LOCALS ON TOUR

[Cathy C. Bennett]

As Harley promised in "his" blog - “A Night With The Stars”, I'm blogging to share our family's heartfelt "holiday DC tour." Even though we live in the area, even though it was 39 degrees outside, even though this was the birthday of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the place would be PACKED -  we collectively agreed days ago that we would bundle up, grab the boys and go to the newly opened MLK monument and experience what so many people from around the country have traveled to do on this same day.

 As we rode in the car, I reflected on how fast time has “flown” by. I remembered as a child listening to Dr. King with my parents either on the radio or watching him on that old black and white RCA “console” television (you remember - the one with the huge knobs!). As a child I was enamored and mesmerized by his presence, and I remembered how much I loved the rhythm of his words. As I reminisced, I found myself getting anxious in the car.
 
Once we found a place to park a “gazillion” miles away, for Leo, this was exciting. My little 80+ pound baby was in the city for the first time - he was happy!

When we finally arrived at the monument, I was able to get a shot of the boys by the entrance wall.

The cutest little boy ran up to them and AFTER he petted both Leo and Harley, he looked up and asked “can I touch them?”

You can imagine my disappointment when we started walking towards the statue and saw this...

We took turns going through the monument site and while we did, the boys had their own “tourist attraction” thing going on by the wall (can we say “photo shoot”).

    

Harley gave out free kisses...

He played with the babies...

They allowed everybody who wanted a little “Doodle Time” to have some!
  

Even if that meant strangers holding their lease for their own photos!

Our family had multiple times to walk through the monument area to view the spectacular sculpture. To look at the detail in the stone work. The likeness to the man that was captured is breathtaking; you can see the twinkle in the corner of his eyes, the vein lines in his hands, the strength in his jaw. Even the crease in the sleeves of his suit jacket are visible. Nothing was overlooked. But the best part was the “peace” that seemed to float throughout the area. The kindness in everyone’s voice, the smile on everyones face, and the friendliness that radiated from everyones spirit. If only we could capture, bottle, and spray that in the air around the world....

It was a good day, despite the temperature, the hike back to the car, and all the dirt the boys seemed to find on the bottom of their feet! I loved, loved, loved, that tiny piece of Dr. Kings dream that I found, enough to sustain me and rejuvenate my faith that this nation IS making strides towards equality everyday, and there IS hope for our humanity.

Thank you Dr. King for your dream, rest well on that mountaintop

And the boys? They had a blast - even if they never got inside!

[Lorraine Bromley]

Doodle Love at work again!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Cathy, This is a well written, beautiful blog. Loved it!! Your dogs sound amazing and make doodles look good! It also sounds like you had a wonderful day and I could picture every moment of it in your writing. Thank you for sharing.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Wow - great photos of the boys having a wonderful time.  What great doodle ambassadors they are!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

awesome! thanks for sharing. I love the photos.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Sounds like a great day! Thanks for sharing!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you so much for sharing this.  I have not had an opportunity to visit this and appreciate the lovely description. I can picture the peace.

[BG and Gavin]

Thank you for the beautiful blog and pictures.  It looks like the boys were busy spreading their own brand of peace and love to the crowd.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Thanks for sharing this, Cathy! Wonderful photos!

[Christine & Shelby]

Great blog.... what an amazing experience and I bet the boys had a good time sharing their doodle love!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful tribute to MLK. It sounds like an awe-inspiring day for the people and a fun and friendly time the doodles.