"and we're here to help"

     Coming in to DC I had to pull off the highway to attend to some business. We were consulting the map to see how to get back on course when a police car pulled up with lights flashing. The driver asked where we were heading. When we told him he told us to follow him back to the highway. Turns out we had pulled off near the headquarters of the National Security Agency. Oops.
    Matty had more governmental contact today when he went to the capital with a senate visitor's card and sat in the gallery for about an hour. He heard Durbin of Illinois speak about the health care bill which was pulled a couple of hours later, Schumer of New York report on the needs of Puerto Rico, and Sasse of Nebraska rail against the democrats for lying about the health care bill and comment on how weird it is to conduct debates by having individual senators speak in an empty chamber. Not a bad point. You can tell a lot about what is to happen in the chamber by following the water glasses. Shortly before a senator comes out to speak a page will deliver a glass of water to his or her desk. In case you're wondering, Schumer and Leahy take their water neat, McConnell, Durbin and Sasse on the rocks.
   There are differences between New York and DC. Washington has short buildings, but, like the streets, they're wide. New York never sleeps while DC knocks off early. I like New York because the closeness and the numbers make for a lot of personal interaction and, as you know, I'm a people dog. The sights in the two cities are comparably interesting. Washington has the advantage of many free museums (free, that is, if you don't take taxes into consideration). Its Eastern Market has an oyster sandwich nearly the equal of what you get at Bill's Tavern. And Washington's bike share program is the best Matty has tried. Seventeen dollars buys you seventy-two hours of an unlimited number of rides of thirty minutes or less. Despite these advantages New York noses ahead of DC because I'm a bit more jazzed in the big apple. Still, I am looking forward to Portland (the west coast version). I figure it's just under three weeks away.
     Two more days here before we drive to Virginia to stay with a friend who is housesitting. Then it's westward ho time. The weather continues to be nigh perfect. Probably means when we leave Virginia we'll be back to camping. Yikes!

Precious