Our last full day in our nation’s capital began when Tom’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Wednesday May 18, 2022. Even though we had been in Washington for five days up to that point, I knew my photographer had saved the best for last. He had high hopes of getting me into the Lindy Claiborne Boggs Congressional Women’s Reading Room, which was the original Speaker’s Room inside the Capitol. Once inside the room, the goal was for me to be photographed while I stood on the sofa where John Quincy Adams died in 1848. But in order for that to happen, a couple of stars had to align perfectly. We needed Congresswoman Lisa McClain, Michigan’s 10th District delegate in the House of Representatives, to not only meet up with us somewhere on our tour of the Capitol, but we also needed her to agree to take us into that highly secluded room where the couch has resided since the 1840s. Since my photographer and I aren’t girls, and we aren’t members of Congress, getting into that room could be very tricky.
My companions knew that street parking was available beginning at 9:30am; and that was the exact time we arrived on Constitution Avenue. Once Bob Moldenhauer had the Jeep parked close to the National Museum of American History, the three of us set out on foot to the historic Willard Hotel, which was located roughly two blocks east of the White House. The 12-story Willard has been known for years as “The Residence of the Presidents” because every President since Franklin Pierce has either slept in or attended an event in the hotel at least once.
A couple of very historical events happened within the walls of the Willard. On February 23, 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln was smuggled into the hotel due to assassination threats. Lincoln and his family resided in the Willard until his inauguration on March 4th. A little over a century later, Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in his hotel room at the Willard. When my photographer carried me inside the luxury hotel, I had a dream as well – I wanted to visit the room where Lincoln had stayed. Instead, I was relegated to spend my time in the hotel’s lobby, which was where Ulysses S. Grant drank whiskey and smoked cigars.
After our ten-minute visit inside the lobby of “The Residence of the Presidents” had finished, the three of us hiked back to the front of the National American History Museum, which had just opened its doors at 10am. Hundreds of school kids waited in the long line to get inside the museum. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long before were through the doors, past security, and headed to the second-floor exhibit called ‘American Stories’ that featured a pair of Ruby Slippers worn by Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. All I heard Tom talk about during our walk to that exhibit was: “I sure hope the Scarecrow’s costume is on display this time.”
Not only was Ray Bolger’s ‘Scarecrow’ costume not on display, but it turned out we were lucky to see Dorothy’s famed red sequined shoes at all. The current section where Garland’s slippers have resided for years was shutting down on June 12th and being replaced by an enormous third-floor Smithsonian exhibit called ‘Entertainment Nation’ that will feature the ruby slippers as its centerpiece. Hopefully, if the three of us get the chance to return to that museum, we’ll see all of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ artifacts that are in possession of the Smithsonian.
After we had admired the Ruby Slippers, Tom received two emails on his phone – the first message was from Congresswoman Lisa McClain’s Staff Assistant Ben Danforth and the second was from Vittoria Casey, the Staff Assistant to Congresswoman Sara Jacobs of California. Ben had arranged for the three of us to join a tour of the Capitol led by Casey; and as a bonus, Danforth mentioned that Lisa McClain would try to rendezvous with our group at some point during our tour. Vittoria’s message stated we needed to be in front of the Longworth House Office Building shortly before the scheduled one o’clock start time. When I heard Tom relay the messages to Mongo, I was excited – this was my biggest opportunity yet to get inside the Old Speaker’s Office and stand on the famed John Quincy Adams sofa.
It was only 10:40am, which meant we still had over two hours to meander about the museum before we were scheduled to hook up with Vittoria Casey’s group. Tom and I went up the escalator to the third floor where we did a thorough tour of the exhibit known as ‘The American Presidency’. When we were finished there, we ended our stay at the museum by viewing the historic Star-Spangled Banner flag (where photography was prohibited) and Horatio Greenouth’s famed sculpture of George Washington – both were located on the museum’s second level. Please sit back, grab a cold beverage, and enjoy the images from our tour of the National Museum of American History.
