The Studio

Friday morning I woke up and realized I really had not made any plans for my birthday on Saturday.  So I decided to go to DC for the night.  I love Washington, especially the National Gallery of Art so I booked room at the Hyatt Regency, one of the closest hotels to the gallery.  It was storming really hard when I got there around 3 p.m. but the people couldn’t have been sunnier!  When the young man checking me in came back after copying my i.d. and credit card he said, “It’s your birthday!”  I said “Yes, tomorrow.”  The young lady working with him at the registration desk said, “OMG, mine too!”  I said we must be twins then.  She laughed (could have been because she was a tall, beautiful, slender Black girl and I’m a dumpy white middle aged chick) and told him to upgrade my room.  Then he gave me a coupon for breakfast.  She told him to also give me a $50 room credit since I was 50!  WOW!  I felt really special.

I spent a wonderful evening having dinner and then relaxing and reading about the Chester Dale exhibit that I was planning to visit at the NGA the next morning.  I wake on my birthday, have a wonderful breakfast (on the house) and start out for the National Gallery.  The capital view above is right out of the front door of the hotel.  As I walk closer I realize there is some kind of rally going on at the capital.  I walk right up to within about 30 feet of the stage and see that it is the Dalai Lama.  He was in town for a conference on world peace.  So I listen for awhile and get a few shots. 

It was really crowded.  You can see the capital lawn was full of people.

What a surprise and joy to get to hear his message about making a better world by making a better self.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time.  What a wonderful birthday message.

Come back tomorrow for Birthday Adventure Part II – National Gallery of Art.