Actually, I did more travelling than that this weekend. And when I discussed it with a friend of mine, and someone within earshot of our conversation asked why I was leaving the state, my friend replied, "Because that's what Colleen does!"
I began in Philadelphia, visiting some of the historic/tourist sites for the first time since... class trips in elementary school, I believe. We spent some time around Independence Hall, seeing the Liberty Bell (and hearing Sousa's march a zillion times-- as a French horn player, I'm not Sousa's biggest fan, never having played anything but offbeats). We also stopped by the Christ Church cemetery, where Ben Franklin is buried, where I took pictures of ginkgo leaves in senescence (clearly the tree of the day).
Also, we spent some time at Yards brewery. Beer of the day: probably the George Washington Tavern Porter.
Like I said, I went to the Stewart/Colbert Rally in D.C. yesterday. It was difficult to get there-- we left later than we should have and every train was packed. We eventually got on the Metro at Courthouse, getting to the Mall just minutes before the National Anthem. It was a lot of fun, though we couldn't hear some of the time and were definitely not anywhere near the stage but got the occasional peek at a jumbo screen a bit ahead of us. There were so, so many people there. It was a bit crazy, but a beautiful fall day to spend outside.
Tree of the day: this incredible mulberry near the Washington Monument.
Leaving was ridiculous. Every Metro train was absolutely packed. Thankfully we were only taking it to the third stop in Virginia... passing it later on the highway I saw it was still absolutely jam packed. People were being really impatient self centered about it, too. Despite the conductor announcing at every station, "Keep in mind, you might not be able to get on this train, more are coming!" six people would try to replace every two that got off, and then would complain about how tight it was. Very frustrating, and very uncomfortable. I'm not a huge fan of crowds but occasionally overlook that in favor of some interesting adventure. I definitely enjoyed the day, especially the signs, but the insanity of the Metro was kinda lame.
Driving back early this morning, I had the joy of watching the sun come up in the Pine Barrens, so I guess the tree of the day is a repeat: pitch pine!
foggy morning in the Pinelands National Reserve
How to Lie with Maps was kind of cool to read after the fact. (It's also the title of a really great book I had to read in my undergrad Cartography course.) I'm not a conservative hater (I'll respect anyone's opinion as long as they can back it up), but I think Glenn Beck is kind of out of his mind.
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