I love this video. Bringing the *cool* to minivans. That’s how I roll. Once you go minivan, you never go back.

I missed all the warmth and sunshine here in Northern Virginia while I was in Vegas for a photographer’s conference last week, but it looks like things are slowly warming again. I am so excited about spring. Growing up on the west coast, I took warm weather for granted. Now that I live here, I have a greater appreciation for it. We have about 14 months left here before the Navy relocates us, so I will soak in the beauty that the changing seasons bring. With any luck, we’ll be back in San Diego, but there’s a chance we may end up in Dallas as well. I seriously miss living near the beach. There is something so calming about listening to the ocean and feeling the breeze across your skin on a hot summer day. But there’s something to be said about watching all the colors sprout up during the east coast spring. It’s like a box of Crayolas and one great big canvas. If you’ve never been to DC when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom around the Tidal Basin, you must visit it at least once in your life. It is breathtaking and surreal, especially when the wind catches the petals and they blow around you like white and pink snow drifts.

The Library of Congress regularly posts old photos and articles on Flickr that I find absolutely fascinating. They appear to be full resolution and are free to download. So if you are a history buff, I suggest you check them out. I am so fascinated by photos from the past. Photography is always evolving and changing. There isn’t necessarily a right way or a wrong way to take an image. Capturing history through your eyes. Making it your own. That’s what makes photography so unique and fascinating. Here is an article about the Titanic that they uploaded today:

New-York tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

November 27, 1910, Image 15

Notes: Cover, illustrated supplement.

Format: Newspaper page, from microfilm

Rights Info: No known restrictions on reproduction.

Repository: Library of Congress, Serial and Government Publications Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.

Part Of: Chronicling America (Library of Congress) (DLC) – lccn.loc.gov/2007618519

Persistent URL: chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1910-11-27/ed-…

More information about the Chronicling America Web site is available at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov

While hanging out in LA, I met up with my fabulous friends Rachel, Beth, and Cathleen. Rachel flew out from Australia because the show House Hunters International is filming a piece about her move from Los Angeles to Australia. You can see a photo of me with the cameraman here, comparing our equipment. He had camera envy. No, seriously!

It rained on and off and when the soundman pulled out a condom to protect the mic, we all had a good laugh. Who knew those had multipurpose use? Now you know. You can sleep better at night and tell folks you read about it right here. I’m all about spreading useful information!

We were all included in the filming, but I’m not sure if we made the cut for the episode. Either way, it was a fun afternoon. Very random and unexpected. So there you go. My 5 minutes as a film “extra”. Not sure when the episode will air. But if/when I find out, I’ll update here.

**UPDATE** I’m shown as an extra toward the start of the show. I love The home they chose in Australia. It’s gorgeous with tons of light.

Just kidding, sort of. My friend Marianne said her in-law told her to beat her sluggish fruit tree with a baseball bat to stimulate it into producing more fruit. A few months later the darned tree started producing fruit. Huh. How about that? Here’s a link that sort of corroborates this method.

“The easiest way to make a fruit tree bear more fruit sounds a little crazy but it works. The tree must feel like it is under attack, and therefore needs to produce some seeds so the species will carry on after it dies. Sounds crazy, I know, but if you have any kind of fruit tree that is not bearing very much year after year, then try this simple solution. Trees are living things and have learned how to survive and carry on through difficult times. They adapt to situations, if they possibly can. All you have to do for an unproductive fruit tree to bear more fruit is to stimulate the reproductive hormones. Do this by whacking the side of its trunk six to eight times with a sturdy baseball bat. This will not hurt the tree.”