^{PART ONE  PART TWO  PART THREE  PART FOUR  PART FIVE  PART SIX}

^{Images link to Flickr where one may select "view all sizes" from the "actions" menu. These are tailored to the OS column width for less bandwidth consumption.}

We had heard so much about it. Not so much the Old Town historic district of Alexandria, VA, but what lies at the end by the wharf. We took the Metro south on the Virginia side of the river to King St. station. It may be 20 blocks to the east, but before we knew it, the numbers were in the 900's, 800's, etc.

Seen along the way...

Walkies! This good old dog was moving way faster than I.

This is the kind of street where this might have been Robert E. Lee's first summer job. Only, there's no plaque. Only this...

The locals got their crotchless panties in a bunch when Le Tache opened.

No, we did not go inside.

We were on a quest to find The Torpedo Factory. And at water's edge, we had arrived.

A place where one may examine works for sale, sometimes meet directly with the artist, and soak in the ambience of a space meant for the arts. 

Even the staircases are ornamented.

A few artists' studios were closed for the day with signs requesting you not photograph. I believe none of these were among them. I failed to record the names. Mea maxima culpa.

One Viviane de Kosinsky closed her studio for the RISD Alumni + Student Art Sale up in Providence. I made note of her name because of OS member designanator, who also attended the school. Her hand-colored etchings made me wish it had been open for a closer look.

Then it was back to the hotel on this our last day. The flight home was heavy early in the morning. One more meal with family and early to bed.

EPILOGUE:

We overlooked Arlington Gateway Park, right by the Key Bridge. For a couple afternoons now, we had witnessed the gathering. Rather haunting actually. These folks all have given names, we should be sure. And duffle bags, grocery carts and baby strollers.

Perhaps, at sundown, the Methodist church over the gas station around the corner opens its doors for the night. For it's daytime and they seem to be waiting. Staring right through us up here on the 9th floor, and waiting. And if we had been there for the Pez dispenser collectors fair, that would have been one thing, but you know better.

Jefferson's memorial has these words for the ages: "I'm not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."

These captions are recycled from Part 3...

^{"THE TEST OF OUR PROGRESS IS NOT WHETHER WE ADD MORE TO THE ABUNDANCE OF THOSE WHO HAVE MUCH; IT IS WHETHER WE PROVIDE ENOUGH FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TOO LITTLE."}

^{"IN THESE DAYS OF DIFFICULTY, WE AMERICANS EVERYWHERE MUST AND SHALL CHOOSE THE PATH OF SOCIAL JUSTICE... THE PATH OF FAITH, THE PATH OF HOPE, AND THE PATH OF LOVE TOWARD OUR FELLOW MAN."}

They also overlooked Arlington Gateway Park.

Full of memories and full of ideas, we were home by late afternoon on Tuesday.

 ^{PART ONE  PART TWO  PART THREE  PART FOUR  PART FIVE  PART SIX}