Kicked out

I am trying to keep the summer full of activities and fun for the boys. As a result I did not check with Tom first when a friend called asking if her son whose weekend play date had fallen through, could come to our house Saturday night for a sleep over. I suggest he stay through Monday and we will meet the mom in O'ville bringing him with us.



Tom said he wished he had been consulted. He had been looking forward to a quiet weekend at home after our trip to DC. The boy arrived Saturday night. By Sunday morning Tom tells us to go to Oysterville a day early. I am still cleaning and unpacking, but he says go. So I load everyone and everything into the car and take off.


It is rainy and overcast when we get down to the beach on Sunday. Oysterville is the worst in the rain. We stay in the upstairs of a barn on my parents' property. It is an open room with no privacy. Great for a free week at the beach in good weather. Cramped for bad weather.



The place is full of ancient furniture. These are the pieces that didn't make the cut to go to nicer accommodations. knobs are falling off drawers or drawers themselves are falling off if you are not careful. It is "night at the museum" of 1863. I usually pitch a tent for the boys in the yard to minimize the damage to the house. They can use the toilet as needed. I prefer them to find an obscure place outside if they can. They are boys after all.




Last year there were bears. We did not come down. I didn't want to bring our dog or have the tent up. It was also right after my Dad died and I was cleaning out his house. Really July is the only month I can go with August being football. I was exhausted and just didn't make it.
This spring 10 black bears were captured. five had to be put down as too domesticated. A woman had been feeding them dog food in the area. The other five were relocated. But I am now a little paranoid about food in the tent.


This winter my mom mentioned she wasn't sure we loved the place enough. WE didn't use it enough. I knew we had to make it down this summer for sure.


The drive down, the car is so full I can't see out the back windows of the Jeep. I have a roof box full of three sleeping bags, the big old fashioned kind with flannel lining showing geese flying out of reeds on a yellow background, and hunter green exterior. They are bulky and heavy, and not water proof, but they are so warm and cozy and soft. I love the feel of them. We have pictures of my sisters and me in these sleeping bags, when we were little, on a trip camping in Kanita in Eastern, Oregon. My boys now use them.



I have one slick fluffy nylon sleeping bag,. But the boys were using it to slid down the stairs and ripped the zipper out. I had to sew the seam closed until part way up so we could still us the sleeping bag. I banned them from sliding down the stairs with it, but I know if I am not in the house and the thought crosses their minds, I wouldn't put it past them to pull out that slick sleeping bag and go for it. Right now with Riley sick I know he has a good sense of self preservation. He wont be doing any sliding. But he might put his brother up to it.


Gigi does have beds with bedding, but if you use the beds then at the end of the week you have to strip all the beds and do laundry. You get stuck for hours doing laundry on the last day. She says to just strip the beds and she will come down to do the laundry, but I know she loves to find the place just how she left it. Sleeping bags on the beds make the last day much easier.


She did hire a cleaning lady a couple of years ago. I loved that because it took all the pressure off the last day. But then Mom is pretty frugal and she didn't want to use the cleaning service and did the cleaning herself. I left a check one year for the service and Gigi ripped it up. So now we leave cash. Gigi wont tear that up. Then if I miss something cleaning or she finds something broken, which happens almost every trip with all these "treasures" , She can get it repaired or not get tooo mad at me.



In the roof box are also a case of toilet paper and a case of paper towels. We use a lot of toilet paper. My mom's rule is to replace what you use. So I just bring down my own. That fills the roof box.


In the car are the kites and food and the cooler and our clothes that did not fit in the roof box. Somewhere among that the children are squeezed in. We have to bring down a five gallon water cooler. The house and barn are on a shallow well. It went really bad about ten years ago. There is a spigot on the front of the property that has city water. It would cost $3000 to $5000 to hook up the houses to the city. Gigi opted for $500 and a spigot. She keeps water bottles in the fridge to drink. We warn every one not even to rinse your tooth brush in the sink unless you want the runs.


I remember one summer seaweed or green algae coming out of the tap. I forgot one day two years ago and took a drink without thinking. It was not a good thing. I sat in the shower eating pepto when I got home. I hadn't been able to get my clothes off and make it to the toilet.

There is a little red wagon in the barn. The boy's job is to take the blue cooler in the wagon to the front of the property and fill it with the drinking water and then wheel the now heavy cooler back to a bench on the patio, where it is convenient to use for everyone. A useful outcome of this is it keeps the children out of the very small kitchen area in the barn. They get their water outside.


