Oct 9, 2009

Bloggers Where They Belong...With Books


 (From left to right:  Trish of Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'; my mom, Pat, who sometimes blogs here at Savvy Verse & Wit; Me; Amy from My Friend Amy; Nicole from Linus's Blanket; Gayle from Everyday I Write the Book; and Jill from Rhapsody in Books)

It's been more than a week since I headed into Washington, D.C. from suburban Maryland to meet with fellow bloggers at the Library of Congress for a guided tour.  But I thought since I had the time and the space this week, I'd share some thoughts about the tour.

First, we had a tough time finding each other, though I had the whole family unit along with me, except for my husband who showed up later on after work.  But once Jill got the great idea to call my cell and see who picked it up, everything went more smoothly.

We met our soft-spoken guide, who was so knowledgeable about the Library of Congress and its history that I thought she must have been there when it was built.  Needless to say, the tour was very detailed, particularly in the main hall with its architecture, sculptures, floor designs, and artwork.

You can see our guide next to Nicole and pointing straight ahead.  While I can't say I was riveted, my dad had a lot to add to the conversation.  I tried to keep focused.

The bibles copied by hand and movable type were fascinating and differences were nearly imperceptible.  It was great to meet Gayle in person since we haven't seemed to meet before and we live in the same area.  It was great to see Trish, Amy, and Nicole again, and it was great to meet Jill, who was very friendly and great to talk to.  I know Jill made my mom's day; she was a bit nervous about meeting all these bloggers who are younger than her.

The highlight for me was learning about how to become a reader at the Library of Congress, which is free and only requires a pass.  I also enjoyed learning that I could read Thomas Jefferson's books even though they are displayed in an exhibit case.  The books are meant to be read!!!

I leave you with a photo of the fountain outside the Library of Congress.  I believe I took this one, but it could have been my husband.



24 comments:

Jeannie said...

Sorry you all had a hard time finding each other. Looks like you had a great time once you did meet up. That's a great picture. You look so happy!

Melody said...

Great post, Serena! It's so great meeting fellow bookbloggers, especially when you've came to know about them and already call them as friends! :)

Thanks for sharing with us!

Literary Feline said...

How fun! I am glad you were able to meet up with several other bloggers for the tour, Serena. Thank you for sharing the photos.

Anonymous said...

wow, what a beautiful library. Great pics Serena, I wish I could be there to meet all these wonderful bloggers too.

Veens said...

Wow! That's so cool! Meeting the bloggers and getting to know the Library of Congress!! It looks so much FUN!

Thank u for sharing this!

Sandy Nawrot said...

Oooh, we always love photos! I think it is great that you all were able to hook up, and I giggle when I imagine what it must have been like to find each other. It is one thing when you have met them before, but if you haven't, you are left standing there imagining what a book blogger looks like!

Anna said...

I'm glad you all had a great time. I would've been there, too, if I hadn't had to work. Thanks for sharing the pics.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Julie P. said...

What a fantastic picture of all your blogging buddies! I wish I could have joined you!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

It looks like in your picture some stranger joined the group because MY picture of bloggers doesn't have that person in it! :--)

I *love* the picture of the fountain outside the LOC. Oddly, I don't even remember seeing it! (I wonder if the stranger person saw it!)

Melanie said...

This librarian in jealous. The closest I have been to LC is the statues outside. I am dying to get inside.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

It's so great to see pictures of fellow book lovers. Sounds like once you met, things were fun. thanks for sharing.

Booklogged said...

What a neat experience. Someday I'm going to come to D.C. for this.

I have an award for you on my blog.

Luanne said...

Oh Serena!

How cool to be able to access all those wonderful books from the past. What a great post and how cool that you all met up together!!

Louise said...

What a great post. I love Washington, but even though I lived there for a year, I never visited Library of Congress. Also, how wonderful to meet those bloggers :-)

Belle said...

What lovely pictures! It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

Unknown said...

Sounds like an interesting day with some great people! I love matching faces to blogs :)

Jenners said...

How fun!!! I loved looking at the photo of all of you!! I "know" almost everybody!!!

Anonymous said...

You should get a pass to be a reader. And then post about it. That way I could live vicariously through your blog. Again.

Thanks for sharing...it looks like you all had fun!

Ladytink_534 said...

Oh looks like tons of fun!

Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) said...

I'll just reiterate what everyone else has said, I guess: looks like a ton of fun! Very jealous!

avisannschild said...

Sounds like you guys had a great time. How fun to meet up with so many other bloggers! Thanks for sharing the pics with us!

Monica (aka monnibo) said...

So jealous!! Looks like you had a lot of fun though. :)

The Bookworm said...

wow thats very cool! great photos!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

3m said...

Wow, sounds like you had a wonderful time! I haven't been to DC yet (shame on me), but I'll definitely go to the Library of Congress when I go.

Thanks so much for sharing.