Day 29

With the threat of rain in the forecast I headed out late morning for as much of a walk as I could get in before bad weather forced me indoors. I walked down to the western end of the National Mall and spent an hour reading the beginning of the last section of William Catton's book _Overshoot: the Ecological Basis for Revolutionary Change_. With clouds growing darker and lower I headed around the Washington Monument, passed the WWII Memorial and down the long reflecting pond to the Lincoln Memorial and sat on the other side of the Vietnam Memorial to continue reading. It is quieter over here but far from private.

Then, since the clouds were still threatening but no rain, I walked back to 17th St NW and up the hill to Pennsylvania Ave and the White House. I spent another hour on the Bernard Baruch 'Bench of Inspiration' in Lafayette Park in front of the White House reading the next chapter in Wright's _A Short History of Progress_, then took the Metro back to the Hill.

My idea of a great afternoon.