Can I blame the beautiful weather on the Secretary of State's visit? They seed the clouds here with cement dust–that's heathy right?–and the clouds are dispersed for important events. Monday it rained sideways non-stop. Then Tuesday and Wednesday, the two days she was here, were gorgeous.
At the Ambassador's residence, my friends and I sat in the second row at the Secretary of State's Meet and Greet. Then we were told she would be shaking hands with the people in the front row, so we moved up, right next the seats that said "reserved." Out the beautifully arched doorway we saw her car pull up and she got out right at the door. At the podium, the Ambassador is a good warm up act. Then Madame Secretary gave a lovely and appreciative speech about how the Embassy community is an example of Russians and Americans working together, a very nice message. Don't you love it when she plays acoustic?
A minute into her speech, the lens cap of my camera dropped to the hardwood floor and rolled in the largest circuit a lens cap has ever made through a state dining room. Time stood still as it noisily wheeled past the podium inches from Hillary Clinton's black suede heels. She could have stopped it by stepping on it, but she ignored it with a professional focus. The official photographer watched it, horrified that might be his. I pointed at myself, and mouthed to him, "It's mine." It's still rolling mind you. It rolled so long, my friend had time to lean in and say, "It's going to roll back to you." And it did. Someone told me, secret service drew their guns, but held fire.
My friends and I were a little thrown because after her speech we were the first she greeted. I got to shake her hand and I think it was brilliant, clever and original what I said to her. I said, "Hello." She's so gracious she didn't mention the lens cap.
twenty-something years of "what have you been up to?" 
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