Being Home

Pretty picture of the cherry blossoms but not reality this trip. 10 degrees this morning..

Washington at Inauguration Time

Lots of stuff going on that make it inconvenient to get around but still I love being home. Love driving the streets where I grew up and worked. Love looking out over the balcony of my aunt's condo and seeing the Washington Monument in the distance.




I love watching the bumper to bumper traffic on the morning news report. And I even love the cold weather. As a matter of fact I pray for it and there it is. Yesterday, it was the first time since 1996 that it was a high of under 20 degrees. Last time I visited there was an unexpected three foot blizzard. My friend said, quit praying for cold, pray for money.

Tuesday morning I went to Einstein Bagel. Oh man, have I missed Einsteins. Like a kid purchasing his own candy for the first time with his own money, I stood at the counter looking for my favorite Asiago Cheese bagel and the ONLY cream cheese shmear - Jalapeno salsa. Then I sat outside at an iron table in my Careful or you'll Wind up in my Novel sweatshirt, garnering odd looks and thumbs up.

Just savoring being here. Sure, Washington's changed from the city of my youth with its influx of non English speaking citizens, even wider lanes of traffic, non-stop development of high rises and expensive homes. But it's also remarkably unchanged in its purpose and core reason for being - government.

No Washington is not perfect but it's my hometown as every one knows, there's no place like home.