Chapter 7 2009 – Present

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  RiverHouse Apt 1207 is 550sf, $ 1,275/month + $ 100/month utilities. The 3 buildings (James, Potomac and Ashley) were constructed about 1960. James has a dry-cleaners, laundry, exercise room, and is always maintained very well. I take the Blue Line to work (Pentagon City-Pentagon-Arlington Cemetery-Rosslyn-Foggy Bottom-Farragut West). The bank loads $ 120 the 1^st of every month on my SmartCard to cover the fare. The Metro is very clean (it prohibits eating and drinking) and safe from any fear of crime.
  
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  As Nancy and I entered the Pentagon City Metro Station for the first time, we were confused about how to purchase passes. An elderly man walked up to us, and helped us navigate the process. We remarked that he could have been an angel in disguise
  
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  Nancy and I walked the entire Mall one Saturday morning at 7am as the sun was rising over the Capital Building. It is 2 miles from the Capital to the Lincoln Memorial.
  
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  Nancy practiced taking the Metro to Union Station, then the MARC to BWI airport. She cried because she was so stressed and I lacked empathy for her anxiety. Every time I see that bench at Union Station I regret that moment.
  
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  We toured the National Archives together. A young boy in a family behind us said out loud “Why are we waiting in line just to see some pieces of paper?” We talked about the movie “National Treasure” which was filmed there.
  
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  The first Saturday she was gone I drove into the city and walked four miles from Foggy Bottom through GW University, old Executive Officer Building, Blair House (where on April 17, 1861, Francis Blair, acting on the direction of President Lincoln, offered Robert E. Lee the command of the Union Army), the White House, Treasury Building
  
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  Visited Foundry Methodist Church where Bill and Hillary Clinton attended. FDR and Winton Churchill attended here Christmas morning, 1941. Liberal churches have a mantra “Justice and Equality”, code for the gay-lesbian-transgender religious orthodoxy around Washington
  
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  One Sunday afternoon went on the Blue, then Green line to see a Nationals baseball game. The ball park is on the Anacostia River, and they should have a view of the Capital Dome from the field, but that didn’t work out. I called Nancy just to make the connection with her since we have seen a lot of parks together over the years
  
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  Played bridge at the International Monetary Fund building. The Director was very curt with people, so I won’t return. We played in a huge atrium
  
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  Visited the Pentagon Memorial and the Air Force Memorial and Iwo Jima Memorial. I like to look a map and feel that I am “making memories - gaag!”
  
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  On a day trip to Richmond, stopped at the Fredericksburg Battlefield National Park. It was sad to see a housing development on the slope leading up to Marye’s Heights, where so many Federal soldiers died.
  
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  Got lost one rainy Saturday afternoon driving Glebe Road across Chain Nail Bridge at Little Falls on the Potomac River. But, the best way to learn your way around is to get lost a few times
  
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  Walking down city streets I have seen Eleanor Clift of Newsweek Magazine, Bob Schaeffer of CBS News, Bill Schneider of CNN, Karen Tumulty of Time Magazine, and I spoke in the elevator to Nina Easton, Fortune Magazine bureau chief and commentator on Fox News
  
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  Southwest Airlines flies out of BWI and Dulles (the Metro Silver Line will be complete in 2013). I prefer to fly Delta out of Reagan (DCA) because it is so easy to hop on the Metro back to my apartment.
  
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  The Adams National Bank corporate office is on Connecticut, directly across from the Mayflower Hotel. Many times, foreign dignitaries stay at the Mayflower because the side street, DeSales, provides good security.
  

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  Drove to Bridgeton, stayed with John, went to church with Hal and MaryAnn. It was 148 miles one-way.
  
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  Had difficulty figuring out how to get on I-295 from my apartment. Abandoned the idea of crossing the Sousa Bridge, instead going on South Capital, past the ballpark then across Douglass Bridge
  
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  Walked the Chinatown, Penn Quarter neighborhoods. I would then review the route on a map, memorizing all the streets for future reference. I was surprised the Chinatown Friendship Arch is only 25 years old
  
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  Attended a Friday noon service at St. John Church where President H.W. Bush attended, and a bronze plaque designates # 54 “the President’s Pew”
  
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  Black tie dinner the Carnegie Institute to raise money for a local charity, Turning the Page
  
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  Visited the National Cathedral one Sunday service, which is the campus of both the National Cathedral School for Girls (Lynda and Luci Johnson attended here), and St. Albans School for boys
  
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  Had breakfast with George Hall at the Mayflower Hotel restaurant. We stood outside on a street corner and prayed.
  
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  Walked Adams Morgan (the neighborhood at 18^th and Columbia named for the merging of two previously segregated schools, Adams (white) and Morgan (black), crossing the William Taft Bridge and Duke Ellington Bridge one Saturday morning.
  
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  Saw the Uline Arena where the Beatles performed 48 hrs after the Ed Sullivan Show
  
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  Went up the Old Post Office tower, then to the National Museum of American History. I would return to this museum countless number of times, but this first visit was overwhelming, there is so much to see. The Star Spangled Banner has 15 stars and 15 stripes.
  
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  Sunday went to the National Gallery of Art (white dome). I’m not really into art, but the building is huge, donated by Andrew Mellon
  
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  Visited McLean Bible Church. Lon Solomon has been the pastor since 1980, a converted Jew, and his radio spot “Not a sermon, just a Thought” is very popular in the area. The music is fabulous, 10 piece string section, 10 piece brass section
  
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  Nancy and I visited the Supreme Court Building, walking up the 44 marble steps and passed under the famous words “Equal Justice Under Law”
  
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  I obtained a library card to be able to enter the Main Reading Room, and attended a Tuesday evening orientation of how to use the Library of Congress. I went back that next Saturday and sat in the room as the afternoon sun reflected off the wooden panels. It is one of the prettiest rooms in all of Washington
  
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  Over lunch one day toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. At one station where $100 bills were being printed, a worker had penciled a sign that read “more money is printed here in 3 minutes than I will earn in my entire lifetime!”
  
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  Toured Arlington Cemetery one Sunday afternoon. It was a warm but sunny day, and I didn’t remember how long a walk it was from the Arlington House to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Nancy later commented that the first place tourist should visit is the spectacular view of the Mall from Robert E. Lee’s former residence.
  
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  Toured the Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave over lunch one day. I wasn’t that impressed, perhaps because it is one of the few places in Washington that charges admission
  

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  Attended “Red Mass” at Cathedral of St. Matthew. John Roberts, Sam Alito, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Sonia Sotomayor. I arrived at 7:30 am for the 10:00 am service to make sure I would get a seat. It was quite a moving service, and we prayed for the Justices in general, and Chief Justice Roberts in particular.
  
