Of Tourists and Fireflies

Last night was one of those nights I'm glad I live near Your Nation's Capitol. During the summer months various military bands have free concerts in one place or another several times a week. My favorite spot is the West entrance of the Capitol Building. So, a friend and I met for dinner after work and then walked the half-mile or so to the Capitol to take in the concert.

The forecast called for 65% chance of thunderstorms. I guess the odds were too great for whatever band was scheduled. They never showed. (Nor did the storms.) Not wishing to turn right back around, we lingered a while and made ourselves comfortable on the wall at the base of the steps. We appeared to be the only locals in the vicinity.

Tourist-watching is great fun. One of my favorite tourist-focused activities is to take pictures of entire groups in front of assorted monuments so that everyone from their group is in the picture. They are always so astonished that someone in this big city is actually friendly and helpful. I sometimes think they also worry that I'm going to sprint off with their Canon, but a quick assessment of my physical attributes MUST put their minds to rest right away.

Anyway, we watched tourists and talked about mutual acquaintances until deep twilight. The red "eyes" on the top of the Washington Monument started blinking eerily. Fireflies came out of hiding among the cannas and shrubbery - my favorite moment of any summer evening. From that vantage point, you can see the entire length of the Mall and can just make out the Lincoln Memorial. It was quiet. No sirens. No loud groups. Just peaceful and beautiful.

Band or no band, it was a delightful evening. In fact, I'm almost glad they didn't show. I need to do such things more often. How about you?