East Coast Adventure: Part 5, Harrisburg and Beyond

Getting in to Harrisburg PA, it was time to check in on my friend Keith, a Gifted man with a soulful voice that had come to Nashville years ago to make his mark in Gospel Music. Nashville can be a hard place to break and even the best singers can get discouraged here. Keith gave it his best shot then decided to head back home.  The last couple of years he's been dealing with colon cancer and the last few months the struggle has intensified as it has moved to his pelvic bone, so he was the second person on my list I wanted to spend some time with.

The first couple of days in Harrisburg were a bit rough for Keith but his attitude continued to be positive.  The third day he suggested that we go to Washington DC which was only a couple of hours away.  Even though I was worried about the strain of the trip, he seemed to have a had a renewed, strength, energy and attitude, so we headed to DC.

We had made arrangements at the Windsor Inn which was right in the heart of the Embassy District.  It was a great place in a beautiful neighborhood but the only parking was four blocks away, so the miles of walking continued.  After unloading our luggage, we headed to park and then walked a few blocks to the DuPont Circle Area to check out the area, find the subway and grab a bite to eat, then a few blocks back to change cloths and back to the subway.  We had scheduled a three hour evening bus tour to the major memorials and sights of DC.

Going down into the subway was like a amusement park ride as the escalator took us deep and steeply into a massive man made cavern.

The DC subway was a lot more modern than NYC and easier to maneuver. Two stops, a change of subways and the next stop, we were at Pennsylvania Ave. and coming out of the subway, our first view was the Capital Building, straight down the street.

DC is beautiful in the daytime but if you ever get a chance to take the tour at night, it is breath taking.  We went to the Capitol, the Mall, The Washington Monument, the, White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, the Vietnam War Memorial and Wall, the World War Two Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and sights in between. The evening was beautiful and the lighted memorials were again, breath taking, so many memories, so many pictures, so many experiences more than I could ever share here.

The highlight for Keith was to stand on the spot at the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech. That moment made the trip perfect for him.

Finishing up the tour we walked through the streets to check out some of the night life of DC before returning to our Inn, again worn out but with memories and experiences to last a life time.

The second day in DC, we decided just to walk through the neighborhood.  The autumn leaves were still at their peak and the Embassy district was incredible.  We walked beside so many buildings, some of countries we knew and some we had only heard of during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.  Blocks after blocks were lined with townhouses, each one so different, from colonial, to modern, to everything in between.  The uniqueness and beauty of this part of town and the beauty of the day could not have been more perfect. We spent the rest of the day just enjoying the area and what the nightlife had to offer.I do have to add that as fast paced as NYC was, the impatience of the DC drivers was unreal. They would honk at the car in front of them even before the light changed green. One city pickup rubbed against me turning as I didn't cross the street fast enough for him....go figure....

Heading home the next day, my GPS took us through the heart of Georgetown.  Again the quaintness and beauty of the area was an experience all it's own.  As we headed out along the canal drive, we were again surrounded by solid blankets of trees in full autumn bloom. Driving through the mist of a cooler, cloudy day, the light rain fall only added to the ambiance of the area.

Getting back to Harrisburg that afternoon, gave us some time to enjoy the history and area of the capital of Pennsylvania and Keith some time to rest.  The next day, being my last day in Harrisburg, the weather changed drastically as the cool front finally hit PA.  Walking to my pickup, wrapped up in full winter clothing, I saw that all the leaves from the day before had finally blown off the trees.  Walking through the mounds of leaves, they swirled around me in the brisk wind as if to have their final dance of the season.  That evening the trip had caught up with Keith, the pain was back with a vengeance but he still kept his positive attitude.  He had heard the song I wrote for my Mom's memorial and decided he would love to record that along with some of my other songs.  Not knowing what the future holds for him, he's still hanging on to life, hope and plans for the future, inspiring all of us to the strength of the human spirit.

Heading home the next day, the perfectness of the trip revealed itself and so continues the adventure .....Part 6....Perfect Timing, the Finale....