Americana
Yesterday we played at a a BBQ for the White House Historical Association and friends at the Decatur House. It held that wonderful smell of a burning grill, ice cold lemonade, and the small town community feel that is often associated with the word.
A special guest graced us all with his presence. The Nationals newest running president, Calvin Coolidge, stood among the crowd - serving as our conductor, dancing to our beats, and giving great high fives.
As we walked outside, we started thinking about where we were. Steps from the White House, the Decatur House has its own interesting history. In 1818 Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr. and his wife Susan built the first private residence in the White House neighborhood. Over time it would house prominent foreign and American dignitaries and even serve for a period as the unofficial residence of the Secretary of State.
The contemporary function of the Decatur House is equally interesting. It now houses the National Center for White House History, a research and educational institute devoted to understanding the history of the White House.
In fact, the work of the White House Historical Association opened our eyes to a past president and his role in a quintessential American sport - our buddy Calvin Coolidge and baseball!
And so our Americana afternoon was complete - BBQ, presidents, baseball and history. We thought we were going to the Decatur House to give them a taste of our music, but to our surprise they gave us a taste of our country.