The kitchen area has a sink, a washer and dryer, and a microwave, and Turkish manufactured refrigerator. Gigi wanted a smaller model fridge, but bigger than the hotel size. The fridge is two feet wide and five feet tall. It has a small ice compartment on the inside that fills up with frosty ice and needs to be defrosted constantly when you use it. A small table with four "gently used" wood chairs is tucked under the stairs. The chairs are painted a cheery burgundy that matches the vinyl mini squares in the floor. But don't wiggle in them or the joints might come loose. Two metal cabinets keep dishes and dry goods clean and safe from ants and rodents that might try to break in.



The building itself is a fortress of construction. Oysterville is a historic community, built around 1850 and later. It is one of the first white man settlements on the west coast. End of the Oregon Trail. It was the county seat for a while, until settlers on the main land side of the bay snuck over by boat and stole all the papers from the one room court house.

Gigi had her house built during the summer of 1982. She hired a couple of shop teachers from a private school in Portland. Master carpenters like This Old House on PBS. They had a crew that came down and lived in the village. Mom paid for their stay at a rental down the street. She cooked all their meals and just had a fun summer watching her little cottage grow.

There had been a building on the sight, but it had been abandoned too long to be salvaged. Gigi had got a great deal on the acre and a half. After salvaging what she could from the existing building, it was tearfully bulldozed. She had saved a cast iron tub and a couple of doors.

Everything had to be historic. No vinyl windows, and only cedar siding and roof. Gig wanted to keep it all natural and not paint the cedar, but she also didn't want it to weather or turn silver. She had been given a recipe of linseed oil and turpentine to slather on the cedar to protect it from the harsh beach elements. She was told to put it on until it wouldn't absorb anymore. The stuff went on so thick and heavy it was sticky. The whole side of the house became one big fly trap for the bug infested neighborhood. She had to power wash the siding the next year and re measure the recipe to stop it from being sticky. It also turned the siding almost black in color. But she liked the look.

The little cottage turned out to be a bit small when company came so a few years later the men came back and erected the barn. When the barn went up it gave everyone breathing room. The little cottage was off limits to children. Entrance was by invitation only.

While we are down at the beach, we are barn only visitors. We roll up in my jeep and start to unload. The first thing is the bikes have to come off so the bike rack can be removed so the trunk can be opened. As I mentioned we were pretty loaded down. Then the children have to be told they need to finish unloading before they take off on the bikes.

Gigi has an adult tricycle, Big had bought her a couple of years ago. She has ridden it once. It is a Rolls Royce of bikes. Riley sees it in the garage and realizes it is his opportunity to keep up. His eyes gleam. He is not allowed to ride bikes at the moment. Doctors orders. I tell him he has to call Gigi and ask permission. This is one real treasure, its "special" . She hesitantly gives permission.

The bike is turned upside down under a tarp to discourage any thought that it might be available for use. We up end it and inflate the tires. It sparkles in the sun. The other bikes in the garage look rusty and beat up. This bike is new and still has the stems on the tires from lack of riding. Riley is thrilled. The other boys don't even think he looks dorky. They think the bike is cool also, with its big basket on the back.

After the car is unloaded, Its damp and raining so I opt not to set up the tent. I raise seats on bikes and pump tires. The boys take off on their respective bikes. I have breathing room. I pull out my beach book and relax. Tomorrow my friends arrive for a relaxing week of sudo camping. The barn is set up to be just comfortable enough for a fun week, but not so comfortable that you would overstay.

Upstairs the token TV gets two stations in black and white. It is there only because my nephew is autistic and it is a good babysitter when the adults need a break. Otherwise we are pretty technology free. Riley brought his computer only because of his condition, otherwise I would have banned it from the trip. There is no Internet, but he has a CD to play.

Once it is dark the boys play on the computer, but I call bedtime and lights out after 10:00. Once the tent is set up tomorrow, they can stay up as late as they want as long as the neighbors are not disturbed.

Moments remembered

Albert was not able to join us for dinner the night of Indian food. That did not stop him from taking Tom out on the town for a guys night out. they hit a favorite watering hole. When they got
back at 2 in the morning, Tom was happy. He said a woman gave him the" foot tap" under the table. He seemed to think that a lovely young New York lady made a pass. He did braid the hair of another woman, which we all know is one of his favorite things to do when having a good time.