While the Presidential artifacts and the Star-Spangled Banner flag were awesome to see, both my photographer and I were disappointed to discover the Scarecrow’s costume from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was once again not on display. Tom’s sarcastic rant from 2014, where he vented his displeasure on a museum staff member, still resonates in my resin mind: “The most famous and beloved movie in American history is ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and you have the entire Scarecrow costume worn by Ray Bolger and it’s not on display – that’s a crime. First of all, many of the artifacts that you do have in a display case are items that most people don’t care about. And secondly, you have that enormous room dedicated to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and only the Ruby Slippers are displayed in that small case. The rest of that room is empty. There’s no good reason why the Scarecrow costume isn’t on permanent display for everyone to see whenever they come here.”
When we left the National Museum of American History, it was only 11:40am – which meant we had plenty of time to walk halfway across the National Mall to see the Jefferson Pier during the light of day. Pronounced pie-er, the Jefferson Pier was originally constructed in 1804 when President Thomas Jefferson had requested a survey of a new meridian through the President’s House. The three-foot tall granite monolith was positioned directly in line with the center of The White House to the north and the center of the newly constructed United States Capitol to the east.
Once my photographer had huffed and puffed his way around the Washington Monument to the historic pier, he placed me onto the stubby monolith where I posed for a handful of photos. After the first batch of images were taken with the Jefferson Memorial in the background, Tom decided to play chiropractor and adjust my neck for the second series of images with the Washington Monument behind me. As my “doctor” twisted my head to align it with my body, I heard a loud snap, and everything went dark. It turned out the metal spring that kept my head attached to the rest of my body had broken. The first thing that crossed my mind was the fact we were only an hour or two from possibly meeting Congresswoman Lisa McClain inside the Capitol and I was headless. Tom was able to jury-rig my head into place by hooking the broken end of the spring around my neck. Although that temporary fix got me through the photoshoot at the Jefferson Pier, I knew everything felt weak above my shoulders. I was worried – the clock was ticking, and I didn’t want Lisa or our tour group to see me without a head.
After the three of us made the half-mile hike back to the Jeep that was parked along Constitution Avenue, Tom sat in the passenger seat and gave me a thorough examination. That’s the moment he realized his temporary repair that reattached my head wasn’t very secure. As a matter of fact, my head fell off once during the examination. Luckily, my photographer had packed his “Mobile Bobble Head Repair Kit” for the trip and he quickly went to work in the Jeep. With little time and no tools to perform spring replacement surgery, even though we had an incapacitated Abraham Lincoln bobble head with us, Tom fashioned a neck brace out of white medical tape that seemed to stabilize my head.
As the clock ticked towards the one o’clock hour, which was when we were scheduled to meet Vittoria Casey and her group in front of the Longworth House Office Building, Bob had difficulty finding a place to park the Jeep anywhere near Capitol Hill. That’s when I heard Tom’s good friend say: “I will drop you and TJ off in front of the building and I’ll try to find a place to park further away. I can run back to meet you once the Jeep is parked. If I’m not back in time to get on the tour, just go on without me. The main thing is for Jefferson to get inside that Speaker’s room and this may be his only chance to do that.” When I heard that, I thought to myself: “What an amazing gesture; Bob was willing to sacrifice his time inside the Capitol just to make sure a bobble head could stand on a couch. That guy should have a cape on his back and a red ‘S’ on his chest.”
Tom and I stood outside the Longworth Building for what seemed to be an eternity as we anxiously waited to rendezvous with Vittoria. Hundreds of people mingled on the steps; however, my photographer had no way of knowing what she looked like. After a couple of text exchanges with Ben Danforth, who had organized our tour, Tom and Ms. Casey finally met face to face. There were four people with our tour guide, each of whom were from the San Diego area. And the best part of all, Vittoria agreed to wait until Bob joined us.
