beauty everywhere

Amazingly enough, yesterday's itinerary remain quite intact. Well, there was the short detour to the Freer/Sackler Galleries, where I viewed a collection of Whistler miniatures. (If you don't know Whistler, you surely must know his mother....) The collection was stunning; oil washes on wood panels, some only 3 inches in diameter, but perfectly capturing sand, sea, and sky. My thanks to the dripping rich person with good taste that collected them and donated them for my enjoyment.
But enough museum-ry. (never enough for myself, but I'm thinking of my poor readers!)

Last evening was one for my mental record-book. As per yesterday's plan, our little band of brothers met at the National Cemetery. Our dear soldier, in civilian garb, showed us many things. Yes, we viewed the changing of the guard, we received an inside look at their bunkers and training facilities, and we learned a bit about honor and national pride. But my moment was stepping from the car to visit the newest additions to the cemetery: the men and women who gave their full measure devotion in Iraq. My prayer continues to be that they have not died in vain, and my heart aches to see that prayer come to pass.
Truth be told, my emotions were on a roller-coaster yesterday: beautiful art and architechure surrounded me all the livelong day; meaningful monuments and ceremony in the evening.
Dinner with spell-binding conversation and laughter was totally gilding the lily.

There are too many tales to relate on this cyber-page, and time's a-wasting. So perhaps the telling of my Library of Congress visit can wait for a rainy day in the North Country.