My hair has never been full or long enough to interest him. I think he was a hair dresser in a previous life. I would have said a sailor but he so hates the water. Maybe he was kidnapped and forced into the royal navy, that might explain his dislike of water. When we were in Baltimore the boys had wanted to do the paddle boats, but tom would have none of it. He did not like the idea at all. Time prevented us from pressing the point.

Routine

The lawn is mowed. All the laundry is done and put away. Trevor went to a football camp today. Anthony Newman does a free camp. At least he did. He announced this was his last camp. He has been doing it for 17 years and he is now done. I was sad to hear his end of day speech. from what I could tell it was exceptionally well organized and Trevor sounded like he picked up some great tips on defense.

Football season starts in August. We do not travel for the next 3 months. I am looking forward to the season. I get to see old friends again. Even though Trevor and Riley had a losing season last year, they loved football and had fun. I am guessing Riley got sick either during football season or shortly there after. the only cold I can remember is during football. Riley missed a week of school and football in October. He then ran into the garage door and knocked it off its frame giving himself a big contusion on his forehead, missing another week since he couldn't wear his helmet due to the big lump on his forehead.

February 9th was diagnosis, but by then Riley was so low he was lucky he didn't just expire right then. November, December, January decline. I look at this now as just a long flu. By December Riley will be over this "Flu". His numbers may come up. Tom says it is too early to tell what is going to happen. If they don't come up we have half a dozen excellent bone marrow matches to choose from. If I have anything to be grateful about it is how "white" tom and I are. We used to joke about glowing in the dark. Now I am so glade we are so ordinary that Riley "has the luxury of choosing a donor" as the doctor put it.

We get one more family trip in October, which again will be fun for everyone. Tom is so into Nascar, I get in trouble if I forget to Tivo the weekend race when Tom can't watch it live. Riley will be so thrilled to meet Jr. and just being and a race, Trevor Too. I am along for the ride. I love family vacations, period. I will take them any time I can get them.

Trevor will have tutoring coming up. Grades were an issue this year. He has been nagging Riley for use on Riley's computer. I remind him constantly that honor role As and Bs gets him his own computer. Hopefully he will connect the dots and get the grades. Meanwhile I will occasionally make Riley share. I have to be careful because Riley learned immediately that he has the power, and wheeled that power over Trevor with a little too much gloating. I like the power to confiscate all the computers the X box and the TV. Its summer go play outside.

Our new sprinkler system works like a charm. 10 minutes front yard then 10 minutes back yard. Tom tells me it goes off at 5:30am while we are still asleep. Trevor has learned how to set it off when ever he and the neighbor boys want to run through them. Its great in that it automatically shuts itself off just about the time the children lose interest.

Monday Last night out

I asked the concierge if he had any recommendations for dinner. He gives me a list. The restaurants are listed by area and expensive or inexpensive and if formal attire is necessary. We pick Chinese and take a cab to China town on the other side of the mall. tom still refuses to do subways. The restaurant has Mongolian downstairs and Chinese upstairs. We opt for Mongolian. You pick your ingredients and watch the chef cook it. It is supposed to be all you can eat but we are full after one bowl. We were so hungry the whole meal takes maybe 20 minutes if you push it including the cooking. Tom laughs and asks what we are going to do for the rest of the evening. it still hasn't really cooled off yet.

This was supposed to be the inexpensive Chinese. The bill comes and its $20 per person because we had done the Mongolian style. For warned for next time. It was still fun to do. I wait outside while Tom pays. While waiting a taxi drops off another group right in front of the restaurant. I ask the woman driver if she will take us down to the Lincoln memorial, which we have not gotten to yet. She says yes but to not leave her car door open in this heat while we wait for Tom. No problem I pop into her air conditioned taxi and we wait.

She is the best taxi driver we have had. She knows some history of the city. she tells us to note the different colored granite on the Washington memorial. Three different batches were used the first was when they started but then ran out of money the second was the restart and the third was because they didn't order enough granite on the restart. You can really see the difference between stage one and two. Stage three they tried to get a close match but you can tell its a different batch if you look closely.

She drops us off at the Korean war monument. Soldiers walking through a field. A black granite wall with faces of soldiers looking out is the back drop. it also encloses the soldiers so you cant see the traffic on the street just beyond.

