Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Wood Between the Worlds

It's possible that I visited a magical in-between place this past weekend. Possible, but not probable. I mean the place really is an in-between, but who knows if it connects you to the realms of other worlds? Wouldn't that be wonderful? But before I get ahead of myself, let me explain:

In the spirit of checking things off our DC list, JB and I decided to explore Teddy Roosevelt Island and then to locate the DC version of the Bermuda Triangle: the mysterious place that allows one to actually park & walk around the Iwo Jima Memorial & the Netherlands Carillon (hint: take the 110/Jefferson Davis Highway between 395 & 66).

Teddy Roosevelt Island is located on the Potomac River between the Georgetown/Kennedy Center Waterfront area & Rosslyn, VA. It is place lost in time and can only be visited via a footbridge along the George Washington Parkway, and once you step onto one of the island's trails, it's easy to forget that you're anywhere near a city. You follow footpaths and boardwalks all around the swampy island, spotting skittish blue tailed lizards and jumpy forest toads (and if you're lucky, some deer friends, but alas, we were not on the VIP list that day).


 ^^just how thrilled does he look to be in this picture? Overjoyed.^^
 ^^the last glimpse of the real world for awhile^^

And then eventually, you meander onto this clearing paved in stones and granite honoring the protector of our land, Teddy Roosevelt.

It is eerie, especially when no one else is around. Eerie, but beautiful. And this is where my imagination and reality actually merged, because this clearing in the woods had two murky, stagnant fountains, perfect for jumping between worlds. I half expected to see Digory & Polly emerge from one of the fountains with their hands jammed in their pockets. If CS Lewis had been an American, I would have thought this memorial inspired his in-between place connecting Earth, Charn, & Narnia in The Magician's Nephew, but as we all know, he wasn't, so maybe instead the memorial connects to one of those magical fountains?? One can only dream.

Moral of the story: magic is real. my imagination heavily enhances my life and makes me longwinded. Clearly.


 ^^fyi, I looked & there were no buttons in the fountains. But there are presidential seals on the feet of the fountains. Teddy's gettin' fancy^^

Onto the DC-Bermuda Triangle, where you can't get much better views of the DC panorama than from this hill housing the Iwo Jima Memorial & Netherlands Carillon. Sad to say our real camera didn't tag along on this trip, but with views like that, it's on our list to revisit. As for this forgotten Netherlands Carillon, it was given to the US in thanks to the relationship our two countries forged during WWII while their country was under Nazi control. The Carillon contains 50 bells, all inscribed with with emblems representing different groups in Dutch society, and is guarded by two lions overlooking a field of thousands of tulips (aka I will be visiting next spring to see those beauties in all their glory). 


^^one of those rare times that rust is beautiful^^

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