An Interesting Week ...

It has turned hot and muggy in Washington ... some great plan it was to build the capital city on a swamp!!! Eight hot weeks to go ... it's been an interesting week. I am just twenty minutes from discovering that I lost both my debit card and driver's license in Georgetown. Brilliant. To be truthful, I'm more worried about the driver's license. Perhaps some kind soul will call me tomorrow!!! And I'm heading to New York City for the weekend --- stellar timing. Last night I attended a free Shakespeare performance of "Love's Labor's Lost" at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Rock Creek Park. I actually did NOT fall asleep (which is a common occurrence for me at Shakespearean plays), but several around me did! There is something pretty magical, however, about watching theater under the stars. Two nights ago, I heard Al Gore speak on GWU's campus promoting his new book, "The Assault on Reason." I was able to meet the man afterward and have my book signed. The event was quite peaceful until some obnoxious birddoggers disrupted the Q & A session at the end. And then there were the men dressed as monks in Al Gore masks outside the auditorium chanting and walking around with bobbing polar bear heads ... hmmm. The best part, however, were all the supporters running around with presidential petitions and Al Gore stickers and buttons.

And back to Memorial Day weekend ... Monday afternoon Toby and I checked out the National Mem Day parade down Constitution Avenue ... I was in a fairly patriotic mood until a very sobering event transpired. No sooner had we relaxed on the curb when we heard a large scuffle behind us. I turned to see a homeless black man throw down his backpack, a couple of signs, and two tattered, white plastic bags. "Give me back my flag! You stole my flag!" he yelled. A retired white Marine soldier berated him, holding up a greasy American flag, "I fought for this flag ... you DON'T let it touch the ground!" Someone yelled for the police, and one man stepped in to pull the homeless man back. Apparently, this man's dirty flag had fallen through the plastic bag and on to the ground, offending the ex-Marine, who shook it in his clenched fist in front of the other man's face and took off down the street --- with the flag in hand. "Give me back my flag!" the other man shouted. Giving up on getting his flag back, the homeless man gathered his belongings and walked back to his grocery cart of belongings, ironically enough draped in a clean American flag. We were both shocked, and I honestly can't tell you what was more appalling --- the fact that the former soldier stole another's flag or the fact that the crowd CLAPPED, rewarding this poor behavior. I fully recognize that I do not understand the emotions, sacrifices, or experiences of the ex-Marine, as I have chosen (up until this point) to serve in ways other than the armed services. Nonetheless, our Constitution protects flag burning, leaving the flag in the rain and inclement weather, despite its poor etiquette, and surely would protect a homeless man's dirty flag from scraping the ground. Perhaps an alternative patriotic option would have been to extend a helping hand to this man or buy him a new flag. And did the former Marine ever stop to ask if the homeless man also served our country in the military? The percentage of homeless veterans in the district is exceptionally high, so there would be great likelihood that this man is among those. I had a hard time focusing on the parade after this and just watched groups stream by ... the Pearl Harbor survivors, "soldiers" in period uniforms from each of our country's major wars, the high school bands, the Buffalo Soldiers, and the Native American veterans and their children who carried signs reading, "We are not mascots." IT was a very thought-provoking Memorial Day, to say the least.

And lastly, I come to Sunday evening ... the PBS' National Memorial Day Concert at the Capitol. I fully admit I am sucker for these types of events that coincidentally attract hordes of others ... and to stave off the crowds and to make sure I got a good seat, I arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon (third in line!) and ran in the 'gold rush' race at 5:00 when the security gates opened to claim my patch of grass up front near the stage. I sat happily reading until Toby arrived with my burrito at 6:30 p.m. As we waited for the show to start, we noticed the sky growing menacingly dark, and people around me started getting nervous. Soon, we heard a police officer instructing the concertgoers around us that an announcement about the weather was coming soon. Now the sky was really dark, and the winds picked up. Soon after, we heard, "This is the Senate police. Severe weather is approaching the Capitol. Please evacuate immediately, and seek shelter." Disgusted, I packed up my stuff and joined the rat race leaving the grounds in the midst of a sudden dust storm ... it was harder to tell if folks ran faster getting on or off the Capitol lawn! We saw lightning and heard shouts of tornadoes. Toby and I ducked in to the Senate parking garage, waited for the storm to pass, and stood in line (in the rain) for another half hour waiting to be readmitted ... the show DID go on, but instead of a front row seat on the wet grass, we opted for the Capitol steps instead, and it was a GREAT view and a very touching event ... and well worth the wait!


My view BEFORE the dust storm/lightning storm/tornado!


My view AFTER the storm!