I am back from a very long day trip down to Washington, DC, with the student group from my alma mater (and I am not at all used to calling school that yet!). We toured the Library of Congress, getting a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on and meeting several of the librarians and catalogers. It was great fun and very inspiring.
Since the bus ride was over four hours each way, I brought a sock to cast on, and then I took what I’d knit on my tour with me. The Sock found the tour boring and was happy to hide in my bag, but the Great Hall woke it right up:
The Sock was also intrigued by the display of Jefferson’s original library, which Congress purchased to renew the collection after someone (naming no names, but they wore red coats and drank tea) burned the first one to the ground during the war of 1812. We were not supposed to take any pictures there, so I can’t show you how it looked, but I promise you it was very interesting. Sock was also very taken by the Gutenberg Bible on display, and asked to see the Main Reading Room. Unfortunately, by then it was close to closing so we only had a chance to peek inside quickly. We agreed to put it on the list of things to do when we go back.
The Library of Congress is right across the street from the Capital building, which makes researching for Representatives and Senators (its primary purpose) nice and efficient, but it has the side benefit of a Very Nice View:
The Sock liked that view very much. (I did too). You can even see the Washington Monument, just past the Capital building.
Before we left, the Sock checked out the Poseidon Fountain in front of the Library of Congress’s main building:
and then we got to ride the DC Metro back to catch our bus home, which was another loooooooooong drive. The Sock and I were both very tired so we rested and tried not to think mean thoughts about the traffic jam on the MD/DE border, but we might not have been successful.
Sock wants to go back once it’s done being knit up and let me wear it around DC, which I think is a most excellent idea.