D.C. (Digital Collage) for April 29th

 Outside the Library of Congress (left), Capitol (below), and on the steps of justice (below left).  We spent hours with Steve Livengood and had a very EDUCATIONAL tour!

 Then it was to the White House (south side).

 Then is was to the park for a few minutes to rest our aching legs and a visit with Mr. Squirrel (he followed James and then came and stood on the bench beside me and longed for some food.

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 The World War II Memorial and the Korean Vietnam Memorial

 Then we ended the day at the Lincoln Memorial.

Frequent Walker Miles

L'Enfant had a vision of putting the capitol on a hill and from there you could see miles in all directions. He also had envisioned the whole surrounding area as an 11 square mile town. This idea seems reasonable to us now days, however, back in the 1790s the largest city in the world was London that was only 8 square miles. Philadelphia was the biggest city in all of American and only reached 1 square mile. Once you grasp the concept of that era in time, you might understand why this vision was so unbelievable. And today we not only traveled through years of history but also miles of ground on foot, that L'Enfant designed.

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with Steve Livengood as he gave us a tour of the capitol building and some wonderful history lesson.  We walked the street that the British marched as they entered the city and burned the capitol.  Then we walked the halls of the capitol and view the galleys of both the House and the Senate. Every plaque, every wing, every statue had a story behind it. And tomorrow.... we'd be happy to write a few of them down for you, but it's getting late, so let me wrap it up by giving you a VERY brief overview of our days events. After the tour of the capitol, we passed the library of congress, caught the metro in the extremely busy Union Station, viewed the north lawn of the gorgeous white house, circled to the south lawn, sauntered to the World War II memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, strolled to the Lincoln Memorial, and finally dragged our weary feet back to the hotel.

PS: We took around 300 pictures today, we just haven't got them posted. We will select a few to add to our blog tomorrow. For now, goodnight and sweet dreams!

Our First Day of Sightseeing

A great start to the morning (6:00 am Alaska time).  Our first goal, master the Metro!  And with just a few clicks of the heel were were transported to...

 From the Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem to Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life to The Price of Freedom: Americans at War.  From the Presidents to the First Ladies and their inaugural gowns.

And from the Muppet's to Michael Jackson (His hat is in the case to the left of James).  The things that defined us as a nation.

Now a few thoughts from our intellectuals:

Kelsea:  The whole museum was FILLED with so much to learn about but, my favorite/least favorite was the section about slaves. It stuns me every time I find out more about the slave trade and how the slaves were treated. I found this saying: "One mornin' a couple married, an' de next mornin' de boss sell de wife." by Susan Hamilton, a former slave. I can't imagine the cruelty of the slave owners! I learned about one of the punishments slaves received for disobedience. In 1825 city officials at the local jail installed a treadmill with steps that the slaves would have to climb for hours. This provided power for the jail's gristmill. Finally, by the 1840's the treadmill was banned, being seen as "cruel and unusual punishment", even for slaves. That is so sad. I hope that wing of the Smithsonian can stir the feelings of anyone who enter it. Hopefully, it makes people thankful for their freedom.

James: History was everywhere (who knew)! Some sad, some happy. There are so many great memories in American History stored in the Smithsonian. Going into the dark room with an enormous American Flag reminded me of what this country went through to be what it is today. It was a great reminder, and one that will stick with me.

Dad:  Besides the brief moment of feeling important standing behind the podium, I was overwhelmed by everything.  The original flag in the Star-Spangled Banner room was humbling and the Abraham Lincoln was inspiring.  I enjoyed the exhibit with the Presidents but the room with all the inaugural gown made me cringe as I think about Kelsea looking for her prom dress.

Tina - Look at this doll house. You could spend hours playing and trying to rearrange each room and still have rooms to go.  Greg - you could watch all your favorite movies at one time. 

After hours in the museum we sat near George Washington (first national monument unveiled in 1841)to rest our weary legs.  After being slightly rejuvenated, we decided to brave the sun and humid weather outside (which actually wasn't bad as the we did have some cloud cover and a good breeze).

While starring up at the the Washington Monument and the view...is that a bird or a plane no it looks like Marine One or maybe Two.










So with sore feet it was off with the shoes to feel the cool blades of green grass between the toes and back to the hotel!

Our 10th Story View

The Night Life
This was taken around midnight (D.C. time).  The Potomac River is just beyond the trees line.

 
 



The Morning Rush
At the end of rush hour (around 9 am).  Although not pictured we did see law enforcement escorting several black tinted limos and vans through the intersection (and no it was not a funeral procession).

From Alaska to D.C.

Our morning started at 4:30 am Alaska time with a shuttle run from Mircotel to the airport.   We got checked in and headed through security where Daddy managed to forget he had his Leatherman in his backpack. Oops! But no worries there, we got that taken care of and we were off to the gate.

At 11:30 am, Seattle time, our plane rolled to the jetway. We spent the majority of our time lounging in Chili's Too munching contentedly on chips and salsa and too many refills. After we filled our stomachs, I, Kelsea, put my hand in my jacket pocket only to find melted dove chocolate all over my hand. Then it was off to D.C.!

After a rock solid landing (:P) it was off to figure out the metro. Of course, because of Daddy, we got on the right metro and too our hotel, Holiday Inn, easily. We are now located on the 10th floor with a balcony overlooking the Potomac River. The city lights are gorgeous and the humid air.... well... I don't need lotion anymore!

So... to wrap up our days adventures at 1:45 am D.C. time, we love you all! Miss you! And I'm sure we are having more fun than you!