dc4free#19: national christmas tree

this was a week or so before xmas, but i was a chaperone for ellie's class trip to see the national xmas tree in front of the white house. one little girl (not my own) was heard to say: "i sure hope george bush won't be there!" as if he were a dragon or something that haunts dreams. for some, i suppose, he is (lee, christopher, aa, you know who you are).

nevertheless, i had a great time w/ ellie looking @ the tree in a lightly falling rain/snow (weird b/c it was above freezing on the ground), watching the model trains circle the tree, listening to burl ives and bing crosby (they need some new music down @ 1600), and looking for our states' trees (the little ones that encircle the tree are from every state in the union, so we made sure to find mississippi and massachusetts). it's cool @ night, too -- so cool, in fact, that when i drove my parents by to see it one evening, i slammed into the back of the car in front of me. merry xmas to the guy i hit, wherever he is. hope it's not "in traction."