Washington, D. C.: Simply Majestic.

By far, hands down, the BEST TEXT I have EVER received:

Let me tell you something - when you see the Pentagon, that wakes you right up, but then as you're crossing the bridge over the POTOMAC river, what you see blows you away:

The Washington Monument

and then,

The Capitol.

This was so powerful and profound. My mouth was open, and I kept saying "WOW!" "WOW!" Just like a little kid. And meanwhile I'm trying to snap out of it so I can take pictures. But I couldn't. I just couldn't - I was in AWE. Just gobsmacked.


The last time I was in Washington DC I was a kid; My father took us to President Carter's inauguration; This is what I remember: It was cold. When the motorcade went by, I missed Carter and only saw Vice President Walter Mondale.

                             And I kept seeing Vice President Mondale - over and over again.

                                At the Balls, at the store, I mean, it didn't stop.

Years later up in the Hollywood Hills, Mondale's daughter Eleanor moved down the street from my friend, and it still bugged me; made me remember how I missed President Carter that freezing day.

Though I did get to see Cher. Cher in the bathroom at one of the Balls. I got her autograph. So there.

A former co-worker from LA  who is now a happily married Washingtonian is the author of the above text -we worked together in a office that was "Mean Girls" meets "Ugly Betty" but without the wit or the style. He kept a lot of us sane during those years, and he will always, always hold a special place in my heart, and ALWAYS make me laugh. ALWAYS.

When my friend guided me in to the city he told me to park along any of the side streets such as: "e" "f" "g" etc.

The area is so quaint and adorable, filled with architectural delights at every turn.

Parking was tricky, but I finally found a spot.

When I got out of the car, I was parked in front of a stately home with a bit of fencing in front as if there were renovations going on:

Here' another angle:

And yet another one:

Why so many photos of this home undergoing a renovation?

Oh, maybe because out of ALL the parking spots in the city,

I got the second safest spot - as this is the home of the

  Commandant of the US Marines.

AKA General James F. Amos

Oh, yeah.

The whole city block is patrolled by Marines.

Around the corner is Marine Housing.

Here are some Marines patrolling:

btw, I don't think I am really allowed to post their pics.

If you don't ever hear from me again, you'll know why...

While walking to see my friend I encountered this strolling down the street:

From Gun Toting Marines to Pink Fairies.

I think I like D.C.

A LOT.

After we caught up on each others lives we walked around - when I say this Neighborhood is cute, I am not exaggerating:

                                                            Now, this is a house!

                                                   LOOK how skinny it is!

                                        If you look at the upper right portion of the house,
                          you can see brick to the right - that's where the other house starts.

Then, my friend took me a few blocks to see this magnificence:

Breathtaking. 

I cannot encourage a visit to our nation's capitol enough. 

And I have to thank my Father for always instilling in me a great pride to be an American, 

and to respect and serve our country to the best of our ability.

My photo's and brief spin through the town does not do DC justice.

The city is vibrant, pulsating with electricity - really. The people there seem to just click. Every block you walk, the different cultures that are represented is astounding - it's the equivalent of living in a UN meeting - absolutely wonderful.

The architecture, the richness of the details, the history of this country all laid out before you.

Just magnificent.

Simply Majestic.

And a BIG thank you, to my friend, 

and to Washington, D.C. 

for giving me pause - about everything.