Journeys with Platy: Washington, DC Part 2

Hi. Today we went to the Mall. It was a lot bigger than any other mall I have been to. It didn't have a roof, but that was okay because it was sunny. It also had grass and gravel. Gravel is bad for fur. Ozzie carried me, so I felt safe.

It was a real mall. At first, I didn't think there were stores, then I saw all the food and t-shirts. You could buy a lot of t-shirts. My favorite t-shirt had an eagle on it. I liked it because it reminded me of Squawky. There some shirts that made jokes. I'm not really sure what they were about. I didn't think the shirts were funny.

The first thing I saw was the Washington Monument. It looks like a big pencil. Washington was famous for cutting down a cherry tree and standing up in a boat. The second thing we saw was the Lincoln Memorial. President Lincoln had a very big lap. You could fit all the bears in the country on that lap. Lincoln is famous for writing the emasculation proclamation and lived in a --

[Editor: Platy, I think you mean the emancipation proclamation.]

I-I-I don't know. I'm not really sure what the words mean. What's the difference?

[Editor: Well ... emancipate means to liberate or free. Emasculate ... uh ... it means to ... castrate?]

What does that word mean?

[Editor: Oh, well, ... uh ... it means to ... uh ... hmmm ... how do I put this delicately?]

You don't know how to define the word either, do you?

[Editor: No, Platy, no I don't.]

So Lincoln lived in a log cabin on Gettysburg Street and made a . . . proclamation. Is that right?

[Editor: Close enough, Platy.]

I liked the mall, but I thought it was too big. Everything was really big. Even the t-shirts were big. It made me feel very small. Did it make you feel small, Ozzie?

[Editor: Yes, I feel small every time I come to Washington. What was your favorite part of the day, Platy?]

I liked it when we walked by the White House. It is big and white. Movers and shakers work there.

[Editor: Why are you so fixated on "movers and shakers"?]

I like furniture.

[Editor: Was that a joke, Platy?]

I don't know. Was it funny?

[Editor: Uh, yeah, Platy, I suppose it was.]

Could you explain it to me?