Take a look at the three photos below. The first is an image from John McCain's acceptance speech in Minnesota last night. The second is a photo of the building that was hugely projected behind him, which turns out to be Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, CA. Why would McCain have that photo behind him last night? Talking Points Memo smartly speculates that the GOP must have intended to have a photo of......

Flickr user mosley.brian brings us this bitter-sweet reminder that Happy the Hippo will soon be leaving us. No word yet on his official departure date or where the big guy will end up. So, make the most of the time we still have with Happy and stop by the Zoo to bid farewell, because before you know it he'll be gone, and we'll only have our memories to keep us warm. EXIF.......

Written and photographed by DCist Contributor Nestor Diaz This past Labor Day weekend, while vacationing in sandier locales or heading to higher ground, you may have missed out on Pash, Poor But Sexy and Club Scout playing a great show at Arlington's Iota Club and Cafe. DCist was in attendance to take tabs on the night's events.......

"Capable of rapid buildup and extensive defoliation" are not words one wants to hear with regards to creepy-crawlies.  Sounding the arrival of the bagworm, Flickr user and aspiring helminthologist volcanojw recently spent a prolonged period observing and documenting the larva peeking out of its shell.  Don't be mistaken by their aesthetically pleasing cone-shaped bags...these worms will consume the buds of your arborvitae, cedar and juniper plants and cause branch dieback and open, dead areas.  EXIF.......

Our photographers must have had their drama hats on over the long weekend, as we've seen a number of awesome staged shots in the DCist pool, like yesterday's wading man. Flickr user akkleis happened upon this "terrible accident" from the balcony of the National Building Museum. Won't someone help him up?......

On a summer's day, a young couple walked through a park searching for a spot of shade to cool down.  Out of the singeing glow of the sun, their passion could not be contained any longer, and Flickr user (and noted voyeur?) angelakleis was there to capture their PDA.  Take note, young lovers...you may think you can sneak in that quick kiss, but know that our photographers are out there, ready and willing to......

Yum! It's that time of year when late summer harvests are ready, and that means delicious fresh tomatoes. Flickr user Pixilista took this shot at the Masonic Public Gardens on 15th Street NW. Are any of you getting ready to harvest some produce of your own? EXIF.......

A bunch of local photographers gathered at Wonderland Ballroom for their monthly meet-up and were taken in by the new mural gracing the side of Harriet Tubman Elementary School across the street. Although the photo is a tad oversaturated, Aardvark for Freedom caught this nice image of one of the Latin American Youth Center volunteers doing some final touch-up work. The LAYC's Art + Media House has been been working on a series of......

It was a good weekend to enjoy summer's last gasps of blue skies outside of the city - to wit: Flickr user yospyn took this stunning shot while breaking gravity's oppression high above Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive, Mini Cooper and a paper crane in tow.......

U Street institution Ben's Chili Bowl celebrated its 50th anniversary today with a block party, complete with moon bounce, food and other games for kids of all ages. They also let the crowd have a sneak peak at the new Ben's expansion site next door, which is still under construction. The line for half-smokes ran all the way across the street and circled around in front of the Suntrust next to the Metro station entrance.......

There's so much to enjoy about this shot from Flickr user andertho. From this vantage point, it's difficult to tell if the man depicted is crossing the street or climbing up a monument's staircase; the movement of the man's flowing slacks contrasts wonderfully with the stringent, unforgiving black and white lines; and the photograph's subject matter - art brought to everyday action - inspires us to look at such routine movements in a new......

Did you catch the scattering of sunlight off dust particles, soot particles, and solid and liquid aerosols floating in the earth's atmosphere yesterday?  Flickr user soleil1016 probably had the best view, capturing the beautiful sunset on a descent into Reagan National Airport.......

We were just talking about all the new babies at the National Zoo yesterday, so we were taken in by this shot by RoxandaBear of the new golden lion tamarin twins. Last time I went to the Zoo was in June for my company picnic, and it was so deathly hot none of the animals were dumb enough to go outside (unlike us humans). With the weather so oddly mild right now, you might......

This past weekend welcomed a great indie rock show at the Atlas District's The Red and The Black. The night started out with a super tight set by local act Impossible Hair. Their sound can be likened to the straight forward indie rock of yore, with a dab of new wave sparkle. They consistently hit the audience with with pop sensible, nod-provoking tune after tune. Impossible Hair were followed by The Rosewood Thieves and Titus......

Flickr user david.abizaid took this night shot of a church tower in Dupont. He used a 1 second exposure that blew out the street lights a bit, giving the church a whole ethereal glow around it. EXIF.......

