Weekend in DC
My decision this week – spending time with my daughter in the Nation’s Capital
If you’d like these posts delivered directly to you, subscribe to the Decisions newsletter now!
Me and my daughter Monroe (credit: Ben Fishman)
Darth Vader Grotesque
This may seem like an odd title heading, but this is actually a feature of the National Cathedral in Washington DC; my daughter Monroe and I visited it this weekend. From the Fun Facts page: [1][2]
There are 112 gargoyles
215 stained glass windows
Over 220 people are interred in the Cathedral, including President Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller
150,000 tons of limestone in the Cathedral
Over 1,200 stone grotesques
And one of the grotesques is a sculpture of Darth Vader.
From the Wikipedia description: [3]
Washington National Cathedral (credit: Monroe Farris)
The Darth Vader grotesque is one of many grotesques that are part of the National Cathedral's rain control system. The grotesques deflect rainwater by bouncing it off the tops of their heads and away from the stone walls.
In the 1980s, during the construction of the northwest tower, a children's competition was run by National Geographic World to draw grotesques for the building. Christopher Rader won third-place, with his drawing of Star Wars villain Darth Vader. The head was sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter and the stonecarver was Patrick J. Plunkett. The Darth Vader grotesque is difficult to see with the naked eye, and binoculars are generally needed to spot it. It is located on the north side of the cathedral. Other winning designs were a raccoon, a girl with pigtails and braces, and a man with large teeth and an umbrella.
Here's a short video about the National Cathedral. [4]
Update: National Guard Follow-up
Last week, I wrote about the ICE raids in Ventura County, [5] and prior to that, I highlighted the federalization of 4,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles. [6]
The deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles is deeply unpopular, and from reporting in The New York Times, this is resulting in low morale among these Guard members and questions about whether the deployment has been effective. From the New York Times story: [7]
The level of public and private scorn appears to have taken a toll on the National Guard deployment to Los Angeles that President Trump announced last month, citing protests over immigration raids. Interviews with nearly two dozen people — including soldiers and officers as well as officials and civilians who have worked closely with the troops — show that many members of the Guard are questioning the mission. The deployment’s initial orders to quell scattered protests have given way to legally disputed assignments backing up federal immigration agents.
…
Not all the Latino soldiers who spoke with The Times objected to the mission. One Hispanic commander from the Central Valley said that his grandparents came to the United States legally and that he felt no conflict. He noted, however, that National Guard soldiers must obey orders either way.
Other Latino soldiers have raised formal and informal objections.
In one incident that several soldiers said occurred early in the deployment, 60 troops were awaiting transport to planned immigration raids in Ventura County when a Latino soldier approached officers in charge of the mission. He told them that he strongly objected, and he offered to be arrested rather than take part in the operation. Eventually, they said, he was reassigned to administrative tasks. Officials at the military’s Northern Command declined to comment about the incident.
…
On the base, soldiers said, they received riot training, reviewed battlefield maneuvers and drilled to leap from their cots and gear up at a moment’s notice. But mostly, they said, they lounged in warehouse-sized tents, listening to music and playing games on their cell phones. Only about 400 of the 3,882 deployed Guard members had actually been sent on assignments away from the base, Guard figures showed.
From the book jacket: [8]
A collection of over 75 patent illustrations for functioning spacecraft and spaceflight technologies, designed by amateurs, hobbyists, sci-fi enthusiasts, engineers, and cranks. Ranging from “somewhat plausible” to “completely off the wall,” these drawing beautifully capture the delicious optimism of the space age. In the years between Sputnik and Challenger, sitting in your garage drafting a design for, say, a rotating spacecraft that produced an electric dipole on four rotating spherical conducting domes seemed not just like an interesting hobby, but an obligation to the future of humankind.
GIF Game
The Nation’s Capital
Notes and Sources
[1] “Fun Facts,” Washington National Cathedral, retrieved July 19, 2025, https://cathedral.org/discover/fun-facts/
[2] “The Cathedral at a Glance,” Washington National Cathedral, retrieved July 20, 2025, https://cathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tour-Guide-English-.pdf
[3] “Darth Vader grotesque,” Wikipedia, retrieved July 19, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Vader_grotesque
[4] “About Washington National Cathedral,” YouTube, retrieved July 29, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/embed/oE8bWc0ljJQ?si=x1JfLAkvEeZXSL42
[5] Mic Farris, “Resistance in Ventura County,” July 12, 2025, https://www.micfarris.com/articles/resistance-in-ventura-county
[6] Mic Farris, “Battles in an Uncivil War,” June 7, 2025, https://www.micfarris.com/articles/battles-in-an-uncivil-war
[7] Shawn Hubler, “Trump’s National Guard Troops Are Questioning Their Mission in L.A.,” New York Times, July 16, 2025, https://nytimes.com/2025/07/16/us/trump-national-guard-california.html
[8] Andy Sturdevant, The Outer Periphery, 50 Watts Books / Birchwood Palace Industries, Philadelphia, 2025.
Decisions with Mic Farris
Seek Truth. Honor Differences.
