This Is Friendship

Not too long ago, I emailed my friend Karen and said:

I have to be in DC for a few days in June--want to join me?

Since our friendship is defined largely by phone tag,
we had been longing for some time.

This I knew, but still I did not expect:
Her answer to my query was--yes!


So, Saturday, I packed my suitcase and drove myself down to our nation's capital.  I parked my car in an underground lot, checked into my room, and spent the next few hours hearing smart people talk about smart things while Karen boarded a short little plane ride.

Not long after, we were together, in a cab, headed to Georgetown.

We stuck our noses into Clyde's, who offered us some glorified pub fare and a (rather heavy) pewter vat of "filtered water",

and stuck around in order to offer each other some smiles, some giggles, some details of life that phone tag doesn't allow for.

We left Clyde's and embarked on a walk around town, including a lovely bit of stroll along the Potomac, and some irresistibly and unusually flavored Argentinian gelato.

We found a precious little market tucked away in a side street, picked up a bottle of wine, and took it home to lounge with us in the comfort of our hotel.

The next morning I headed back to my conference so that I could say a few smart things, and then the real fun began.

First stop Chinatown, 

for some yummy Chinese snacks.

Pancakes, dumplings, pork buns,

yum.

Lack-of-lunch pangs satisfied,

 we made our way around the block to take in the National Portrait Gallery.

We wandered in the hum of the paintings on the walls and of our own thoughts, and met up in the Courtyard for some rejuvenating caffeine

 and some 

(hot!)

silliness...

When we were finished amusing ourselves, 

we departed on a self-imposed (and very long) walking tour of DC that included

the National Gallery Sculpture Garden,

the Mall and its Monument,

the men atop the White House 

(aiming either binoculars or rifles at the on-lookers, 

I'm not sure which),

and a few moments of 'where are we?'

until we arrived at our chosen destination:

A luxuriously drawn-out dinner of more than one course at Bistro la Bonne--restoring our souls with Lillet Blanc, assorted cheeses, french onion soup, and mussels drenched in wine and garlic--

and more talking, more laughing, and the making of friends with our waiter from Spain and Jose the busboy.

After what was simply the loveliest of times, we boarded the metro and headed home (through the underground city that appears to be most of Arlington...) where I fell into slumber sweet and profound. (There is nothing--if you ask me--like the luxury of a pantheon of hotel pillows....)

This morning we breakfasted in the lobby, waiting sadly for my very dear friend to be shuttled back to the airport.

The rest of my day was spent dwelling on the ways that children make music, trying not to dwell on the fact that I prefer the real Karen to the inevitable phone tag that will now ensue.  

Tonight my room service burger and I will enjoy the quiet of a night away, doing the work that my life distracts me from on a regular basis.  Tomorrow will involve more conferencing, and then I will drive home in time to pack up the rest of my belongings and wait for my big moving day.  

Life is moving fast, and how did I get such a charmed one?