What an interesting shot of a miniature model of Union Station's exterior. I mean, look at that detail on the rear of the Circulator...wait a minute. Flickr user Jet Back to the Lab just fooled us good. We've featured some tilt-shift photography before, but never a photo taken with a tilt-shift lens (in lieu of a Photoshop alteration). Jet Back borrowed such a lens for the weekend and took a set of amazing pictures......

Everyone loves a long exposure shot, whether on the ground or in the air.  Flickr user Dsade's shot of a train zipping through Farragut North gets me in the mood for some laser-tag.  Since most laser-tag venues are located out in the 'burbs, maybe we should pool sets and start up our own venue.  Maybe Metro Center or Gallery Place?  EXIF.......

We may not have any new adorable pandas to look froward to, but there is still a whole zoo-full of interesting creatures. Flickr user choofly stopped by this weekend to see the animals, getting this nice image of one of the tiger sisters (she guesses this is Maharani). EXIF.......

There don't seem to be any shots of last night's Perseid meteor shower in the pool (though admittedly, they're pretty hard to photograph unless you have a spectacular trigger finger). We still really like this long exposure shot of an airplane by Pianoman75, who got up early this morning to try to catch a few shooting stars. Click through to see some great meteor shots he took in 2007 and 2006. If you managed......

Mr. T in DC captured this idealistic weekend scene on Saturday, one of the nicest August days that we've seen in quite some time. What beats lounging out in the sun at the Sculpture Garden Fountain with a good book? Hopefully, your Monday morning is brightened slightly by the big, blue, wide open sky overlooking less stressful times. EXIF.......

I'm sorry to say I have not encountered this particular piece of...art...on the side of an Adams Morgan building. Lucky for us, Flickr user Kevin H. thought to pick up his Nikon and capture it to share with us. Any explanation of this scene and who put it there will be appreciated. Though we, unfortunately, don't actually have a stake in Flickr, we use it all the time and know many of you do,......

Now this is a fun summertime shot. Flickr user Karon found these dancers moving to the tunes of the brass band in Dupont. Is this a bunch of folks who just happened to stop and enjoy the music, or is it a coordinated group who meet for some evening entertainment? More importantly, how grossed out should we be by the two center girls not wearing any shoes? EXIF.......

From the Flickr user who likes to bring us amusing signs from around town, spiggycat caught this one oh-so-gently reminding passers-by not to relieve themselves in the area. You think it's working? Should D.C. commission a series of signs for alleyways across the city, with misplaced exclamation points and perhaps a helpful stick figure?......

Honestly, we're having a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that it's August. August! In our attempt to try and hold on to summer for as long as we possibly can, we found great solace in this shot by Liliang, who captured a meal in progress at Ray's Hellburgers in Arlington. A half-eaten burger, corn on the cob and watermelon - what could be more indicative of a breezy summer evening? EXIF.......

Flickr user dullshick brings us this great photo of 7th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. during the flood of 1889, found in the archive of the Prints and Photography Reading Room at the Library of Congress. This flood affected many across the region, setting records and generally wreaking havoc. You can read more about the flood from the History of the Johnstown Flood (hat tip to Flickr user rockcreek). EXIF.......

Who needs real game pieces when you have enough black and white rocks laying around?  Flickr user static-photo captures an intense bit of strategizing during a makeshift checkers game in Oxford, MD.  Only a few moves into the game, it's time to decide whether to play defense against the encroaching enemy or launch a full-scale offensive maneuver.  If you have the itch for some indoor 8x8-board action this weekend, head to the U.S. Chess......

Though we'll have a real review of the Old 97's for you later today, we're happy to feature this photograph for today's PotD. Flickr user erin m brought her point-and-shoot to take this image that gives a good vantage point of the sold-out crowd at the 9:30 Club. EXIF.......

Flickr user rockcreek took a photo of this interesting house on Fourth Street NW, aptly comparing it to Edward Hopper's The Lonely House. The commenters discuss what could have led to the house being left all by itself in the middle of the block, so we'll inquire to our readers: what's going on here? Did the other houses fall down? Was Lonely House built by an eccentric who preferred traveling vertically rather than horizontally?......

Flickr user esshots took the chance this weekend to capture three kayakers enjoying their Sunday on the Potomac River. The red and yellow contrast brilliantly -- as if the yellows are on the lam from the red. We hope your weekend was full of similarly pleasurable activities. (Not running from authority figures, of course.) EXIF.......

Have plans for the weekend? How about taking advantage of one of D.C.'s public swimming pools? (Free for residents!) This swimming pool, captured by Flickr user akkleis is too serious. It's just begging for someone to come along and break the calm surface with a huge cannon ball. Last one in's a rotten egg!......