exploring the Anacostia 1

For those of you unfamiliar with the geography of Washington DC, it looks something like this (image courtesy of the Earth Remote Sensing Data Analysis Center);

I have highlighted the capitol building in yellow and the waterways of DC in red (the Potomac branch to the left and the Anacostia branch to the right) which of course combine and continue off into the Chesapeake Bay. My explorations for now will take us almost directly East (right) of the Capitol building and to both sides of the Anacostia.

Obviously, there are some issues with the Anacostia… pollution and combined sewer outfall among them. As new construction, renovation and political action move east from Capitol Hill to the historically neglected neighborhoods of Anacostia, it will be interesting to see how the not so buried treasures of life along the river are dealt with. The iridescent sea and its toxicity are beautiful in passing but crushingly heavy in the long view… what will become of the mortar labor and motor oil?

While walking around the abandoned Health Center complex just West of the Anacostia it was difficult to tell what was being fenced in and which side of the fence I was on. The porosity of the place, exposed by years of nature made fences interesting; relicts of division,  pleading for a river view and an open window.