18 April 2008
Happy Birthday, Marita Beth!
I’m sorry I was unable to be with you all day.
When I was 13 I went on a church trip to Washington, D.C. I have very fond memories of that trip: the excruciatingly long bus trip to and from; the pervert harassing us with "girlie magazines" such as Hustler, Penthouse & others far more explicit; the very long queue to go to the top of the Washington Monument that resulted in a non-trip because the elevator broke moments before we were to get on; the overly expensive lunch at the Smithsonian cafeteria that broke my meal budget for the week; the OMG long walk down the mall; the awe I felt at the Library of Congress & the same awe at the National Portrait Gallery; the sense of beauty & wonder at the Aerospace Museum; the impromptu race around the perimeter of the reflecting pool; trying in vain to sit on Lincoln’s lap at the Lincoln Memorial; the sheer boredom of waiting interminably at the White House hoping for a glimpse of the soon-to-be-ousted President Carter; yes, I have lots of fond memories of that trip. So, I approached this trip to Washington, D.C (the second of my life) with a sort of child-like wonderment. Of course, my memories of 26 years ago don’t hold up to the reality of the present; and since this trip was for a technical meeting with a branch of the US Government it was all going to be different anyway. This time around, I saw the inside of two bars & and an overly-expensive Italian Restaurant (tasty, though!), two taxis, a hotel, an underground mall at L’Enfant Plaza and a government building. I did see the Washington Monument from a great distance through the backseat window of an Airport/Hotel shuttle and the Jefferson Memorial – nearly close enough to hit with a thrown stone, but we were moving rapidly in a death-defying & terrifying taxi ride to the airport. Somehow, I did manage to take this photo during that ride:
Perhaps next time, I will have more time.
Cheers.
~KR (Written on 24 April 2008 )
Listening to:
N17 by Saw Doctors
from Sing A Powerful Song
Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/5.5
Focal Length: 23.2 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode
I love you, husband!
I missed you and would have loved to have been able to share my day with you. But, you were where you needed to be. Besides, the two of us have the wonderful ability to make even un-birthdays frequently seem like cause for celebration. So, no worries, no guilt.
Besides, you got home to me just before midnight!
~MB