The next memorial is Lincoln. He is huge and dramatic. Much like Liberty in New York, you can feel the drama of the memorial. The view from the top of the steps down the reflecting pool and the Mall Museums is also impressive. Trevor asks if the reason the pond is called the reflecting pool is because of the reflection of the Washington Memorial in the water. Yes.
Cyclone fence is set up around the reflecting pool today due to the fireworks the night before. Tom sees all the cardboard on the ground and guesses the fencing was up to protect the crowds from debris fall out.

We walk over to the Vietnam War memorial with all its names. There are notes leaning up against the wall. You can read some of them that are in clear sleeves. One is from a grand child wishing he had met his grand father. An Uncle had told him wonderful stories about the man. Another was the official record of the soldier being killed in hostile fire with the location and date. I walk through a little choked up and quiet. The boys meet me at the other end. Tom shows up after that. He was as moved as I.

The WWII memorial comes next It is a circular fountain with 50 pillars with copper wreaths representing each state surrounding it . At the edge is a plaque listing George W Bush and the architect as the dedicators in 2004. That irritated me a little. None of the other memorials listed the president in office at the time of dedication. GW couldn't quite leave off his name. I thought it a little petty. But the Memorial itself was beautiful and tasteful and fit in well with the rest of the mall.

We couldn't walk the length of the reflecting pool because of the fence and I was tired and my dress up flip flops with beads and turquoise were hurting my toes. So I flagged a cab and took the boys back to the hotel. Trevor told me now I knew how he felt the night before when his feet hurt. Tom wanted to walk and take in the atmosphere. The drama of the Mall is incredible, especially after the tourists have all left for the day. The huge and gorgeous museums full of the wealth of history of our country stand wondrously powerful.

I can't believe we survived 10 days sharing hotel rooms and small spaces as well as we did. The rare disagreement was fleeting. I am sorry the trip is coming to a close.

The fireworks

The night before Tom had been watching TV in our room and I had felt that I had not come 3000 miles to watch TV when the mall was right out the front door of the hotel. I had decided to take a walk in the evening and see some monuments. Tom made Trevor go with me. But in his rush to follow orders Trevor had worn Rileys flip flop. They were not comfortable and hurt his feet. It made me cranky to be taking a lovely walk with a whiny boy. Next time he must wear his shoes. Some times it is better to take the extra time or help Trevor find his shoes and not just shove him out the door willy nilly.



It limits our walk. We can't go the distance I had intended. Probably just as well as it got dark quickly after sunset. There were police everywhere though, watching out for all the tourists. Again, we were surprised there weren't more crowds.



Trevor and I stop at the Air space museum as we see people going in the door. It was closed though but there is an IMAX theater showing Iron Man II. I tell Trevor maybe another night. We keep walking.



We walk all the way to the Washington Memorial. Trevor touches the walls. He asks if it is as tall as the World Trade Center were. I will have to take the boys to down town when I get home so they can get perspective on sky scrapers again. DC has no buildings over 5 stories. Nothing is allowed to be taller than the Washington monument at 555 feet. I love not feeling towered over by sky scrapers. The whole layout is so beautiful with the Greek influences. There is even a model of the Acropolis in one of the museums to show the inspiration. But up close leaning against the granite walls of this monolithic obelisk, it does feel impressive.



The world trade center buildings were at least 120 stories over 1200 feet. You couldn't see the tops when you leaned away from the buildings. You could only see the tops when at a distance. Here we were at the center of America's political world, having just come from the center of our financial world. Standing touching the cold granite with the lights illuminating its solid walls, even in the 80 degree heat if the evening, Trevor and I had tingles down our spines.



Trevor's feet hurt to walk any further so I opt out of continuing down to the reflection pool. You could see there was a concert going on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. You could see the flashes from cameras and hear the faint music and cheering crowd. We turn and head back to the hotel. The vendors are closing up shop for the evening. Tom texts me to see where we are and I text back we are almost there. I just wish Trevor had worn his comfortable shoes and we would have walked to that concert.





So, both Tom and I have checked out the best locations to view the fireworks. We have found the crowds are not bad at the Capital Hill side of the monument. We walk down the mall past tents. some are labeled Asia, Mexico, children's crafts. They are all empty. I wondered why. One was having a barbecue. But again the lack of crowds or lines surprised us. We find a fringe of warn weeds and grass to sit and view. After walking almost to the Monument again. Tom mentioned the Capital Steps, but I knew the fireworks were around the reflection pools. We had watched a show about the set up on the Discovery channel. We had found out that the display would last only 20 minutes. Had we a radio we could have heard the symphony playing patriotic songs with the display.



