D.C.F.D. Engine No3Battered Luggage

FIRE

On my last trip to Washington D.C., I stayed at a nice hotel about two blocks from the U.S. Capitol building’s south entrance. The first thing I noticed when I walked up was that there was a D.C. Fire Station right next door…WHOOPEE! I like fire station’s as much as the next guy, but not sirens at 3am which sort of concerned me. I need my sleep! Fortunately I always pack ear plugs on trips (light sleeper) and I didn’t notice any late night emergencies so my fears ended up being for not.

Rain

It started raining on me that night as I walked to the Washington monument just after shooting the World War II Memorial. When I say rain, perhaps I should really call it what it was…a very sudden severe thunderstorm that lead me in a dead run for the nearest Metro stop back by Smithsonian Castle. I took the metro (happy to be underground) back to Union Station and by the time I got off, the rain was down to a drizzle. I walked by the fire station…all the doors were open, the trucks lights were on getting ready to go to work. It was a picture made for the taking…I wasn’t ready. The last thing I wanted to do was stand in the middle of everything and delay the D.C.F.D. from saving the day! I stepped aside and watched the trucks roll out, getting my camera set for the shot I wanted. I think it ended up decent, but it would have been much more dramatic if I would have been about 10 minutes earlier. Thus is life.