So that’s a wrap for 2025. All things considered, not a bad year.

There was a holiday to Vietnam, a short photography trip to Tasmania, two rowing marathons ticked off along with hundreds of bootcamps. I finally got to see AC/DC live. The purchase of an eBike closely followed by a broken wrist, and a thoroughly smashed ankle & bike. A gentle reminder that 2026 should involve slightly more age-appropriate riding tracks 😉

I also increased my ROFC (Retired Old Farts Club) membership by a solid 50%. We’re now three strong instead of two for our weekly outings — which has dramatically increased both the wisdom and the beer consumption.

I fell headfirst into the VR world courtesy of a Quest3. Roller coasters, mini-golf, smashing blocks in Beat Saber, virtual boxing, swimming with whales & manatees, floating in space — all excellent fun. However, I’ve unexpectedly developed a full-blown addiction to power-washing .... strictly in VR, much to my wife’s disappointment. I've powerwashed skate parks, haunted houses, subways, space shuttles, you name it. I've even washed Wallace & Grommits place. Anyone's place need powerwashing? I work cheap ;)

A fun part of the year was the Spider-Man appearances at our house. Between Spider-Man, Spider-Boy and Spider-Toddler, our place has seen some very serious superhero activity courtesy of the grandsons. My Spider-Man costume is best described as courageous rather than flattering, though highly effective - any evil villains confronted by it would probably die of laughter.

To loosely (very loosely) tie this image into a New Year theme - this was taken at what I believe is Wangetti Beach in Queensland - stones smoothed by time, waves still rolling in, and a bunch of leaves caught in between. Turning over a new leaf? That’s the best I’ve got sorry

On a serious note - after a year of global unrest, I’m hoping 2026 brings a little more calm, connection and healing for the world.

Wishing all my Flickr friends a wonderful New Year — full of fun, laughter, curiosity, and plenty of photos. I look forward to viewing your inspiring photography for another year!

Bring on 2026.

HFF

Power washing windows and the netting we strung to protect birds after we moved here.

I stood inside to mop any stray water that seeped inside the window sills. (And to take photos from inside. Tough work ;-)

Focused on the netting as the water hit it. Used Silver efex pro to turn this black and white. Then used the Screen filter to bring back light hues in the barrel of tulips and hyacinths on the deck.

Thanks for looking. Running in place!

Great crested grebe cleaning himself after a mating session on the Norfolk broads

'I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge - even wisdom. Like art.'

~Toni Morrison, February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019

Power-washing windows and the netting we strung to protect birds after we moved here.

Thanks for looking. Running in place! No comments, please.

Near Liverpool Street, London

Cleaning bird and sea lion poop off the dock. Yeah, it's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Along the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

~Pablo Picasso

Sincere thanks for your visits and comments!

© John Phillips, USA. All rights reserved.

john_phillips's Photos on Flickriver

100 Broadway - NYC

Faux urban decay - after the powerwash and before the repaint.

Not my usual "prettier" photography, but it was there so I shot it.

Captured for Happy Truck Thursday. HTT everyone!

…to wash winter away!

I spent yesterday jet spraying the deck, and some stone flags.

I even enjoy doing it.

Roll on Spring !

Stacksteads

Lancashire

I'm sure there are deadlines to meet, but using a warm jet wash on cold roof tiles in the snow, must risk tiles breaking?

It's been here 116 years

stockton street tunnel - chinatown, san francisco, california

Barrowland Park is a small green space in Glasgow with a long, colorful walk decorated with the names and dates remembering the bands who played at the Barrowland venue over the last 50 years or so. As you can see, the walk needed a good powerwashing at the time we visited. The Barrowlands started as a ballroom and is now a world know concert venue. An excellent stop for a dovotee of popular music. The names along bring back lots of memories.

dettifoss in iceland. and 11 people.

Last year I was cleaning the patio with my power washer, we had some hiccups with Flickr then so I wrote this on the cement, went to my archives and here it is, we now have even bigger problems,

Wasting all our voluble time with something most people don't like, I have to search for my contacts,

the videos take forever to load up and I know it not my computer cause its new and fast,

Lets hope they do something cause many of my contacts already left Flickr and other planing to leave,

Have a wonderful week ahead.

This last weekend it was a big job getting ready for the power washer. I am all done in from giving orders as to where to put plants and furniture in preparation.

While I had to have my property ready for August 1st I wonder how long it will take me to have everything back in place. September 1st?

Elizabeth (Lizzy) Jessie Laing (p.112)

(died six years eight months p.103)

Born July 31, 1875

Died March 24, 1882

Jessie (Sisser) Christina Laing 1873-1942

Daughters of Mary Ann (nee Irvine) Laing

John & Jessie Irvine's granddaughters

We went across the Atlantic this month, to Nova Scotia,Canada where the iconic lighthouse at Peggy's Cove was being power-washed during our visit!

