A taxi honked at some poor soul waiting at a stoplight just a little too long. The brakes of a metrobus squealed as it rolled slowly along the street. Two men at the table at the other end of the sidewalk patio spoke to each other in Vietnamese as we ate our Phở. A lady’s […]
Yearly Archives: 2011
I Saw A Woman
Fri, 20 May 2011, 04:34 PM (-06:00)
I saw a woman walking slowly up the sidewalk along P Street. She held a brace and moved deliberately, choosing each step with care. There was an ashen look on her face, as if she had been sequestered for a long time and had just ventured back into the outside world. She wore a sweater over […]
A Picture of You
Thu, 19 May 2011, 09:03 PM (-06:00)
I would have taken a picture of you sitting by the fountain in Dupont Circle among all the other people enjoying the evening. I would have taken a picture of you under the blue sky in the cool breeze with green trees standing far down P Street across the Potomac. I would have taken a […]
When Cheetahs Lie Down With Zebras
Thu, 19 May 2011, 04:52 PM (-06:00)
We came just to see the pandas and have something to eat. Our agenda for the day lay mainly with the rented bicycles we had locked to a rack down by Rock Creek Park. And now it was time to get back. “Let’s go see the cheetahs,” I said. A sign said that the cheetah exhibit […]
Rock Creek Park
Thu, 19 May 2011, 03:54 PM (-06:00)
There was a regatta on the Potomac that day. College crews were unloading their sculls and warming up. Spectators were standing by the water’s edge. The Thompson Rowing Center clubhouse was busy, but there were bikes available to rent. We put on helmets and stashed the bike lock in our backpack. I left my driver’s license […]
At Kafe Leopold
Wed, 18 May 2011, 09:54 PM (-06:00)
At Kafe Leopold in Georgetown on a rainy day. Down a cobblestone alley between red brick buildings. We sit at a small round table. If it was warmer and sunny, we could be sitting outside. But it’s not so instead we are inside holding our coffees in our hands waiting for dessert. I take out my […]
The Phillips Collection
Tue, 17 May 2011, 08:35 PM (-06:00)
So here we are at 21st Street and Q. The Phillips Collection, one man’s collection gathered in his mansion dedicated to displaying art in an intimate setting where the works are hung side by side in casual conversation. 1. In the Rothko Room. Four walls and four Rothko paintings glowing in dim light with a […]
A Life in Politics
Tue, 10 May 2011, 04:10 AM (-06:00)
He was on television a few weeks ago. An elder American politician in a middle Eastern city. At a podium with a flag hanging symbolically on the wall behind him. He waved his hands. He talked his talk. He smiled his plastic smile. Stragglers in the street waved flags when the cameras turned to them. It […]
Colin
Mon, 9 May 2011, 05:26 PM (-06:00)
So we’re lying on the hotel king bed clicking from one station to the next. (Is this what we’re missing by not having a TV at home!?). Trudy’s phone rings. It’s Ben. He says Colin is in town and wants to give us a call. Colin! Holy cow. Not only did we find out at the […]
Driving Back Home
Sun, 8 May 2011, 05:15 PM (-06:00)
The sky is blue, broken here and there by white clouds shielding us from the sun. The sun is dipping into the west, casting long Pine and Oak shadows across the lawn. Your brother is playing his electric guitar in his living room. I can hear it from here. And you’re driving home. You’re driving […]