On Capitol Hill

With President Andrew Jackson, a/k/a Old Hickory, a/k/a the same Colonel Jackson who "took a little trip up the Mighty Mississip" to the Battle of New Orleans, immortalized by Johnny Horton and my high school friend Gary.

My cousin John arranged a tour of the Capitol for us, but was surprised that there was a meeting in this hearing room since he'd been told it was available for us to visit.

I enjoy my Mr. Smith Goes to Washington moment

The old Senate monorail car no longer runs ... but we still traveled in style

Turns out we were the meeting it was booked for.

As did my cousins

The Canon Caucus Room might look a little different empty and with handi-wipes on every table ...

... but it's hosted many legendary hearings, from the sinking of the Titanic to Watergate.

Once upon a time this office belonged to the junior senator from Massachusetts

There's a very large Alexander Calder sculpture of mountains in the atrium of the Hart Office Building

At one time there were clouds above the mountains but they were removed after an earthquake shook things up a bit

There's a smaller model of the sculpture and if you take a picture through the glass you can see your reflection several times over.

I'm always willing to do my part to uphold the Capitol and all it stands for

An eraser is a handy thing for a writer to keep handy, though of course I don't believe in erasing history.

Apparently I can also hold up modern sculptures outside the Futures Exhibit at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building