Cleaning bird and sea lion poop off the dock. Yeah, it's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Along the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

DCI Floating Drydock. Port of Anacortes Pier 1.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. delivered the processor fishing trawler F/T Araho on January 28, 2017 to the O’Hara Corporation.

Progenitors of the Irvines in Victoria BC — since 1851

Irvines in Victoria BC -- since 1851; ISBN 0-9695935-1-1 wji

Poetry of Hazel Winnifred Gray; ISBN: 0-9695935-0-3 wji

Elizabeth (Lizzy) Jessie Laing (p.112)

(died six years eight months p.103)

Born July 31, 1875

Died March 24, 1882

Daughter of Mary Ann (nee Irvine) Laing

The Grandson watching me power wash the front porch

DCI Floating Drydock. Port of Anacortes Pier 1.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. delivered the processor fishing trawler F/T Araho on January 28, 2017 to the O’Hara Corporation.

7DOS That's Boring Friday ....

Over the past two days I've been power washing the decking at my daughter's!! I'm showing two levels of three levels and it runs the same width to the left!!

So boring!!

Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all.

Found while power washing our deck.

A lucky find! Starting off a trilogy of odd and lucky spots, I was convinced I had missed a very lucky find when it went up to Victoria Dock, but thankfully, it managed to come back down Hedon Road a few minutes later. That makes it two of three ALX400s from the Acklams-Jim Bell fleet, and my first 'proper' spot of an ex-Dublin ALX400! Obviously had a little bit of the powerwash treatment at the depot, too. The route this was on for it to come down here, however, is a bit unclear. Any guesses?

My first actually half-decent shot of an ex-Dublin ALX400, Jim Bell Coaches' T19 JBC, a 2002 Volvo B7TL Alexander ALX400 new to Dublin Bus as their AV241 and originally registered 02-D-10241 there, is seen running out of service onto the Mount Pleasant North Roundabout after a run up to Victoria Dock.

This was what was left after Ken power washed some old architectural blocks! I loved seeing the essences!

i don't know about you, but i found myself needing a little extra light to usher in the new year. here's to hoping it's filled with color, hope, friendship and peace.

xoxo

Faux urban decay - after the powerwash and before the repaint.

Not my usual "prettier" photography, but it was there so I shot it.

Spraying the "Wet n Forget" solution onto the siding. The shady side of the house gets pretty nasty from mildew. Thankfully, the product removes the nastiness over time. Nontoxic, but not instant like bleach. Can you imagine standing under this spray when bleach is coming out the spray wand? Yech.

This was what was left after Ken power washed some old architectural blocks! I loved seeing the essences!

Today, they came to powerwash her deck. I'm going to miss all that moss and lichen.

MBTA’s Powerwash train led by Massdot 1062 pulls through Middleboro Facility to pick up a privately owned ex NYC caboose which they would bring back to Shipyard Interlocking in East Braintree to interchange with the Fore River Railroad. Taken with permission.

Or "My Yard Needs Powerwashing". When I saw this picture on the big screen I was at first quite tickled by the colour harmonies between the Wood Pigeon and the concrete garden flagstones. Then I realised that those colours would not be there if I cleaned my flags more regularly. The wood pigeon is our commonest UK wild pigeon and we have a huge number of them in our local gardens.

... down at the carwash

WEEK 26 – Stateline Kroger Revisited, Set 4

(cont.) This wide shot of the store shows once again that area on the right where the Bauhaus pill-shaped signs used to sit, with those areas very easily discernible, too, given the very obvious powerwashing job leaving their outlines totally visible behind that new red “Pharmacy” sign.

Speaking of the pharmacy sign (and returning to our discussion of the new exterior signage at most Kroger stores from two clicks back), along with the new logo, those other stores have been receiving new pharmacy signs as well, ditching the red serif font seen here at Stateline for a blocky blue sans serif. I still have to decide whether or not I like the new Kroger logo on stores’ façades (sometimes it looks nice, other times I’m iffy – especially when it’s installed all crooked, like at the Goodman/Getwell store!)… but I can definitely say that I’m not a fan of that new pharmacy signage, so far. I much prefer the red serif version shown here – so I guess if there’s any consolation to the Bauhaus pill-shaped signs having to go away, it’s that the store got this version of the pharmacy signage, instead of its more recent replacement version.

(I’m also very, very happy with how this wide shot of the store turned out!)

(c) 2021 Retail Retell

These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)

Powerwashing in my Century rubber waders

2022 Ram 4500 / (Unknown Body Manufacturer/Outfitter)

never even seen one of these jams posted b4...LOOT. (i wish somebody would powerwash that wack RY off the car)