Day 2 in DC

I’m feeling rather depressed and upset about coordinating xmas with my family at the moment. I’m the only one with a “home” in the Bay Area, but my place is small. So, there isn’t any place for even the nuclear family to descend. For various reasons, it’s best for us to celebrate there. I guess these are what Alison calls “white girl problems”, but I’m already feeling delicate, and I need all the loving wholeness I can get.

Ilana and I spent today on bikes. I rode a really cute vintage Trek (with lugs!), turquoise, that looked super girly with my baby pink hat and gloves. I loved that. Unfortunately, I did not love the seat. She gave me a tour of downtown including her former office buildings with the World Bank and where she’d met boys for dates. We stopped off at the Vietnam Memorial, hidden there under the hill, and then at the Lincoln Memorial resting majestically above the Mall.

From there, we crossed the Potomac and rode along its banks for about 10 miles to Old Town Alexandria. On the way, we passed the DC Airport (where I flew in 2 days before), and spent a moment at the end of the runway watching the planes hit the ground a few feet away from over our heads. Also sitting there was a middle-aged couple who took pains to write down our names correctly in order to pray for us. (At first, I gave them my correct name, but then I got a little worried and “corrected” my spelling. I had no idea Ilana’s name could be spelled so differently!)

The weather was gorgeous despite it being winter, the grass was green and the trees were there. The surface of the Potomac lay flat despite the cold air, bc the wind stayed low. The bike path runs between the highway and the river, but across the river the view is of the Capital. The Town’s super cute, and we looked at the art at the Torpedo Factory Art where we saw some really cool ceramic animals and pottery. Ilana fell in love with a little cow, but she couldn’t justify spending $38 on it. Alexandria has some outlet stores, and in addition to lunch we tried to shop. Ilana bought some blue shoes. I’ve lost some weight lately, which means that all my pants are way too big. Ilana wanted me to find some that fit at the Gap outlet, but alas, none of their 12 styles are made for my body.

We biked back in the dark, which was particularly scary on the bike path where there was NO light at all (of course I lacked a headlight). I thought of Carolyn smashing her face in on the Oholone Greenway in Berkeley. What was spectacular was the view of the Capital all lit up in the night across the river. By this time, the river wasn’t so placid, and tiny waves lapped against the bank.

Our evening destination was Sam and Jess’s house in Capital Hill. They live in an amazing 3-story townhouse. I guess it’s been a few months since they left San Francisco, but it didn’t feel like any time had passed at all. Their lives have changed though. I also really enjoyed catching up with Nomar (the parrot, who, incidently let me pet him and pooped on my leg) and Muni and Bart (the guinea pigs).