Los Angeles

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I don't care for excuses so I will offer none.  D.C. was a great city to hang out in, although it is, I am sure, a single mile from the Sun.  We didn't get much walking done because it was incredibly hot for almost the entire month we were there.  I'm a big politics junkie so getting to the monuments and all that was a "must do" for me.
Cary Michelle Miller, using her Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO), got us into the Capitol for a great tour.  We even got to sit in the House chamber when it was full of our reps.  I had a good time picking out the ones that I knew.  Our guides said that if you could name 5 member of the House, then you know more than most Americans.

This is Me at the Capitol.  Man, it was so incredibly hot that we could only stay out here for a few moments before we all ran back in for the AC.   It was really busy and there were all kinds of press conferences taking place with SWAT teams all over.  There was a copy of the Magna Carta there as well as statues from every state representing important folk from across America.  There is also a mini subway tram that goes from the Capitol to the huge Congressional offices across the street. It looks like the highest in late '60's technology.  I half expected to see Sean Connery's 007 shooting it out with a bad guy as it started moving.

I managed to get us hooked up with a tour of the White House!  Thas right, I said it.  Deb Fiddelke, who is a Legislative liason, offered to take some of us on an after hours tour of the West Wing.
Lets see, who do we got here from left to right: Brenda, Katie, Renee, Susan, Me, Robin, Autumn, Cary, James, Gwen, with Kevin Duda down in front.  Again it was hot and security was considerable.

Here is Me and the Missus by the Rose Garden.  The Prez makes lots of announcements and ceremonial hoohahs from the stairs just behind us on the right and the Oval Office is right behind that with the glass doors.

Here's a closer shot of the Oval Office doors.  And us.  The President was in Russia so he was unable to say hello.
Did I mention that I'm totally psyched that I figured out how to post pix?

The gang at the door where the muckety-mucks get into the White House.  FYI: if the President is here, there would be a Marine at this door.

Stephen and Robin Patterson.

When we got to the Press Room, I was asked to give an impromptu press conference about the situation in Latin America.  I didn't have my slides but I think I laid out a compelling case for saving the Puffin.

Stephen Patterson hates the Puffin.  Passionately.

As I mentioned before, I'm a political junkie and thus I am a regular watcher of Special Report with Brit Hume.  I figured that I should at least try to invite Brit to the show but I had no illusions that he would actually come.  Well, not only did he come, he came backstage, met my family and then invited me to come sit in on a taping of his show the following week.  I was flabbergashted.  and delighted.

Man, I am smiling like I've been kicked by a horse.  Really, I think he thinks I'm a complete dork.

Susan and Oscar were there that night so we all got in the pic.  The woman with him is his wife, Kim Hume, who is a biggie at the division.  I am still smiling like I've got no sense at all.

I took this photo. Oscar chased this duck for a half an hour.

Susan and Kim Hume during our visit to Fox News.

Flora Balog is Brit's assistant and she is the one who arranged for the Hume's to come to the show as well as for my subsequent visit to their offices.  She gave us out tour and is a complete sweetheart.  Thank you, Flora.  It was the experience that made my time in DC.

She even let me sit at Brit's desk.  I touched nothing.

Me and Brit.  He asked me to read some news but I couldn't.  I'm still smiling like a dweeb.

I'm also a big fan of Fox News Sunday.  They let me sit in on the Panel when we discussed Puffins.  Left to right: Paul Gigot of the Wall Street Journal, Maura Liasson of NPR, Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard, Juan Williams of NPR and, of course, The Brit Master.

I gotta go, I'll post some more later. 

Comments

[Amy]

Great pictures Andrew, thanks for sharing them!

[Eva]

Glad to see that you got some sight seeing in during your month in D.C. So did you guys enjoy your time here in Los Angeles? Loved the show again,you all never disappoint.

[Katie Rose]

Ooo, those are the most wonderful pictures, Mr. V! I especially love the second photo of the whole cast together. Everyone looks so lovely... and handsome! THIS IS SO COOL THAT YOU CAN POST PICTURES! :-D :-D :-D Alright, I have to run and do homework now (school started today, Drama first period, YES!!!!) because I just found out that because of a special summer dance class series I've been taking I get to go watch the "Funny Thing... Forum" dress rehearsal. SWEET!

Can't wait to hear about LA! *wink*

[Leanna]

Great photos, Andrew! You look West Wing worthy. (Steve just looks Red Green worthy. KIDDING.)

[LWfan1]

I think that since you learned to post pictures, you should put some of that trailer trash dress up party you wrote about a while back! Im still curious to see that.

[kk]

We miss you when you don't write!!! and now we're gonna start to miss the pics too...did you say DC is a mile from the sun? i thought DC was THE sun...1000000000000000000 degrees, right?
Thanks for the pix and for writing :)

[Jessica]

Hey, you missed the hottest week of the year!

(I'm as big of a dork as you - I think it's incredibly cool that you got in the briefing room. My coolest DC famous person experience is sitting in the room with a load of Chinese grad students talking to Ted Koppel - I, not being Chinese, did not get to talk to Ted Koppel, I was only there to keep them from getting lost in DC. But it was still really really cool! And I once sold tickets to Scott Pelley and his wife. And I've handed out will call tickets to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which was really cool at the time, but a lot less so than sitting in a small conference room with Ted Koppel while he ranted about the current state of TV news.)

[Ashley Batten]

Hey-Thanks for posting the pics, Andrew! It's always fun reading your blogs! I hope that all is well.

-Ashley Batten

[Ashleigh]

Wow! I saw you guys in Washington D.C. when you came here...you all were AMAZING. I am an aspiring to be an actress, and I admire you all. All the Operatic tragedy coreography must have been hard to learn...I saw a performance when Susan was playing Jo...she made the performance and Musical all together very mermorable...Fantastic Job in all you do! God Bless!!!

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