I stopped first at Arlington National Cemetery. I've always enjoyed visiting cemeteries, they seem to embody calm reflection on your life and the past. The endless repetition of those small, white grave stones sends a clear message to me about the inevitability of death. I journeyed over the Arlington Bridge to main National Mall area afterwards. Initially I planned to walk around to all of the monuments, but the heat beat that idea from me. The Lincoln memorial was massive and seemed to be a somber reminder of a dark time in our nation's past. I envisioned the vietnam war memorial as a free standing granite wall, endlessly long. In reality it is quite different, inset against the ground and changing in height between the narrow ends and high middle. Its effect, however, did align with my expectations. All those names. So many, many people. Each person an entire story, with people irrevocably affected. During my walk of the wall, I saw 2 people with paper and pencil taking rubbings of a particular name on the wall.
As I walked to the White House, I thought of the various 'leaders' gathered in there today to argue over our impending doom. It all seemed like such a terrible waste to have a country with such an amazing legacy last such a short time before being taken over by selfish, incompetent, lazy, and greedy people. I thought that today all we as Americans do is work and die for reasons that don't matter, for people that don't deserve.
I finished up with trips to American History, Natural History, Native American History, and Library of Congress. The American History provided for me the most interesting experience. So much inginutiy combined with an ability to make and do great things in our past. Air and Space was packed, line way out the door to get in. Since I've been to it once before and the good stuff is out by Dulles airport anyway, I just skipped it. After that tomorrow morning, I'll be heading over to Shenandoah National Park for a night and hike the next day.