The fireworks began big and stayed strong. Lots of big round fireworks. From our position on the grass, the Washington Monument was smack dab in the middle of it. I guess it was appropriate. Definitely reminded us of where we were. it did make Tom and me laugh. We had tried so hard to find just the right spot. Off the mall trees would have blocked our view. We had seen a party on the balcony of the Smithsonian building American History. We had walked over to see how we could get ourselves invited. The security guards had told us it was a private party hosted by the secretary of the Smithsonian, not someone we could afford to bribe. Their view would have been spectacular.



So on the well worn grass we sat with the Monument right in the middle of our view. Tom had thought the fire works would be high enough to clear the top. They weren't. But they were so big lighting up the sides that it was still spectacular. Trevor asked if the finally had been an accident. So many had gone off at once he thought there must have been a mistake.



Tom and I are something of affectionatos when it comes to fire works. Seattle has wonderful displays. I grew up seeing the fire works at Lake Oswego. We would go to Fort Vancouver displays a few times. Then Tom discovered the lack of limitations on fireworks in Longview and would spend over $1000 at the Indian reservations. He and a friend would let off a display in our own yard that puts our Oregon small town displays to shame. Its one of the reasons we try not to be in Oregon for the fourth anymore.



I figure the spending money we took on this trip would have gone to fireworks this year if we hadn't been ion this trip. It was a break even proposition, win win. Here we were seeing one of the most impressive firework displays in the country. We oohed and Aaahed with glee.



I did get a momentary catch in my throat at the beginning when I chanced to remember where I had been last year. My dad passed away July 1, 2009. My sister Jen and her family were with me clearing out my Dad's house. We had walked up the hill to the local elementary school and watched the valley fireworks at a distance. There weren't much local family fireworks in the desert because of the fire hazard. Tom had done tank wars with the boys but he had also had a low key fourth last year.



This year we were making it up with a vengeance. Wow, it was worth coming 3000 miles to see. next time though our seats are going to be on the Lincoln Memorial side so the Washington Monument is the back drop, not the centerpiece.



After the fireworks ended we walked back to the hotel. Even then the crowds weren't bad. Police were out directing traffic. I think they had closed the capitol streets for the day. As we passed the subway station, we did see crowds packed around the entrance. That made the expensive hotel worth every penny. We got to head to the bar for a drink while everyone else, all 150,000 plus, headed for a tight and crowded subway.



The next day, Monday, when we went down for breakfast, families were packed and leaving the hotel. We had the restaurant virtually to ourselves. Riley wants to relax with his dad so I take Trevor to the Museum of Galleries. This is Americas collection of paintings both American artist and from Europe. There are also sculptures. I love this museum and could wonder these rooms for hours. These paintings are the equivalent to modern photo albums. They capture a time before photography. The details are amazing. You can stare at a painting and see something new every instant. The building is a beautiful piece of architecture in itself with garden rooms at each end and a huge Pantheon ceiling. A painting of the Pantheon can be found in one of the Italian artists rooms.



The boys had a book called Where's Waldo. The object was to find this man in every photo and the photo would have great detail. I feel that with the Dutch and Italian and English artists. A street scene catches the moment. A mother nursing a child, a dog peeing on a building, a boy playing jacks in the street while vendors sell food to the maids, soldiers smoke while leaning on their weapons. Another painting is of a funeral by ship. You can see the drummer playing the dirge while women weep and men look on stoically. These are powerful paintings.



Trevor stops at Daniel in the Lions' Den, a huge painting probably 10 feet long. The artist has made the lions angry with their noses crinkled and their teeth bared. Human bones lie about the cave.



A sculpture catches his eye in another room. Its the memorial of Bostonian Colnol Shaw with his all black Brigade on their march to be slaughtered in the attack on Fort Wagner in the Civil War. Those men knew they would not survive yet walked with purpose and fortitude captured in this memorial. The movie Glory is based on this moment.



