Where should we go today?

The Beffi Triptych (early 15th century)

Well ... the PLAN was to go to the Diocesan Pilgrimage up at the National Shrine -- in honor of Our Lady Cause of Our Joy, getting there in plenty of time at attend Mass with our good Bishop Loverde.  We love going to the Shrine and Mass with the Bishop is always a delight.

However ... we didn't count on Saturday traffic on I95 -- it took over two hours for us to get into D.C. which would make us miss at least half of Mass!  Bummer. 

But, famous for making lemonade out of lemons, my dh suggested we make our own pilgrimage to the National Gallery of Art ... visiting the amazing (and quite varied) Marian art from the 14th to the 18th century.  We're talking Fra Lippi, Della Robbia ... gorgeous stuff.  We prayed the Rosary in the van, coming and going, and prayed especially for the intentions of Bishop Loverde.

In addition, there is a traveling exhibit, here until November 1st, that the boys have been wanting to see:  The Art of Power.  This exhibit has armor from 1500-1675 from Imperial Spain.  But more than just armor, the exhibit includes tapestries and paintings that link the real armor to other pieces of art.  It's hard to imagine the glorious art and craftsmanship in the armor, the skill of the metal-craftsman that could make the armor look like cloth!  Wow!

We were also able to get inches away from the Beffi Triptych on loan from Italy to the United States as a thank you for our helping when they had the horrible earthquakes in the Abruzzo region in April 2009. 

A quick trip to the Cascade Cafe in the basement (between the East and West Buildings) and our absolute FAVORITE lunch spot on the Mall ... and we were home in time to catch most of the Alabama/Ole Miss game ... and prep for the BIG game tonight Florida at LSU!

Life is good!