After the Vegas trade show Vanessa flew home and Drena and I went on vacation to Washington, Philadelphia and NYC. At the show I was introduced by Paul's to one of his new stockists who said “if you ever come to Washington let me know” I said we will be there next week. Well Bill organized a tour of a senate office and the Capitol building and the Smithsonian Gem and Mineral collection.

From the Top left, the Library of Congress, The Capitol building from the front of the Russel Senate building and a stair case inside it.  We went on one of the underground tram / trains you see on the movies from the senate building to the Capitol, a Senator joined us on the way there.  To be a US senator you must be more than 6 foot 3. 

The amazing thing is just how accessible all this area is to the general public. We were able to enter and sit for as long as we liked in the Senate – Teddy Kennedy was rambling on about all sorts of injustices, but it seems the senators do not need to be present for each others presentations- only for voting etc – so Teddy was talking to himself. He would make a great auctioneer. Our guide Kate had graduated a few months before in political science and law and was on a 4 month sucondment. She had written a couple of papers that her boss, Senator Gordon Smith from Oregon Washington State had presented. The statue of an Hawaiian King is bronze and solid gold, it weighs so much they could not put it out in the main dome hall where all the other State statues were; it had to be near the wall over a pillar on the floor below.