Screen on the Green, the weekly, free movie night down on the Mall was held tonight for the first time this summer. After starting out as a very grey day, the afternoon cleared, leaving us with a crystalline sky for the evening.

Yesterday evening was filled with torrential rain, dropping so much water on the area in a fifteen-minute period that Rudi and I watched as the edges of the streets filled and then overflowed the curbs, leaving people to hurdle a raging river of water on R Street. It filled an abandoned drinking cup left on the wall outside the gallery. It poured with dark determination.

So Rudi and I had considered skipping tonight’s movie, since it was bound to still be damp. But it was a Bond movie — the first Bond movie, to be more specific — and Rudi really wanted to see Dr. No. After determining that grass closer to home was drying, we decided to take our chances and head down to the Mall.

Because no one wanted to join us, we were able to take our camping chairs, which is wholly what made the evening. The ground was still damp, even if the grass had dried, and because we didn’t have to sit on it, we were able to just hang out and snack and watch the movie. I knit on one of my socks. I’m sure the dampness seeping through blankets is what drove off a number of our neighbors during the show.

The Capitol loomed large behind the screen and the Washington Monument stood stately behind us. A pregnant, waxing moon beamed down upon us. The air grew chilly, even, making us glad for the long sleeves we’d brought with us. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect scene.