Unspeakable Decadence

Washington, DC
N 38 52.734 W 077 01.507

This morning we awoke to the news on NPR radio. I got up, and bought a copy of The Washington Post, and after reading the paper, I'm scanning the news on our WIFI connection as I sip coffee. What decadence!

It makes me realize what a bargain we're getting. What other tourist could get a luxury apartment on the waterfront in downtown D.C. for $700/month. I was reminded of that as I walk around the marina. Many of the slips are occupied by "houseboats." Not the kind of box shape boat you are used to seeing, but actual houses built on a barge foundation. Obviously, the owners of these houseboats live here permanently, enjoying the very low rent. We've seen such "house boats" in a few other places, but there are lots of them here.

Today, Libby and I begin a whirlwind month of activity. We'll visit the National Archive and the National Gallery today. We'll visit a different neat place every day for the next 30 days. We're going to have a lot of fun, albeit not sailing. So blog readers should be prepared for a month's postings of a tourist's view of D.C.

We are 1/4 mile from a supermarket and a metro subway station. We are 1 mile from the Smithsonian and the National Mall. We are 1/2 mile from the Jefferson Memorial. This is a perfect location.

The severe thunderstorms missed us completely on Saturday, although they did hit Washington with a vengance. Retrospectively, we made the right choice stopping 25 miles short.

Yesterday we had a nice day sailing the final 25 mile leg to Washington. At 1230 we rounded the last bend near Fort Washington and we could see the Wilson Bridge with the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome sticking up behind it. What iconic landmarks those are.

Amazingly, when we got here we ran in to more people we know. Anchored out just behind us is the vessel Ariel. We met Ariel and her crew in Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, and then again in Ferandina Beach. Then I ran in to Jack. Jack is a local marine contractor and we met him last year at the Capitol Yacht Club.