Baltimore's Washington Monument
I spent yesterday in Baltimore at the Miracle Wellness Center across the street from Johns Hopkins University, in a meditation class.
I hardly ever get to Baltimore, but when I do I'm struck by how different it is from Washington. Gritty, odd, artsy and - to me - intimidating, the city soul of Baltimore is like the crazy uncle who lives in the attic. It's fun to pop in. More fun, though to come back to DC, back to Capitol Hill, my beautiful village.
Today in DC and Baltimore, people will be getting ready for Sandy, the huge superstorm headed our way. From tomorrow afternoon through mid-day Tuesday we will be dealing with the unbelievable power of nature in the form of high winds and lots of rain. The weather people are beside themselves; they've never seen anything like it: a combination of a tropical hurricane and a severe Nor'easter.
I grew up in the midwest, in tornado alley. Tornadoes come up quickly. About all one has time to do is run for the basement. They pass quickly, too. Tornadoes are fast. Hurricanes are slow.
It's surreal, looking out the window here at the chateau at the perfectly blue sky. The windows are open and I'm sipping the sweet autumnal air. It's hard to believe the storm is coming, but it is, it definitely is!
After clients this morning I'll get out to gather supplies. My plans include a big pot of vegetable chili. I also bought a hurricane size bottle of Maker's Mark yesterday, just in case. I'm not too worried about the chateau as there are no large trees in the yard and this house has stood firm since the 1880s. I'll put the trash and recycle cans in the grotto, clear the few leaves scattered in front of the house, hunker down and hope for the best.
Sandy is another completely bizarre event in DC. Our baseball team, which in the past sucked, was great this year, almost winning the pennant. And now this - a hurricane roaring through the midatlantic, the week before the election.
Good lord, what next?
7 comments:
the weather is all full of surprises these days. but yah, hurricanes are slow. 10 years or so ago we had one that came and stalled for a week that dumped so many inches of rain in such a short time that the entire city flooded, literally. we were still living in the Heights then and our house is on a particularly high spot in the Heights. We were dry but 6 blocks in every direction was under water.
We are watching CNN news here and I will be thinking of you! We did see how it affected Cuba. Man, that sure looks dangerous. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket and eat your soup. If you keep power, you can take part in the Willow Manor Ball and forget the world around you!
I went to law school in Baltimore (the professional campus in gritty downtown) and lived in the Maryland suburbs. You're right, B-more has a totally different vibe. . . not nearly as pretentious and solipsistic as D.C. I'm concerned about my friends close to Chesapeake Bay as Sandy approaches.
I don't experience DC as pretentious or solipsistic. To me it's a city full of hard-driven, uber smart nerds. Someone said that if the U.S. was a high school, DC would be the chess club.
San Francisco is, to me, terribly pretentious - but DC? Really?
I'm worried for many, including my niece who lives in New Jersey, close to the beach.
...'the weather people have never seen anything like it'. Sounds challenging Reya - I can't imagine the aprehension.
Our cyclonic activity here in Australia centres around Darwin, a place that definitely isn't the 'chess club' you talk of -more like the group that gathers on the wide periphery of the school oval to smoke - Darwin holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, I'm sure other Aussies would agree! The entire town was evacuated in 1974 and billeted in other states due to Cyclone Tracy.
Darwin's war history is the equivilant of your Pearl Harbour, so they have certainly had their moments!
Keep safe, warm and bunkered down my friend - thinking of you and your niece- everyone over there. x
Thanks, Pam! I didn't know about Darwin. How cool.
Post a Comment