A day in DC

When Tim had a golf outing in D.C. on a Monday in April, I tagged along to meander the museums while he was on the course.

We drove down on Sunday afternoon and went straight to the home of Tim’s college friend Sean Heather and visited with him, his wife Celeste, and their 3-year-old son William, who was keen to have us hide Easter eggs in the yard. Again. And again. We had a lovely low-key evening visiting with them, grilling in the backyard and drinking wine.

On Monday, the Heathers went to work, Tim went to the golf course, and I, after sending a few work emails, took the train into the Capitol area.

	My first stop was the National Museum of American History. I wandered through Julia Child’s kitchen (without leaving a stick of butter); got a good look at Michelle Obama’s dress from the Inaugural Ball — which was even more beautiful up close as you could see all of the intricate hand work done on the details; and meandered through a couple of Presidential exhibits. With it being the first day of Spring Break, however, the crowds began to make me anxious and I left after a little over an hour.
	A little ways down the road, I found the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden. I grabbed a pretzel and sat down on a marble bench, where a very friendly squirrel approached me, hoping I would share. (I didn’t. Only child. Sorry.) The breeze and people watching calmed my nerves, and I moved on to the next stop.
	I went into the “old” section of the National Gallery first, the West Building, with everything dating pre-20th century. I loved seeing these 3 Degas sculptures together; most museums are only lucky enough to have one. And the older collections meant little traffic, so I was free to look at my own pace, absorbing all of the sculptures and the beautiful, old-fashioned building.

Unsurprisingly, the newer pieces were housed in a starkly modern East Building, designed by I.M. Pei. There were several interesting exhibits, but my favorite was housed in the small tower of the building. One Candle, One Projection played with reflection, projection and light. It was simple but profound, the only exhibit that prompted me to sit on the floor and really take it all in. There were several candles placed on the floor, with projectors throwing multiple images of each flame on the surrounding walls. A statue at one end of the room was illuminated by such projections, including several televisions that also showed images of the flames. A cool interplay between the exhibit and the space that I didn’t want to leave.

By the time I’d explored both art gallery buildings, I didn’t have much time left. I walked around the area, photographing the last few cherry blossoms of the season, before taking the train back to Alexandria and driving home with Tim.

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