On the road again

We left Washington early one morning after having packed up the Subaru, including a car-top carrier that we got for the move. If memory serves, we drove out to the Beltway then up to I-270 toward I-70. Then it was onward to our first destination: Champaign, Illinois. Ken went to grad school at U of I Champaign and had friends in the area.

My 1982 Subaru three-door hatchback with a car-top carrier and a bug net on the front grille. It was a good little car.

At a rest stop, somewhere on I-70, going west. Digitized B/W print, August 1986. 

Yes, that's my faithful 1982 Subaru hatchback. I bought it, used, in DC (I still remember the name of the woman who sold it to me) and it served me well through the mid-1980s on multiple trips to upstate New York and my home town. Now it was taking us to San Francisco! I remember replacing the in-dash radio with a new radio/cassette player and speakers (in the back). I did the install myself, in the street in front of our apartment. I wouldn't know how to start doing that these days. Although you probably can't buy a car now without internet and digital music software built in. LOL

Same photo, with sepia treatment. Closer to the actual color of the car.

 

Gathering under the dome

These people look like a group, but of what? Tourists? Constituents? Protesters? It's anyone's guess. They are 39 years older now. Yikes!

Going to see their representative or to attend a committee hearing, who can say?

Digitized B/W print, August 1986.

I think I heard thunder this morning. There are wet spots on the deck, so we had some rain. More rain is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday. Our heat wave is officially over. 

Library of Congress

Across from the US Capitol's east front, on the House side, stands the Thomas Jefferson Building, the oldest of the three main buildings that house the US Library of Congress. It's built in the Beaux Arts style of architecture. At the building's entrance is the Court of Neptune Fountain, completed in 1898. I didn't take any photos of the Adams or Madison buildings on this walk. However, they are equally impressive in their own architectural styles, Art Deco in the case of the Adams Building and a more contemporary 1970s style for the Madison.

The western façade of the Jefferson LOC Building. Digitized B/W print, August 1986.

By the way, most of the info about these buildings comes from the LOC's Wikipedia page. 

It was chilly this morning. I wore jeans and a sweatshirt (!) on my walk with Tasha. Is there a hint of fall in the air?

Cannon or Russell?

When I worked in DC back in the mid-1980s, I was in the Cannon House Office Building on Independence Avenue and 1st Street, SE, a stone's throw from the House in the capitol. It's twin, the Russell Senate Office building, is located on Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE. The buildings are nearly identical and I can't tell from the photo which one this is. I think it's the Russell Building, but I wouldn't swear to it.

The Russell SOB is almost identical to the Cannon HOB. This is the former; I worked in the latter. Get a load of that station wagon!

Digitized BW print, August 1986.

Our heat wave is showing signs of breaking. The mornings are getting cooler and the afternoon highs are getting lower. It's still hot, though. 

Memory Lane

Set the WABAC Machine to August 1986! Ken and I lived in Washington, DC, on Capitol Hill, just a short walk from the US Capitol. That month we were packing up and otherwise preparing for our big move to San Francisco. I had a roll of black and white film and decided to use it up, first for this stroll around the capitol and later during the first leg of our drive to California. I'm digitizing most of those photos now, to have if I somehow lose the originals. I'll share a few of them here.

The East Front. Funny, I just noticed that I have a paperweight on my desk with this exact view on it.

That's the US House of Representatives on the left, the Senate on the far right. Digitized BW print, August 1986.

This, as most people might recognize, is the US Capitol building. I worked in a nearby building in the office of a member of Congress (now deceased). I took a short walk around the buildings, kind of a good-bye after our four years in Washington. I know a lot has changed since we lived there, but it was fun while we were there. I've been back for fun and for work a few times in the decades since. Good memories.