Soggy in DC

I'm in DC this week for a Human Resources conference. I love being around all of this history and important stuff. I arrived just in time for the huge storms that you have probably been hearing about. I took a walk to Capital Hill on Sunday afternoon (just a couple blocks from my hotel). I met a couple of really great people on the steps. Krishna and his wife are visiting from Nepal. We took photos of each other and chatted about DC. Turns out the only other place that they have been in the US is Santa Cruz!

Then I started off down the mall and about 1/2 way between the Capital building and the Washington Monument, there was a HUGE clap of thunder. As I glance upwards I realized that I was in deep shit. By the time I could count to 5 the skies opened up and all hell broke loose. I dashed under a tree (because of course this California girl didn't bring her umbrella with her on this walking tour. When I left the hotel room the skies looked just fine. Weather just doesn't change that fast in CA!). The local folk who were out for their afternoon jogs just kept going as if nothing was happening. Other tourists ran past trying to catch a cab or trying to stay under their umbrella's. I decided to take the advice of my dear friend Kelly who came from Philly to hang out with me on Saturday to just hang out for a few minutes and let the rain go away. She said it rarely lasts very long.

So I did. And it did. Sort of. It slowed down enough that I could continue my walk (headed back to the hotel). I ducked under random trees here and there as needed, but all in all I got back just fine. I spent the next several hours sitting next to my hotel room window watching and listening to the most wicked lightening and thunder storm I've seen since the summer I spent in Kansas. I went to sleep so fast that night becuase it was like my childhood days in Chicago with the thunder singing me to sleep.

Oh! Forgot...Before all of this, I saw Colin Powell who was the key note speaker that kicked off our conference. He was really humble and relaxed and jovial. He clearly has strong feelings about the immigration issue. He commented that we (the US) has paid a very high price for post 9/11 security. He said that we are losing the attraction of foreign students because we make it too hard for them to come and study here. He said that we are missing out on their skills and diverse experience. He said, "we need more and more people to come here. Every nation touches us and we touch every nation and we need to remain open and welcoming to the rest of the world."

Tonight I went on a moonlight monument tour, only with all of the rain and flooding here in the last couple of days, we couldn't even get out of the bus and we couldn't get close to some of the sights (like we couldn't get anywhere near the White House). Streets were flooded and the rain and thunder and lightening continued the whole time. Some of the lights at the monuments were even out because of power outages. We saw cars floating down the streets and the Potomac was overflowing its banks. All of my photos look like this one (of the Iwo Jima Marines Memorial). I met some great folks on the bus from Alaska, Chicago and Arkansas and we drank champagne together and had a blast anyway.

I will be in the conference most of the day tomorrow, not sure how much sight seeing I'll get to do, but it is supposed to be super wet again tomorrow anyway. Maybe I'll take a stroll up to Union Station and check out the shops etc which are all inside. Keeping my fingers crossed that Wednesday afternoon (when the conference ends) it will be dry enough for me to get back to the WWII Monument. My grandfather's name is on it and I want to make sure I spend some time there.

Comments

[Mom of Three]

With this blog entry, you kinda remind me of Anderson Cooper!

[twinga]

Very much enjoyed your blog post :-). Hope the weather will be nicer in Boston where I'll be heading tomorrow morning - maybe I should take an umbrella with me. Ever since I left Germany, I also forgot that umbrellas exist ;-).

Be safe!

[Margaret]

We are in PA for a gymnastics meet and the weather is horrible here too. We landed in DC, and I wasn't sure we would get to Pennsylvania alive.