“Dear PoPville,
What is the building with two tall smoke stacks at the western end of the actual Navy Yard, just across from La Famosa? For the several weeks I have lived nearby, there has been nothing to see here. Now, for the second day in a row, there is a huge amount of smoke coming out at the bottom of the building (not even out of the smoke stacks) and a very loud whir of machinery. (more…)
Photo by Chris Alexander
Update: “Last night’s lighting outage at the Washington Monument was caused by the failure of the timeclock that turns the lights on each evening and off in the morning. While the faulty part is being replaced, the lights will be operated manually to ensure the monument is lit each night.”
8:49pm The National Park Service reported: “The exterior lights of the Washington Monument are currently out. We are investigating and will have them restored as soon as possible.” (more…)
Photo by Andrew Leyden
Still getting questions about the beams of light folks are spotting so thanks to Andrew for sharing his truly spectacular photo with us from last night: “D.C. pillar of light rehearsals over the reflecting pool as seen from Arlington Cemetery.”
More photos: (more…)
Photo by darthmoll
Photo by Joel Riethmiller
Joel sends the photo above around 6:45pm: “Hey @PoPville any idea?”
Most likely: “Part of the display on the Mall where ppl usually stand for the Inauguration?”
“They’re prepping the lighting for inauguration.” (more…)
via NORAD
From NORAD:
“The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct Falcon Virgo, a routine air defense exercise, on Thursday, January 14, through Friday, January 15, and again on Monday, January 25, through Tuesday, January 26, between midnight and 5:30 a.m. EST each day in the National Capital Region. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
While walking my dog in Cleveland Park, I kept coming across these curious markings on the sidewalk. They were like little piles of pink chalk–not drawn on or spray-painted–and easily brushed away. Each had the exact same shape (an anchor? A skull?) and were placed about 10 feet apart, stretching the length of several sidewalks. Any idea what these markings mean? Found on Woodley Rd NW around the field of the National Cathedral School and also Cathedral Ave NW.”
“Dear PoPville,
All of the telephone poles on Reno Road from Nebraska south to about Van Ness have these yellow grids. I’ve only seen them in daylight, but they don’t seem to be reflective. Do they mean “I am a telephone pole: don’t hit me with your car”?”
“Dear PoPville,
I presume these are temp towers for the inauguration, but they’re massive. That is the NGA East building in the photo for scale.”
“Dear PoPville,
Saw a guy (I believe) walking down the sidewalk this afternoon (yesterday) making these chalk symbols. Between Logan and Dupont. There’s about a dozen of them, that span about a block. Not sure what they are – cutesy/nefarious, as I could envision both. Not sure if anyone else might have seen them or know of their symbolism.”
via Home Depot
Well this ad hit my wife’s timeline and we have not stopped laughing. I hope it brings you a quarter of the joy it has brought us. And now I can’t stop laughing again. From Home Depot:
“Rejuvenate yourself with this lightweight, portable sauna. Outstanding features include built-in auto shut-off safety feature, durable moisture resistant satin polyester material, and energy efficient low EMF carbon fiber infrared heater panels. (more…)