The coolest part about this photo is the story that goes with it. I took it on a Sunday, after we Washingtonians had enjoyed a beautiful, day-long snowfall on Saturday--the kind of snowfall that you think is just too perfect to last all day, but a part of you secretly believes that it will keep going late into the night, just long enough to make the busyness of life slow down a little bit. It's during these snowfalls that neighbors actually meet and talk to one another, and a busy street like Constitution Ave. becomes a crunchy, white-coated lane just perfect for walking straight down the center without any fear of a car coming for at least five minutes.
Three friends and I donned our warmest winter gear and snow boots, and headed out onto the National Mall for a view of our now-white city. There were a few people on the Mall exploring and enjoying the snow, just like us. Some people were cross country skiing, some were even snowshoeing. We were touched by the sunset that slowly developed, its colors growing more and more intensely dramatic with each minute. As we stood at the reflecting pool, the Lincoln Memorial to our right was positioned slightly in front of the sun, making the backdrop/sunset look even more impressive. To our left, we saw the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol at the very far end.
One of my friends suddenly noticed a sight that caused all of us to instantly draw in our breath and stop moving. There, right at the end of the reflecting pool, just before the World War II Memorial, a young man was down on one knee in the snow, proposing to a woman who was holding his head in her hands. I somehow thought quickly enough to pull out my camera, zoom in and take a picture of the moment. We caught up with the tearful couple a few minutes later (she said yes!) so I could get an email for one of them so that they, too, could have the moment forever recorded in memory AND in print. Talk about a story for their grandchildren someday... I'll post the picture in a minute.