Trevor bores of looking at paintings. I am not even half done. We head down to the basement where a concourse connects this museum to the museum of modern art. A moving ramp with twinkling lights lining the walls and the ceiling, painted black for dramatic effect, greets us down stairs. The ramp is very cushy, enough of a ride that Trevor is content to ride the ramp back and forth while I race upstairs to see one of the newest building on the mall.



Beautiful architecture but I found the open plan with the few pieces of sculpture a little disappointing. With all the modern artists in our country there didn't seem to be enough on display. It was more about the building than the artists. I guess you could get away with it with the Hirtshorn just across the mall. It also is a modern art museum. Trevor and I head back to the hotel



Everyone has left the hotel the day after the fourth of July. The pool that afternoon was empty but for us. It was lovely and I got extremely burnt. I sent the boys down to the room for sunblock which they applied but did not bring it back with them. I was tucked under a tree thinking I was safe from the sun. But I ended up with a painful sunburn. As I was waiting in the lobby for the boys the next day, a man stopped to tell me how painful my sun burns looked. Yes, I do know its painful.



I have the bell hop call a town car for us. Jen has told me they are about the same price as a taxi and so much nicer. We pack that night with our cloths for tomorrow set out. All our souvenirs need to fit into our bags and the breakables need to make it home undamaged. The boys and I have breakfast as usual and bring Tom his coffee. We have an hour before we need to go to the lobby, but I don't want to listen to the TV so I find a quiet corner in the lobby to hang until it is time. I read my book that I have rarely opened the whole trip. Who has time with all there is to see. When ever I sit down its bed time.



The town car comes. It looks like a limo. Black and beautiful with that fake mahogany and leather seats. An upgrade from the torn taxi seats and the dirty exteriors. The boys are impressed. We are flying out of Reagan International. $38 plus tip for a 15 minute drive. But its "styling". Last day splurge, we had to go in style.



Reagan Airport surprises me. It is one small terminal. Almost like a small town airport. No wonder they had to build a new airport further out. The computers are down when we arrive so checking our bags takes waiting in the front of the line for 20 minutes. When we go through security Riley misplaces his boarding pass. Turns up in my bag next to mine. I must have picked it up with mine without noticing. Nothing like a little stress before take off. We all handled it well. The airport is so small they would have just given him a new one at the gate.



The airport has one bar and one book store and one souvenir shop. The boys go to check out the souvenir shop. Tom goes to the bar. We have two hours until our plane. I pull out my book. Riley comes back with a new paperback. We read until boarding time. We have upgraded our seats for the extra 6 inches. It is amazing how much difference 6 inches can make. $25 each seat, it also makes us one of the last to board the plane. Stretch seats are in the front few rows only. My bag fits under my seat. I love not having to put it in the overhead. I like to get into my bag at least twice during a flight, pulling a book out or getting out a magazine or getting money or my card out.



I found that airlines don't take cash anymore, credit card only. I like not worrying about change.

We land in Denver only to find a storm cell right over the airport. Our connecting flight has been re routed to Colorado Springs. The boys play on the moving ramp for 30 hours. Finally the weather clears enough for our plane to land and be cleaned and re boarded. We are not going to get in at 7:45 pm, arrival time will be 11:00 pm.



My parents pick us up at the airport. They have brought two cars so they can go straight home and so can we. I drive this time, its familiar territory. We unload the bags and I throw on a load of laundry before falling asleep.



The next day I drive the car over our brand new roll away carrier that I picked up for $25 at Penn station. In the dark it had fallen to the ground behind the car and been missed in the unload.



The cats whined and cried at us all the first day home, because I didn't give them canned food like the boy who took care of them the last two weeks. The front lawn was beautiful and mowed but the back yard was six inches tall and took hours to tame. The exercise felt good and the house was in good shape considering we had abandoned the cats in it for 10 days. I had shut all the doors upstairs to keep the cats off the beds. the bribery of canned food every day seems to have worked. There was no revenge damage to be found.



Trevor went to sleep with a cat on his pillow and we had a dog on ours. Riley slept hard within minutes of lieing down, and then took a long soak in the tub the next day.



I went to see my sister and give her my condolences. She has house guests from the east coast that arrived to support her and do their own grieving. it will take time, a lot of time. What I have learned is to enjoy the moment. I am so glad we did this trip. I wish Tom had more vacation time, because I think we all benefited by having him around. Boys need their Dad. Tom had wanted to go because he was a civil war buff. I hope he feels as fulfilled as the rest of us. The boys will definitely remember this trip the rest of their lives.

