Library of Congress

I cannot say for certain if this is Confusious's saying; nor am I able to translate it into Chinese. It's kind of like when I see someone has a Chinese character tattooed on his body and I wonder if the person knew of the meaning of such a character. If so, did the person really intend to tattoo the word "pig" on the back of his neck? By the cocky way the person is walking around, I just smirk and walk way saying to myself "That'll do, Pig, that'll do."

But the Library of Congress is truly amazing. Maybe the reason it impressed me so much was because I did not know what to expect. It was the first spot of the first day of our D.C. itinerary. We got there before 8:30 a.m. which was really 5:30 a.m. for us Oregonian. As you can tell from the pictures, we're doing quite well for only have slept for, say, three hours before we were driven to the parking garage, took the Metro (aka commuter train) and walked to the Library of Congress. The tour was informative and our tour guide had repeatedly told our group of tourists to be careful walking up and down the stairs which are made of granites. In other words, if you are not paying attention and take a fall, it will hurt like a mo fo. I shall proudly report that none of us three took a fall; instead, some middle aged guy with an orange t-shirt did fall and whacked his knee pretty badly.

My favorite spot of the entire building is where, to honor Thomas Jefferson, they made a "library" of his design. It is set up like a circular room with the book shelves as the walls. In the middle of this room is a desk with a chair - all antique looking as Thomas Jefferson would've had it that way. The book shelves are filled with the books which Thomas Jefferson sold to the Congress. Most of them were damaged or destroyed by a fire long ago and the Library has been trying to make the collection whole again. Here is a link if you wish to know more about it.

www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/jefflib.html

I walked by these books, took a good look at all the titles and was in such reverence because Thomas Jefferson had physically touched, read, and comprehended these books. From these books he learned, wrote, reflected and eventually helped found a country that is extraordinary, unprecedented and brand spanking new. Mr. Jefferson has not been an admirable figure in my mind ever since I read "First Family" and "John Adams." But I forgave him that day when I stood in his library and experienced his love for books, for learning and most of all, for being an independent thinker. From one book lover to another, Mr. Jefferson, you are adorable.

Here is a snap shot of yours truly admiring the building.

Auntie Jane

Here is a picture of Auntie Jane's beloved niece and her two travel companions - Goofy and Dufus.

Our D.C. trip would not have been as fun, informative and absolutely memorable if it weren’t for our wonderful, fabulous hostess, Auntie Jane. She welcomed us into her beautiful colonial style home with rooms decorated in the quilts she made. The drool I produced after seeing her quilts were enough to water a garden on a hot August day. With her permission, here are some photos of the quilts for you quilters and lovers of quilts. Please pay specific attention to the two tone Baltimore Album quilt. Auntie Jane won a blue ribbon with that beauty. She thinks a red and white would make a classic color combo. I wish I know how to quilt...

Her knowledge of the city of Washington D.C. and the metro system is like no others. Before we started any tour of certain buildings, she gave us the “inside” information of the in-and-outs of the building; quicker way to go around, better way to enjoy the exhibitions and where to find good drinks and food. She also offered the best “survival” tip: Always walk on the shady side of the sidewalk even if it means you have to cross the street more than once.

Every morning she made sure we had breakfast before we started our day as tourists. She drove us to certain monuments and picked us up after we’ve done our admiring and gawking. (Per KG: she and LCG did the admiring, I did the gawking.) More than anything else, it was so great to be able to come back to a house that felt like home and have all the comfort and amenities of a home at the end of a fun, tiring day. Not to mention home cooked meals and snacks. (Think clam dip with Fritos, baked pita bread w/ sea salt & M&Ms; all sorts of beverages; oh, and the meringue pie!)

After I started writing this post, I realized that we did not have a picture taken with her and her sweet hubby, Neil. We did make sure that LCG had pictures taken with her aunt and uncle whose home she visited for the very first time – with Goofy and Dufus.

Auntie Jane and Uncle Neil: Thank you so much of your kindness, generousity and good humor. We appreciated you so very much!!

Here is the two tone Baltimore Album quilt. The photo above has more details of the patterns.

Auntie Jane got the pattern for this quilt (photo above) from Smithsonian.

I simply adore this one!