The Saturday Morning Post - 50 States in 52 Weeks - Washington District of Columbia (DC)

Now wait a minute, Washington DC is not a state. I know, but adding Puerto Rico and DC rounds out the 52 weeks of the year. And I have been to all 52. 

Washington, District of Columbia or Washington DC as it is more commonly known, is the Capital of the United States. DC is not a state or any part of a state. It is the Capital District, a semi-autonomous city. DC was created on one hundred square miles of land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia.  In a free-state-slave state compromise in the mid 1800's the land on the Virginia side of the Potomac River was returned to Virginia, and the District is now 68.3 square miles (with a couple of those being underwater.)  

Why is the Capital of the United States not a state, or in a state? There was a fear at the time the Capital was created, based on the experiences of London, and Paris, that the population of the Capital would be so large, in a then sparsely populated country, that it would dominate governance of the entire country.  DC does not have any members in the Senate, and only one largely ceremonial seat in the House of Representatives.  As the population has spread across the country over the past 250 years, there have been repeated calls to make DC the 51st state, I think that would be a good thing. (Opinion is mixed in Puerto Rico on becoming a state, with about half in favor and about half wishing to stay as they are.) Conservatives in Congress consistently oppose DC statehood, as it would add two liberal seats in the Senate, and probably two or three in the House of Representatives.  

Washington DC is a monumental city. Obviously the Capital Building, but also the Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, The Jefferson Memorial, and others line the National Mall, a nearly two mile long park that stretches from the Capitol building to The Lincoln Memorial, with the Washington Monument nearly in the middle. The White House is about a quarter-of-a-mile north of the Washington Monument. 

For the first 5 years I worked here, my office was a block from the White House, then we moved about 3 blocks northwest of the White House. 

The Smithsonian Museums, are actually a collection of massive museums - most of them along the National Mall, featuring Air and Space, Natural History, American History, African American History, Native American History, Asian and African Art and Modern Art. The Smithsonian Museum of American Art, is three blocks north of the mall at Gallery Place. The National Gallery of Art that is on the Mall, is not a part of the Smithsonian (built and funded by philanthropy.)  The Smithsonian has other galleries here in the DC, and in New York City. The largest Smithsonian aircraft museum is nearly 30 miles west of DC, at Dulles International Airport.  It is impossible to "see the Smithsonian" in a day, or even two days. 

Across the street from the east side of the Capital, are two great buildings, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress is under a cathedral style dome, and well worth the trouble to gain access to it (it is not easy, there are rare public open days, or you have to obtain reader access as a scholar or researcher.) I have been there a couple of times.  The Supreme Court Building is a greek-revival temple.  When the Court is not in session, the public can enter the Courtroom fairly easily, when the Court is in session you have to stand in line for a short visit to the public galleries.  For several years, I was able to arrange special seating for our student interns to be seated for an entire oral argument before the Court - it is really a neat experience. 

DC has a good subway system, that connects it to suburbs that are home to over 6-million people. We live a ten minute walk from a subway station. If you are flying here, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), is directly across the River from Washington DC and has a subway station.  Dulles (IAD) is 30 miles west and now has subway access, Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) is about 40 miles northeast of the city (without a good transit connection.) Washington Union Station is a couple of blocks north of the Capital and provides rail connections to the east coast. One piece of advice, don't drive into Washington DC. Parking is hard to find, very expensive, and most of the time traffic is dreadful. The photos above were taken between 4:30 and 5:00 AM when traffic was non-existent, by the time I left the city a little after 5:00 traffic was becoming backed up. 

Obviously, I like DC. I found a job here, so we could move here. We actually live about 8 miles south of the Washington Monument as the Eagle flies. 

And this complete 50 States in 52 Weeks. 

Funky Friday: The morning after

 

I hope old blue eyes, got to you, before he got to the bottle of Grey Goose Vodka.  I wouldn't be really surprised if after weeks of listening to all of the demands, and reading all of the letters, and then a night of deliveries that Amazon needs an army of elves to come close to matching, he didn't want to let his flowing white hair down just a little.  Still I was a little worried when I found him tripped up by a sign and fallen over on the sidewalk, how he fell without breaking that bottle of vodka may be the biggest Christmas miracle of 2025.

My advice to you, is take it easy today. Sleep late. Eat and drink with restraint. Take a minute to take stock of everything we have.  There is a point in the movie "Apollo 13" where Gene Kranz calms a room full of engineers and says, we need to focus on what works, on what we have. This morning is a great time to do that. List everything that works without focusing on what does not. The solutions are in what works, not in the things that do not.  

The rest of the story of Santa sprawled out on the sidewalk.  He blew over in the wind. There were people gathered around taking photos when I approached.  When they were finished one of them picked up the bottle of Vodka, then noticed me with a camera, and said "would you like a photo with Santa?" she put the bottle back in his arm. When I finished she picked the bottle back up and went inside, back to work in the store that he has spent a few weeks standing in front of. A shop staff with a sense of humor just a couple of days before Christmas, or maybe a little liquid encouragement. 

The Thursday Ramble: Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 A short and simple message.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Relax today. 

Free yourself from worry.

Everything is just fine.

Enjoy what you have, and you will have something most rich people never have, and that is enough. 

Cherish those around you, and those at a distance. 

Do what you want to do today, and if that is nothing, that is exactly what you should do. 