In 2019, the three of us had taken a guided tour of the Capitol that was led by a staff member from Congressman Paul Mitchell’s office. Unfortunately, because the young man was new to the job, he only led us to the areas inside the Capitol that we could’ve seen even if we had gone into the building unchaperoned. It was the most lackluster tour I’d ever been on and one where my companions knew more about the building than the guide. Because the 2019 tour had left a sour taste in Tom and Bob’s mouths, they were reluctant, at first, to take another guided tour of the Capitol. The single reason they did was for the opportunity to meet Lisa McClain and get me into the Old Speaker’s Room where John Quincy Adams had died.
After Vittoria had led us along the massive underground tunnel that took us from the Longworth House Office Building to the Capitol Visitor Center, it was evident that this tour would be nothing like the one three years earlier. The young guide from California was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and she let us take our time at each stop. Shortly after our tour group had reached the original 19 1/2-foot-tall plaster model of the Statue of Freedom, Tom received a phone call from Ben who said Representative Lisa McClain was on her way to meet us in Emancipation Hall.
My resin heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I heard my photographer say to Bob: “There’s Lisa, she’s walking down the steps to the left of the statue.” As Lisa walked towards our small group, it was as though I heard angels singing and I saw a beam of light shown down from the heavens onto the Congresswoman, who immediately greeted Tom with a hug. After our Representative was introduced to Bob, my photographer held me up for Lisa to meet me; and let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed whatsoever. Lisa carefully held me in both hands, then she planted a huge kiss right on my painted resin lips. That’s right – I kissed a member of the United States Congress inside the Capitol! I had to admit – that moment ranked right up there with meeting Jimmy Carter in person. But then again, the 39th President didn’t give me a smooch on the lips.
After our initial pleasantries had bene exchanged, Lisa said to my photographer: “I’ve heard you’ve asked to get inside the Relaxation Room in Statuary Hall, but unfortunately I’ve been told by that damned Speaker that I can’t bring anyone inside that room.” Tom quickly replied, without thinking: “That b**ch Pelosi, she’s pure evil.” McClain laughed and assured Tom he was absolutely correct. Then my brilliant cameraman had a plan: “Lisa, can you take the bobble head into that room and snap a picture of him standing on the couch where John Quincy Adams died? You’re a member of Congress and you should have easy access to that room; I don’t have to go in there with you. It’s more important to me that Jefferson gets inside and is photographed on that couch. Do you think there’s any chance you’d be willing to do that?” Without any hesitation, the Republican congresswoman agreed that Tom’s plan might work; but Lisa said she would have to wait until she had another break in her packed schedule, which would occur sometime between three and four o’clock. Before she went back to work, I posed with Lisa McClain for a final photo in front of the Statue of Freedom. “Contact Ben; have him make the arrangements of getting the bobble head to me and I’ll get the photo for you.” Then she was gone – headed back to the House Chamber where Congress debated several highly controversial issues.
When our tour resumed, Vittoria led our group to the crypt beneath the Capitol’s Rotunda. After a short visit in the crypt, our group spent a lot of time in the Capitol Rotunda where I posed at several prominent locations. Then we went next door to Statuary Hall, where I got another look at John Quincy Adams’ desk location. And finally, we visited the Old Supreme Court Chamber where Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated on March 4, 1801. The following images were taken by my photographer during our time inside the United States Capitol.
We spent over 90 minutes on the Capitol tour led by Vittoria Casey, who had generously allowed us to tag along with her four visitors from Congresswoman Sara Jacobs’ 53rd District of California, which was in the San Diego area. I found it politically ironic that Jacobs, along with Vittoria, were Democrats, while Lisa McClain and her assistant Ben Danforth, were proud members of the Republican Party. It seemed refreshing that both political affiliates had put away their swords and the three of us were allowed on the bipartisan Capitol tour. I can’t speak for Bob Moldenhauer, but I know my photographer and I classify ourselves as Independent. Tom and I love America and all it stands for, along with its rich history, good and bad. We support anything that will keep our nation prosperous, and we believe it’s still the land of opportunity for every legal American citizen in our land – providing those citizens work hard and obey the law.