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  One day over lunch took the Red Line to the Old Pension Building. Starting about 1880 the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was the most formidable special interest group in the United States, and Congress would give them anything they wanted to secure their votes.
  
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  Walked the Georgetown neighborhood, and climbed the Exorcist Steps.
  
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  Attended New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, I didn’t want to sit in “Lincoln’s Pew”, which he rented for $65 per year (the custom in those years instead of tithing)
  
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  Witnessed the annual Halloween DuPont “High Heel Race”. Adams Bank has been a sponsor of this event for years, and some still refer to Adams as the Lesbian Bank, since it catered to homosexuals in the DuPont area since 1978.
  
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  Walked the Columbia Heights neighborhood, then drove to see the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (where Luci Baines Johnson was married in 1966)
  
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  Nancy, Ashlyn and I attended a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center where the acoustics were phenomenal. The Hall of States and Hall of Nations with all the respective flags is impressive. The three venues are the Concert Hall, the Opera House, and the Eisenhower Theatre. The copper bust of Kennedy is 8’ high.
  
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  Discovered the French Ambassador’s residence in Kalorama Heights. It is my favorite house in the district.
  
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  We met at noon Friday to tour the Holocaust Museum. The section with all the abandoned shoes was the most poignant.
  
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  Visited the National Museum of Natural History (green dome) and saw the Hope Diamond
  
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  I had signed up several weeks in advance for a one-hour tour of the Pentagon, saw the chapel located where the plane hit on 9-11. The Secretary of Defense office (3E880) which means 3^rd floor, E ring, corridor 8 and office number 80. Also the interior courtyard is one of the few places where one is not required to salute a superior officer, and the hot dog stand is known as “Ground Zero Café”
  
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  My bridge partner, Russell Allen (Exec Dir Wash Ballet) and I play bridge every Tuesday evening at the Army Navy Country Club. There are only about 10 tables, so it is very relaxed. The Director is USMA ’55, and the view of Washington from the dining room windows is spectacular.
  
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  Ate a Chili Half Smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl, which took 2 days off my life. The food wasn’t that great, but it is a local tradition, Bill Cosby goes there every time he is in town, and Barrack Obama went there within one month of becoming President.
  
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  On a day trip to Richmond, stopped at the Yorktown Battlefield National Park. I walked the redoubts that Alexander Hamilton led the final charge in October 1781. It was puzzling to visualize how the British allowed themselves to be trapped with the York River at their back.
  
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  Nancy and I walked around the Tidal Basin on Sat morning, then drove to Annapolis to join John and Jayme for a Navy football game. “Jack Stephens Field, Navy - Marine Corps Memorial Stadium” Stephens, 1947 USNA grad, donated $ 10 million to expand the facility
  

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  Served as an Arlington County Election Official in Precinct 8 and we used electronic pollbooks and WINvote electronic voting machines for approximately 1,100 voters
  
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  Went to a Washington Wizards NBA basketball game at Verizon Center. I could see why people say that Chinatown on a Saturday night is the “Times Square” of Washington
  
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  Visited the National City Christian Church where President Lyndon Johnson attended
  
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  Toured the National Postal Museum next to Union Station. I had no idea that Franklin Roosevelt was such an avid stamp collector, and he actually designed some stamps.
  
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  Visited the Luther Place Memorial Church
  
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  Walked the Capital Heights (14^th and Columbia) neighborhood where the DC Government has done a good job developing the area into an upscale light-retail environ.
  
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  Toured the National Portrait Gallery the “old Patent Office” over lunch one day. During the Civil War, this was converted into a Federal Hospital, and the poet Walt Whitman worked there as a male nurse. Lincoln’s 2^nd Inaugural Ball was held here. The most famous work is the “Lansdowne portrait of George Washington painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796, and two of the 12 copies of this original that he painted are in the East Room of the White House and the U.S. House of Representatives Chamber. By 1796 Washington was weary of sitting for portraits, but his friend, William Bingham, a very wealthy Federalist, and his wife, Ann, considered one of the most beautiful women of the day, persuaded him to sit for Stuart as a personal favor.
  
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  Drove through the Palisades neighborhood to visit Glen Echo park and the restored Carousel, and Spanish Ballroom. This was a popular resort from 1900-1960, a trolley line extended from downtown out to Glen Echo.
  
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  Played bridge at the Beth el Hebrew Synagogue on Seminary Road. A lot of tables, probably 100, and they always promise a partner
  
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  Drove through the Navy Yard (saw the NCIS building and Latrobe Gate). The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) residence is located here
  
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  Walked across the footbridge to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial and island. I was surprised that such a large monument is in such an out-of-the-way location
  
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  Attended an Arlington County Board meeting on a Saturday morning. Arlington is the smallest county in America (26 square miles) has no cities, just neighborhoods, and is very efficient, ie, drivers licenses, voter registration, stickers for personal property taxes
  
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  Started visiting with Fred Downs on the Metro. He is the Veteran Administration’s Director of Prosthetics, lost his left arm on Jan 11, 1968 as a combat platoon leader with the 1^st Bn 14^th Inf 4^th ID, wrote “The Killing Zone - My life in Viet-Nam”, lectures at West Point, and ran the 1983 Marine Corps Marathon in 3:03!
  
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  Walked through the Eastern Market one cold and rainy Saturday morning
  
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  Vice-President Biden’s motorcade speeds down Connecticut Ave in a 6 car motorcade each morning from his residence at the Naval Observatory
  

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  Drove past the Cairo Hotel, which prompted the Heights of Buildings Act of 1910 which states that no building in the District may be 20’ higher that the width of the street it faces
  

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  I had applied on-line for tickets to the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, which was held one very cold Thursday evening - Randy Jackson, Cheryl Crowe played piano, the President and his family lit the tree. I got there at 4:00 pm, and the program didn’t begin until 5:30 pm. I called Nancy because I wished she was there with me, it was quite a sight, and a treat to be part of such an important national event. The current National Christmas Tree was planted in that spot in 1978.
  
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  Christmas concert by the Air Force Band at Constitution Hall on Saturday afternoon. I was disappointed by the totally secular song selections. A lot of local high schools hold their May graduations in this Hall. This was the location where Marion Anderson was denied permission to sing in 1938, so First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a DAR member, resigned in protest, and arranged for Anderson to sing at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter
  
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  Christmas concert by the Marine Band at Wolf Trap on a brisk Sunday afternoon. Patches of snow on the ground, children’s choirs, hot chocolate, it was really a great day.
  
