Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square and Fala

Happy Presidents Day.  The greatness of Abraham Lincoln is even recognized in London, as he holds down a section of Parliament Square opposite Disraeli

The British also recognize the greatness of the Father of Our Country.  A statue of George Washington is in Trafalgar Square, outside of their National Gallery, which also houses a Stuart Gilbert portrait of Washington.

FDR has a corner of the Tidal Basin all to himself, tucked away between the Jefferson Memorial and the MLK Memorial.  He shares its expanse with Fala, Eleanor, a barefoot person huddled around a radio set listening to one of his uplifting weekly addresses that is addressed to all Americans and not just his base, and Hooverville people lined up on a food line.

After those towering Great Presidents (one gave us our country, one saved our country and one saved the world), I'd say the slightly lesser pantheon of great presidents starts with Teddy Roosevelt, the Trust Buster who addressed to some degree the obscene wealth inequality that had crept into our capitalistic society during the Robber Baron era, and that has regrettably insinuated itself back into our current society even worse, especially after the democracy-wrecking Citizens United supreme court decision.  I think I'll go get a pizza for lunch on this holiday and ponder our fork-in-the road future, with portentous November coming up.

Cherry Blossom Festival

The Cherry Blossom Festival in DC started on the day of the March for Our Lives rally.  The cherry blossoms hadn't bloomed yet, but they're out in full flower now, best seen around the Tidal Basin.

There's a lot to see besides the trees on the Tidal Basin, like the FDR Memorial, which has a section depicting each of his four terms.  Here tourists are hamming it up in the first term section depicting a bread line while Roosevelt struggled to ameliorate the ravages of the depression wrought by the Republican president Herbert Hoover.  Hmmm.

Throughout the day during Festival Week there are performances on the stage set up in the basin's parking lot.  There's a temporary food court there with picnic tables so visitors can sit and eat and be entertained too amidst the beautiful backdrop of resplendent cherry blossom petals.

Over on the other side of the pond, TJ stands in his portico gazing across the way at the newcomer on the basin, MLK, Jr.  For those interested in symbols, a cross is formed along the Mall by the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol as the long piece and the cross piece being framed by the White House and the Jefferson Memorial, with the Washington Monument being the joining point.

Tidal Basin 3K

On Wednesday I went down to the Tidal Basin at noon to run in the free, monthly 3K race held the third Wednesday of every month. This race has been run consecutively since April 1974.

It's a short, furious sprint around the small body of water that is the Tidal Basin, with the FDR Memorial on one side and the Jefferson Memorial on the other. Soon a small park in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be added to it. (Right: The "hill" on the 3K course.)

The run is very scenic. Best of all is when this horde of dashing men and women suddenly descends upon strolling tourists, especially in the beginning when the pack of runners is still tight. Their eyes tend to get big and they invariably freeze in place, usually with their arms wrapped protectively around their torsos, until the mad pack is past.

I have run this race in 72 of the last 81 months. This month I ran a 12:59 (6:58) for the 1.86 mile distance, which is pleasing since breaking 13 minutes is my benchmark of a good race. I hadn't done that in a year. My co-worker M was complaining about feeling sick and saying he might have to drop out but he threw down an 11:48 (6:20). I should be so sick.

This is the 3-mile race we're getting ready for later this month.