The fourth

We get up early for breakfast. Well, we get up at 9:00 every day for Riley's pills. Each of our hotels has had a little fridge to store yogurt in. As long as Riley has his yogurt and the kind he likes, Yoplay, life is easy. The boys and I have a big buffet. They have discovered the waffle iron tucked into a corner of the restaurant. I prefer the eggs and grits with brown sugar. Trevor's waffle sticks so he brings a crumpled mass back to the table and goes to make a new one, this time remembering to grease the iron.

We bring coffee up to Tom and the whole family hits the street for the Air Space museum. It opens at 10:00 am. We are one of the first through the doors. You are greeted with huge Russian and American missiles two stories tall from the cold war years. Along with the Spirit of St Louis. Another room hold the Wright Brothers plane from Kitti hawk. There are articles stating how much they credit their mother for influencing their lives and inspiring them. She was something of a mechanical engineer of her time and helped solve some of their problems when constructing their projects. Behind every great man there is a woman nudging him.

We stay at this museum for half the day. Upstairs is is a mock up of the space station. There is a military wing for air force and Navy. Trevor does a simulator where he is a pilot chasing an enemy plane. He is in the middle of a cork screw maneuver when his head hits the emergency stop button inside the cockpit. He gets stuck upside down. Three men have to manually turn the simulator over to release him.

Tom is done by 1:00pm and heads out. I take the boys over to the American History Museum. We have lunch in the basement cafeteria for only a mere $64, ouch. This is one of my favorite museums though. It holds the gowns of the first ladies. Of course I have to bribe the boys with more simulator rides in order to get to see that portion of the museum. By this time of day the museum is getting packed with tourists. There is also so much to see.

American History museum holds the pop culture and music wing, which I have no interest in. It also has Trains and original engines from machine shops of the 1900's. The boys with their father's engineering background love seeing the engines. There is a two story piston that became obsolete when it was discovered bigger is not always better. Engines became more efficient and smaller. We barely scratch the surface of this museum before we burn out and leave. The original star spangled banner was on display but the line was obscenely long, and we were all tired. We did see Lincoln's top hat that he wore the night he died. There were also paintings of several of our recent presidents. It is time to quit for the day and head back to the room. We need to consider our plans for the night fireworks.

DC

We pack up our room in Hagerstown. I did love that hide a bed for Trevor. We head into Dc. I tell Tom I would like to stop at Arlington cemetery before we drop off the car. he has never been which surprises me since he lived here and worked at the Arlington sewage treatment plant as an intern just out of college. I don't know what exit and the numbers change from what is on the map to what is posted on the freeway. Tom admits that he has circled the beltway before.

We take the Fort exit. The Fort circles the back side of Arlington Cemetery. You can see the cemetery as you drive down the freeway. The exit had to be somewhere along here on the right. Well, the fort exit wasn't the right one. We were pulled aside at the gate our licence plate was written down. Tom's ID was checked. We were then redirected to the next exit onto 395 and the exit after that was Arlington Cemetery by the front entrance. Tom rolled his eyes at me. But we got there. We found shaded parking in the lower lot. It was crowded the day before fourth of July. Signs were posted "be respectful" and " Silence". This cemetery has all the wars we have ever fought from Civil war to present. Acres and Acres of gave markers. Kennedy and Lincoln are buried at Arlington.

The land belonged to Lee's wife. She was a very wealthy woman with a dozen plantations and enough land combined to be bigger than DC. Arlington was her home though. she had been raised here and born and raised her children in this house. She had left when Lee joined the Southern army. The property was confiscated and used as a hospital and then a cemetery. After the war it continued to be a national cemetery. 35 burials are performed each week day even now. Special permission is granted to be buried at Arlington as it is getting pretty full.

The plantation house still stands as it once did, with slave quarters in the back and a huge underground food cellar and now empty wine cellar. People say Lee didn't have slaves, but his wife did. After the war Lee became a professor and taught at a southern university. They went to live at one of her other homes.

Since we didn't get to any other plantations I wanted the boys to see at least one. Arlington will work. The gardens are still in operation. The original house still stands with a museum room of paintings from the big house kept vacuum sealed behind glass to help them survive longer.
The big house is lovely, with foot wide planks on the floors. It is 90% original. the exterior is brick with a stucco overlay then painted to look like marble. Huge pillars two story high hold up the roof over the front portico. Riley asks his dad if we can get a house like this.

