Despite the promise of an 88 degree heat, we decided to forego the Metro and do a walkabout. Thankfully there was a refreshing breeze and we clung to the shaded sides of every street. Our first goal was to find the Hotel where my son would stay tonight. It was just an easy 15 minute walk away from our hotel but we were delayed by a sweet dog that required much stroking from my sister who never passes a dog on the street without sharing a doggie conversation.
After her initial greeting, the creature lay down and refused to continue with his owner until Dorothy returned for more loving attention! Finally able to proceed on our quest, we identified several more embassies in the area and a sculpture of the Ukrainian Bard Taras Shevchenko.
Alongside his statue was this dramatic frieze.
In a back alley we spotted this brilliant mural of Duke Ellington
Mitch's hotel was near 12th Street which led directly into Georgetown so we wandered through some of the narrow streets admiring doors and gardens.
An old door/gate in Georgetown
After sharing iced drinks at Dupont Circle we decided to revisit the House of the Temple, the National Headquarters for the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction. Last week it was closed for a private function. This time my sister took the tour (1 1/2 hours) while I sat in the cool interior to work on a couple of drawings. Our fascination with Freemasonry dates back to our father's membership in the fraternity and also recent published works. Fourteen of the 44 US Presidents have been Freemasons including George Washington, both Roosevelts, Harry S. Truman and Gerald Ford.
After lunch and a rest from the heat we walked down to Mitch's Hotel for a reunion before enjoying dinner at Grillfish. Our meals included scampi, scallops and a variety of fish. Two of us (my sister abstained) shared key lime pie and sambucca. Mitch shared stories of Bali and we told him tales of Washington. We were back in our hotel by 10:30, packed for the morning and ready to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment