Road Trip, Part 2
As we drove along the Northern edge of New York, we got great glimpses of Lake Ontario. Although the weather was not great, we stopped briefly to check out Three Mile Lighthouse. Actually, if we are mysteriously thrown in jail in the next year at some point, it might be because the New York Parks System caught up with us, after we didn't pay to park while we looked at the Lake and the Lighthouse. Oops.
Friends K & S live in rural New York and are as Lutheran Pastors. It was fun to see them and get a chance to see the churches they worked in. I was struck with how different their life is than ours. They live in a town that is two blocks long, and a house that is more than 100 years old. Although they still aren't unpacked and expecting in a little over a month and a half- all is well. Sq was actually in rare form the entire time we were there- I probably spent most of my time giggling at his antics. Some of my favorites (that I can remember) were: "What the hell are the Catholics doing together on a Monday night?" and something about "not in his backyard, come play on my swing set" and many other comments that made me not understand how that man made it through seminary. It was a fun time. They will be great parents and are really dedicated to their churches.
On Tuesday we made the trek down to Washington D.C. on mainly U.S. highways. We stopped and explored the battlefields of Gettysburg on our way and enjoyed the picturesque drive through Virginia. The weather was warm and balmy as we set up our tent in Virginia. Then, even though, it was 9 pm we hoped on the Metro and went down for a nighttime jaunt in D.C.- we saw all the monuments lit up (the Lincoln Memorial was the best by far- that was the one thing I had wanted to see at night) explored, and then stopped for a beer. We didn't get back to the tent until about 1:30, but it was worth it.
On Wednesday it was peak cherry blossom day for the season- absolutely beautiful- so we did the walk around the tidal basin. We also visited all the war memorials and the monuments in the day light. My favorite was probably the FDR monument, but the Jefferson memorial was astonishing. We also visited all of jff's old haunts: the think tank he worked at, his old apartment building and metro stop. That night we went up to the U street neighborhood to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl, known for its black grassroots political history and survival since 1958 as the same as it has always been. That was a really fun stop.
Thursday was a little chilly and it was a good day to be indoors. We went to the American Indian Smithsonian Museum- which was really, really awesome. Something to go back to- we only got about half way through it. We also hit the Natural History Museum for the Orchid exhibit and to see the Hope diamond. Much to our dismay- our primary destination- the American History Museum was closed and will be until 2008. We also visited a Latin American Art Museum. Friday we went for a capital tour with our Senator's staffer which was really cool- we even got to take the shuttle from the office building to the capital. So fun! After that we visited the Supreme Court, and although they weren't arguing that day, got to see the courtroom. That day we also went up in the Old Post Office Tower and visited the American Art Museum- which was really cool. The contemporary art exhibits were so neat! (pictures to follow) They also had three Hopper's (a favorite American Artist of mine). The best might possibly have been the exhibit on Sandra Day O'Connor- in which she sat for 25 portrait of her. All the paintings are so different!
Anyways, we got to see and do a lot of neat things in D.C.- truly one of our most fun vacations together. I learned a lot, but we just had a great time hoping on and off the Metro, and more than anything spending uninterrupted time together. We left on Saturday morning, but not before making an investment into our trip karma by giving a family our still good for three days metro passes. It was good we had stayed at a hotel in Maryland the last two nights because on Saturday morning we woke up to snow on cherry blossoms. After a brief stop in Chicago to visit Jff's family, we returned home happy but tired. It was a great trip. We saw so many things, so many important people who we love, and laughed a lot. What more can you ask for, really?
Friends K & S live in rural New York and are as Lutheran Pastors. It was fun to see them and get a chance to see the churches they worked in. I was struck with how different their life is than ours. They live in a town that is two blocks long, and a house that is more than 100 years old. Although they still aren't unpacked and expecting in a little over a month and a half- all is well. Sq was actually in rare form the entire time we were there- I probably spent most of my time giggling at his antics. Some of my favorites (that I can remember) were: "What the hell are the Catholics doing together on a Monday night?" and something about "not in his backyard, come play on my swing set" and many other comments that made me not understand how that man made it through seminary. It was a fun time. They will be great parents and are really dedicated to their churches.
On Tuesday we made the trek down to Washington D.C. on mainly U.S. highways. We stopped and explored the battlefields of Gettysburg on our way and enjoyed the picturesque drive through Virginia. The weather was warm and balmy as we set up our tent in Virginia. Then, even though, it was 9 pm we hoped on the Metro and went down for a nighttime jaunt in D.C.- we saw all the monuments lit up (the Lincoln Memorial was the best by far- that was the one thing I had wanted to see at night) explored, and then stopped for a beer. We didn't get back to the tent until about 1:30, but it was worth it.
On Wednesday it was peak cherry blossom day for the season- absolutely beautiful- so we did the walk around the tidal basin. We also visited all the war memorials and the monuments in the day light. My favorite was probably the FDR monument, but the Jefferson memorial was astonishing. We also visited all of jff's old haunts: the think tank he worked at, his old apartment building and metro stop. That night we went up to the U street neighborhood to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl, known for its black grassroots political history and survival since 1958 as the same as it has always been. That was a really fun stop.
Thursday was a little chilly and it was a good day to be indoors. We went to the American Indian Smithsonian Museum- which was really, really awesome. Something to go back to- we only got about half way through it. We also hit the Natural History Museum for the Orchid exhibit and to see the Hope diamond. Much to our dismay- our primary destination- the American History Museum was closed and will be until 2008. We also visited a Latin American Art Museum. Friday we went for a capital tour with our Senator's staffer which was really cool- we even got to take the shuttle from the office building to the capital. So fun! After that we visited the Supreme Court, and although they weren't arguing that day, got to see the courtroom. That day we also went up in the Old Post Office Tower and visited the American Art Museum- which was really cool. The contemporary art exhibits were so neat! (pictures to follow) They also had three Hopper's (a favorite American Artist of mine). The best might possibly have been the exhibit on Sandra Day O'Connor- in which she sat for 25 portrait of her. All the paintings are so different!
Anyways, we got to see and do a lot of neat things in D.C.- truly one of our most fun vacations together. I learned a lot, but we just had a great time hoping on and off the Metro, and more than anything spending uninterrupted time together. We left on Saturday morning, but not before making an investment into our trip karma by giving a family our still good for three days metro passes. It was good we had stayed at a hotel in Maryland the last two nights because on Saturday morning we woke up to snow on cherry blossoms. After a brief stop in Chicago to visit Jff's family, we returned home happy but tired. It was a great trip. We saw so many things, so many important people who we love, and laughed a lot. What more can you ask for, really?
posted by KLOU | 10:56 AM
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