Feel the love from near and far. 

My World of Wonders: December 24, 2025

 

What are my gifts to my readers this year? Advertising has been turned down to a minimum and will be going away in a few short weeks. I will keep writing, hopefully sharing positive ideas for all of you. 

When will you visit the Washington DC area? This is up to you. When you do, reach out to me, you can send an email through the contact box on the left, or leave a comment on the day a post goes up. I would love to meet you for breakfast or lunch while you are here. I am glad to offer advice on how to visit DC (tip number 1, don't drive a car into the district.) I have visitors passes for Mount Vernon that I am glad to share, free admission for up to two adults. If you need helping getting to and from Mt. Vernon, I will try to help. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen this week? Oh it is that time of the year. Last Thursday I made chicken pies. I had poached chicken from a couple of days before when I made stock. I steamed fresh carrots and green beans. Made cheesy mashed potatoes and a thick sauce with the chicken stock and a basic roux. Sauted a few mushrooms. I layered the chicken and veggies in ramekins, poured over the sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and baked in a 425 F oven for about 35 minutes. Lamb stew - oh my, thanks to Stephen's late mother Peggy for telling me how to make it. 

Where have I been this week? The pool, the gym, Mt Vernon, the King Street Farmers Market, the Russian Grocery for caviar and chocolate, out to lunch at our favorite Vietnamese place, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, lots of grocery and specialty shopping at this time of the year. Into the city for a stroll around the Hirshorn Gallery.  

Who have a talked to this week? My sweet bear. Ruth, Renee was back at water aerobics - I hadn't seen her for a few weeks - she fell the day before Thanksgiving landed on her face and broke her nose. Jon, Amy, Susan, Anna, Gabe, Max, Zack, and Mary. An editorial call, so Cathy, Emily, and others. 

What have I been reading? I have been on a reading binge. Medium Raw by Tony Bourdain, and a book on spoken language written by a professor of linguistics. Interesting facts, it takes more brain power to talk than to listen. Dogs learn to recognize words and symbols, but can not be trained to use them.  

What have I been writing? I finished an article on the importance of visiting people who are seriously ill, and hope to finish an article on travel planning. I committed to writing a fourth article before we leave for this year's grand adventure. 

My greatest Wish for each of you? A gentle and peaceful Christmas and Holiday Season. 

Travel Tuesday: Christmas Past

In a departure from exclusively posting photos I have taken, this post is entirely photos others have taken. All but one of these, is a scan from the over 1,600 slides my father collected over 60 years. 

My father, probably 1972. 

Before I was born. 

My two brothers, my sister, my aunt Edith and grandmother. 

My oldest brother.

My two brothers, long before my sister and I were born.

My sister and my middle brother.

The four of us. On the right hand corner of the top of the television is a tiny santa, I have that - at the last minute I plucked it out of the china cabinet at my father's house as we were turning the contents over to an estate sale company. I didn't realize until I scanned this slide, that it has been around as long as I have. 

Mom with a new hair dryer. The white artificial tree was bought the winter we lived in Phoenix, and put up many years. It was my father's favorite. 

On South Mountain in Phoenix the winter we lived there. 

My aunt Edith and my Mother, probably 1948 or 1949. 

My parents owned that end table all of their married life. When we cleaned out the house, no one wanted it. 

I have a couple of the ornaments that were on this tree 

Aunt Edith and my Grandmother 

My father and my oldest brother.

My mother, grandmother, Emma and Bill Baker in the first little house my father built on the farm. 

 

Monday Mood: Hanging on

I won't lie, it has been a challenging week to remain positive and upbeat. Senseless murders and TDS getting inside my head. Defiling of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It has been challenge keeping compassion from turning into depression.  It has been a difficult week, in what should be a season of hope. 

So what can we do? 

Be kind in what we say or do. If we are fortunate enough to live in a place that is safe and secure, acknowledge that many in the world are less fortunate. And really, isn't that what all but the truly deranged want in life and for the world, comfort, peace, safety and security? 

What else can I do this week?

• Find little ways to be helpful to others. 
• Random acts of kindness. 
• Send encouraging messages to friends and family. 
• Create beauty in any way I can. 
• Encourage others to be kind and peaceful.
• Speak out against hate. 
• VOTE, VOTE, VOTE. 

The holidays can be stressful. Hang on, take care of yourself, be extra kind. Hang on!  You may be the only person who can take care of you. 

I close most of my emails with the phrase "Take care."  And I truly mean it, take care of yourself, each and everyday. Be gentle as a lamb. 

 

The Sunday Five: Dancer and Prancer and Vixen

1: Do you dance in public? 

2: Will any holiday parties you attend this year include dancing? 

3: Tell us about the last time you danced in public?

4: Tell us about any dance classes you might have ever taken? 

5: Should it be illegal to dance at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC? 

My answers: 

1: Do you dance in public? Not in decades 

2: Will any holiday parties you attend this year include dancing? No

3: Tell us about the last time you danced in public? It would have been in Orlando before we moved north in 1995, at the Firestone Club on Orange Avenue. The crowd was always fun. 

4: Tell us about any dance classes you might have ever taken? I was a 4-H member as a teenager, and we had square dancing lessons one summer. 

5: Should it be illegal to dance at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC? It mystifies me as to why it is, the law is periodically protested and enforced. 

Please share your answers in the comments.