Ellen Clair Lamb

@eclamb.bsky.social

3638 Followers 1327 Following

What you call me depends on how you know me. Editor, writer, insufferable know-it-all. Natitude, Hoya Saxa, AMDG. https://lambletters.com/

Warming up in the Nationals bullpen: Krook, with an ERA of 17.56 and 6 strikeouts.
Holly Hunter sits alone in the back of an old taxi cab. She's just decided not to give the driver directions, but can't help adding, "But New York Avenue's faster."
Evel Knievel plays Evel Knievel on “The Bionic Woman.” Captioned dialogue: “Snow White? Hey, you darn near got me killed.”
The cover of THE KING'S COLLAR by Jeff Tanner is gold print on a purple background. Two silhouetted figures stand in front of the Boston skyline, under a picture of an elaborate Egyptian collar.
A black and gray tote bag with the American Red Cross logo and “Platelet Donor” on it.
Five people and what might be some long guns on the roof above the broadcast booth at Nationals Park.
HALACHA, not recognized as a word in today's NYT Spelling Bee even though Merriam-Webster says it is (and HALACHIC, too). Today's letters: HELMIA with C at the center.
A sticker on a box fan says: PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE WHORES DRUGS. I mean, it’s good advice for everyone, not just whores.
A Minion birthday party with balloons and cake.
A young W.B. Yeats, himself hurt into poetry.
A pink and purple sky between and above high-rise apartment buildings.
A view of a pink and purple sky between and over high-rise apartment buildings.
The cover of BEACH THRILLER: A Novel by Jamie Day (Bestselling Author of THE BLOCK PARTY) is a photograph of a woman in a blue hat on a beach chair facing the ocean. A book lies facedown on her lap: "Book in hand. Toes in sand. Murderous plan."
A golden brown peach pie with a very sloppy, half-assed lattice crust.
THE FIRE AGENT: A Novel by David Baerwald "A spy novel, a war story, a love story . . . a brilliant piece of historical fiction that is hardly fictional at all." — Graham Yost
The marquee over the entrance to Gary Oelze Hall at the Birchmere says: Appearing Tonight THE SMITHEREENS MARSHALL CRENSHAW
The marquee above Gary Oelze Hall at the Birchmere announces APPEARING TONIGHT: LYLE LOVETT
"Fortune," 1993, by Judith Lowry (Maidu/Achomawi, b. 1948). Acrylic on canvas. The painting shows the Virgin Mary sitting across a small red table from a Native woman in a strapless blue dress, a choker of large beads, and a heavy silver ankle bracelet. They are reading slips of paper from fortune cookies that lie broken on the table. Behind them is an aquarium set into the wall with a lionfish looking at them through the glass.
Bruce Springsteen on two giant screens flanking the stage at Nationals Park.
A black t-shirt with a photo of Bruce Springsteen and the words UNITED FREE REPUBLIC OF E STREET NATION.
National League East standings: Atlanta Braves W36 L18 (PCT .667) Washington Nationals W28 L27 (PCT .509) Philadelphia Phillies W26 L27 (PCT .491) Miami Marlins W25 L29 (PCT .463) New York Mets W22 L32 (PCT .407)
The sign at CarMax Park says FLYING SQUIRRELS WINNER!
A souvenir Richmond Flying Squirrels cup, with CarMax Field in the background.
A crowd marches down Constitution Avenue, holding signs commemorating people who died in ICE custody. This sign honors Serawit Gezahegn Dejene, a native of Ethiopia who died in Eloy Detention Center, Phoenix, AZ, on January 29, 2025. A sign in front of it says: Love the Stranger. Love Your Neighbor. Together in Welcome. Marching down Constitution Avenue in the middle of a weekday morning — with a police escort! — is a uniquely American privilege I never take for granted,
The scoreboard at Nationals Park says NATS WIN!
A view of Nationals Park from Section 313, showing the diamond and the Jumbotron under a yellowish sky.
January 6 protestors, some visibly armed, scale the walls of the US Capitol.
A screenshot of a weather app that shows the current temperature of 93F in Washington, DC.
The Jumbotron at Nationals Park shows a couple embracing over a neon sign that says NATS WIN!
Nationals Park from Sec. 211: Cade Cavalli prepares to pitch to Pete Alonso.
