Bedford: the Town They Left Behind

I didn't get back from Capitol Hill until late last night (lol, listen to me!) so I've got some catching up to do here. Yesterday evening Mark, Robert and I, along with Dr. Williams and Gaya, all went to the screening of the documentary "Bedford: The Town They Left Behind" in the Congressional Auditorium at the Capitol Visitor's Center. So much fun!! Aside from having to throw away a new bottle of body spray at security (there went that plan for world domination), I really had a great time. There was a reception about an hour before the show, a chance to meet and greet the director, producer, actors, representatives, and military personnelle. LOTS of military personnelle. I once dated a lieutenant briefly, but I knew that wouldn't give me very many shmoozing points. Luckily Dr. Williams, who spent half the evening zipping around seeing just how many business cards he could get in fifteen minutes, taught me how to mingle. I gave it a whack, and it's not as hard as I thought it would be. Just stick to the subject they know best--themselves :)

I found the documentary to be very moving, and could sense that there wasn't a dry eye in the house by the end of it. I think the fact that there were participants from the film in the audience made the story even more real for everyone. Hearing of the many sacrifices Bedford made during World War II was very sobering, though I also enjoyed the stories of the 'Bedford boys' ' stay in Britain. The woman who worked in the pub during their stay was just adorable. She had seen so much of the war, yet there was a cheerful pluckyness about her that obviously did not disappear during those tough times. As she said, "life goes on...pour another gin and tonic". I like her philosophy.

Today, I did some more sightseeing and visited the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. I was surprised to find that that area is my favorite in Washington so far. It's so quiet! Really, until a group of snot-nosed middle schoolers comes along, the loudest thing you can hear in that open space is your feet on the pavement. I'll have to revisit before the summer is over. Though hopefully when it's not so maddeningly hot outside!