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  Toured the Masonic Temple in Alexandria, dedicated to George Washington. It had memorabilia from the ceremony of laying the cornerstone of the Capital Building. The tower is visible from Hains Point
  
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  Joined McLean Bible Church at a congregational meeting one Wednesday evening. MBC has over 11,000 people who attend each Sunday, and its mission is to share the message of Jesus Christ with secular Washington.
  
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  Helped organize the Arlington Men’s Group (Pentagon City) met for the first time at the Au Bon Pain in the food court. I decided to take the lead in this group by hosting the first session in January in my apartment. Members were Alan Baribeau, Erik Adams, Doug Oliver, Jordan Northrup and John Fetherston. We started rotating among each other’s homes, and we began an overview of the Bible which took all of 2010.
  
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  Toured the Peterson House (located across 10^th Street from Ford’s Theatre) where President Lincoln died. It was incredible that such a great life ended in a cramped boarding house with his legs dangling over such a small bed
  
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  Attended the Washington DC Annual Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Convention Center (Adams bought a table of 10). Suzanne Clark was the featured speaker, she is the daughter of Joe Clark of Clark Construction, the leading contractor in the District, and an important contributor to S.O.M.E.
  
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  Visited the National American Indian Museum, such a politically-correct disappointment for placement on the National Mall
  
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  One Sunday morning, well before dawn, I drove into the city, parked, and started running. The most beautiful sight I’ve seen in Washington is standing at the apex of the Viet-Nam Memorial, totally dark, and looking east seeing the Capital dome illuminated, and then looking west, and seeing the Lincoln Memorial illuminated. There wasn’t another person around, and it was a special moment.
  
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  Stopped in the Main Auditors Building at 14^th and B, SW, which was constructed in 1879 for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. In 1914 BEP moved to its current location, and Auditors for Navy, State and Treasury moved in. Several of the annexes have been demolished to make room for the Holocaust Museum
  

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  Played bridge one Saturday morning at the Knights of Columbus facility on the former Saegmuller estate in Reserve Hill, Arlington. Was told that Richard Jing, of the Alpharetta, GA, bridge club (whom I played against in July 2009) became the youngest Life Master in ACBL history at 9 years and 6 months of age
  
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  I was a guest of Bob Davis for lunch at The Metropolitan Club, founded in 1863 by Union Army generals, and frequented by Grant, Sherman and Sheridan after the war. Moved into the current 5 story building at 17^th and H Street in 1905, beautiful mahogany-walled library, men’s athletic/squash club, main dining room, and 2,500 members
  
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  Hosted my Men’s Group in my apartment, the dessert was a red velvet cake I served with the help of my friends Harris and Teeter.
  
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  Visited Christ Church in Alexandria. Both George Washington and Robert E. Lee attended this church, and Lee was a Deacon there. The pews have swinging doors, elevated pulpit (there was the joke about Finklestein making Jesus a robe, the ensuing popularity, and the partnership named not Finklestein and Jesus, but Lord and Taylor!)
  
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  Attended a monthly meeting of the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association at Ford’s Theatre. Viewed the Presidential Box where Lincoln was shot, and records show Lincoln having been to this theatre 12 times to see various plays, and the attendance that tragic evening was almost 1,600 (the tour guide explained why there are now only 625 seats “Americans are larger than in those days!”. There was no Presidential Seal in those days, so a portrait of Washington was used instead, and that portrait is visible in the photograph Matthew Brady took of the box the day after the assassination.
  
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  Toured the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and loved the “Salon Doré”, the gilded room constructed in Paris in 1773 and installed in the museum in 1928.
  
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  Attended the 97^th Annual Alfalfa Dinner, at the Capital Hilton. Perhaps the premier social event of the year and the ultimate “insider’s” club of 220 members wearing a medallion, the program itself is a collector’s item. It had snowed that day, so I was wearing a tuxedo riding the metro into town. Protocol is everything, $200/plate dinner of lobster and filet mignon, Friar’s club type humor. Joe Lieberman, the Alfalfa Party candidate for President, gave a hilarious acceptance speech. Five new members were inducted into the club, one of whom was Rupert Murdock, the founder of Fox News. Warren Buffet, VP Cheney, Chief Justice Roberts, President Bush (41), Justice Alito, Colin Powell, James Baker, George Shultz, Paul Volker, Alan Greenspan, Hank Paulson, Timothy Geithner, Sandra Day O’Conner, Dianne Sawyer, Andrea Mitchell, Wolf Blitzer, Steve Forbes, John Glenn were in attendance.
  

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  I spent more time exploring Georgetown. Famous addresses are: 3307 N Street (John Kennedy 1957-January 20, 1961), 2920 R Street (Katherine Graham entertaining government and intellectual elites from 1951-1996), 2805 P Street (Dean Acheson used to walk from here every day to the State Dept with his close friend Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, who lived at 3018 Dumbarton) and this was the location of a farewell luncheon for Harry Truman the afternoon of January 20, 1953, after he left office before departing for Missouri. Georgetown after the Civil War attracted freed blacks, housing declined, and in 1871 when it was incorporated into the District of Columbia, it lost its identity, being referred to as “West Washington”. In 1950 Congress passed the “Old Georgetown Act” which promoted the gentrification of the neighborhood.
  
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  Toured the Renwick Gallery, I thought the building more impressive than the paintings
  

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  Nancy and I went on the thirty minute self-guided White House tour (through the office of Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-AR, who is facing a tough re-election battle in November, so she if very accommodating to requests) as a blizzard was descending on Washington. We were impressed with the Green Room’s water-green silk fabric that Jackie Kennedy selected for the walls, and I recognized the 1767 portrait of Franklin she persuaded a philanthropist to donate. The Cross Hall wasn’t as long as we expected, and the East Room and State Dining Rooms were smaller than appear in photographs. The oval shaped Blue Room was very elegant, as were the Bellange chairs and 18’ ceilings
  
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  We got 24’” of snow and lost electricity (Dominion Virginia Power) for 23 hours on Saturday, and the following Wednesday we got another 10”. Nancy’s flight back to Little Rock was delayed until Saturday because MARC wasn’t operational. This winter season D.C. set a record of 55”. Nancy and I got “cabin fever” and got on each other’s nerves by Thursday, so I took her out for supper Friday night and then we watched the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
  
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  The bank was closed Mon-Thurs. Wednesday was a total white-out with high winds. Betty called me each evening to decide next day’s status, she then left a voice mail for employees. The local television stations ran footage of a snowball fight in DuPont Circle that attracted over 2,000 participants!
  
