One last hurrah

We were warned not to go by just about everyone, but yesterday we joined the throngs on the National Mall to see the national fireworks display. And we are completely thrilled that we did. Yep, the crowd pushed in from all sides. Yep, trying to get on the Metro afterwards was crazy. Yep, it rained on us periodically through the day, and yep, our rears went numb after sitting on the steps of the Lincoln memorial for almost seven hours. But we just didn't care, and the kids were incredibly good sports, completely on board with the adventure. We had a grand time--people watching, playing chess, reading Anne of Green Gables aloud, pulling our picnic out of our backpacks little bits at a time, taking turns walking around a little to let the blood flow back to our legs, playing I Spy with the umbrellas when it rained, and lamenting that there are too many black umbrellas in the world.

And then, at 9:10pm, there we were on the top steps of the Lincoln memorial, with Abe himself right behind us, enjoying the same view of the fireworks that we did. We were a few steps up from where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his Dream, where Marion Anderson, disinvited from performing at a local concert hall, sang out for a crowd of thousands--a crowd of regular people of the United States who enjoyed a free concert by one of the greatest singers of their time.

The fireworks shot up, just over the Washington monument. They filled the air with noise and smoke and unlikely color, the throng oohed and aahed, and we were right there in it.

It was great.

So, good bye to Washington DC. Good bye to Arlington and McKinley Elementary and Nottingham St. The packers come Monday, and by Thursday, if all goes well, we should be in Ohio. This blog is going to be really silent for a while until I get my computer hooked back up. I hope to hear from you on the other side.

It's been great, friends.