Back in Oxford after a Brief Stay in Washington

While Peter and Katya were forced to motor all the way from Solomons to Oxford yesterday (Thursday, July 15) and then suffer in the heat and humidity of the Chesapeake after docking, I thoroughly enjoyed another day in Washington, D.C. Eager to have more cultural experiences, I was up by 7:30, and, after spending some time with Lori at home, was out the door well before 9 a.m. I walked a few blocks in her neighborhood of Glover Park and caught the convenient DC Circulator bus, which is currently free, to downtown, alighting at 7th Avenue NW and I Street. I passed the entrance to Chinatown and walked toward the Mall on 7th. This street used to be lined with shops, restaurants and bars, but it seemed that over half the storefronts were permanently closed up. Usually bustling with government and other workers on their way to work and tourists getting out early, the sidewalks were not crowded at all, and the majority of those I saw were either street people or people out for a run. I walked by the National Archives and the National Gallery of Art to emerge on the Mall, finding it also virtually deserted. Running my gaze from the Capitol at one end to the Washington Monument on the other, I saw not a single person on the grass, and there were only a handful of people on the paths. By that time of day, the lawn is usually swarming with people; tour buses are usually parked all along the Mall on Constitution and Independence Avenues, but there were none at all. 

The empty Mall toward the U.S. Capitol

The empty Mall looking toward the Washington Monument

Some but not all of the Smithsonian museums have reopened with a reduced schedule, and free timed passes have to be obtained in advance on the Internet for admission. The more popular ones such and the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History, had no passes available through the end of August. The National Gallery of Art, which is not part of the Smithsonian, is now open regular hours and no passes are required, so that was my destination. I don't mean to imply that I settled for that, because I absolutely love the museum. 

The rotunda of the National Gallery of Art with no visitors in view 

Visiting the National Gallery of Art allows me to stroll through the history of Western Art, beginning with 13th century Italian painting and sculpture. Every time I visit this museum, I fondly remember Dr. Henry Wolf, my college art history professor. At some times a crotchety old man in the offices of the Department of Humanities, where I worked part-time, he was passionate about art and culture in the classroom. He was well-traveled, well-educated, well-read, and he was an accomplished classical pianist whose free concerts in the campus auditorium were unfortunately not well-attended by the student body. He ignited my desire to travel and observe and experience the cultures of the world. 

Being at the National Gallery also revived my appreciation for industrialists of the 19th and early 20th century who took advantage of their great wealth to amass astounding collections of art from around the world and then chose to share their collections with the public. In Baltimore, this was William Walters and more importantly his son Henry, who donated not only the family collection but facilities and funds to make great art from throughout the world available to the public for free. Two days ago, I experienced this largesse at the Phillips Collection. Yesterday, I silently recognized the generosity of Paul Mellon, who created the National Gallery, as well as numerous donors of significant works of art on display there. 

I spent three hours at the museum. The collection is arranged in a very orderly fashion by centuries and countries of origin, and the building is designed so that, starting with Gallery 1, it is possible to follow the development of techniques and styles and subject matter over the ages. There are approximately 100 exhibit rooms on the main floor, and I made it through 50, remembering previously learned art history lessons and appreciating the beauty of each work of art anew. From early Italian art, I strolled through 15th through 18 century Italian, French and Spanish art; 15th and 16th Netherlandish and German art; and 17th century Dutch and Fleming painting. All the famous artists are represented at the National Gallery, including Leonardo da Vinci. His Ginervra de' Benci is the only painting by the artist in the U.S.

I could have spent all day--or maybe two days!--at the National Gallery, but Lori and I had plans for later in the afternoon, a visit to the Washington National Cathedral to see a temporary art installation entitled Les Colombes (The White Doves). German artist Michael Pendry has created an arrangement of over 2000 origami doves which were hand-folded by people around the world. They hang in a wavy line along the Gothic nave. Since 2015, this installation has appeared in Jerusalem, London, Salisbury, San Francsisco and New York as a message of hope, peace and freedom. The entire art piece seems like a flock of birds flying overhead; the visual effect is complemented by continuous mystical music.

Les Colombes

Gothic architecture of the National Cathedral

Sherri and Lori in the National Cathedral

Sunlight streaming through a window in an array of colors

Clerestory windows

Les Colombes  and windows

The installation was inspiring but did not require a long visit. Since we were already in the cathedral and had time to spare, Lori and I took the opportunity to explore memorial niches and look at each and every stained glass window, from the three rose windows to the large clerestory windows and the lower ones between the soaring vaults. In addition to admiring the sheer beauty, vibrant colors and luminosity of the windows, we took the time to examine the symbolism in some of them and wonder at all we do not know about them. We discovered that the only U.S. President to be buried in Washington, D.C., Woodrow Wilson, is interred here and read the (hard to read) gothic style texts of memorial niches of church benefactors and public figures. It was interesting to discover how the interior of the cathedral is always being modified and to notice the differences in color of stone between old sections and newer ones. We were delighted to find a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt nestled in Human Rights Porch. The more slowly we walked and pivoted our gazes, the more was revealed to us. 

After our time in the Cathedral, we walked in the nearby Bishop's Garden, which tumbles down the hillside from the church. Along the winding paths are various types of greenery and stunning flowers in bloom. 

National Cathedral from the Bishop's Garden

Orange gladiola

pond in the Bishop's Garden

Bishop's Garden

After dinner at Lori's house, I left and drove to steamy Oxford, where the temperature, even late in the evening, was in the 80s and the humidity was in the 90s and the wind from the south was negligible. Unfortunately, the generator needed work, but, fortunately, Peter figured out how to us shore power for the AC even though the electrical systems on the boat are European, not American. 

Earlier today, Katya and I drove into Easton. We walked around part of the old commercial section of the city where we found a new, airy and delightful independent bookstore where we were able to find a couple of books for birthday presents. By the time we returned to Oxford Boatyard, Peter, the genius, had repaired the generator and the AC was functioning, although it struggled to get the interior temperature even as low as 80. We have enjoyed the swimming pool and the nice showers and are now staying out of the heat, all attached to devices in the air-conditioned lounge.

This evening, we will go to dinner a the William Morris Inn, a couple blocks away. It will be interesting to learn more (I hope) about the history of this place that has been in operation since 1710 (making it quite old by American standards).