We Won! Fight Finished!
Girlfriends celebrate
Yes, that's me and my girlfriend doing a selfie. No, we're not very good at taking them. Since we don't do the constant millennial selfie dance, we just have to live with what we got. At least our wrinkles don't show.
For the three of you out there who haven't heard, the Washington Nationals won the World Series last week and this town is wild about it. After 95 years, D. C. finally has the trophy. It was like a lottery win we all get to share in. I had to join the celebration in person - to be one of those happy people in a sea of red NATS hats and shirts at the welcome home parade for the team.
Justine and I had perfect timing, jumping on a blue line metro at noon, none too soon for a parade starting at 2 PM. By the time we cleared the exit at Federal Triangle, we had "Fight Finished" posters to wave (all through the series, the hometown crowds waved "Finish the Fight" posters), a souvenir sweatshirt for Justine to wear and a flapping banner for me to brandish.
Following the building crowd, we walked to 12th & Constitution and found strategically placed good room just behind a gaggle of fans right at the crowd barriers. Those smarties arrived at noon to get those coveted views. I could actually see between two rather tall and wide people, if I leaned and stretched just right. Since the players were on the upper of double decker buses, everyone could at least get a glimpse of the returning heroes.
The best news for me personally was that the folks in front of us had brought folding chairs that created a breathing space, preventing my crowd claustrophobia from setting in. The last time I contracted it was in the 1980's when, in Paris on Bastille night, I got lost in a sea of humanity of which hundreds were throwing fire crackers into a watching the crowd of thousands. I looked at my companion, bug eyed and yelled, "GET ME OUT OF THIS NOW!!" And, she did.
Anyway back to the Nationals celebration. It was totally out of character for me, but I went with the whole affair completely.