I know to some of you in the frozen North of the USA and far western climates the 13 degrees we are expecting tonight is just a balmy evening but to us in mid South it is colder than a well diggers *&^%%.
I got my full length fur coat out of storage and I may in fact break down and wear it if only to the grocery store. It is so heavy I dislike carrying around the weight but I suppose I will.
Some years back when we were living in Washington DC for 4 years ( my husband's job) I wore the coat everywhere. I would bundle up in it, put on my jogging shoes and go on long walks. One of my favorite destinations was the Kennedy Center where I would walk round and round outside the building which overlooked the sometimes frozen Potomac River.
We lived in the Watergate Apartments which was right next door to the Kennedy Center. That was a fun time in our lives. Interesting city and interesting events to attend. Looking back now it seems Washington was a kinder, gentler place than it is today.
I attended many exhibits at the National Gallery of Art, sometimes twice. The Matisse exhibit was one of my favorites.Colors so vivid and such childlike abandon in his painting style.
Washington was a fine walking town. Mostly level with wide boulevards. Many days I would walk all the way down to the Washington Monument, past the Lincoln memorial and the Vietnam Memorial. The Vietnam was to me the most hallowed ground.
Usually there were visitors placing flowers and notes and photos around the marble underneath a loved one's name etched in the black marble. Almost fifty five thousand names.
What a waste. And we are still at in in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When will we ever learn?
It will be cold here in Atlanta tonight. But not nearly as cold as it will be in Washington DC when a loved one gently touches a name on the cold, black marble.
8 comments:
Good memories. It sounds like it was a nice place to live years back.
It's bitter cold here in Bucks County Pennsylvania. I don't like cold, but Don does. He's an avid skier.
As always, lovely and thoughtful. Thank you...
Beautiful post Janet...thank you.
It's pretty darn cold here too in the midwest...and going to get colder. I was hoping it would hold off until after the holidays, but we've come to expect ANYTHING at ANYTIME here. Stay warm sweetie...and Happy Holidays to you and your family. ~Joy
I know you are right about that.
I am not much of a walker, but DC is a city that almost demands it and the wide walks make it nice.
I walk a lot in NYC too, but the crowds take away my ordinarily good humor.
It's freezing in Ohio but that's pretty normal. 13 degrees in Atlanta is a huge ouch!!!!
I love your tales of life in D.C. Were you living at the Watergate when all hell broke loose?
Keep warm!!!!
Such an emotive post. Thank you for reminding us of what matters. Every Blessing
Kay
No. We were not living at the Watergate during the Nixon years. This was in the '80's when Reagan was president.
We did have several interesting neighbors, Senator Bog Dole and his wife Libby. Senator John Warner and Claire Booth Luce who was the widow of Henry Luce who started Time Magazine.
Such a warm post Cassie. Winnipeg sounds much like Washington in that it is a good walking town.. flat, cleared sidewalks (even in the middle of winter). Cold weather is such a relative thing and truly depends on what is your norm. Here on the prairie provinces we certainly get the cold but it is the wind that is the deciding factor on whether one walks or not. Some day I hope to visit Washington.. so much history.
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