District of Columbia potpourri. . . . . . . . .

The Washington Monument 

We only had one day in the District itself when visiting Washington and its

environs this past weekend. That was a dreary grey day with a steady rain

and heavy cloud cover so sightseeing was minimal.

Any photos snapped were with the iPhone from the car - not that great,

but somewhat interesting.

Looking up 14th Street 

When I first arrived in Washington D.C. so long ago in 1962,

I lived at 14th & L Streets NW, a little further up from here. It was my first 

taste of big city living and so very new to me coming from a small English

seaside town. . . . . . 

. . . . . . . and later I moved to this 1927 apartment building on New Hampshire Ave. NW,

into a small studio apartment on the top floor marked by the arrow. 

I loved the exterior art deco architecture. The entire interior had been

 renovated just prior to my moving in and all apartments were new. Since then

 they've been even more modernized and updated, and when I looked

 online to find what these apartments rent for now I almost fell off my chair 

when I saw close to $2,000 a month for a small studio. My rent, which

 included all utilities, was $100.00 monthly - unbelievable how times and

 prices have changed.

After driving around the city to view places which always bring back
 memories from the time when we lived there, we stopped at Paul's French
 cafe for an afternoon snack - best almond croissant and excellent
 coffee - much enjoyed on such a murky late Summer day.

Remainder of our time was spent across the Potomac River in

 Northern Virginia, eating at a couple of favorite restaurants, visiting relatives,

 shopping at IKEA and ZARA, two stores we are still awaiting in our area

 of North Carolina.

We headed home on Monday in brilliant sunshine - taking our time and

just enjoying being on the road, and traffic not heavy.

Like I said - nothing better than a good road trip to get rid of the 

cobwebs. . . . . . . and, if Hurricane Irma comes our way next week, we 

may be forced to take another one. I really hope not though!

When life is good. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . be ever thankful.

Some of my favorite photos from the weekend road trip to

 the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Sunny days, clear blue skies, fiery sunsets, still some

 Autumn color along the parkway and across the mountains.  

We were so thankful for these moments of beauty when there

 was so much sadness happening in the world.

Death and Friendship. . . . . . . . . .

Our main reason for heading north to Northern Virginia and Washington D.C.

this weekend was to attend a special funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

If you've had a relative or friend buried here you will know just how 

amazing, and captivating, a full military funeral is at this truly hallowed ground.

No names are necessary. Our dear friend was a highly decorated US Army officer, 

and Bob's commanding officer during his tour of duty in Germany in the 1960's.

He later became a lifelong friend to us. 

Funerals are never happy times and most I've attended always seem to be 

damp, with both rain and tears! 

This one was no different with a light shower.

Following the mass in the historic Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer, we 

followed the somber beauty of the the Old Guard (3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment) 
attending the horse-drawn caisson, a mile through the hills of the verdant cemetery 
to the grave site.  

The US Army band played, the honor guard carried the flags, the gun salute 

resounded across all those hundreds of thousands of white headstones,

and Taps was played in the mist on that green hillside. 

I was impressed at the precision and meticulous turnout of the soldiers, men 

and women who are here for us, serving this ever precious country.

At this celebration of life for a special man who will be greatly missed,

I was proud to be a naturalized American.

If you are interested in the history of Arlington National Cemetery in 

whose 624 acres have been buried the dead of the nation's conflicts from even 

before the Civil War, a total of over 400,000 brave men and women, you will find 

this article most enlightening.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_National_Cemetery