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  When I drive to work I take Route 27, cross Memorial Bridge, east on Constitution, north on 18^th St, takes 12 minutes covering 4.0 miles
  
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  My running route in the morning goes around the Pentagon, and I can see the Washington Monument, the Capital dome, and the Jefferson Memorial lit up in the darkness. In the early morning hours work crews are always digging grave sites at Arlington Cemetery because there are about 15 burials per week.
  
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  Met Father John Adams at So Others May Eat (S.O.M.E.) founded in 1970 to serve the poor and homeless of Washington D.C. I got a tour of the facilities, and discussed my responsibilities as a new member of the Advisory Board
  
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  Visited the Botanic Garden, a real delight. The current exhibit “Orchids, a Cultural Odyssey” had the most pleasant fragrance I’ve ever encountered. The galleries on the desert had realistic dry heat, and the jungle had a fine mist to replicate a rain forest
  
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  Went of a tour of the State Department Diplomatic Reception Rooms on the 8^th floor of “New State” (old State was the original War Department Bldg on 21^st St. The Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room, which seats 250 was magnificent (this is where the Kennedy Center Honorees have a formal dinner the Saturday evening before the taping of the show on Sunday) The balcony faces south overlooking the Mall and the Lincoln Memorial. I also saw the Dean Acheson Auditorium, where President Kennedy held 64 Press Conferences, some of which I watched live on TV
  
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  Across from my apartment is the Pentagon Row Plaza, and each November an outdoor skating rink is installed, and it very popular, especially on week-end nights. It is fun to see so many young people skating, especially small children who push little buckets which provides them balance
  
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  Once a week over the lunch hour I take the Red Line to Metro Station, then walk to the Barnes and Noble on 12^th Street.
  
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  Drove past Sidwell Friends School on Wisconsin (children of Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Nixon, Clinton and Obama attended here)
  
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  Met James Thomeson for supper at Rosa Mexicano. We said goodbye in the lobby where he was staying, the Hotel Monaco. The D.C Post Office was located in this building 1866-1899 (and the first public building lighted by gas) until it relocated to 12^th and Pennsylvania.
  

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  Attended a hearing of the Senate SBA Committee. The Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building is ornate, and is where Senators give live TV interviews. The Caucus Room was beautiful, and was where hearings were held on the Titanic sinking in 1912, Teapot Dome in 1923, Army-McCarthy in 1954, Watergate in 1973. I spoke to Senator Mark Pryor D-AR, and he remembered that I had been with Worthen 20 years ago! When the second senate office building was constructed in 1958 it was originally referred to as the New Senate Office Building, so before renamed Russell in 1972, the first senate office building was called the “Old S.O.B.”!
  
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  One Sunday morning before daybreak I ran around the Lincoln Memorial then across the Memorial Bridge. It was brisk, you could see the eternal flame on JFK’s grave on the hillside below Arlington House, and all streets were quiet. It was really beautiful seeing the monuments lit up against the dark backdrop, and the Potomac River was so peaceful
  
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  Went on a tour of the Capital conducted by two staffers from Sen. Pryor’s office. (I was the only tour this week, but in the summer they will conduct about two tours daily). I was surprised to learn that the only Senate Caucus room is in the Russell SOB, and Sen. Pryor has 25 people on his staff, and his offices take up all one side of a wing of the second floor. We walked through a tunnel to the Russell SOB where we boarded the private subway (built in 1909) to the Capital Building. The Old Supreme Court chambers, where the Dred Scott verdict was rendered, is in the “Crypt” level, then we walked through the Rotunda to Statuary Hall, the House chamber 1819-1860 and where John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke at his desk. Then to the Old Senate Chambers, where from 1820-1859 the great debates over slavery were held, and finally to the House gallery. Upon our return I had lunch in the Dirksen cafeteria. The new Visitors Center is massive, and efficiently organizes the large tour groups.
  
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  Nancy and I drove the 204 mile/3 hour trip from Arlington to Virginia Beach for Pat Robertson’s 80^th Birthday Celebration. We stayed in the James River Lodge, the first night had dinner with Scott Ross and his wife Nedra (of the rock and roll group the Ronettes) attended a taping of the “700 Club” Friday morning. Bob McDonald, the Governor of Virginia and a 1989 graduate of Regent University law school spoke a reception at the Virginia Aquarium, and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers performed, then a black tie event Saturday evening with Larnell Harris singing, I visited with Ben Kenchlow (1975-1988) about Danuta Soderman, and Nancy visited with Terri Meeuwsen (1993-present). Part of the birthday party Saturday evening was fireworks, and Handel’s Firework Suite was played in the background. At the Communion Service Sunday morning Kenneth Copeland spoke, and 188 family units gave a total of $2,000,000 for the construction of a new chapel and Divinity School for Regent University.
  
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  Visited the Cannon House Office Building, and its elaborate Caucus Room. Opened in 1909, Cannon had 397 offices for each representative in the 61^st Congress, and 14 committee rooms. A directory of all House members details that 3 digit room numbers were in Cannon, 4 digits beginning with “1” were in Longworth HOB, and 4 digits beginning with “2” were in Rayburn HOB.
  
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  One Sunday morning with the Reflecting Pool drained, I walked the entire length down the middle! Spent a lot of time looking at the WW II memorial, and read the Jefferson Pier stone near the Washington Monument. The “56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial” on an island in Constitution Gardens has their names inscribed in stone as their signatures appear on the document. Steven Hopkins of Rhode Island who had palsy, and had to steady his writing hand with his other hand, turned to his colleagues and said “My hand trembles, my heart does not”
  

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  Walked the campus of Georgetown Law Center, an oasis in the middle of Judiciary Square, near Union Station. This “T14” law school has been at this location near the Capitol Building since 1891
  
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  Drove past Gonzaga College High School “God is Purple” on North Capitol Street.
  
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  Went for a walk on a beautiful spring Friday lunch break. Down K Street past McPherson Park, Franklin Park (where Andrew Jackson had water wells drilled for the White House, so it originally was called “Fountain Park”, and the 12^th New York Infantry bivouacked in 1861 to protect Washington, and the impressive Franklin School). Then to the U.S. Mint sales office at 9^th and H where I bought a roll of 2009 Lincoln Presidency cents, then up Massachusetts past Thomas and Scott Circles.
  
