On Friday, February 2nd, I drove down to my sister’s house in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. I got to meet my new niece, baby Nina, who was 9 days old! After a short visit with them, I left my car at their house and took the train to 30th Street Station, and then from there to Washington D.C., Union Station. Wow, what a gorgeous train station!
Union Station, Washington D.C.
My friend Emma met me at Union Station, and together we walked a few blocks back to her house. Emma and I have been friends since we were freshmen at Bryn Mawr College in 1999. (So…over 23 years!) Then in our sophomore year, we both decided it wasn’t the right fit for us, and we transferred to different colleges near each other in Massachusetts. (I went to Hampshire and she went to UMass.) Emma and I are kindred spirits. She is a thoughtful poet who loves nature and solitude. Over the decades that followed our undergrad years, we nourished a deep friendship through old fashioned letter writing. I hadn’t seen Emma in person since the spring of 2018. I can remember the day that we walked through the National Mall six years ago, beneath glorious pink cherry blossoms. It was during that walk that Emma told me she was pregnant! And now, in February 2024, she has a 5-year-old daughter named Laurel.
When we got to Emma’s house, I was delighted to greet Emma’s partner Matt, and meet little Laurel for the first time. Laurel was absolutely enchanting. We played together and made lots of paper dolls. I drew a princess, a mermaid, an octopus, and a shark, which we colored in and cut out so they could go on adventures. Then we drew little worlds for them to play in: an ocean, a meadow, and a little house. Laurel showed me all her stuffed animals and was obliging enough to pose for me with them as I sketched.
“Laurel and her stuffed animals” sketchbook
I also sketched their elegant cat, Artemis.
“Artemis,” sketchbook
I had forgotten how much energy a 5-year-old has! (My own kids are now 13 and 17 and it’s quite different.) So, I was pretty tired when I went to bed that night and I slept very well. Emma had a a good friend down the block who owned an air bnb apartment, and he let me stay there for free! I couldn’t believe my good fortune! (I left behind a small oil painting as a thank-you gift for his incredible generosity.)
It was so amazing to have a little apartment all to myself, just walking distance from the National Gallery! And there were so many interesting books in the apartment. (On the first night, I picked up a copy of A Lost Lady by Willa Cather and I read it during the three nights I stayed there. I love the way Willa Cather writes.)
The next morning after breakfast at Emma’s house, I brought out my gouache paints and Emma, Laurel, and I painted together at the kitchen table. I did a painting of the two of them painting.
“Laurel and Emma, painting with gouache” postcard
In the afternoon, Emma and I went on a wonderful long walk around Capitol Hill, looking at all the important government buildings. During our walk we got to talk and reconnect. So much had happened for us since we last saw each other, six years before, and we had so much to talk about. It was unseasonably warm for early February, and the sun felt good as we walked.
Emma convinced me to go inside the Library of Congress, and I’m so glad she did. It was incredible, all the art everywhere, mosaics and carvings and murals. I felt like I might break my neck with all the craning I did to look up at all the decorations.
As we walked back to Emma’s house afterwards, I felt light-headed and giddy, almost drunk with art. It was as if I had eaten a full banquet. Back in my apartment, I took a long nap and dreamed about art.
To Be Continued…
Art Adventure (part 3): The National Gallery
you may also want to read: Art Adventure (part 1): Train Reflections
Emma and me, in the Library of Congress.
“Sketch of a mural I saw in the Library of Congress” postcard
“Memory of an owl mosaic at the Library of Congress” gouache on paper, postcard
Further Reading: