Our Nation's Capital

I cannot explain what a wonderful time I had in D.C.  In fact, I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking.  Forgive me please for not posting more frequently, but I covered so much ground in the last few days I've had little time for the computer.

The Supreme Court building was my first step after Union Station.

The Library of Congress is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen.

Gorgeous sculpture outside the Library of Congress.

The Apollo 11 space capsule greeted me as I entered the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.

The Washington Monument at just the right time of day and angle.  Stunning.

Notice there are two tones to the stone.  This is the largest free-standing stone structure in existence.  It stands 555 feet tall without the help of morter, framing, bolts, or duct tape. 

Thanks to my pal, Cheryl, I met her sister, Anne, whose family put me up (or put up with me) for several days while I was in the D.C. area.  Thanks to Anne, I had a great time, found the right trains, AND saw one of the best concerts ever at the Black Cat.  We saw some weird guy followed by The Heavy, and Mayer Hawthorne...who blew me away.  He has "an interesting falsetto" as an put it.

Sadly on the way home late that night, I hit a deer...and lost my mind sobbing.  It was an emotional day beginning with a trip to the Holocaust Museum.  The museum was haunting and stunning, ending the feeling of lore with regard to the stories I've heard and confirming even the most unimaginable horrors.  The museum split my breast bone in two and shattered my internal protective barriers just as easily.  All around there was black, charcoal, and versions of shadow.  It was cold and metallic.  You could feel the collective conscious gasp and begin to resign themselves to their prefered coping strategies.  The cold makes you think of fear and how it must have gripped the victims.  What was the most astounding was how not only was there an abandonment of justice, not on a governmental, but human, level, and how Nazi doctors had used captives, including children to perform medical experiments. 

When I left, I spent a lot of time walking around outside and clearing my mind.  I found my way to the National Portrait Gallery because it was the only museum open after 5:30 pm.  This museum was the highlight of my time in D.C.  Not only does it house all of the official presidential portraits, but also portraits of great Americans, and a room dedicated to Katherine Graham, former editor of the Washington Post. (If you haven't read her autobiography...pick it up, it is a fantastic retrospective.)  The museum also had an exhibition of Norman Rockwell works on loan from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.  Rockwell is fabulous with color and detail.  He was able to make his characters look accurate and real, while maintaining an animated look at the same time.  Rockwell captures the most comical everyday ordeals and goings-on in the most loving light.  My favorite was "Hung Jury" with 11 men all exasperated by the single woman who looks back at cranky old guys with sheepish reserve and absolute determination.  I also loved "High Dive" where a pair of giant eyeballs, a nose, and two hands peek over the edge of a diving board as viewed from below.  Sheer comical terror!

The Lincoln Memorial outside of which Martin Luther King, Jr. stood to deliver his "I Have A Dream" speech.  As I stood in this spot and looked out over the capital mall, I choked back tears from the feeling of what it must have been like to be there that day on the verge of cultural revolution and to hear those words.

Ever get a chance to take a Segway tour....DO IT!  Mine had a name (see below)...

This is a mineral foundation on display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum....it was mesmerizing.

From the "Went With The Wind" skit on the Carol Burnett show.

A portion of the Berlin Wall at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Julia Child's kitchen

The original decision in Brown v. Board of Education...separate but equal is not equal afterall.

Abe's stovepipe hat

My last day in D.C. I had the nicest lunch at Ella's--wood fired pizza.  I had a glutein-free margarita and a great beer called Wyld Organic Extra Pale Ale.  I sat next to such a nice man that I was not surprised to find that he is Canadian.  Julien and I talked about everything from sustainable food, to the coming paradigm shift in human consciousness, to politics, to his little boy (he has another on the way).

What a great time...