested myself for two days in a row (per the instructions). Both times the tests came back negative but I still felt bad.
By the day of the festival I felt a bit better even though I wasn’t at my full 100% strength. I was so determined to just go out and meet people that I decided to go to downtown Washington, DC. Besides it gave me a chance to actually visit The Wharf in person for the first time in my life. (The Wharf is this relatively new development that was built near the historic Municipal Fish Market, which has been in operation since 1805.) That day also happened to be National Teddy Bear Day so I decided to pack my Disney Nuimos Winnie the Pooh in my purse and take a few photos of him while I was at the festival.
The weather was really crazy that day. It began with high heat and high humidity with temperatures in the low 90’s. I felt initially crabby because I was supposed to meet with the rest of the group at this indoor event that included free food and I was running late because I was relying on the Metro and, well, public transportation in the DC area isn’t always punctual. Plus I still felt a little tired from my recent cold and I was walking like crazy to The Wharf from the Waterfront station. I managed to take a picture of this place known as Makers Union.
The place is new and it hasn’t been opened for business yet when I was there. At first I thought it was a makerspace because of the name. But then I looked inside of the windows at the piled-up boxes along with counter space and I realized that it’s yet another dining place. It was later when I saw the photo I took of the sign that I realized that I should’ve gotten a clue from that sign, which said: “Made for The Wharf. Estd 2023. Makers Union. Pub for the People.” I still like the cool mirror effect that I captured with my smartphone camera.
I also paused while I was walking when I came across this really colorful electrical utility box and I took photos of all four sides.
I soon came across some signs indicating that I was close to the festival.
By the time I arrived, the free 11 a.m. show where I was supposed to meet the other people from the Meetup was halfway through the hour-long show. Since I had a ticket, I was given the option of either going into the show that was halfway done or wait until the 12 noon show. I looked down at my phone and I saw another person who was also supposed to be at the Meetup who was running behind due to relying on the DC public transportation system. I decided to go for the 12 noon show and watch that one with her once I found her.
I spent some time walking around to the festival grounds. I didn’t partake in any of the games because it was so hot and humid outside that I just wasn’t in the mood to do anything other than walk around and take these pictures.
This booth in the next photo was giving out free popcorn and water so I took a bag and a bottle.
A woman was getting a caricature of herself drawn by an artist.
This guy was making hats, swords, and animals out of balloons.
This electronic billboard was flashing the front pages of various newspapers from all over the world.
There were a few exhibits that were created with kids in mind.
There were also a few large version of games (like checkers) that were supposed to appeal to families but I didn’t see anyone play with them when I was there. (I think the fact that it was very hot and humid had an effect on that.)
The next photo shows The Wharf stage where panel discussions were going to take place.
The other person who was running behind had finally reached The Wharf and she posted a message indicating where she was waiting. I managed to find her just a few moments before we had to line up outside the place that was temporarily known as the Freedom Lost Cafe for the 12 noon start of that free show with free food was taking place. The idea was that you had the chance to sacrifice your freedom in exchange for free food. Since the show’s runtime was a little over an hour, I had no problem with temporarily giving up my civil liberties. We were given passports to a country known as NoFreedonia. along with a lanyard. We had to get our passport stamped then put it in the lanyard and wear it around our necks for the duration of the show.
So we got in line, got our choice of free food along with our choice of a non-alcoholic beverage then sat down. We sat at a table across from a group of people who said that they were with a church group. They didn’t communicate much with us. In the meantime I looked around at the imposing signage that made me think of North Korea.
Then the show began and we saw various people standing up demanding their rights only to have the authorities drag them away to this makeshift jail that was located at the far sign at the restaurant where it all took place. At one point we realized that there was a reason why the church group that sat opposite us didn’t talk with us very much. They were part of the show where they suddenly got up and started praying only to get taken away by the NoFreedonia authorities.
There were more people who got up and started to demand their civil liberties only to get taken away by the NoFreedonia authorities.
