Sweet Seats!

Check out the awesome seats we had for the Nat's game Thursday night.

Right behind home plate ... and some guy workin' his celebrity "I once dated Paris" shades.

We truly felt like VIP's. Free food. Free parking. What a night!

And to make things even better... my niece, Carly, and her boyfriend were in town and able to enjoy the game with us. Hooray!

Afternoon ponderings

So I'm sitting here staring out the window again. It's hard not to. From this desk, I can see (among other things) the Capital, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, Reagan National Airport, the under-construction Gaylord National convention center, the Naval Research center, Georgetown, and the Washington Navy Yards (where Robby works). It's pretty cool. I can see two different states (Virginia and Maryland) and a district (DC) without leaving my chair.

They tell me that on 9/11 the offices here "shook", and that it looked as though the airport were on fire (the Pentagon is just beyond it from here). There are other stories about how people have seen German subs floating around outside this window too. The submariners were out of the hatch, laughing and taking pictures with the Capital in the background-- acting as though they had "captured" it. I might be able to add that to my list of strange tourist sightings... if I ever get the chance.

I haven't seen any submarines yet, but the sailboats were out "racing" on the Potomac again today. So pretty.

I wonder... If I had as much free time and money as these people.... would I be sailing too?

That's just another one of those questions might tell me something about myself if I took the time to dissect it, but that ultimately wouldn't make much of a practical difference in my life. Chances are, I'll never have to worry about having too much money and free time. Like it is with most other people--those two things seem to be on opposite ends of the see-saw--when one is up, the other is down.

I've discovered that these sailing folks are playing on a whole different playground than the rest of us.

I took a few photos of my view from this office, but, the images seriously fell short of the reality. It's really a shame to post them, it just wouldn't do justice to the subject. It's kind of like how my tales of the beauty and splendor out the office window are SO much better than the reality of sitting behind this desk and dealing with minutiae all day.

But hey, this view even makes the minutiae more interesting. :D

Evening Parade

Once again, we headed to the Marine Barracks at 8th and I for the historic Evening Parade. What a great tradition. Everything about the night is "different" than what you'll see other places and that's because it is.... the same. It is the same basic format that it has been for the past 50 years.

The hour and fifteen minute program features "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, "The Commandant's Own" The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the Marine Corps Color Guard, the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, Ceremonial Marchers, and Sgt. Chesty XII, the official mascot of Marine Barracks Washington.

The mere fact that they do not pass out from the summer heat while wearing those heavy uniforms is impressive. Add to that the fact that they are all friendly-- even humorous -- while wearing those hot heavy uniforms and you know you're witnessing discipline at its pinnacle.
Well, and then you watch the silent drill team and that puts it over the top.

Being a spectator at the program requires discipline as well. It's hot and the wait can be a long one. With no backs on the bleachers and crowded conditions, it's not the most comfortable time you'll have in your life. But, by the time taps is played at the end of the evening, you will have forgotten all about that and will be very glad you came.

We took our new(ish) video camera, hoping to get at least a few good moments. Remember, it's a night time event so it's really dark. I still haven't pulled any stills, but I'm working on it. I'll get those up when I get the editing software figured out. Until then, you can visit the website for more info and to see a few photos here.