nostalgia... people and places we left back in baltimore/dc
mostly personal pics of friends and places we've lived that didn't make it on to the previous two balto/dc posts
or, the history of us.
so I lived in this 200 year old row house in butcher's hill, it had a view of the inner harbor, bridge and downtown. it was a great location, just a few blocks to fell's point. I rented one of the five bedrooms out to a girl attending law school and....
pic above is the daughter and I twelve years ago, standing outside the front door, pic below is current.
.... I'm at a loss for words.
she seems so grown up now... pic above is at daily grind coffee shop.
she made me happy just now. she was telling me all about this new pokemon game about to come out and was asking permission to buy it, with her own money. she's not rushing to grow up like so many her age. yet grown up enough to know to save her own $ for the things she wants... I'm so proud of her. those kids are the best thing I've ever done. 
before the row house I was a starving artist, living in my loft in this old broom factory. the building only had heat (clanky steam pipes) monday-friday 8-5 and no a/c. I had most of that third floor and there was one of those partly open and manual (up/down control) industrial elevators with the sliding gate and all, I was bohemian back then. drank cheap wine etc. it was ok till the rat fell on my head in the middle of the night… I won’t soon forget that. never put a rat trap above the bed.
this was the first house the wife and I bought together, from an online HUD auction. I made that handrail from a few pieces of round bar and a torch. I'm so glad to see it's still there even though the stairs have been replaced with a safer code compliant option. I had posted pics of the miracle we performed on that house on a previous post (HERE)
we did not get to visit bertha’s, but I did take this pic through the bar window... I spent many fun evenings in there. and it was a great destination to walk to when the city was shut down from snow/blizzard. imperial pint of draught guinness when it's snowy and cold outside.... some of the best times on the east coast start/end that way.
met up with old friends at rocket to venus, forgot to photograph some of them on our last night there but enjoyed seeing them all none the less.
chef craig now (above) and 15 years ago (below)
of course the kids all had fun. (rocket to venus above, dogfish head below)
seeing old friends was a nice part of our summer vacation.