Washington by moonlight

Last night the ASP gang got together for a walk around D.C. We walked to the Capital and then to the Washington Monument. I have some pictures but they are at night, and I will post them here very soon. From the W-Monument we went to the WWII Memorial which is very nice. Some of the better pictures I took last night are from this memorial, so I will be sure to put some of them up here too.

We went also to the Vietnam and Korean memorials and to the Lincoln Memorial. All of these I have seen before, but the experience was nice with this new group of friends. Its easy for me to reflect on why some of the wars got started, how they continued and why we were fighting them, but I tried no to do so since this was more of a "getting to know new people/friends" night.

I did stop to read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. When you think about the circumstances under which he wrote the address, and then read the final product... the power in his words, and the structure of his sentences as they flow in the english language resound within your heart, mind, and soul. Hearing his speach first hand must have truely been a soul penetrating experience! Lincoln wrote the address on the way over by train. Preparation time was short, thus the message is short, but the directness and the sources from which the letter draws upon in the hearer's mind and emotions do a lot for so few words. President Lincoln was also addressing the circumstance of the most bloody battle to date in the context of the 74-year-old nation's newly begun Civil War. The future was bleak indeed. If you haven't read the Gettysburg Address ina while I encourage you to do so. It won't take you anytime at all.