Washington DC's Famous Dome

I have to admit that every time I have a meeting on Capitol Hill in some office in one of the House or Senate or Capitol buildings, I get a bit of a thrill walking up the stone steps, or tramping through the marble halls, looking up at the ceiling, noting the gilded murals, or even going through security and getting lost in the corridors. Any one of hundreds of famous worthies have surely stepped on the same stairs, passed through the same passages, made their case or argument, and spoken a million important words ahead of me. A fun part is sitting in some Member's office waiting my turn and sometimes being given popcorn, or chocolate candy bars, or peanuts, or iced water that some offices give out to guests. Even if the meeting doesn't go that well -- you know some staffers just don't seem to listen, or some Members are not available for very long -- just being in such a significant place affects me greatly.  I sometimes joke that "I'm just a girl from a village in the old country and here I am in one of the most powerful places on the planet." But you know, it's no joke!

Neptune Holds Court on Capitol Hill, Nymph Downtown

Court of Neptune

Nymph and Fawn

For a long time every time I saw this lovely Court of Neptune fountain on Capital Hill it wasn't working, so I was delighted to pass by the other day and see the water spurting from the multiple spigots and dousing several giant bronze figures and fantastic creatures. This 1898 allegorical work consists of nymphs, and horses, turtles, conch shells and water snakes in a large semi-circular pool in front of the Library of Congress. On a hot day you just feel cool standing next to it. This amazing depiction of the force of water reminds me greatly of The Darlington Memorial Fountain that is downtown near Judiciary Square, in a small park next to the federal courthouse, DC. Described as a "Nymph and Fawn" and placed there in 1923, this gilded bronze life-style figure looks a lot like Diana of the Hunt. Who would have thought that scattered about in Washington DC are glorious naked figures representing beauty, thought and natural energy?

Fried Chicken a la WMATA

Munching on fried chicken leg

WMATA bus

People drinking coffee, sodas, water and other slurpable items on the bus always annoy me but this fried chicken eater is over the top.  What was amazing was that this person got on the WMATA bus with the bag of hot fried chicken open, the greasy seared smell of it wafting into the bus and right under the nose of the driver who said nothing and did nothing. There are plenty of signs on the bus that say No Eating or No Drinking but apparently these mean nothing. By the time I got my cell phone camera lined up -- and I've finally figured out how to set it so it does not "click" when it takes a photograph, thus avoiding dirty looks from fellow passengers -- a second drumstick was wafting its oily rancid smell into the chilled air of the bus.  Traffic was moving quickly and my bus stop was next, so I got off, my nausea arrested. Thank God for small things!

Wonder Bread is Morphing

Just like no one really is supposed to eat that lovely puffy perfect-for-french toast white Wonder bread anymore as our collective taste in bread is moving to whole wheat "healthy" loaves, the building where they used to make it is changing right before our eyes. When I first moved into our neighborhood, you could smell the bread baking from several blocks away.  A delicious sweet aroma that always made me think of buttered toast with jam or some other sandwich deliciousness.  And, I'm not sure if it was every day, but they would give away the 'stale' bread and rolls periodically and you might see a line of people queuing up for these. The building has stood empty for years but now it's being gutted and transformed into something else. I  haven't taken the time to see what the development board nearby says but I'm speculating it will be condos or fancy offices or something. I'm glad they are keeping the brickwork and framework and I'm really wondering ( ha ha, did you get that?) what they will do with the red and blue lettering left behind.

It's Buckin' Fun in Virginia

We recently went to the Loudoun County Fair and saw pigs and cows and sheep and various rides and things but the thing that interested us the most were the people riding on a mechanical bull called Ride Raging Bull.  Little children and teenagers and some adults got on this mechanical bull and while the "It's Buckin' Fun" T-shirt wearing attendant operated it, they tried to stay on while it bucked and circled and twisted about. Most only lasted less than 30 seconds although the attendant did make it go slower for the very little kids who clambered on including a little girl who cried at first and begged to be lifted down but two minutes later begged to try again! Her mother allowed her on again and she lasted almost a minute and got a big hand from the watching crowd.  Apparently RideRagingBull will also be at another county fair, the Frederick County Fair July 30 to August 4. You won't get me on one of these but it was fascinating to watch people try this. It was one of the few activities at the fair that challenged people rather than just sucked money out of them on silly rides and whirl-a-gig machines that seemed designed to get people to scream and throw up their cotton candy, hot dogs and fried potatoes. Riding the Raging Bull also seemed like an activity that a group could do together as they stood about egging each other on and cheering when someone stayed on, or fell off! Actually, everyone falls off and the owners of the mechanical bull have a large padded safety mat area that cushions falls. They also have "It's Buckin' Fun" T-shirts in blue and red for anyone who just wants this instead.