Rambling Thoughts on Washington

It's easy for people who live and work in Washington DC to take it for granted. We live about 35 miles from downtown Washington, but I haven't been there much since we moved. In fact, the only times I've been to town are to pick up Dianne or shop for furniture. I expect that we'll go much more when the weather gets warmer. About 15 years ago I loaded up the family for a vacation in Washington DC. The boys were very young, perhaps too young to enjoy it, but they still remember it. Dianne works across the street from the Capitol building. Whenever I'm near her office, I'm reminded of the feelings of majesty and power I felt the first time I visited the monuments and museums around the National Mall. Ironically on that trip, we chose the route up the coast of Maryland from Virginia Beach, passing within 3 miles of our present home.

Last night I joined Dianne for dinner with some of her collegues and people who were in town to lobby for the beef industry. They were from all over, cattlemen and women from Iowa, New Mexico, even Georgia. I really enjoyed it. We've been a bit low on funds since the move, so it was really great to go to a very nice dinner on someone else's dime. But it also made me realize how much I've been missing social interaction here. Tonight we're driving back through Washington to pick up an aquarium I purchased through Craigslist. (I like Craigslist, it's also also where we found our house.) It's very cold and windy, so I'd doubt we'll visit any of the monuments. Still, there's something really kewl about driving by the brightly lit Capitol Dome on the way anywhere. I can see how Dianne became attached to the town. There isn't anywhere like it. -Shawn