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  The next day, I toured the Congressional Cemetery (John Phillip Sousa, J. Edgar Hoover buried with his parents and sister), and many locals walking their dogs in the park (there is a web-site Cemetery Dogs.Org, that for a $200 annual membership people can let their dogs roam within the cemetery – this is how the cemetery raises money for up-keep, since, contrary to the name, it is not owned or operated by Congress or the federal government)
  
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  On Sunday I volunteered for the 38^th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run, beautiful weather 51 degrees, 15,694 runners from 50 states and 20 foreign countries, the event raised $ 923M for Children’s Network. Starting corrals by color (Yellow “elite”, Red, Blue, Orange, Green and Purple) 3 minutes apart. Very well-organized, I was at the finish line for the Ethiopian and Kenyan winners who ran 10 miles in 45:43. Bill Rogers won the event 1978-1981.
  
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  That evening attended the 40^th anniversary celebration of S.O.M.E. at First Baptist Church on 16^th Street. Mark Russell the political satirist entertained, and referred to Father John as the “Albert Sweitzer of Washington, D.C.”
  
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  “The White House Garden Tour” held each April and October since begun by Pat Nixon, was a real treat. I got a timed-ticket for 10:15 am, entered through the SE Gate, was handed a program describing which President or First Lady planted what tree, walked up the circular drive to stand at the South Portico entrance (and called Nancy), and looking south past the Washington Monument to the Jefferson Memorial is a beautiful vista. I stood looking at the Rose Garden for quite a while, looked through the windows of the Oval Office to see the flags behind the President’s desk. Continued around the circular drive past where Marine One lands, and the Marine Band was seated serenading the visitors (I again called Nancy so she could be part of this experience with me) then exited SW Gate.
  
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  Walked though the campus of Gallaudet University, it was so quiet because all the students were using sign language. It is laid out like an old Army post, unfortunately it is in the Trinidad neighborhood, so police security is important.
  
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  One Saturday morning I parked at the Cleveland Park metro stop, then ran 3 miles down Connecticut to Farragut Square, taking the metro back. Then I drove to Marat School, originally the Woodley Mansion, summer White House of Presidents Van Buren and Polk, and home to George S. Patton, and War Secretary Henry Stimson.
  
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  Attended the memorial service for Dorothy Height at the National Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul). To get good seating, we were seated by 7:45 am for the 10:00 am service. President Obama gave the eulogy, Camille (Mrs. Bill) Cosby spoke, Maya Angelou read Psalm 139, Hillary Clinton sat with Nancy Pelosi. Jesse Jackson, Harry Reid and Joe Biden also attended. The service was carried live on TV.
  
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  The emblem of the District of Columbia is the coat of arms of George Washington’s ancestral family. A 14 century stain glass variant of the coat of arms is in Selby Abbey in England
  

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  On a Saturday morning Mall Walk, Stan and Jane McClellan, Nancy and I helped out at the “Wall Washing” in which the 1^st Saturday of each month veterans groups wash the Viet-Nam Memorial Wall. Pvt Jimmy Derbyshire Panel 27W Line 86, and 2LT Frank Giles Panel 46E and Line 46 were from Bridgeton and both killed in Viet-Nam
  
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  Drove the 14 miles down the Parkway to Mount Vernon. Tickets were $15 each, we toured the Mansion first (my favorite room is the Large Dining Room which is 16’ high) then we walked the grounds, and spent about 3 hours in the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, which may be the finest museum I’ve ever seen. “Monuments in Washington memorialize people’s achievements or speeches, Mount Vernon memorializes a man’s character”.
  
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  Over lunch toured the DAR Memorial Continental Hall. Completed in 1910, it was originally a large auditorium (where the Washington Naval Conference 1921-1922 was held to try to constrain Japanese naval expansion in the west Pacific). When Constitution Hall was dedicated in 1929, Memorial Hall became the DAR Genealogical Research Library. This is truly a WASP enclave, a repository of the values of the Revolutionary War era citizens, which today would be considered politically incorrect.
  
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  Over lunch toured the John Marshall Park, Victims of Communism Memorial (a replica of the student-made statue erected in Tiananmen Square in 1989) and the most understated and humble memorial of all, the Franklin D. Roosevelt stone at the National Archives
  
• 
  Organized a tour from the bank of the Federal Reserve Building (tours are given only to groups from financial institutions or university economics majors). The grand staircase was Italian marble, and the Board Room was absolutely impressive. It had a 21’ ceiling, silk wall coverings, a huge oval shaped board table, and original currency from various dates on display on the walls. It was in this room from 24 December 1941 – 14 January 1942 that President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill planned World War II strategy. I sat in Ben Bernanke’s chair, and I felt my IQ rise 20 points!
  
• 
  The Treasury Building tour lasted one hour, portraits of all Treasury Secretaries are on the walls. In 1820, adjacent to the White House, were four 3-story brick buildings for State, Treasury, War and Navy. The east (30 columns, 36’ high of solid granite) and center wings of the new Treasury Building were completed in 1842, then the south, west and north wings were added by 1867. The President administers the oath of office to each new Secretary in the Cash Room (embarrassing inaugural ball the evening of March 4, 1869)
  
• 
  Stopped to fill up for gas at the Embassy Gulf Service Station (1937) at 2200 P Street
  
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  Had lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill with Larry and Janice Walther, delicious clam chowder
  
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  Had breakfast with Wally Loveless at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Quite a place, every President since FDR has had an inaugural ball there, all the dignitaries for JFK’s funeral, the Beatles visiting Washington after the Ed Sullivan Show
  
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  Toured the American Red Cross building led by a docent. “Dedicated to the Women of the North, and the Women of the South”, 50 years after the end of the Civil War, emotions were still strained in our nation. The symbol is the inverted Swiss Flag to denote neutrality (the founder was Swiss). In Muslim countries it is known as the Red Crescent. The Tiffany Windows in the 2^nd floor salon are priceless, protected by bulletproof glass.
  
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  Ran 4 miles down Mass Ave. from the National Cathedral to Union Station, and later stopped for water in the newly renovated “Social Safeway” on Wisconsin.
  
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  Took a tram ride around the National Arboretum est. 1927. I need to return to see the hillside of azaleas in April, and the maples in October. It was so peaceful, and the fragrance was beautiful, and the Capitol Columns were impressive.
  
• 
  Toured the McCormick Apts/Andrew Mellon Place, 1785 Mass Ave, in which each floor is 11,000 SF, and was the most luxurious apartment in Washington D.C. in 1920.
  
