Back In Washington

today was day 2 of my trip back to washington, d.c. i like washington. it is a great place to visit. the biggest problem bus drivers have is bus drivers!!! that is a another story and when i find the driver who cut me off and forced me up on curb i am sure i will go to jail for assault and battery. hope there is some dna to identify the remains cause it will be ugly.
anyway, the group i am with is a good group. the kids are no problem (hats off) and the chaperones are alot of fun to be with so it makes for a great time.
weather here is incredible. today it was sunny and in the low 80's. washington has a no idle law which if i am lucky enough to find a place to park, i can't idle more than 5 minutes without shutting down. i even had a bean sprouts and tofu eater on a bicycle remind me of this. he pulled up to my open door and never made eye contact with me. about 15 minutes later, i shut down. this was after the encounter with the anchor trailways driver. the guy on the bicycle is #2 on my list.
i have no #3 but the day is not over. anyway, back to the story. if i can't idle, no air conditioning. i know what you are thinking and yes, i like my "comforts". i do not go camping. too hot, too many bugs. if i stay in a hotel without room service, that is my way of "roughing it". camping to me involves something with at least 6 wheels and a generator, but i am straying from the blog intent.
anyway, i will miss this group. we leave thursday night about 2100 and it is about 625 miles to get them home. another driver will take them the rest of they way so i should get in bed around 1000.
arlington was as usual. a very real, somber place. there were so many funerals today. i heard so many 21 gun salutes and cannons firing that i felt like it was a war going on. when i go there, i think about so many who fought for me to have the freedoms i enjoy today. if not for their sacrifices, you might not be reading this blog. as a matter, there might be no internet (al gore did not invent the internet). please, next time you meet a vet or have a family member who served, just tell him, or her, thanks. a simple thanks goes a long way. you may be the first person who ever did that. i remember several years ago i started doing this after witnessing something absolutely incredible. i was at the airport to pick up my ex who was not my ex at the time. during this time, i saw an older man and woman standing with a young (20's?) lady holding an infant. person after person came thru the secure area. i could tell they were getting anxious and finally i saw him. he was still dressed in his desert fatigues. he hugged everybody and then they sat down. the young lady handed him the infant and he held it so carefully. as i watched, he was embracing the child and heard the older woman say, "how do you like your daughter". it finally hit me that he was holding his child for the first time. a wave of emotion came over me. i stood there with tears streaming down my face thanking god for being able to witness this very emotional time. as i wiped my face, he looked at me with so much in his eyes; he was so proud and happy. i whispered a soft "thank you". he looked straight at me, knowing what i was trying to say. he nodded and went back to that moment. i looked up and saw my wife standing there. i hugged her and no more than 10 seconds later asked her if she saw the family on the bench. she said, "what family?". i looked and they were gone. i looked up and down the corridor and they were no where to be found.
until next time...