Mrs. Gorn Goes to Washington

First time for me to our nation's Capital! Finally! And very impressive. It was an impacting, quick trip, and a bit challenging with the 4-hour time difference from Alaska. I definitely felt like I belonged to and represented an American place far far removed from the stately buildings, powerful tones and go-get-em pace I sensed around me.

I flew in pretty late and could spot the Washington Monument and Capital alit from the airplane coasting into Reagan National. I haven't been

awed and impressed like that in quite some time. Did Dan Brown and his Lost Symbol cross my mind? Possibly!

The reason for going, thanks to work, was a National Leadership Forum in National Harbor, MD, just south of the main D.C. hub bubs. It was a long shot last fall, but I submitted two proposals to present during the break-out workshops. One of two was accepted and so began the preparation, work and trip planning to participate.

CADCA focuses on coalition work to build drug-free communities. I learned in federal town

hall meetings, right from the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Assistant Secretary of Health for the Department of Health and Human Services, and others, about concerning substance abuse trends in the U.S. Ever hear of "Bath Salts?" In Alaska I hadn't, but it's the new hallucinative item for teens to abuse. Prescription medication abuse is the DEA's biggest concern nationally, as well as states legalizing medical marijuana. I especially cheered the head of NIDA proclaiming prevention work must be culturally-relevant! Hurray-that's what we do and strive to do well. My presentation also went well and I felt it was a full room of engaged folks. A nice gentlemen introduced himself before I started. He just wanted to say that he chose my session because he and his wife have their first trip to AK planned in May and he figured he could learn a couple of things before heading our way!

The impressive and massive Gaylord Convention Center and hotel which hosted the conference.

This view is from my hotel room, where I stayed elsewhere to save a few shekels.

I really enjoyed what I learned at this conference with 2,799 other participants. I was glad to connect with a Nome acquaintance, now working in Bethel. Rahnia and I hooked up for company and exploration during the short week. Also, I had plenty of convo time to learn about impressive work from my fellow Alaskan. Thanks Rahnia!

We had an "interim" day in the week and used it to explore a small piece of our American history. A tour of the Capitol was so interesting and not busy given the time of year to visit.

Images from the Rotunda--"out of many, one."

History and modern times combine, below

So here's my funny story from that day. Rahnia and I land at the Smithsonian Castle after much walking. We warm up, rest our feet, check our phones and then I make my way to a friendly volunteer regarding which Museum to visit for the next few hours. He goes through the options and I'm thinking "American History Museum." Before walking away, decided, I ask the older man, "Do I get my tickets here or over at the Museum?" He replies with a hint of a smile, "Do you pay taxes?" Confused I say yes and then he sticks out his hand to shake mine, and with a full smile, proclaims: "Congrats! The Smithsonian is free!" Jokes on me! I never suspected such amazing property was available to the public absolutely free. I figured I'd just pony up the $30 for the two hours available us. We all laughed as my face burned red. I guess we get something for taxes after all! haha! We conquered American History and ducked into Natural History too for a glimpse at the Hope Diamond. Incredible thing about this time of year is the lack of people. No lines, no crowds.

Which made my second viewing of the Smithsonian's Ruby Slippers a bit anti-climatic. As we know, my fave movie, The Wizard of Oz, made several pairs of the slippers for Judy Garland/Dorothy. I had quite the ordeal back in the fall of 1996 (following the performance of our school musical's Sunday matinee) to view those same slippers in St. Paul. If you want the story, just ask and I'll elaborate. This second viewing was simpler, required less creativity and energy, but was just as special to see. (someday I'll branch out and eyeball one of the other existing shoes.) As for seeing the rest of our nation's Capital, well.....it's high on our destination list, sans work. Another highlight was reconnecting, too briefly, with my high school friend, Ben, at an Irish pub! Benny and I have been in many theatre productions together in our young days, and often our families carpooled to get us to rehearsals before we got drivers' licenses. You can enjoy Ben's blog linked on our site as "Ben's Talking Pictures." So this trip triggered quite a bit of personal history with collective history. Pretty nifty how that intertwines.

*Amy