This was the year: Fall Break found us taking advantage of the hopitality of family and the taxpayer dollars of Americans everywhere...staying in Virginia with Matt's brother and his fabulous family, haunting the greater D.C. area freeways, Metro stations and public landmarks. You might recognize this little joint: while we were wildly appreciative of Senator Mike Coffman's efforts to arrange a tour, the 7 a.m. start time was a bit of a kick in the teeth: we left our digs at 5 a.m. (that's 3 a.m. Colorado time, folks)...
Monticello, home of my hero and yours, Jefferson. Charlottesville has seen warmer days, I imagine, but I'm good with it: Virginia in the summer would kill me. The more I learn about good ol' T.J. the more my admiration grows: what an amazing set of personalities set in a certain sphere at a certain time to make the impossible come true: government by the people, for the people. The grand experiment. If any of these men, and women, I suppose, were once ounce less than what they were, we'd still be the biggest colony in England, drinking our overpriced tea.
Though time didn't allow the tour of Ford's Theater I would have preferred, we saw those monuments in all their glory (MLK's was thronged with people as it was newly dedicated), the Mall, the Smithsonians, Udvar/Hazy, Union Station, the White House, the Capital, Colonial Williamsburg, Wolf Creek Lodge, Monticello, the University of Virginia, Mount Vernon, Manassas, Gettysburg. So much to see, so little time, but we made a fair dent, I'd say. The hope is that we made an impression on the noggins of the kids in tow, gave the something to think about and be grateful for.
Who drains a Reflecting Pool? I mean, kill the entire moment, people.
Not the best shot of Jefferson's Memorial, but I wanted to capture the cool reflection. Vivid memory of this building: a group of teens miming a piece about God and the writing of the Constitution. It was...um...
But what a great trip. Proud to be an American and all that. Even the OWS protestors were a great springboard to discussions highlighting what makes this place the shining light on a hill: we're the best thing going on the planet right now. What a privilege to live here and be able to take it all for granted. God bless America.
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