8-31-2011 Last day in Alexandria

The truck is gone. We stayed in the L'Orien Hotel in a suite with rooftop access. Very nice.

We went back to clean during the morning, had breakfast at our favorite place, Bread and Chocolate. After the house was spic and span, we walked down to the river for our last view. We will really miss not living close to the water, especially a real river like the Potomac. Our stay here has been like a dream - we have seen so many places and learned so much.

So now, it is off to New Mexico.

8-29-2011 The start of the move Home

The packers came today. On Sunday, the 28th, we found a dead rat in the street by our Rav in front of our house. Hurricane Irene swept through on Saturday - lots of angst but not too much damage inland - trees down and damage from that. The big damage was on the coast. So between an earthquake, a hurricane and dead vermin on our doorstep - it is time to go back to New Mexico.

Here are some pictures of our favorite parts of Alexandria, taken over the preceding weeks. Most river pictures are early from early morning walks, one of our favorite things to do in summer, before the day got really hot and humid. And there was always a lot of life along the river. Alexandria was a great place to enjoy all kinds of birds - the sound of bird songs in the mornings could raise the dead. The Saturday morning farmer's markets were a big treat, especially the folks from West Virginia that brought such great fruit and produce. The last picture is the pathway down to the river - we will never forget the magic of seeing the fireflies along this path after dark.

8-23-2011 The last Grand tour - and an earthquake

The last gasp. This is it. We both had to go to a training session at the Sandia office at L'Enfant Plaza in the morning so we played hokey after that and went touring. First stop was the Bartholdi Fountains on the way to the Library of Congress. Since the LOC was my most favorite building in DC, I wanted one last taste of it - and it was very worth it. What I love about this building is the almost fractal nature of the decoration - layer within layers. We bought some memorabilia in the gift shop.

Next we walked to the Supreme court building - Sue had been in it but I had not. So we took a quick look at that.

After the Supreme court, it was off to Dupont circle via Metro. Lunch at Cosi and then a walk to the Islamic Center, down Mass. Ave. The weather was quite nice, cool and sunny. Sue stopped to get a head covering at Walgreen's. When we got to the mosque we found a guide and found that they had coverings for women - to include covering the shoulders. In we went - it is pretty small with a courtyard out front. The decoration was nice but not spectacular. There were a few men praying and the guide was going through his spiel. No pictures allowed of course.

And then we heard a rumbling, like a truck outside. That lasted for maybe 10 seconds and then the shaking started. It became clear that an earthquake was happening - earthquake? in DC? Sue, being the well-trained Californian, got in the narrow doorway to the mosque and stood there. The fellows inside did not share her appreciation of this strategy to avid harm and pushed by her, pushing both us out in the courtyard. Not the best idea, but the quake was not very strong. That was the end of that tour!

We walked on down Mass Ave, back towards Dupont Circle, looking for damage. We saw a few signs, some old walls down in places. We decided to stop and see the Society of Cincinnati building. The people inside were really excited - one lady had been sent home. A fellow said he would give us the tour - there were some other folks there as well. Just four of us though. We say the ornate interior - it is a Club for the heirs of the Revolutionary War officers. Membership is passed down in families. Very very East Coast. But it was fun to look at. Eventually, the powers that be decided they should close in case of after shocks and we took our leave.

The Metro was just jam packed. All the offices had let their staff go, the government was closed down and the roads were at a stand still. So we took a very slow (speed restrictions on the Metro), very crowded, ride home.

Talk about leaving town with a bang!

8-20-11 Kenilworth Gardens & Franciscan Monastery

Probably our last weekend for touring. We picked two places that we had heard something about but they had not been on the list. The first was the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, on the east side of DC, by the Anacostia river. We got an early start but it was already hot when we got to the place. It is many acres of ponds with various types of water plants growing. The growth is very lush, with huge fields of water lilies. We say several animals and insects and lots of flowers. The cicadas were truly deafening and their sounds would come in waves. We spent about 2 hours there. It wasn't quite a get-away - civilization noises could intrude, but when they were quiet, no planes were flying overhead, and the bugs sounded off, it did feel like one was in the middle of boonies.

After the gardens we went to another out of the way place that took us awhile to find. This was the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land. It is in a residential neighborhood. There is a large church, an attached museum/shrine and a large outdoor garden area. The church is on cathedral-scale. The attached museum area is devoted to the holy land, with replicas of the shrine that is the tomb of Christ, Calvary and several other events/places. There is also a replica of the Catacombs. Outdoors, the garden are is sunken below the level of the church and has a replica of Lourdes, and other miraculous places. Very interesting.

8-17-11 Scottish Rite Masonic Temple

Today the NA22 folks had a lunch for me. Jan Cerveny gave me my clock and certificate. I said my thanks. The end is near.

After the lunch, Sue and I went to see one of the more intriguing sites in DC - the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple. This is the place that featured in the final scenes of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. It is a fascinating place. The interior was set up like the Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, at least on the first floor. But this place had a large magnificent meeting room for the gatherings. The table in the center of the room that figured so crucially in the book, was covered with religious books from around the world. Overhead was the skylight talked about in the book. It was a very interesting visit and one I am glad we did before we left town.