Travels With My Sister

I am lucky enough to have three beautiful sisters who have enriched my life in so many ways. As the year progresses I hope to get a visit from each of them. As I write this, I am listening to my favorite radio station in AZ on the computer and I hear it is in the 70's this morning. Better get your winter woollies out you AZ folk.

My sister Kathleen was in town for  a work related conference and we had the pleasure of hosting our first guest- the new aerobed was a big success!  She is the eldest and a true first born- gregarious and extroverted. Myself,  on the other hand will hang back and take my time getting comfortable with people I don't know.  I remember playing  pioneers with my sisters as a kid and she always got to be the Mom (boss) and I was simply a pioneer child subject to the whims of the two "leaders" ahead of me in the pecking order.

In short, I love all my sisters for all their different attributes and personalities. We are a true mixed litter with different personalities and appearances for that matter.

Kathleen used to live in Alexandria some 20 years ago with her husband Robert and son Zachary so she is familiar with the area. Work brings her here at least once a year as she is the  Executive Director of  Oregon Commission for Voluntary Action and Service. She is a specialist at networking and meeting folks from all different walks of life. 

I had the pleasure of accompanying her to the 65th Annual National Conference on Citizenship at the Library of Congress. It coincided with Constitution Day- what a great day to be in the district. It was interesting to see the hustle and bustle of the DC powerhouses with their laptops twittering  and blogging away.  Folks are in a hurry here, anyway you slice it. They drive fast, walk fast and watch out boarding the Metro if you are poky!

 I got to see Judy Woodruff, Richard Stengel-managing editor of Time magazine and best of all- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I attempted to get a picture of her on my phone, but it is too teeny tiny to see. As it happens Justice Ginsberg is teeny tiny herself. It was truly thrilling to hear her speak- down to earth, but so eloquent and interesting. 

We spent some time exploring the Library of Congress after the conference, but you could spend days there and will have to make a return trip in the future. The National Book Fair is this weekend and I hear it is a must see. Over 70 well-know authors will be in attendance and will do face to face encounters with the public.

I was tutored in changing stations for the Metro and took the Sullivan Place shuttle with her for the first time. She was really a good egg to show me Union Station (awesome) even though she had two huge blisters on her "Allen pinky toes".

We had the chance to meet her in-laws in Bethesda MD, tried a new church and  made a trip to Kohls  to find comfortable shoes for the airplane trip home. I guess you could say we were busy!

 We were treated to a seafood feast at the Old Ebbitt Grill, just blocks from the White House and a favorite hangout of Teddy Roosevelt. It was beautiful with fantastic food (reasonably priced) and exceptional  service.  Thanks Kathie for the great find. http://www.ebbitt.com/main/home.cfm?Section=Main&Category=About_the_Ebbitt
 After dinner we walked to the back of the White House- just a few blocks away and it was amazing how great the view was.

We spent an afternoon at Arlington Cemetery exploring the The Women's Memorial  which honors the service of  military women from the time of the Revolutionary War to the present. Our Grandmother Louise Jenkins  served as  Navy Yeoman (female) in World War 1. Our Mom registered her and we were able to look up her registry and print it. 

As we were browsing at the gift shop, we happened upon a beautiful soul who was exceptionally friendly and outgoing (like my sister). They immediately struck up a friendship and found out they have a common love for Jerome AZ. It turned out, he was a Tuskegee airman and a "good deed doer". Not to drop names, but apparently he is quite well known in the area and is on the board of many  philanthropic foundations. He was kind enough to give us a ride to the Metro in his SUV and it was a memorable encounter.

All in all a great visit and with love and admiration- that's all I have to say about that. Except to say- take good care Kathie and don't work too hard.