John Darnielle sings at a microphone with his guitar, in a beam of light.
The stage backdrop for The Mountain Goats at The Fillmore is a picture of a small boat on the water in front of rocks. Because the first thing you learn is how strong you can be when you have to be, and the next thing you learn is how cold it can get at night.
The cover of THE ANNIVERSARY by Alex Finlay, national bestselling author of PARENTS WEEKEND, shows two figures in silhouette standing on the banks of a lake under a twilight sky and the tagline: Every year he comes from them. "Razor-sharp, smart, and emotionally charged... It's everything I want in a thriller!" — Ashley Elston
Happy people at a cocktail party in front of some brocade wallpaper: unknown guy in hornrims, George Harrison, my mom, some other guy, Cynthia Lennon, unknown young woman, older frowning man in profile looking down at a folder.
Notice in my post office from the USPS: Temporary Price Change Related to Transportation Effective April 26, 2026 - January 17, 2027 An eight percent increase applies to the following domestic products: Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage services. Please see a retail associate/clerk or visit the USPS.com website for more details.
The cover of LOST RALEIGH: Exploring the Oak City's Architectural History by Mary Ruffin Hanbury & Ian F.G. Dunn, on sale today from UNC Press. Copy edited by me.
A happy alpaca eats some hay. Her human stands next to her under an umbrella that says PERUVIAN BROTHERS.
A lighted sign advertises BAD AXE THROWING.
A view of the playing field at Nationals Park from Section 100. The scoreboard says Atlanta 0, Washington 1.
From vpap.org: Constitutional Amendment: Congressional Redistricting Arlington County <- See Full Results Yes, approve amendment 65,570 79.90% No, reject amendment 16,494. 20.10%
VADEMS/Arlington sample ballot for April 21, 2026 on the proposed constitutional amendment for temporary redistricting urges you to vote YES.
The marquee at The Birchmere announces that Los Lobos and Los Hermanos Alacranes are appearing tonight.
The logo for Bouchercon 2027, "Mystery Most Monumental," in Washington, DC, September 1-5, 2027.
Freddy the Magic Flute from "H.R. Pufnstuf," who still occasionally makes guest appearances in my nightmares.
The sign in front of Arlington County Courthouse says Vote Vote Vote
The cover of THE BITTER SOUTHERNER, Issue No. 13 (Better America / Better World) is a photograph of Gillian Welch in a black jacket over a long-sleeved white shirt. She looks beautiful and determined.
St. Pius X Church, Norfolk, VA, a poured-concrete building that even Catholic Charities says "may not look like a typical church building."
NL East rankings show Washington Nationals (3-1) at the top of the division, followed by the Miami Marlins (3-1), the New York Mets (3-1), the Atlanta Barves (3-1), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1-3).
The Arlington County Board room, full of people.
A trumpeter leads a jazz combo (upright bass behind him) in a hidden bar called L’Injustice in the 9eme Arrondissement.
One of the big clock windows in the Musée d’Orsay, above a crowded café.
A crowd of people stand in front of the Mona Lisa with their mobile phones, because their photos will be so much better than the postcards they can buy for a Euro, and because no experience is real to them unless they experience it through a screen. #hellisotherpeople
A tuxedo cat rides an accordion while its owner, a man in a black beret and striped shirt, plays “La Vie en Rose.”
An allée in the Tuileries.
The storefront of a Parisian boulangerie called Land & Monkeys.
Today 22,293 steps
Airport departure screen for UA915 to Charles de Gaulle airport, leaving Dulles at 6:20 p.m.
A poster for the Chalice Players’ production of TUCK EVERLASTING, the musical based on the classic novel, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, March 6-21.
The cover of CEREAL KILLERS by Too Much Joy is a photo collage of the band members, of whom only Tim Quirk is identifiable. Tim wears an oversized red button-down shirt with a black vest and sunglasses.
The poster for SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED at Signature Theatre.