Unforgettable

Well today was pretty awesome I must say. I didn't even see this man before I met Chrissy. I decided to go the Whitehouse today in hopes of something crazy happening, but it was very slow when I got there. I mean there was some news reporters there and some normal tourists, but I seen Chrissy and complimented her Nikon, which brought me to see this man, Elijah. She said there was a man with a crazy beard, but she was nervous to ask him for the photo. So we both went over and got a picture of him and Chrissy even got a picture with him, a definite laugh out loud moment. Elijah has been traveling all over for the past 34 years and it is what he loves to do and wants with his life. Things started to pick up a few hours later with all kinds of interesting people. We got pictures of a mandolin player named Peter, who seemed concerned about cutting his beard when he seen the pictures Chrissy took of him, but he loved his mandolin. Another man that we seen was this man that believes that there is only one God, Allah. He literally prayed for 30 minutes multiple times, which included kissing the ground, hand motions, and some singing here and there. Somebody gave this man an American flag and he took it, but soon after it was gone. There was also this man that went around telling all religions to separate and get together to stay away from the Pagan people because they will kill you, that went on for hours. And there were the Pagans, who believe in Gods and Goddesses and that every rock, tree, well pretty much everything has a spirit to them. I don't know much about them, but judging by the first impressions I got, it was a little to different, especially because of the 7' tall man in leather guarding the group by walking in a circle around them. This man looked as if he was dressed to fight in the 1800s. It was a great time and Chrissy was pretty awesome.

-George Schweigart Photography

Quite a Storm

Last Sunday we had quite a lightning storm and luckily I was able to take some shots. I took well over 200 photos that night, but I suppose hard work paid off in a way. This photograph will be published in the Arlington Connection on May 4th. This is a big deal for me, mainly because getting myself in the newspaper for photography was one of my goals in life. It doesn't get checked off the list, however, because I want this feeling everyday. Eventually my pictures WILL be in the Washington Post, mark my words. I was hoping to be posting a photo of a man that lives in front of the Whitehouse, but this task will be quite difficult. I talked with the man about what I do with photography and school and he said, "success will not be possible for your generation because you all take pictures with your mind, not your heart". We are entitled to our opinions, but his guess is quite off. 

Good Day

-George Schweigart Photography

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today it is my mom's birthday. It stinks that I can't be home to tell her but I guess a cell phone will have to do. Thanks for being my mom all these years. If you are wondering, yes, this is on a roof. I could of easily fell off the edge as you can see, but it is so beautiful up there. This is actually the roof of my apartment building and I think it is quite a view. Once I get my tripod I will be able to get some great shots I hope. This photo was taken using my camera and a flashlight. So for those of you back home, this doesn't look like Galeton does it?

-George Schweigart

Not This Year Steelers

Well I don't have a photo for you today because I just sat in the apartment awaiting Superbowl 45. The Steelers unfortunately didn't pull out a win to the Packers. The funny thing is is all the people on facebook that cheer for Green Bay when they don't watch football and never liked the Packers until they made it to the Superbowl. I have always been a Steelers fan so I didn't jump on a bandwagon. The halftime show was pretty good, not great, just good.  There will always be a next year Steelers.

-George Schweigart

Chinatown!!

I didn't plan on doing anything today, but then my roommate asked me if I wanted to go to Chinatown in DC. Well, the obvious answer was yes and I am glad it was. This isn't "the" Chinatown but it was one of them plus they were celebrating the new year. It was hard enough getting on the metro because we sprinted so we didn't miss it and when we were getting off of the metro in Chinatown the metro doors started to close on us but we held them long enough so they would open back up. We ate at Chinatown Express Restaurant, which looked like a small place from the inside but was like three floors up. It was hard enough for us to find a seat and when the waitress found us one she asked us to get up and find another seat so it wasn't so crowded. Before we ordered there was hot tea already at our table. I am pretty sure that this tea was the best tea I have had in awhile. I decided to order the Duck Roasted Rice and a side of Wonton Soup. The duck was delicious and hard to describe the taste. I guess I would say that it tasted like chicken with a sweet taste, and it was a smoother-layered type of meat. The Wonton Soup was basically three noodles that resembled a Perogi, except it was filled with pork, and it was in a hot broth with some vegetables. To be honest it smelled like a men's locker room with the smell of body odor, but don't let your nose judge the taste because the soup was delicious. All of this was a little over 10 dollars, totally worth it. After eating we went into urban outfitters to look at clothes that was overpriced, and then we seen a Chinese dragon dancing on the sidewalk, and a homeless man playing "drums" with pails and a stick. From Chinatown we walked to the White House which was beautiful at night and a first for my roommate. From the White House we walked to the Washington Monument, touched it, and then went to the Lincoln Memorial and discovered there is a museum sort of thing under the memorial about President Lincoln and many photos. Not a bad night for a Saturday, my only complaint would be that my legs are tired.

-George Schweigart

Washington Auto Show

Today I went to the Washington Auto Show and let me tell you, it was amazing. I am in love with cars, but only the ones with a real design and it has to have some horsepower to get my attention. On the top is a Mercedes Benz SLS with a price tag of over $200,000 this car is gorgeous. With a 6.3 V8 and a top speed nearing 200 mph this car have well over 500 horsepower. Another cool feature to this SLS is the butterfly doors, meaning this car can FLY!!! This next car is the car I came to the show to see. 2012 Mustang Boss 302 with over 400 horsepower. The price tag on this car can range form $30,000-$50,000. It has the 5.0 liter 32 valve engine and as you can see it is pure muscle. The public wasn't able to sit in either of these magnificent vehicles, but they were great to look at. This auto show will be open until February 6 on Sunday and tickets are $12. There are hundreds of cars there some being the "green" vehicles and then some being the true muscle cars. Earlier this week Snooki, Randy Orton, and Big Show were in attendance there. It was amazing looking at these great vehicles.

-George Schweigart

Tourists

I took this photo to signify the tourism in Washington DC. I think there are more tourists in DC than there are people living here. I can't believe I live in a city like this. As you can see there are two people taking pictures with the Washington Monument in the backround. And yes, I am inside the Lincoln Memorial, you guessed it! I like how the people frame the tourist attraction itself.

thanks

-George Schweigart