Shortly after the three of us returned to the lobby area just inside the front entrance of the Longworth House Office Building, Ben Danforth contacted my photographer and arranged to meet us there. When Danforth arrived about then minutes later, Tom handed Ben a small Nikon camera, along with his camera case with me inside. I was excited and nervous at the same time. After all, I was about to stand on the sofa where John Quincy Adams had died in 1848. However, it was also the first time I had ever been taken to a Presidential site without my photographer anywhere in the vicinity. I started to feel separation anxiety set in.
After what seemed to be an eternity, I heard a woman’s voice say: “Thank you Ben for arranging this. I need to hurry into the room and get the picture as quickly as possible – I’m expected back at the House deliberations in fifteen minutes. Please wait for me outside this door, this shouldn’t take very long at all.” At first, I couldn’t tell for sure who was talking because everything was dark inside the camera case. Suddenly, the top of the case opened; I saw it was Lisa McClain and she stood directly in front of the historic green upholstered box sofa. But when Lisa picked me up and was about to place me on the couch, a security person arrived and informed the Congresswoman that no one was allowed to take pictures in that room under any circumstances. McClain didn’t argue; she closed the top of the case over me and left the room – my dreams were dashed in a matter of seconds. In my mind, I envisioned it was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who ordered her Winky Guard to stop Lisa from taking the picture. Then I heard Pelosi cackle: “I’ll get you, my pretty; and your little bobble head, too!”
At roughly 4:10pm, I was safely back in the hands of my photographer. Ben Danforth had an intern carry me, along with the camera and case, to the front of the Longworth Building where Tom and Bob anxiously awaited. There was no doubt my camera guy was extremely disappointed, especially when I heard him say to Mongo: “Well, that’s likely the last chance Jefferson will ever have of being photographed on that couch. I just don’t understand why security would prevent Lisa from taking one picture of a couch. She is a member of Congress and there are photos and videos of that room’s interior on the internet. When Lisa gets re-elected later this year, hopefully there will be a new Speaker of the House who is a Republican, and perhaps we can try to get Jefferson into that room again.”
It took about 20 minutes for the three of us to hike from the Longworth Building to where Bob had parked the Jeep, and then another half hour for Mongo to make the five-mile drive in heavy traffic back to our Comfort Inn in Arlington, Virginia. I nearly lost my head from laughter when I heard my companions discuss dinner ideas; especially when they decided to once again get carry-out from the nearby China House, the same Chinese Restaurant they had ordered their dinner from two nights earlier. But this time was different, at least for my photographer. Instead of Sweet and Sour Chicken, he took a ride on the wild side and ordered Pepper Steak. However, Bob’s takeout dinner was identical to his Tuesday’s meal. Once again, Mongo ordered the Chicken with Cashew Nuts.
When my companions had finished dinner, they decided the three of us would head back into D.C. and visit the Capitol at night. But first, before I went anywhere, I needed some immediate medical attention. The tape around my neck no longer held my head in place and I looked like a circus side-show freak. Even though we were leaving Washington in the morning, we still had two full days of sightseeing left on the trip and I was expected to pose for dozens of photos. I surely didn’t want to do that without a head!
“Doctor Tom” grabbed the tube of Gorilla Glue from the Mobile Bobble Head Repair Kit and he applied a drop of glue to my exposed neck. Then he pushed my head into position and held it there for roughly five minutes. It worked; although my head didn’t bobble because the spring was still broken. Thankfully, my resin melon was once again secured to my body, but I didn’t know for how long. It seems as though Gorilla Glue, or Super Glue, doesn’t always work as advertised on TV. As a matter of fact, people’s fingers seem to stick together better than the broken pieces.
