I don't feel like giving you a blow-by-blow account of the last trip, if for no other reason because such an account would be inaccurate (see JNC, c. 1996). But I have a few more pictures and ocassional comments that I thought I would pass your way. Enjoy.
On my first full day in DC, I had to meet the group that was coming into town at a restaurant in a place inside the beltway in Virginia. They were running behind, so I sat in my rental car and read the paper. They arrived a bit earlier than I expected, and in my Sauvannah-like excitement I jumped out of my car in a bit of a hurry. Unfortunately, I returned to find this.
That is the inside of my rental car with the keys firmly in the ignition in the forward and "on" position. What could have been a nightmare actually worked itself out nicely, in spite of the fact that I left the car running with the keys in it for two hours while I escorted the group to the Smithsonian via bus. Please don't tell Hertz.
The only other notable thing about DC this time that would interest you is that one of our chaperones was an SEC coach.
Fill Phulmer himself was on the trip. And it turns out that he is quite well versed in the differences between the Magna Carta and our own Constitution. I was more than a little impressed.
In New York, I had the chance to kill about an hour and a half with Lauressandro M0ates and Rudy Wils0n. Laura developed some kind of obsession with those machines that make an imprint on your otherwise perfect penny. This is an action shot of her second attempt at a succesful imprint at the M&M's Store in Times Square.
You should congratulate her on her worthy use of her spare cash the next time you see her.
This is a passing shot of Carnegie Hall. I didn't even need directions, though I did need directions to the band room the first day I was in Athens. They are the same.
I finally got my chance to take the sterotypical Grand Central
Here is the last of the "fun" shots. A look at the Brooklyn Bridge from the south.
These are a little more sober. The next three are of Ground Zero through the fence. The new construction continues.
And nearby, a cross made of support beams is draped with a scrap of thin metal. According to our guide, that metal is a part of the fuselage of one of the aircraft. It's more than a little out there to spend time in that place.
Gunner, I will never forget that Tuesday afternoon: writing script, drill and music; drinking to numb the shock; worrying that you would be called back; and just watching. Being there brings it back like it was 6:30 that night.
2 comments:
That particular memory lies, thankfully, just underneath sitting in your apartment at about 2 A.M. on the following 9 August in an inked-up scrub top.
I remember that morning, sitting in the band office when you called in on your way to work, freaking out about a plane hitting the WTC. We had no idea what you were talking about...
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