back blogging from D.C.

Staggering to the top of the calvalcade of stairs for the National Archives, chest heaving from exertion and heat, I gaze upward, amazed. Around me, a janitor lazily sweeps the dusty corners with his long-handled broom, and a uniformed guard lolls in the shade of the colossal columns, sandwich in hand. Below me, the din of traffic fades along with the glare of the noon-day sun. Above me, fashioned in stone, beauty soars. No one else joins me in this stone forest; the throngs line up at the ground floor entrance to view the treasures within. That privilege (which includes seeing the actual Declaration of Independence!) is not on my agenda this afternoon, having made the tourist-rounds before. Instead, this regal staircase beckoned me to higher ground.

Architecture captivates me. I don't know how to explain the drive that compels us to adorn our surroundings. From a simple sprig of green tucked into a window frame to the over-the-top glitz of Whistler's Peacock Room, our imaginative race always manages to "kick it up a notch".

Hope you enjoy this photo study of some "national treasure" that isn't always noticed.