At 7:50pm, we boarded the Jeep and headed for the United States Capitol. Traffic was lighter than it was earlier in the afternoon and parking on Capitol Hill, at least on 3rd Street SW, was a non-issue. Once parked, it was a fairly long hike for Tom and Bob to get around the Capitol Reflecting Pool and to the north side of the building. And wouldn’t you know it – seconds after my photographer had pulled me out of the camera case for my first posed photo near the Capitol, my head fell off and landed in the soft grass. Thankfully, Tom had stepped off the sidewalk a short distance as he aligned the Capitol’s massive dome with an opening in the trees. Had my resin head bounced off the sidewalk instead of landing gently in the lawn, my life, for all intents and purposes, would have come to a screeching halt.
Because of my head situation, I didn’t have a chance to enjoy the beautiful Capitol at night. And maybe it was a good thing I couldn’t view the building up close. The images of the January 6th riots are permanently burned into my memory, and I will never forget, nor forgive, those who violated the sanctity of our historic Capitol. I also hope that whoever was responsible for organizing that riot, whether it’s one person, or a multitude of people, receive the most severe punishment allowed by law. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for, and I support, peaceful protests that are guaranteed under the United States Constitution. But what happened on January 6, 2021 was not a peaceful protest. It was an out-of-control riot that not only did damage to our Capitol, but it was also meant to inflict harm to some of our elected officials and law enforcement officers inside that building. In a sense, it was a terrorist attack on our democracy; an attack not seen in our nation since September 11, 2001. The big difference was the 9/11 attacks came from foreign terrorists. The January 6th attack was carried out by so-called Americans. I have an idea: Perhaps anyone convicted of doing damage to the Capitol on January 6th, or they carried a weapon into the building, or they injured someone on the Capitol grounds that day, should have their United States citizenship permanently revoked. Let those terrorists find a better place to call home, because it’s obvious to me they don’t like our rules.
The three of us left Capitol Hill around 9:00pm and we made it back to the Jeep fifteen minutes later. The six-mile drive back to the hotel must’ve gone quickly as Tom began surgery on my broken neck just before 10pm. Even though it seemed good to be able to see and hear again, I saw the concerned look on my photographer’s face after he attempted to secure my head in place for the night. As a matter of fact, I heard Tom say to his friend: “I’m not confident the Gorilla Glue will hold for the rest of the trip. I need to find a WalMart and buy some Tak. That sticky stuff worked well when Jefferson’s head came off in 2013 and I’m positive it will work better than the Gorilla Glue.”
Tom extinguished the lights in the room around 11pm. It was an extremely uncomfortable night for me. After the surgical procedure was finished, my photographer placed me upside down with my neck secured tightly between two pillows for stability while the glue cured throughout the night.
Our last day in Washington D.C. had been a long one for the three of us; but overall, it was an amazing day. In the past, I’ve heard of people spending Spring Break in our nation’s capital; but I never dreamt my spring would break there as well. While I was never photographed standing on the box sofa where John Quincy Adams had died, at least I got to see that elusive and historic piece of furniture. And that was all made possible by our hard-working and respected Congresswoman Lisa McClain, who came through on her promise she made to my photographer when he met her at a rally in St. Clair in August 2020. The highlight of the day? I kissed a member of Congress, and I liked it! Hopefully, I didn’t smell or taste like fish.
**NOTE** This post is dedicated to Lisa McClain, Michigan’s 10th district representative in the United States House of Representatives. Lisa had taken time out of her busy day on Capitol Hill to meet Tom, Bob, and me inside the Capitol. “Thank you, Lisa, for your time, effort, and dedication to your constituents!”
Another great day in DC. We saw a lot of new places and revisited some of our favorite ones. The Capitol tour was wonderful, many thanks for setting that up and thanks to Vittoria for waiting for me to get there! Wrapping up our day by visiting the Capitol after dark was a perfect way to finish.