a visit with the guard

This photo captures one of my most favorite memories. I admit. I have many favorites but, this one is towards the top of that list. (July 2025. Photo by Mary Catherine Meirink)

This guy gets a post all of his own! I literally could not figure out if he was real or not. I honest to goodness wondered if he was a mannequin or maybe even a tall stuffed doll. When I say he stood perfectly still, I mean… he stood perfectly still.

I turned my back for a moment to make sure our tour group was still there. When I turned back towards the “fake” guard, he was leaning the opposite direction. I thought I was seeing things, so I turned my back again to see what would happen. You guessed it! I turned around and he was leaning the opposite. That happened several times. I seriously think he was trying to mess with my head.

I suppose one might need to be creative in entertaining oneself if your primary job is to stand completely still.

So, I did something ridiculously scary. I barely raised my left hand with a subtle wave. Oh my goodness!!! He raised one arm forward. Turned. Marched. And came back to his post. I think he actually nodded his head towards me with a big hello in a little way.

What an incredibly special moment!