1/ I miss museums.
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

2/ A few years ago, it occurred to me that even though I live in Philadelphia, I hadn't been to the Philadelphia Art Museum since I was a kid - so I decided I was going to visit it for a change of pace. It's good not to take the things around you for granted.

3/ I was going through a pretty low period in terms of depression, and a lot of my travel and photography is just an effort to force myself out of my own head. When I went I was blown away - not only by the variety of art there, but by the architecture of the museum itself.

4/ I wound up going back a lot during that period and found it comforting that these beautiful works of art had survived centuries, long after their creators were gone. So, during my travels, I'd make sure to stop in the museums - esp the art galleries! - in any cities I visited.

5/ One of the things I learned is that museums are huge and overwhelming and rather than try to absorb everything, if I found even five works I really, really enjoyed and I learned a bit about them, I'd consider that a victory for the day.

6/ As I was poking through some of my unprocessed photos that I haven't opened since I saved them, I stumbled across the National Gallery of Art in DC, & remembered how much fun that trip with my father was.

7/ I don't usually process or post non-abandoned stuff because I figure people aren't really as interested in that, but considering the gallery is temporarily closed, it seemed appropriate for the moment.

8/ A lot of these photos are handheld since tripods aren't allowed, and so there are no multiple exposures to work with and noise levels are outside of my preference range, but they sure do remind me how much I miss these places.

9/ Another funny note is that I tend to try to get photos without people in them, but I'm glad for the ones I have in these: people without masks, not worrying about a pandemic, just able to appreciate the space and the world around them.

10/ It sure does seem like an eternity ago.