• 
  Watched the Wednesday “Twilight Tattoo” military pageant at Fort McNair (Washington Arsenal) then walked past magnificent columned Officers Quarters of LTG and GENs. The Fife & Drum Corps and Drill Team of the 3^rd Infantry (Old Guard) performed
  

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  Ran 4 miles from the Jefferson Memorial to Hains Point and back. It is amazing how many planes land at Reagan before 8:00 am on a Saturday
  
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  The Titanic Memorial is dedicated to “the men who gave their lives to women and children”. It had been located where the Kennedy Center now stands.
  
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  Visited the National Zoo, saw the Pandas, which in Nepalese means “eater of bamboo”. Veterinarians keep constant vigil with TV cameras monitoring their health, especially from the effects of the heat in the summer
  
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  Sunday evening walked around the Mall and found “Kilroy was here” at WWII Memorial, site of the Rainbow Pool.
  
• 
  Worked the Virginia Republican Primary, Arlington County Hume Precinct 8, we processed 129 voters (Stephanie Zietz, Kathi Wells, Marilyn, Jean)
  
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  Had lunch at the Bistro Bis (88% of meal sales from Democrats) with a bank director, David Bradley, and Ralph Neas, former head of “People for the America Way” the most liberal advocacy group in the United States.
  
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  Toured the Anderson House at 2118 Mass Ave, headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati, founded 1783 by officers of the American Army who fought in the Revolution.
  
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  Ran 4 miles from the Jefferson Memorial down Maine Ave/M Street to New Jersey, then to Independence and back
  
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  Visited the 12 acre Meridian Hill Park (unofficially Malcolm X Park) which was the site of Columbia College (predecessor to George Washington University)
  
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  Attended a lecture moderated by Edwin Meese III at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy institute “think tank” next to the Thurgood Marshall Building.
  
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  Had lunch with Bob Davis at the Lafayette Room in the Hay-Adams Hotel, where “the only thing we overlook is the White House”. Delicious salmon, and elegant style. President Obama and his family stayed here for two weeks prior to his inauguration because the Blair House was occupied
  
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  Over lunch toured Voice of America, which occupies the old Social Security/War Dept Broadcasting in 45 languages, governed by a board of 4 Democrats and 4 Republicans appointed by the President, is the news they report “politically correct”?
  
• 
  Walked to the libertarian “think tank” Cato Institute at 10^th and Mass Ave to attend a lecture on nuclear proliferation. They have well-reasoned position papers on display.
  
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  Toured the Phillips Collection. For 5 minutes I sat on a bench gazing at Renoir’s Luncheon of a Boating Party, “capturing an idyllic atmosphere of glorious weather, a day at the river, food and wine in the company of friends”. All the models were the artist’s personal friends.
  
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  Ran from 20^th & B across Memorial Bridge, along the bike path of GW Parkway, across Key Bridge into Georgetown, past Washington Circle, down 23^rd Street
  
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  Attended a concert of the U.S. Army Strings at Brucker Hall at Fort Myer, through the Hatfield Gate. Walked on Summerall Field where Orville Wright flew in 1908 and the President attends retirement parades for senior officers. 26 Victorian residences make up “Generals Row”. MG and LTG are on Lee Ave., on Washington Ave. is Quarters One (Army Chief of Staff: McArthur 1930-1935, Marshall 1941-1945, Eisenhower 1945-1948) and on Grant Ave. overlooking Whipple Field is Quarters One (Army Chief of Staff: McArthur 1930-1935, Marshall 1941-1945, Eisenhower 1945-1948,) Quarters Six is the Chairman of the JCS, and Quarters Seven is Air Force Chief of Staff. The entire post is small, about ½ mile wide and 3 miles in length, forming a crescent around Arlington Cemetery. By law there are 302 general officers in the U.S. Army, of which no more than 12 can be GEN.
  
• 
  Donated blood at the Red Cross national headquarters 2025 E Street NW, in a very large and spacious room. Very well organized, not cramped like the trailer I donated in February
  

• 
  After church I drove to the Great Falls Park and walked the Patowmack Canal constructed between 1785-1802. This project demonstrated that if the strategy is wrong, no amount of effort, money or intelligence can help you succeed. Because the winter froze the river, and there was a drought in summer, the fee income from barge traffic couldn’t make it profitable.
  
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  Toured the Decatur House built 1818 by Benjamin Latrobe. Interesting features are original pine wood floors, kitchen on 1^st floor (with firewall and brick floor as fire protection), enamel button instead of wooden button in base of banister to show house had not debt, residence of Martin Van Buren who hosted Peggy Eaton’s acceptance into “polite” Washington society in 1829
  
• 
  Attended the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks at 8^th & I Streets with Nancy. The “parade deck” is 200 yards by 30 yards, bounded by the Commandant’s residence on the North. Impressive illuminations of marching, the Marine Band playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” on the spot where John Phillip Sousa would have conducted it for the first time, seeing the English bulldog mascot Chesty XIII, and the spotlight on the bugler playing “Taps” to conclude the ceremony. Congress authorized the Marine Barracks to fly the flag with 15 Stars and 15 Stripes
  
• 
  Nancy and I attended the 11:45 am service at the National Cathedral. She didn’t want to go forward for communion but she did anyway, and the taste of the wine, even on the wafer, was pungent. The acoustics are wonderful, and this is the 5^th largest cathedral in the world.
  
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  We went to the top of the Washington Monument late one Sunday afternoon. I had forgotten all the memorial stones on the inside visible as the elevator slowed on the descent. The original elevator in 1885 took 10-12 minutes (now it is 70 seconds). Next year the 896 steps will reopen for those wanting to walk down.
  
• 
  Got back from a week-end in Bridgeton (my 40^th high school reunion) went swimming Sunday afternoon, got into the apartment elevator with 8 others and the electricity went out. We were stuck for 35 minutes, the Arlington Fire Department came and let us out. Dominion Power is a much more dependable company than Pepco (Potomac Energy Power Company, which serves the District and Maryland). I started lap swimming at the pool behind the Potomac River House (there is also a small pool behind my building, the James River House)
  
• 
  Walked to visit with a prospective board member who is an attorney at Patton & Boggs, the largest and most influential lobbyist firm in Washington D.C. The location interestingly isn’t K Street, but 2550 M Street near Georgetown. Tommy Boggs, the son of the former House Minority Leader Hale Boggs, started the firm openly dedicated to lobbying members of Congress, which until that time, was not considered a respectable career for an attorney. I walked through the Foggy Bottom Historic District to the Metro
  
• 
  Attended an Army Band Concert on the west steps of the Capital Building. It was cool looking down the Mall past the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial on one side, and down Pennsylvania Ave down the other. Several people sat on blankets on the grounds. It was low humidity, I wish it had been like that 2 weeks prior for the Evening Parade.
  