At the end of the show we learned that we could keep the koozies that came with our drinks. Here is what one of the koozies looked like.
After the show ended my meetup contact and I looked at our phones and saw that the rest of the group were at the area near The Wharf stage. We found them and we all introduced ourselves and socialized for a few minutes until the start of the first panel. This panel featured two men who work for the satirical news site The Onion.
Some in my meetup group decided to leave and walk around the area so there were three of us left. The next panel was even more interesting. It featured V. Spehar from Under the Desk News, which you can find on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
At the end of the presentation, V said that they was going to be sitting somewhere so people can come up to them and say hi. I thought it would’ve been cute and cool to get V to hold my Winnie the Pooh Nuimos for National Teddy Bear Day while I took a photo. But then V was immediately whisked away from the area by festival workers and I couldn’t find where the festival people were taking them. (I never got a chance to meet V in person and have them hold Pooh Bear on National Teddy Bear Day.) I also noticed that more clouds were gathering in the area and this wind started to suddenly kick up.
Moments later someone from the festival announced that the management of The Wharf had asked people to immediately leave the pier where the festival was held because a major storm was coming. As the three of us were leaving the area it began to rain and I began to secretly curse myself for leaving my umbrella in my car that was parked outside of the Greenbelt Metro Station.
We walked over to a nearby Shake Shack, which was crowded inside because so many other people had the same idea. We were still full from that free lunch and show in NoFreedonia so we basically ordered milkshakes then walked over to one of the outdoor tables that were under an awning where we were shielded from the rain. It rained off and on for a long time and there was one time when I saw a bolt of lightning.
At one point the rain had subsided to a light drizzle. We saw a group of people walking around on the wet ground holding signs about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
A flash mob broke out where people were dancing to a prerecorded hip hop version of the classic Woody Gutherie song “This Land is Your Land.” I shot a short video of the flash mob that I uploaded on TikTok, Clapper, Instagram, and YouTube.
The rain started again soon after the flash mob finished. We briefly walked past the dock where the 1A Fest took place but the whole festival area was still closed. We decided to just walk around The Wharf while waiting to see if the festival would begin again. We found a couple of stores but the vast majority of the businesses there were either bars or restaurants and we were all still full from lunch. I began to feel increasingly tired because of both the weather and my recent cold. The other two wanted to continue waiting to see if the festival would start again and I decided to just walk back to the Metro station.
Minutes after I began my walk back the rainfall suddenly became very heavy so my clothes became totally soaked. It was also hard to see where I was going at times and it didn’t help that the Google Maps app on my smartphone had my current location still at The Wharf while I was two or three blocks away from that location. I had to rely on my memory in order to find the Waterfront Metro station so I could take the next Metro home.
The only silver lining is that the temperature had dropped to the low 70s so it was far less hot to walk. But that heavy rain still made that walk totally unpleasant.
So I got home and had a hard time peeling off my very soggy clothes. On top of that, my cold began to flare up and I realized that I made a mistake in going to the festival because I wasn’t fully recovered.
I also had to pull out my blow dryer because not only my hair was soaking wet but my smartphone had gotten so wet that some of the water went inside of the phone’s USB-C port so I got that dreadful notice (complete with a water drop icon on the screen) that the port had gotten wet so I could not hook my phone to any recharging cable until the port was dried on the inside. So I aimed the blow dryer at the USB-C port and it was fully dried enough within a minute or two that the water drop icon disappeared from my phone’s screen. (By the way, having a blow dryer is really handy for times when water gets inside of your phone’s USB-c port. I learned that a long time ago through a few Google searches.)
I later learned on Discord that my two acquaintances decided to stay at The Wharf for about a half-an-hour or so longer until they got word from the festival organizers that the rest of the event was cancelled.
One result of my going to that festival is that I suffered a relapse and it took me an extra two weeks to fully recover. If I ever come across a situation again where I have a cold on the day of a planned meetup, I’m going to just cancel for the sake of my own health.
Sagittarius Dolly 
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