A Quick Trip

Ben had to go to DC a few weeks ago for some business, and while it was productive he didn't have any fun while he was there.  With his appetite whetted, he decided that we should go and spend a few days in the city "just for fun."  So we reserved a room at the Tabard Inn on Dupont Circle and spent three days in the capitol city, walking around revisiting old loved places and eating at wonderful restaurants.  

We lived in the Maryland suburbs for most of our life together, commuting downtown to the Library of Congress for work and enjoying much of the pleasures the city offers.  It was the first time I'd been back in DC itself since I left eight years ago, and it was a real joy.  We had delightful weather, perfect for travel and sightseeing. 

It was a quick trip and I didn't have time to visit with former colleagues and friends, but I did get to see my sister, Jean, who lives in Southern Maryland.  While Ben visited his brother Jeff in Virginia, Jean picked me up at the New Carrollton Metro, an old haunt from my commuting days, and drove me to Mike's Crab House on the South River near Annapolis where we ate hard shell crabs.  It was great to see her again and we enjoyed catching up in person.  I've been hungering not only for the crabs, one of the few foods we can't get here in Boulder, but also to see the beautiful coves and rivers near Annapolis.  We have streams and reservoirs out here, but I've missed the large expanses of waterways that the Annapolis area features.  

The next day Ben and I walked nine miles, over to Georgetown and then around the Arlington Cemetery, which I don't think I've ever actually been to before.  We happened to visit on a day when the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was commemorating its 100th anniversary.  For the occasion the public was invited to place flowers at the foot of the Tomb, something that is not usually allowed.  When we saw what was going on we decided to join the long line leading to the Tomb, eventually placing our flowers which were provided by volunteer groups.  The experience was sobering, but the thing that moved me the most was seeing a photograph in the Welcome Center showing a mother sitting at the foot of her sons's grave.  

The next day we again walked over to Georgetown and then onto the C&O canal, starting near the Key Bridge and then down the river.  In the past, I've walked the canal further out Maryland closer to the Carderock recreation area where Ben often went climbing.  So I enjoyed seeing this "new to me" section of the canal. 

One of the fun things about this trip was chatting with so many interesting people.  One Lyft driver was a high school social studies teacher who also owns an import/export business based in Morocco.  He told me about his supply line problems, about the woes of doing business with China, and about the adjustment of being newly married to a Moroccan.  It was a lively and interesting conversation and one that I'm not likely to have in Colorado.  I also appreciated a chat with a taxi driver who assured me that the US has gotten through other difficult political times and we'll do it again.  At the bar at the Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House we struck up a conversation with the dapper man sitting next to me and it was gradually revealed that he owned the construction company that renovated the old Library of Congress building back in the early 80's and just recently was responsible for cleaning the Jefferson Memorial so it once again gleams in the sunlight.  

The Tabard Inn where we stayed was also interesting, being the oldest still-operating hotel in DC.  It's a funky place filled with old rugs and antiques and unusual decorations.   In the hall to our room we passed this interesting doll or mannequin.   

And our room had this unique decoration on the ceiling. 

I got to spend about an hour in the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art and made another short visit to the Phillips Gallery, which features Impressionist and American modern art.  I was done viewing the main galleries when I ran across a small but wonderful exhibit of work by Sanford Biggers a living artist who creates in many medias, including sculpture, painting, fiber, and sand.   One of the things he does is take old antique quilts and reuses them in his art.  Sometimes he paints over them and sometimes he makes small 3-D structures like the one in the photo below. 

For this exhibition he was commissioned to make a sand painting directly on the gallery floor, inspired by quilts made by the African American artists of Gee's Bend, Alabama in the early 20th century.  Working with the fabrics they had on hand and in a remote area which allowed them to escape the influence of artistic trends, these quilters developed a modern abstract style rarely seen in quilts of the time.  Their work was discovered and recognized as unique pieces of art and featured in influential exhibitions in various museums starting in 2002.    

I had heard a lot about these quilts and their impact on the modern quilt movement, but never had the chance to see any.  So I was thrilled to find four of them in this little gallery along with Biggers' interesting artworks which he developed in response to them. 

You can see from these photos that while the quality of craftsmanship and materials reflect the isolation of the makers, the overall designs have great graphic appeal.  The detail below shows a large scrap in the center which appears to have been cut from a pair of pants and used complete with the pants pocket!   

It was a quick but really fun trip.  And now Thanksgiving is right the corner and just the other day I saw the first holiday decorations at a mall.   

The question on everyone's mind here is, when will we get our first snowfall? As you can see, there's snow up in the mountains but not a flake has fallen down here.  This lack of snow led one weatherman to say the other day, "It's getting to be kind of creepy!"