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  Ran from my apartment on a running path along Hwy 27, across the Memorial Bridge, around the Lincoln Memorial, and back; about 4 miles
  
• 
  Saw a movie at the Uptown Theatre in Cleveland Heights. Built in 1936 with a single screen 79 feet wide and 40 feet high. The Uptown was host to the world premiere of Dances With Wolves on October 19, 1990, and the projector broke down twice. A beautiful lobby
  

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  Toured the Organization of American States (OAS) building on 17^th and Constitution. The Hall of Americas (where the Panama Canal Treaties were signed in 1977) is a magnificent room, 100’x65’x45’, similar to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. The building was completed in 1910 because of the $ 700,000 contribution of Andrew Carnegie, at the request of his good friend, Elihu Root, then Secretary of State.
  
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  The exhibit at the FDIC headquarters is very well done. The timeline from 1933 is very informative
  
• 
  On Connecticut Ave I met and spoke with General Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor to Presidents Ford and Bush 41, who since 1994 has run a International Advisory Firm, Scowcroft Group. It is interesting how many people who once held such high positions of power in the federal government choose to remain in Washington, but live on the periphery of power, and can be seen walking like any common citizen.
  
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  Ran from the National Cathedral down Wisconsin (formerly High Street) down Pennsylvania past the White House to MetroCenter station
  
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  Visited the Army Air Force Mutual Aid Association at 102 Sheridan Drive, Fort Myer. Entered through the Wright Gate.
  
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  Visited Dumbarton Oaks estate, the Music Room in particular, where in 1944 informal talks were held among American, British and Russian diplomats (Cordell Hull, Andrea Gromyko) to lay the groundwork for the United Nations. The art work in the Music Room is fabulous, there are two Flemish tapestries from 1480-1520
  
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  Walked 18 holes of golf at the East Potomac Blue Course (6,600 yds, slope 115). Every hole has a view of the Washington Monument, and several holes on the back 9 display both the Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. It was hot, 96 degrees, I drank 2 gallons of water, it took the front 9 to get my rhythm, then I made shot par on 4 successive holes # 10-13, afterwards I stopped to eat at Phillips Seafood Restaurant.
  
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  Took Helen Bjoko and Francina Jones to the Palm Restaurant as appreciation for their efforts in the Accounting Department. Saw Paul Begala, a Democratic Party consultant.
  
• 
  At the Folger Shakespeare Library, located directly behind the Supreme Court building, the Docent (a local attorney) led a wonderful one hour tour. We saw on display one of the 79 First Folios printed in 1623.
  
• 
  Toured the Ronald Reagan Building. Bush 43 had inaugural balls there in ’01 and ’05. It is ironic that a President who railed against big government has the 2^nd largest government building named after him!.
  
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  I walked past the Internal Revenue Building on Constitution, and above the entrance were the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society”
  
• 
  Another running route mid-week is along Arlington Ridge Road to 23^rd Street and back. Arlington Ridge originally extended from Old Towne Alexandria to the Key Bridge into Georgetown. Much of the road was leveled when the Pentagon road system “the mixing bowl” was constructed in 1942.
  
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  One Saturday morning ran out East Capitol Street past Lincoln Park to the National Guard Armory.
  
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  Toured the Woodrow Wilson House 2340 S Street, where President Wilson lived from Mar 4, 1921 to Feb 3, 1924. He was almost blind, crippled (but refused a wheelchair) as a result of a stroke. He and his 2^nd wife Edith purchased the 10,000 sf “Gentlemen’s Home’ (first floor reception rooms, living quarters upstairs) in 1921 for $ 150,000. It was extremely interesting to see the bathrooms, closets, kitchen, since 85% of the furnishings are exactly as there were in 1924. The last social function Edith held was a luncheon in 1961 for the new First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. My docent, 81 year old Dick Goodwin
  

• 
  Ran from my apartment to the WWII memorial, and coming back past the Pentagon was stopped by 4 different police cars, as they were beginning to blockade all streets in anticipation of the 9-11 memorial service at 9:37 a.m. to be attended by President Obama and the families of the victims.
  
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  Took Terrell Braden to lunch at the Oval Room restaurant on Connecticut
  
• 
  Walked to a lecture at the Brookings Institution at 1785 Mass Ave. Founded in 1916, Brookings is the #1 Think Tank in the United States, was commissioned by FDR to study causes of the Great Depression, was tasked by Truman to prepare an organizational scheme for the Marshall Plan, and is funded in part by the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.
  
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  Took Boris Orcev to eat at the Caucus Room restaurant on 9^th Street, owned by Tommy Boggs and Haley Barbour.
  
• 
  Joined the West Point Society of D.C. and attended the Fall Luncheon at the Fort Myer Officers Club. Sat at a table of 1974 and 1975 grads, visited with Larry Adair, Co. A-1, retired MG, now working for a Defense Dept contractor. The FMOC has 3 ballrooms on the 2^nd floor, and a very nice restaurant on the main floor. It hit me that this is a fraternity of retired military officers that I am not part of.
  
• 
  Nancy and I drove the 85 miles to Gettysburg. At the Visitors Center, we saw a film, and were amazed at the Cyclorama painted in 1885. Then a licensed battlefield guide drove us in our car for 2 hours around the battlefield. We visited the monument for the 68^th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment at the Peach Orchard, where my great-great grandfather, Pvt William P. Bach was wounded, and then we found his name listed on the State of Pennsylvania monument. In the museum Nancy innocently asked me why any parent would name their son “Stonewall” Jackson?
  
• 
  1791 L’Enfant plan, Boundary Street was renamed Florida in 1890, “Eye” Street, “Que” Street, there was no “J” Street, Du Pont Circle was Pacific Circle. Of the 50 states, 48 are Avenues, California Street and Ohio Drive. After the letters of the alphabet are exhausted, streets begin the 2^nd alphabet of 2 syllables (Calvert) then 3^rd alphabet 3 syllables (Brandywine). The Organic Act of 1871 merged the City of Washington, City of Georgetown and Washington County into a single municipality. High Street in Georgetown was renamed Wisconsin in 1895 when all the streets were renamed to conform to the L’Enfant plan. Alexandria County was renamed Arlington County in 1920.
  
