D.C. Trip - Seeing the Sights

Although it was quite cold and windy, we bundled up in several layers of clothing and ventured out to explore the downtown D.C. area, which turned out to be such an enjoyable experience. As you can see in the photos, snow was everywhere and all of the ponds and pools, including the reflecting pool in front of the Washington Monument, were frozen solid! We waited until after the sun had set to visit the Lincoln Memorial, which was a spectacular sight! I never realized the enormity of his statue until I was standing at the foot of it. We also made a stop by the Vietnam Veterans' Wall and the list of names displayed was overwhelming. We stopped to have our picture made in front of the Capitol and the Washington Monument (that's JD jr behind the plastic windshield that covered his stroller each time we were outdoors - it was a great investment as it kept him completely protected from the sharp wind.)

Daddy - JD Sr posed in front of that particular ATM just for you (note the name on it). We couldn't resist after your reference to National Lampoon's Vacation as we were driving to D.C. Ha Ha!

A couple of JD jr's favorite things while out and about in D.C. were riding the Metro and feeding a large flock of pigeons that we encountered on the sidewalk. He got so excited every time the train arrived and would say, "Chooo Choooooo!" and he was thrilled to have so many birds flapping around right at his feet.

We had a WONDERFUL time on our trip and look forward to our next family vacation. If you've never been to Washington D.C. (this was my first time visiting), I highly recommend it!! Because all of the museums and monuments are free of charge, the entire adventure is very affordable. Actually, we didn't even get to see all that there was to see in the 5 days that we were there!

In closing, I would like to say Thank You and I Love You to my wonderful, loving and hardworking husband for all that you are and for all that you do!

D.C. Trip - In the Museums: Part II

The pictures shown here are those from our trip to the Museum of Natural History and Ford's Theater. Some of the things in the pictures, besides the obvious dinosaurs (notice the T. Rex towering over JD Sr and jr), are the coat and hat that Abraham Lincoln was wearing the night of his assassination, and the pistol that was used to kill him. Encased in the gold frame are mementos of Abraham Lincoln which include a lock of his hair, a trimming of the blood stained dress that Mrs. Lincoln was wearing on the night of her husband's assassination, a portion of the cuff of the shirt in which Lincoln died, and a tassel from his coffin. We also ventured across the street from the Ford Theater and entered the house to which Lincoln was taken after he was shot. We stood in the same bedroom in which he died early the next morning. This was a truly fascinating part of our trip, as well as of our country's history!

D.C. Trip - In the Museums: Part I

The pictures shown here are from our visit to the National Archives Building and the Air and Space Museum. JD jr slept through the first half of our visit to the Air and Space Museum, so JD Sr took that opportunity to take part in a guided tour led by a retired NASA employee. I have to admit that it was very cute to see the little boy in him as he got so excited about all that there was to see. :^)

Once JD woke up, he was ready to see the airplanes, and after we stopped for a quick lunch, that's exactly what we did. He thoroughly enjoyed testing out the mechanics of the bracing system used in the Wright brothers' airplane.

I'll do my best to try to remember what is shown in the pictures. In the gold case is the Declaration of Independence (if you click on the individual pictures, you should be able to view them in an even larger size). The wooden airplane that you see behind JD Sr and jr is the Wright brothers' airplane. The vehicle that you see encased in glass behind JD jr in one of the photos is a Lunar Rover that was driven by two astronauts on the surface of the moon. The other pictures include the stop watch used in the popular television show "60 Minutes", the Lone Ranger's mask, Archie Bunker's armchair, Seinfeld's "puffy shirt", Mister Rogers' sweater, George Washington's uniform, Dorothy's red shoes, the Scarecrow's costume, and the lightbulb that Thomas Edison used in the presentation of his most famous invention - the first practical, electric incandescent lamp. Pretty neat, huh?

D.C. Trip - At the Hotel

We arrived in Herndon, VA on Wednesday, February 14th only to discover that we had just missed a serious snow storm. Thankfully the snow was not falling as we were driving to our hotel, but the parking lot (as you can see from one of the photos) was covered with snow and ice. The simple act of pulling the car into a parking space was actually a little scary as the wheels of our car were raised several inches off of the ground and were resting on piles of rock hard snow.

Once we got checked into the hotel, we (ok, JD Sr) began the arduous process of unloading the car in temperatures that I was sure rivaled Antarctica! However, we were very pleased with our hotel as it had everything we could possibly need for our stay. When we walked in the door, I said to JD Sr, "This is nice!". From that moment forward, JD jr ran from room to room exploring and squealing, "This is nice! This is nice!" Our little mocking bird!

One of JD jr's favorite things about the hotel was the cabinet in the kitchen that he used as his own little hiding spot. He and JD Sr were able to enjoy some great bonding time together as they chased each other around the coffee table numerous times, tackled each other, watched Star Wars together, and shared JD's Fruit Loops. :^)