The National Cathedral

This morning we drove up Massachusetts Avenue (nicknamed Embassy Row) to the Washington National Cathedral. The drive alone was interesting, past embassies for countries like India, Zambia, Brazil and Venezuela. It was pouring rain, so when we got to the cathedral we didn't spend much time outside.

The Washington National Cathedral is part of the Episcopal diocese of Washington, but it is open to people of all faiths and many clergymen of varying faiths have preached from its pulpit, including Billy Graham, Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last sermon here, less than a week before his death. Though national figures are buried here (like Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller) and U.S. presidents have worshiped here, the church has never received any government funding. Construction began on the building in 1907 and was not entirely completed until 1990, though part of the building was in use many years before its completion.

As the sixth largest cathedral in the world, this is truly an awe-inspiring structure. It is a Gothic design and is full of art, sculpture and stained glass windows. On the outside are many, many gargoyles, all done in a whimsical style. There's even one with the head of Darth Vader, to represent evil.

When we first arrived this morning, we were sent up to the upper cloister, a narrow hallway four stories above ground with windows looking out on the surrounding area. All of the outside pictures above were taken from this upper walkway (not to worry, it's entirely enclosed). As we walked through this narrow passage we noticed that there were stones that were engraved to the memory of different people (presumably purchased to help raise funds for the cathedral). I was very surprised to come upon one with the following inscription:

In memory of

Josephine Wheelwright Rust

1864-1931

And Her Son

Gwinn Wheelwright Rust

1899-1933

Now I have yet more research to do to find out if these people are related to us. I'm guessing they are descended from the New England Wheelwrights, but it would be interesting to know for sure.

This afternoon we drove (through torrential rain) to Colonial Williamsburg, and tonight we ate dinner at the Fat Canary, where we ate once three years ago--a most fabulous culinary experience. Rand and I both had seafood, a very sweet reminder of the years we lived in the Pacific Northwest.