* I posted a fair number of photos (plus some new renderings) of the Foundry Lofts at Third and Tingey, where the new top two floors are starting to be framed. You can also see how the a portion of the new Water Street just south of the Foundry has been paved, and curbs have been installed; ditto with the new portion of Third Street that will run alongside the building down to the park.

* There aren't really many exciting new photos of the Yards Park yet, but I added in new renderings and also spruced up the page some. The park and the Foundry Lofts apartments (along with the Boilermaker Shop retail pavilion) are expected to deliver in mid-2010.

* I made my first close-up visit to the Factory 202 building at Fifth and M (the old Gun Assembly Building), and got a few new images like the one at right. (Look for the "Pistol Range" photo for added entertainment.) This building is expected to be condos, delivering in 2011.

* I added a lot of new images to the Later Phases page, where you can see a good close-up of the little Building 74 next to Factory 202, which will eventually be townhouses. You'll also see more of the infrastructure work going on, including curb cuts already in place at Fourth and Tingey (even though the southern part of Fourth doesn't exist there yet). There's also a new red brick wall going in along the boundary with the Navy Yard, where a new block of Fifth Street will be built.

* You should also check out my Yards Overview page for the hard-to-read map, to help orient yourself to all the locations.

* Or, if you just want a pile of pictures without the "guided tour," here's all the new photos on one page (which includes images not posted on any of the above pages.) Click the icon to see other photos from the past few years from the same location.

Hopefully that's enough to keep everyone entertained for a while.

* Columnist Peter Waldron looks at the few ANC commissioner races where there's actually a challenger, which includes Near Southeast's single member district (6D07), where longtime commissioner Bob Siegel is facing Capitol Hill Tower resident Geoffrey Kreiss. Some interesting background to be had on both candidates, if you're still needing to make a decision.

* There's a summary of the October ANC6D meeting, in case you found my lousy one wanting. (It also includes info on some of the Southwest-related items brought up.)

* An article called "Anacostia Waterfront: Where is the Environment Vision Now?" looks at the fate of the environmental vision for the Anacostia that was published by the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation shortly before its demise. This portion was eye-catching: "Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells 6 cites the 'inertia of bureaucracy' that the Fenty government allows with respect to the Anacostia environment. The stadium is the mayor's pride, but 'the failure of the Anacostia Trail network to be completed by this time leaves me disgusted,' Wells says. The river walk and trail limps along, and new park access is mostly on the drawing board. The Fenty administration has not made environment a priority. Wells argues, 'I don't see a financial component in the budget.' " The Wayback Machine has a copy of the draft standards.