A Bluebonnet in Beantown: A Bluebonnet in our nation's capitol

Friday, July 2, 2010

A Bluebonnet in our nation's capitol

Oh, it's good to be home.

Spending time with family. Being in our nation's capitol so close to the Fourth of July. Standing by the Washington Monument with the U.S. Capitol Building, the White House, and the Lincoln Memorial marking compass points around me. Emotions soared and swelled. And since I'm a total sap (who weeps at movies and embarrasses my children), I became a bit misty.

But it's good to be home. Where the grass has somehow grown inches in a few days. Where we still need to pack away our kitchen and mudroom by Monday. Where the beds are ours, and the coffee is caffeinated. (I highly recommend the Residence Inn at Pentagon City. Large rooms. Good value. Decent breakfast. But their coffee...well...let's just say that it has the kick of a decrepit, shoeless mule.)

I did learn a few things from my too-brief stay. One. And this is an important one, folks. Do not drive from Boston to D.C. and back. Do not believe Google maps. One way will not take you 8 - 9 hours of driving. No. It will take you twelve. (And a big thank you to Delaware for making that happen.)

The folks in our capitol city would make you proud. They're courteous, kind, and generous. It's not just crepe myrtles that bloom in Washington. Gentility and manners bloom there too.

Finally, I think I'm a New Englander for life. One hot, muggy Washington D.C. summer day, and I thought I'd literally melt into a puddle. Picture a blogger melting Dali-style. "The Persistence of Humidity." I think I'd combust if I stepped foot back into Texas during the summer.

Oh, and one more thing. A wide-angle lens has climbed its way atop my wish list. Oh, why are good lenses so spendy? I can't justify buying one any time soon. Especially with the old leaky house gobbling money like some slobbery-mawed monster. Before you accuse me of being fickle, I adore my macro. Really. But it doesn't do such a great job with monuments. So, a few trip highights:

The space shuttle, Enterprise. I can hear the Star Trek theme swelling in the background. I remember getting a paper space shuttle in a magazine as a child and being absolutely enraptured by it. I remember Columbia and Challenger. Seeing the Enterprise almost made me cry.