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July 7, 2008 · 6:08 pm

National Cathedral and Washington DC

A week ago, we got home from a trip to Washington DC. This was my second trip in 6 months to our nation’s capital, after a visit gap of many decades. Even though the weather was very hot and muggy, it was particularly enjoyable to go with my family (my son Paul, daughter Jessica and her boyfriend Matt, husband John, and our friend Laura Biche). We were mostly there to hear Jessica sing opera but during the days, we did manage to visit a few wonderful places: the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans
Memorial, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, and the National Cathedral. We went by the Folger Shakespeare Library and were sorry to find it closed for the day. Congresswoman Eshoo’s office tried to get us White House tour tickets but they were unavailable.

The National Cathedral was very moving; I had never visited before. Since National Cathedral is Episcopal (and we are Episcopalian), we went to Sunday morning worship services. I have toured big impressive cathedrals and temples in many countries but they almost always belong to someone else’s religion: the Episcopal church mostly erects small buildings. I felt proud that this big beautiful place was created for the glory of God by my own church. The Space Window (including its moon rock fragment, a gift by the Apollo astronauts on the 5th anniversary of their moon landing) was particularly impressive. The memorial windows to Confederate Generals R.E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and the tomb of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson were also notable.

Paul reading the
Gettysburg Address

Resting in the shade
Lincoln Memorial

Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln Memorial

Women Soldiers
Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Paul, Jessica, Matt in front of the
Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer

Laura at
Morrison-Clark Hotel

Fireplace at the
Morrison-Clark Hotel

John and Laura
National Cathedral

Rev.M.L. King tribute
“I have a dream”

Space Window
National Cathedral

Glass Reflections on Wilson’s
Presidential Seal, National Cathedral

Creation doorway
National Cathedral

Creation of the Moon
National Cathedral

Exterior
National Cathedral

Midsummer Night’s Dream
Folger Shakespeare Library

Macbeth
Folger Shakespeare Library

King Lear
Folger Shakespeare Library

Dino Cookies
Natural History Museum

Sandstone Concretion
Natural History Museum

Hope Diamond
Natural History Museum

324 pounds of Natural Sheet Copper
Natural History Museum

John, Paul, Laura, Jessi, Matt
Natural History Museum

Dickens Christmas Fair & Cable Car Carolling in San Francisco

Last weekend, we enjoyed many of our family’s traditional Christmas events, including: going to The Great Dickens Christmas Fair and singing carols on a cable car in San Francisco. We picked up my daughter Jessica and her boyfriend Matt at SFO airport on Wednesday. (They were due home from college Tuesday night but their second flight was cancelled and they had to stay over in Dallas, Texas, courtesy of American Airlines.)

On Saturday, Jessi and her friends dressed up to go to the Dickens Fair at the San Francisco Cow Palace. My mother and friend Laura went too. Sunday, we went to the Lessons and Carols service at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, then picked up Matt and drove to the city to sing carols with my parents. (Jessica revised our carols book this year.) We rode from Van Ness and California up and over Nob Hill to the Embarcadero. We walked around there to see the decorations before taking the cable car back. Today, my mother is coming to San Jose to assemble and bake fruitcakes. Tonight, we go to Christmas Eve service at St. Andrew’s. Christmas is at our house tomorrow; we are expecting 12 for dinner.

SFO: Jessica and Matt

home from college