D.C. SECURITY

WASHINGTON D.C. - I guess you'd get used to it.

Security, of course, is a worldwide concern. And we have our share in Canada. But when you take a picture of the White House it seems weird to look and see secret service types on the roof.

Had lunch on the weekend in Georgetown, and at least four times a series of three military copters came roaring down the Potomac, just a few feet over the heads of folks lounging on their boats next to the short boardwalk along the river (kind of a river version of Harbourfront). Nobody seemed to pay much attention, but it was a little startling.

There apparently was an International Monetary Fund meeting near the White House, so the streets just west of the White House were a mess. But folks seem to adapt pretty well, and we ultimately went on with our business.

Still, you wonder how it must feel to live in a house where there are dozens of trained killers all around you and standing on your roof all the time. I'd feel funny just getting undressed.

Not to get too silly, but I was thinking as I was stuck in traffic, "I wonder if President Obama ever gets to drive a car?" I wouldn't miss not driving in gridlock, but you'd think he'd want to at least occasionally let loose a bit on the highway. I'm sure it's not allowed, but maybe at Camp David they give him a go-kart.

SHOPPING FOR SHORTS

Pulled into a WalMart in northern Virginia after realizing I'd forgotten to pack a bathing suit and finding it's around 30 degrees or more down in this part of the U.S.

Yeah, it's not the most fashionable spot to shop for swim trunks but I figured the price would be right. And it was - $10 for the trunks and $7 for a pair of shorts.

You gotta love America.

As I was leaving the store, the alarm went off. There was a woman of about 60 standing near the door, so I opened the bag to show her my shorts and trunks and my receipt.

"That danged alarm shouldn't be going off," she said. "Anyway, this looks fine, don't worry about it."

Then she paused for a minute.

"Those shorts are gonna look good on you, darlin'," she said.

Blush.

NOT SO RURAL ANYMORE

Time was when northern Virginia was pretty quiet. But there was a fair bit of traffic on I-95 heading from Washington DC to Richmond and Williamsburg early Sunday.

An army of SUV's whizzed by at one point, six or eight of them all hell-bent on getting to the Kings Dominion amusement park or to Busch Gardens near Williamsburg or somewhere.

I asked a local if it's always like this.

"It is these days," she said with a sigh.