Baltimore and Back

Okay, so now that I have been home long enough to thoroughly digest my trip to the east coast. So... I wish I had pictures to post, but I FORGOT my camera. I know. Lame. Lame Lame.

The trip however, was not lame. Koodos out to my wonderful Mr. Jake Ortiz who made it all possible.

As a preface: Jake and I started seeing each other at the beginning of March (ish...). And, he is starting school out here in Utah this May. Yay! But, we had to do the long distance thing for a while. I really wanted to see his home territory, and I really wanted to see him. Solution?.... You guess it-- a rather long flight across the country to the beautiful (an rather dynamic city of Baltimore, Maryland).

I might also preface with this new discovery: I LOVE the east coast. Oh, beautiful OLD houses around every corner, streets that make you so lost, rolling green pastures, cobbled streets, narrow roads with quaint little fences, beautiful old trees, and ... did I mention the cute little old houses that are literally everywhere?

We spent that first evening off the plane at the inner habour in baltimore. Gorgeous, and delicious. The little boats all moored in their, and even the larger traditional ships that were anchored there just for show. There was evidence of a rich artistic culture everywhere, and the buildings were a unique combo of old and brick, with all different sized windows and wooden doors, and new with odd angles and lots of modern lines and glass and metal. In short, the effect was simply breathtaking.

The next day was also one that was a lot of taking in all at once. We took the metro from Rockville to DC... right to "the mall" where the smithsonian museums were. We went to two of them-- the art museum and the museum of natural history. There was a gorgeous live display of the most lovely and fragrant orchids in the museum of natural history. I loved it. Not to mention all of the gemstones and diamonds and beautiful ancient jewellry there, or the elephants and cheetas and pandas and whale bones. The art museum was quieter, a bit more refined, and a LOT less dirty. Jake bought me a simple porcelain crane--it looks like and origami paper crane, but made out of glass-- all white. It is so beautiful. I still don't get tired of looking at it.
DC was a little mucky and very full of people. It didn't stop raining while we were there, but it did stop by the time we had made it to the DC temple.

A moment on the temple: Set on a hill, and so tall it could be a fortress, the golden spires reach toward heaven like the simple majesty of a child's faith. It is unadorned and without pretense, but so pure and white and simple that it somehow captures your attention and makes you look again. The only color to be found is on either end of the center spires-- beautiful stained glass windows that carry the colors of light toward heaven. At night, the light from the inner rooms glow out of these thin windows like a modest young girl whose appearance might ask you look, and see, and wonder, but would never force your gaze. But once you look, you can't stop your eyes from travelling back and looking again, and again, and again. And every time, your appreciation of the loveliness before you somehow makes you wonder how you never saw her in the first place. Such is the exquisite effect of this house of the Lord.

That night, we made it back to Jake's home early enough to meet his family-- such a good and comfortable environment. I loved it. But I was also super tired, and so it was no surprise when Jake, his brother William, and I all fell asleep during the movie we put in.

The next day was calmer-- slower. We both needed it. But we went to Frederick-- to a lovely place downtown with painted bridges. The bridges look like the are made of stone, but they are only painted that way, and many stones have pictures "carved" into them. There were about four bridges there, and each one was different. I think my favorite was the one with the wrought leaves and flowers-- all black, with lanterns on the ends. It was very pretty.

The other events of the trip I think I would rather keep to myself. I will say it was worth the time-- and hopefully Jake thought it worth the money. It really was a whole different America, one that I wouldn't mind seeing over and over and over again. Simply lovely.