I haven't been very good about posting things lately, so I wanted to put something short up here to catch people up on August in DC. In general, I really enjoy this month since the tourists are fewer, the city empties out of those people who can afford to go to the beach, and the pace of everything slows down. There is a laziness about the month that I really enjoy.

A couple of weeks ago I visited the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. The old Patent Office houses these joined museums and it has been closed for renovation the whole time I've lived in DC. They did a really good job with the place and it is a lot of fun to wander around. It will be even better when the courtyard opens under a spectacular Norman Foster glass roof.

One standout exhibition on right now is the 2006 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition on the northwest corner of the second floor. I was starting to run out of energy by the time I hit this unexpected display but it certainly perked me right up. It is a remarkable, surprising, and refreshing collection of portraits from all across the country. Established artists and newcomers are represented and the quality is uniformly wonderful. I highly recommend seeing this exhibit before it closes in February.