It does seem appropriate to have this lovely empty house sit on the top of the hill with a gorgeous view down the mall from the front, surrounded by thousands of graves of people who sacrificed their lives for their country. I am glad we made the effort.

tom has been showing the boys all the glories and glamour of battle and the strength of our country. I wanted to make sure that they got the sacrifice. Riley didn't want to do a cemetery, but you can't do the civil war without seeing the graves. I trip and scrape my knee on the stairs on the hill. Trevor tells me it is bad luck to spill blood in a cemetery. I think this cemetery has seen enough blood.

we cross over memorial bridge which is straight out of Arlington cemetery and into down town DC. We get lost again taking a right too soon. We end up at the water basin, admiring the yachts and sail boats. Seeing how the powerful live. We pass the Jefferson Memorial and the Roosevelt Memorial, but we don't stop. We have to turn around and catch the 1 into DC again. We hit Independence Avenue and I am back on track navigating right to our hotel. We unload our bags and Tom takes off to return the car. There is a drop off at Union Station.

Tom is impressed with Union Station. It is beautiful and old, but also functional. Subway and Train converge. It is original to the city. Think about how many soldiers have been shipped out from that location for all the wars. Tom stops to have a beer and admire the sights.

While Tom is returning the car, I get our bags inside the hotel, but we are early for check in so I text Tom we are going sight seeing and hit our first museum on the mall. We walk down to the Castle which is an information spot now. There is a quick orientation movie. The building is the first on the mall. The money $1 million dollars was gifted to the united states by an admiring British citizen to record and save our history.

Straight across from the Castle on mall is the Natural History Museum. We head there to see the dinosaurs and gems. It is packed. Everyone is inside to avoid the 90 degree heat. It is also the day before the fourth. I try to find some more obscure exhibits that might not have the crowds, but it is busy everywhere. I point out to the boys that having been to the Dinosaur Museum in Utah the exhibits here will not be nearly as impressive. The ocean exhibit is impressive though. There are some skeletons that are truly huge. I always loved the blue whale hanging from the ceiling. The elephant that greats you as you come in to the museum is also impressive.

We head to the third floor and plan to work our way down. The Hope diamond has an audience 3 deep. The boys wiggle up fro a view but I opt out. We move on to the minerals. These are the best of the best. its the Smithsonian after all. Huge quartz crystals and stalagmites and stalactites are on display. Beautiful uncut gems huge in size. The boys and I admire it all. Trevor finds a display that shows the different buildings on the mall and what kind of rock they are made of: Limestone, granite, marble. The buildings are huge with twenty foot ceilings on each floor. They would have felt even more crowded without those high ceilings.

We head back to the hotel to check in. Tom is already in our room. But the bellman would not give him our luggage as I had the check slip. When we got back to the hotel though I couldn't find the check slip, but since I could describe every bag on the cart, he let us have our luggage. The boys' bags have their names on them and mine was a floral print, quite distinctive.

The room is smaller than Hagerstown. It is also $250 a night, Hagerstown was $150. Location Location Location as they say in real estate. We are two blocks from the Air space museum. We plan on being there at the opening tomorrow, before the crowds hit. Everything is walking distance. If I could I would get Tom to take the subway places. The yellow line is only one block south at L'Enfant.

I also chose this hotel because children eat free under 12. Feeding Trevor and Riley gets expensive. starting each day with breakfast is great and it gives Tom time to wake up in peace. Well, he is up before us but it gives him time to watch the news and have some solitude.

the place keeps track of who is eating. There is a buffet. Waffles, eggs, sausage, cereals. A full selection for everyone, and a Delicious fresh squeezed Orange juice and coffee. The place reminds me of Disney world though. One of the reasons I chose Holiday In Express is it is child friendly. Other people have the same opinion. There are children everywhere.


It is the night of the third, Tom takes an evening walk. He wants to check out the best place to see the fireworks. We want to be comfortable and have a good view. We have agreed that crowds are an issue for us. Tom worries about terrorist attacks and stampedes. So he has gone off to take in the evening sights and see what our options might be. To be honest we have been surprised there are not more people around on the mall.

The pool on the roof is so packed both my boys opt not to swim. We watch a little TV then everyone reads books and then lights out. Tomorrow is the fourth.