Monday, April 17, 2006

White House Lawns

I got to participate in the 125 year-old White House tradition of the Easter Egg Roll. Just after the Civil War, Washingtonian children played on the steep, grassy terraces that surrounded the Capitol building. Once the children determined that the perfect use for their Easter eggs involved rolling them down the hills and splatting egg bits everywhere, some congressmen retaliated by passing an Act of Congress that said no part of the Capitol grounds could be used as a playground. So a nice fella named Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy decided to open up their home, the White House, to these joyful games. And the tradition continues as children push their eggs with plastic spoons to race to the finish. (Adapted from the White House Easter Egg Roll Program, 2006).

It was postively brilliant except for the freezing rainy conditions. I took my picture with PBS cartoon character Caillou, saw Laura and George W. up close, took a picture of Jack Hannah, pet a dingo and an alligator, and escorted a few middle schoolers (who were too cool for school) around. And I was part of the 1st group too, so we got first dibs on pretty much everything. The rain definitely put a damper on a few things, but that didn't stop me from being in total awe of my surroundings and of the cool tradition in which I was partaking. I'm a total sucker for Americana. And Latin Americana too. But that's a story for another day.

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