Bottle of hydrochloric acid found at Petworth spray park

An example of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid used at a pool

File under WTF for the DC's Department of Parks & Recreation...

A parent found a full and uncapped bottle of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid at the Petworth Spray park on Sunday. The chemical is used as a cleaning agent and likely left by a DPR employee after cleaning the water pumps, etc., for the opening weekend... a very, very absent-minded employee who needs to be retrained on proper chemical handling.  (Here's some examples on how muriatic acid is used.)

Read the full article and some angry comments on Popville.com.

5/27/15 Update: I followed up with the DCPR Aquatics Director.

It's a DC birthday

I received some cool, DC-centric birthday gifts from family and friends today. A beautiful gold leaf map of DC (you can even see Petworth on it) and a signed copy of The Martini Shot by George Pelecanos. Thanks Heather & Fletchers!

And you know you're getting older when your teenage niece writes in a birthday card "Age is only a number!"  :)

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A sign of the times in DC

Posted on a streetlight...  "Helping DC residents grow it organically since 2015"  

Truly a sign of the times for Initiative 71 and pot decriminalization here in Washington.

It's about being a good neighbor

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This.

I've mentioned before on the blog (ok, complained) about litter in front of people's homes... saying unless you're infirm, how about grabbing a bag and spending a few minutes picking up litter once in a while?

Today, walking home from the Metro, that's exactly what I saw David Bylsma doing on 7th Street NW. I walked by and said "Thanks for picking up the garbage!" and he gave me a smile and a thumbs up. 

Then I remembered my earlier post, and realized that I wanted to shine a light on this neighbor who was doing something positive for his street. So I walked back, introduced myself and started chatting with him.

"It looked so bad today," David said. "So I thought I'd get a bag and pick some up. Then I decided I'm just gonna do the whole block." 

With a pair of gloves and a garbage bag, he picked up all the litter strewn along his part of 7th Street. "It hasn't taken me that long to do the whole block. My back isn't that sore," he said with a smile.

This is something we should all take the time to do once in a while.

Thanks David!

5/25 Update: To put an interesting perspective on this article, it has been one of my most popular articles on Facebook. It's been read 3,306 times, Liked 118 times. And the comments are great. Give them a read.

Family yard-sale at Quincy & 5th Saturday

Cute kid for sale, or maybe it's just cute kid clothes...

There's a large yard-sale happening this weekend at Quincy St, at 5th St. and Rock Creek Church St. NW

Eight families are taking part in the sale, offering clothes for boys and girls, baby and toddler stuff and more. 

Saturday, 23 May
9am - 2pm

Though from the Craigslist post, it sounds like they're selling the whole shebang and getting out of dodge: selling the kid, baby AND the house...

Source: Craigslist

Local residents talk about why they chose Petworth

Belinda Garza, Matt Hartwig and cutie Graciela

There's a nice article on UrbanFamily.com about local residents Matt Hartwig and Belinda Garza and their reasons for moving to Petworth to put down roots. For them, it was about the community. 

I've met both Matt and Belinda at local social and community events, and they are very engaged in the neighborhood.

From the article:

"Petworth is one of several neighborhoods in D.C. that’s seen a transformation as a result of the city’s landmark growth in recent years. New restaurants and businesses (including “an actual bookstore that sells books,” Hartwig wrily notes) have popped up within walking distance—and for the couple, so has a community."

Belinda is quoted saying about Petworth: “The neighborhood is changing so much, and so quickly, that all the residents are really active in what’s going on,” Garza says. D.C.’s growth has led to the development of New York-style enclaves with their own identities. Says Hartwig, “Each neighborhood is developing its own vibe. This one feels very family-oriented. You still have a nice mix of new people with longtime residents, who have seen the neighborhood go through all kinds of transitions.”

Source: Read the full article on UrbanFamily.