Day Four...

The past few days have just just flown by. David's road trip without us, was successful. He picked us up in Richmond, with exactly 898.9 miles behind him. Jeffrey and I had an easy flight and Jet Blue's TVs are the best! We had no problems, other than Jeffrey wanted to "see what would happen if he put the earphones in the glass of Sprite."

We got to the Richmond Hotel and had a restful night. We had a fun dinner in a local restaurant and got some much needed rest. Things got crazy busy with the end of school and problems with David's parents before we left.

On Sunday morning we got up and went to the Botanical Gardens. What a beautiful place! There was a special butterfly exhibit and the gardens were really something special. The children's gardens were awesome. It really was for kids ages 5-9 and Jeffrey really enjoyed it. There were different stations and activities, as well as a scavenger hunt. Jeffrey was chosen to record the "official weather of the day" on their display board and of course he got a kick out of it. He loves being the center of attention, so his world was perfect. The rose gardens were like nothing we'd ever seen. Jeffrey still hasn't seen them, because he was too busy playing in the sprinklers and cooling off. We had lunch at their Tea House and had a wonderful and relaxing meal. Jeffrey was tired and enjoyed the surroundings.

Our 100 mile drive to Alexandria, VA to Old Town, was not so fun. The short version is that there was awful traffic and accidents. It took just over 4 hours to get there. However, we made it and had a chance to take the trolley through all of Old Town and have dinner.

Monday morning we went into Washington, DC and we got to the Washington Monument with a few minutes to spare before our trip to the top. The ride was a little over 500 feet and the views of course were spectacular. Our next stop was several hours at the Museum of American History. Jeffrey of course was in awe and if we let him, he'd still be there. Before leaving, we took him to see Night at the Museum and when we got to the Smithsonian, the first thing he saw was the movie scavenger hunt. He has been all over it and we are down to the last two items on the list. Somehow we'll fit in the Portrait Gallery and let him complete his booklet. The scavenger hunt was clever and ensured visits to most of the highlights in the various museums. My personal favorite was the pile of junk, housed at the Castle. We saw Fonzi's jacket, Archie Bunker's chair, the Ruby Slippers and an Easy Bake Oven-- plus probably another 1000 things, all piled in a heap.

From the Castle, we decided to walk to the Lincoln Memorial. It was about two miles each way. No matter. On the way we saw the WW II Memorial and the Reflection Pool. We made it to the top of the Memorial and again, Jeffrey's jaw dropped in amazement. It really is special to see things through the eyes of a child. He was excited to get another stamp in his National Park Passport Book and hopes to get at least three more while we are here. (He got one at the Washington Monument too.) Once we got down the steps, we started walking and an hour later, we made it back onto the Metro, to head back to Alexandria. We were so exhausted when we got back that we had dinner in the hotel and lights were out for all before 10pm. (All, except those who were watching that dismal Indian's game until midnight...At least Jeffrey and I got some sleep.)

Today, Tuesday, we had an early tour at the Bureau of Engraving. The process is really something and the sheets of money impressive. Bills come 32 to a sheet. If even one bill has an error, the whole sheet is scrapped. The tour wasn't too long, but it was interesting. We got to the Museum of Natural History, just as they were opening and we spend 4 hours there. The dinosaurs and mammals and all the bugs and things were perfect for a seven year old. As for me, just give me the Hope Diamond and life is good. From here, we started to the Portrait Gallery, but got sidetracked and never made it. We went into the National Art Gallery to see the French Impressionists. Back in pre-K four Jeffrey learned about Monet and Van Gogh and he has been fascinated with them ever since. We then thought for sure we'd get to those portaits, but the Capital was in view, so we opted to go there. Walk to the entrance and there is no mistaking why people refer to the area as "Capital Hill." We had passes to the Gallery floor and took advantage of going in and see what was going on. The room itself was impressive and the building quite nice too. The session was as boring as watching paint dry, but we were glad to have had the opportunity to see things in action. Jeffrey really hoped to chat with John McCain, and was a little put out, that there was no way that was happening. When we finished up at the Capital, we headed back to Alexandria, grabbed dinner and here we are...Shower and bed is in the immediate future, as tomorrow is another full day.

I hope I haven't bored you to tears-- if you've read this far! So far, aside from some nasty traffic, we have had very easy and enjoyable travels. No drama, issues, complaints etc. The weather has been amazing. Cool, sunny and no humidity. May the next many weeks go this smoothly...

Until we catch up again...