Mr. Bragg Goes to Washington
Dear Friends and Family,
How quickly the summers go by. Although our September weather in Madison has been sunny and warm, there is a new crispness to the air tonight. Baseball season is winding down, and football is already here!
A couple of weeks ago Jim and I were honored with a visit from the Heilemans, Jim's niece Kari, her husband Brian, and their daughter Morgan. Brian and Kari bought Jim's Badger football tickets this year; Jim did not want to go to all the September non-conference sleepers. I'm sure the Heilemans have been enjoying them.
Jim and I recently returned from a whirlwind three-day, two-night trip to the nation's capital. I am in the midst of the preliminary stages of a rather bewildering job search with the feds. As part of taking a scholarship to finance my dissertation research, I had agreed to pursue federal employment upon completing my degree. I plan to finish this next spring or next fall, so the timing seemed right (and the possible benefits seem good, too). In addition, the government paid for my airfare and hotel to attend the job symposium in Washington. The event itself was work, boring but informative. Like my new suit?
Jim had just enough bonus miles for a free flight, so he tagged along. He had a blast; our very comfortable hotel was only about three blocks north of the U.S. Capitol. We were also close to the impressively monumental Union Station and a very convenient Metro stop. We used the subway to go to and from the airport and explore the rest of the city. Jim even briefly pondered taking a train to Philadelphia or New York one day when I was at the symposium.
We were able to walk the Mall and catch the Metro to a Nationals-Phillies game the first day. The Nationals have a sweet new ballpark with an absurd number of concessions (given their sparse crowds). Jim and I snuck into the game with 5$ tickets. We got free tee shirts and sat wherever we wanted as most seats were empty. (Second below, Teddy Roosevelt -- mascot version)
Jim got to see a lot on his own, and I included some of his pictures of Arlington National Cemetery, among others. (Second below, note the freshness of Teddy Kennedy's grave from the discoloration of the new sod) 
One of our most exciting event came on the first day when a presidential motorcade passed us while we were walking down Pennsylvania Avenue looking for a place to eat. We saw that a tow truck was removing hurriedly a white van from the street. We then noticed that there were no vehicles parked on the street. All the sudden we heard a whir of sirens and a procession of police motorcycles, black sedans, and squad cars passed beside us. We saw that President Obama was in one of the sedans about ten feet away from us. Who says a member of the general public can't get an up-close audience with the president? (Second below, the motorcade approaches)
Here's some more random snapshots. (First below, the Vietnam Memorial; second below, statues near the Memorial; third below, the view up the gigantic Washington Memorial)
An FBI agent ... or suspect?
Part of the majestic WWII Memorial.
A couple of weeks ago Jim and I were honored with a visit from the Heilemans, Jim's niece Kari, her husband Brian, and their daughter Morgan. Brian and Kari bought Jim's Badger football tickets this year; Jim did not want to go to all the September non-conference sleepers. I'm sure the Heilemans have been enjoying them.
Jim and I recently returned from a whirlwind three-day, two-night trip to the nation's capital. I am in the midst of the preliminary stages of a rather bewildering job search with the feds. As part of taking a scholarship to finance my dissertation research, I had agreed to pursue federal employment upon completing my degree. I plan to finish this next spring or next fall, so the timing seemed right (and the possible benefits seem good, too). In addition, the government paid for my airfare and hotel to attend the job symposium in Washington. The event itself was work, boring but informative. Like my new suit?
Jim had just enough bonus miles for a free flight, so he tagged along. He had a blast; our very comfortable hotel was only about three blocks north of the U.S. Capitol. We were also close to the impressively monumental Union Station and a very convenient Metro stop. We used the subway to go to and from the airport and explore the rest of the city. Jim even briefly pondered taking a train to Philadelphia or New York one day when I was at the symposium.
We were able to walk the Mall and catch the Metro to a Nationals-Phillies game the first day. The Nationals have a sweet new ballpark with an absurd number of concessions (given their sparse crowds). Jim and I snuck into the game with 5$ tickets. We got free tee shirts and sat wherever we wanted as most seats were empty. (Second below, Teddy Roosevelt -- mascot version)
Jim got to see a lot on his own, and I included some of his pictures of Arlington National Cemetery, among others. (Second below, note the freshness of Teddy Kennedy's grave from the discoloration of the new sod) 
One of our most exciting event came on the first day when a presidential motorcade passed us while we were walking down Pennsylvania Avenue looking for a place to eat. We saw that a tow truck was removing hurriedly a white van from the street. We then noticed that there were no vehicles parked on the street. All the sudden we heard a whir of sirens and a procession of police motorcycles, black sedans, and squad cars passed beside us. We saw that President Obama was in one of the sedans about ten feet away from us. Who says a member of the general public can't get an up-close audience with the president? (Second below, the motorcade approaches) 
Here's some more random snapshots. (First below, the Vietnam Memorial; second below, statues near the Memorial; third below, the view up the gigantic Washington Memorial) An FBI agent ... or suspect?
Part of the majestic WWII Memorial.
An arch in Chinatown.
The Lincoln Memorial.
The Lincoln Memorial.
Ford's Theater, site of Lincoln's assassination.
The U.S. Capitol.
Supreme Court Justice Jim?
A total non-sequitor here. From left to right, friends Patty, Perron, Tom, Mary, and Norrie. Perron had just finished the Ironman Madison triathalon -- 2+ miles swim, 100+ miles, and a 26-mile marathon. It tires me just thinking about it!
Until later,
Until later,jkb
posted by jkbinturkey at 2:54 PM
2 comments
