Along The Side Roads: Washington D.C.

Our first stop wasn't a monument or a government building or even a Smithsonian musuem. Our first stop was St. Patrick's Church; the oldest church in Washington.

There we saw two events in the life of Jesus that we usually don't see depicted in stained glass. John The Baptist baptising Jesus

and the Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding feast.

All of the stained glass in this church was spectacular; very detailed.

From there we went to Ford's Theater. The last two times we have been in the city, this historic site has been under renovation so it was a joy to see that it was open for business. But, give me a break... did they have to allow a Hard Rock Cafe next door.

This is what the Capital looked like when Abraham Lincoln was president.

I learned that he had a son who died at age 11 of typhoid fever; this picture of father and son helped me to see Lincoln, not just as a historical figure, but as a loving human being - a dad.

This is an artist's rendition of Lincoln riding alone to his summer home to be with his family. Did you know that presidents did not have protection until the 1900's.

This is what the Ford Theater looked like at the time of Lincoln's assasination.

And this is what it looked like on the day we visited. We were told that the outside is the only part of the theater that has not been changed.

The box in which President Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln were sitting when John Wilkes Booth shot the President has been reconstructed down to the smallest detail on the chairs.

The theater is used as such and the stage changes but the Presidential Box on the first balcony level stays the same. This was an interesting and informative stop.

Our next destination was the Cathedral of St. Matthew The Apostle. This is the church in which President John F. Kennedy's funeral was held. It is also a church that yearly holds a service for all members of the legal community that is regularly attended by Supreme Court Justices, Senators and Representatives and, some years, even the President.

The Chapel of St. Anthony, one of the greatest followers of St. Francis, was amazing. I have never seen anything like this in a church,even in Europe. It is composed of mosaics of scenes from the life of St. Francis and his disciples.

These are some of the individual mosaics - remember they are part of the whole chapel that is within the Cathedral.

This Cathedral has too many detailed areas to take in while on one short visit; mass was about to start and we were due at the Capital. But these pictures give you an idea - WOW

Now this was a one of a kind altar. It is called the wedding Chapel and depicts the betrothal of "Our Lady" and St. Joseph.

This is in Our Lady's Chapel. It depicts Mary reaching down to fallen humanity and
pointing to her ascending son. Again, a unique portrayal of Mary.

All too soon it was time to leave the Dupont Circle area of Washington DC and take the metro over to the Capital. When we got to DC, I called the office of the Democratic Senator from South Dakota, Tim Johnson, and requested a tour. They were only to willing to accomodate us. This is the center sculpture in the office building in which he is housed.

We took the trolley that the Senators use over to the Capital,

a clean subway.

We saw pristine hallways,

paintings done by masters,

and lots of statues. This is the first woman in the Senate. She cast the only desenting vote when the U.S. entered WWII. She said since she couldn't go to war, she couldn't send others.

This star was the geographic center of Washington... sometimes I think Senators think they are the center of it all... What we observed when we were allowed in the Senate Chambers made me sick! NO ONE WAS THERE. A gentleman was speaking about China and the need for limiting the number of imports from China. He was gesturing and looking from side to side like he was practicing for a speech; indeed that is what I thought he was doing since all the desks were empty and only 1 senator was sitting in the chair at the front of the room and it was not the leader. It was Franken from MN and when his time was up, another Senator came in to "sit" - must be some rule about one person being present. Anyway, when we asked about this, we were told that it was not a practice, it was a real senator giving his appeal and that a recorder was taking down what he said for the governmental records. Our guide told us that the Senators were too busy to attend and that aides listened via television and summarized for the boss. The reason the speech giver was gesturing and looking side to side was for the cameras - in case some of it would get on CNN or another news station... oh for goodness sake, is it any wonder nothing gets done!