• 
  Foreign Diplomat auto license plates have the designations such as DCY4001, which means “Diplomat” then the 2 letter country code, in this case People’s Republic of China, the 4 digit actual auto designator
  

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  One Saturday I drove to Vienna to a coin store, and tried a new route home. Got lost, and pulled into the entrance of the C.I.A. Headquarters in Langley, VA, on the Old Georgetown Pike, Hwy 193. As I stopped to look at my map, 3 Federal police cars quickly surrounded me, and demanded to know why I was trespassing on Federal property. It took about 10 minutes to get resolved, and I am surprised how average citizens are now suspects. The last time I had been to Langley was in January 1973 when my West Point contingent of cadets came for President Nixon’s 2^nd Inaugural Parade, and we were given a tour and briefing at the Old Headquarters Building of the CIA. The original CIA headquarters was on Navy Hill, 2430 E Street, occupying the buildings of the old Naval Hospital before it relocated to Bethesda in 1942.
  
• 
  Lon Soloman, McLean Bible Church Pastor said on Sunday that his vision is for the church to have a satellite campus at the Uptown Theatre on Connecticut
  
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  Walked to Lafayette Square, and walked through the atrium of the Federal Appeals Court Building, the former location of the Rodgers House, where the assassination attempt on then Secretary of War Stanton occurred the night President Lincoln was shot. Next door is the Dolly Madison House, where she lived from 1837-1849 after President Madison died. In 1887 the house became the first location of the Cosmos Club.
  
• 
  Nancy and I had coffee, green tea and Danish in the sidewalk café of the Willard Hotel (where the Peace Conference 1861 was held, and Julia Ward Howe wrote the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic on November 18, 1861). As we toured Mike and Judy McClendon, I discovered the bookstore and small museum beneath the Jefferson Memorial. At Mount Vernon I walked down to the wharf, along the woodland trail (oak and hickory) and the Treading Barn.
  
• 
  Walked two blocks to the American Enterprise Institute for the panel discussion “What have they done? The Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act”. It was very enlightening with brilliant speakers. This was my favorite public policy forum that I’ve attended.
  
• 
  Walked to the National Museum of American Jewish Military History on R Street. About 20 different exhibits from WW1 through Iraq War, and an interesting one was detail about the 14 Jewish soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor. The most poignant exhibit, however, was created by the mother of Pvt Sandy Kahn, an 18 year old from Kearny, NJ, who was killed near St. Lo, France, on 11 July, 1945. Special memorabilia chronicles his birth, growing up years, high school, basic training, the telegram notifying his parents of his death, and a typed letter from an eyewitness who described how Sandy was killed. I have never seen such a gripping personal memorial, which is entitled “The bravest battles are not fought on the battlefield, but in the heart of a Mother who loses a son in war”
  
• 
  Visited the Spy Museum on F Street. Cost $18, but well worth it. Could take 2 hrs to see everything from enigma machines, to a letter from Mata Hari, to Cyber War, to the Red Terror in the Soviet Union.
  
• 
  Took a tour of the Kennedy Center. Saw the Presidential Box in the Opera House, the 1,735 lights in the chandelier are replaced every 3 years, the docent explained that the Grand Foyer is the longest hallway in the world (longer than the Washington Monument is high!), and the view from the Roof Terrace is the most spectacular view I’ve ever seen of the Potomac River. The Embassy of Saudi Arabia is in a prominent location nearby.
  
• 
  Ashlyn flew in to spend a weekend with me. When I drove back from BWI the Douglass Bridge was under renovation, so I took the Whitney Young Memorial Bridge. At the WWII memorial I spent time looking at all 12 bas reliefs, then we went to Georgetown University and walked into Gaston Hall, the gothic auditorium on the 4^th floor of Healy Hall, then I bought her a sweatshirt at the bookstore.
  
• 
  Signed up for the Murals Tour in the Main Interior Building. Commissioned between 1937-1939, these frescos depict land management and the depression era in a very vivid and colorful style. I learned the interesting history of the Department of the Interior ( Home Department, or Dept of Everything Else) in that at its creation in 1849 as just the 4^th Cabinet Department established, it absorbed the Land Office from Treasury, Patent Office from State, and Indian Affairs from War. The great source of political power (and corruption) was the Pension Bureau, the darling of the Grand Army of the Republic. From 1852-1917 Interior was located in the old Patent Office, from 1917-1935 in what is now the GSA building on 19^th, and moved to its present location under the leadership of Harold Ickes in 1935. Over time, Interior spun off what is now the departments of Agriculture, Labor, Commerce, Education, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Transportation, and the IRS
  
• 
  Ran the Marine Corps Marathon 10K in 68:40. Starting at the Smithsonian Castle, there was a Marine color guard, singing of the National Anthem, and a howitzer booming the start. The route took us past the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, across the 14^th Street Bridge, into Crystal City, then down Route 110 past the Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery and finishing up the hill to the Iwo Jima Memorial. Many groups of runners ran with shirts honoring KIAs in Iraq and Afghanistan. One shirt said “Pain is weakness leaving the body, well, the pain wasn’t leaving my body!”. The Marathon, the 4^th largest in the U.S. and the 8^th largest in the world had 21,856 runners, and the 10K had 10,000
  

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  Heard Oral Arguments for 35 minutes at the Supreme Court Building. Beginning the 1^st Monday in October, the Court generally hears two one-hour arguments a day, 10am and 11am, Mon, Tues and Wed, with the attorney representing each side allowed 30 minutes to make a presentation and answer questions. My spectator group was only supposed to be in the Courtroom for 3 minutes, but it wasn’t a controversial case, so not many people were waiting in line. The Court Chamber is 44’ high with a coffered ceiling, the raised bench behind which the Justices sit is mahogany, and crimson drapes hang very dramatically. All the Justices asked questions except Thomas and Roberts. The Chief sits in the middle, and the Associate Justices sit alternately in order of tenure, the newest on the Chief’s far left, the next newest on his far right, so Scalia, the most senior Associate is seated immediately to Roberts’ right. When they ask questions, their tone of voice often indicates their position on the case before them. I then toured the bookstore and ate lunch in the cafeteria.
  
• 
  The last Tuesday I was a resident here I arose at 2am, drove into the town, parked at my spot at 21^st and Constitution, and ran one last time. It was a clear sky, and brisk weather. I found the plaque for Alaska and Hawaii inserted into the plaza in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and the inscription, 18 steps from the chamber, commemorating Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech. I am very grateful for my health, this gift the Lord has given me to live here for a season in my life, and that I can now go home to Nancy.
  
• 
  Nancy and I packed my things in a Penske rental truck and left Arlington on Saturday November 6^th at noon, and drove 1,047 miles arriving in Little Rock at 5 pm on Sunday
  

Appendix A