it’s been a minute (8 weeks!) since I posted here, despite my resolve this summer to revive this writing practice and to establish a schedule for posts.

A recent trip to Washington, D.C., inspired me to get back to it — traveling seems to spark my desire to share experiences and ideas. Tagging along with my husband, who was attending a conference of scholars examining areas budget and finance in various levels of government, I spent a couple of days on my own exploring museums, monuments and neighborhoods.

No trip to D.C. would be complete for me without popping into some portion of the National Gallery, and this time I focused on the modern works in the east building, designed by I.M. Pei, spending much of my time in a sizable gallery dedicated to Mark Rothko. Looking closely at these color blocks, composed of many layers and variations, was both restorative and energizing. Here is an untitled oil painting on canvas he made in 1949.

Untitled, oil on canvas by Mark Rothko, 1949, photo from National Gallery web site

After soaking in the Rothko paintings, I walked across the rooftop sculpture garden, was enchanted by a 15-foot-tall brilliant blue chicken, described in this Washington Post article from 2016,

Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch. That cobalt blue just thrums! photo from Washington.org

and into another good-sized gallery, this one devoted to Alexander Calder. This collection of whimsy included the tiniest toys and large mobiles and I couldn’t stop smiling as I looked up and down and all around.

Cascading Flowers, painted metal, painted wire and wire, by Alexander Calder, 1949, photo from National Gallery web site

And this building was only my first destination that day!