The alarm on my cell phone went off at 7am. I groaned and did not get up. I was dozing when my cell phone rang at 7:15. It was Tracy… the security alarm had gone off at our house, and he was 2 hours away. Would it reset? It’s a new system, plus I wasn’t fully awake yet, so I told him I didn’t know… it should, but I didn’t know for sure. He had told ADT to go ahead and send the police out there. He called ADT back and found out that the alarm would reset and they would call him back if the police found anything unusual. He never heard back, but it was still a day of being worried about the kitties and did someone try to break in or what??
That got me out of the bed, anyway. Mom and I got ready and drove to Virginia to Mount Vernon, the home of our first president, George Washington and his wife, Martha. The area is beautiful out there. The parking is even free at Mount Vernon! That’s a big deal up here!
The first thing we did was get our tickets for the river cruise and walk to the wharf to catch the boat by 11:30am. It was a pleasant walk… Along the way, we stopped and saw the tomb where George and Martha are buried. We continued to the wharf and boarded the boat for a leisurely, pleasant cruise on the Potomac River for about 40 minutes. We had a beautiful view of the Washington home from the river. We also got to see Fort Washington across the river in Maryland. George had it built to protect DC from invaders. It is so huge and imposing that it has never been attacked. The tour guide said the walls are about 25 feet thick – no wonder!
When we returned to land, we walked up toward the mansion. It was up a steep hill the whole way! I am so out of shape! But we finally made it and it was very worth it! There were several buildings on the property… barn, clerk’s office, salt house, gardener’s house, slave quarters, etc. There was a line to get into the mansion, but there is a lawn there and people in period dress were out there having “picnics”, giving concerts, dancing, mingling with the guests, etc. It was very neat and made the time pass by quickly.
We toured the house and there were guides on every level, telling us interesting tidbits about the time period and the Washingtons. So much of the house is from that time… including the banisters on the stairs… Washington had them installed himself. There is a beautiful view from the front porch… Across the river, they have turned that land into a state park and kept it looking almost exactly like it did during Washington’s time… nothing but trees and greenery… he loved the view from his front porch, across the Potomoc River.
After finishing the mansion, we headed back to the visitor’s center and lunch. We ate in the café and then visited the shops there. We had way too much fun shopping! It was after 3 by this time, and we headed back to DC. Traffic was heavy by this time, but we made it just fine. We ordered from a local pizza place for dinner… Mom got stromboli and I got lasagna… It was huge and delicious!! I was behind on my journaling so between that, checking out Facebook, talking to Tracy and Stacey, and checking e-mail, it was after 11 before I went to bed and I literally threw on pjs, took out my contacts, and crawled in the bed! I woke up the next morning with my earrings still in my ears!! LOL!
Oh, and when Tracy got home from work and found that the motion detector had went off at the house this morning. The only thing we can figure is that a cat jumped high enough to set it off! I would have loved to have seen that!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Day 6 of Washington Trip: Thursday
Mom and I slept in a little today… as a matter of fact, when I got up, Mom wasn’t up yet. That is unheard of. So I got a little worried… but she was just that tired. She hopped right up when I went and checked on her and we got ready to go to Arlington National Cemetery.
We drove there… with Samantha, my GPS, it’s not very hard. The only thing is that buses and taxis will run you over here. And everyone else will use any excuse to blow the horn at you. It doesn’t matter that 10 cars are blocking your path through an intersection; the car behind you will lay on the horn. But it really isn’t too hard to get around… parking is the only problem. There is no parking downtown unless you want to pay $12-15 a day. The Metro stations even charge for parking during the week. But Arlington has parking at its visitor’s center. They charge you, but it’s reasonable.
Again, there were tour buses everywhere!! We went into the visitor’s center and purchased tickets to ride the Tour Mobile. They have a great set up here. The tour trolley takes you to three places at Arlington: Kennedy’s grave, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Arlington House (the home of Robert E. Lee). Well, you get off the trolley at the first stop and you have no limit on how long you can spend there – you just catch the next trolley as it comes by. Plus it saved our poor tired feet and swollen ankles when we didn’t have to walk the cemetery – as it is HUGE. Acres and acres.
Anyway, we saw John F. and Jackie Kennedy’s graves first. It was nothing like I had imagined. Everything seems larger on TV, I guess. Plus, for some reason, I thought his, at least, was above ground. I don’t know why, but that’s what I thought. We also walked over to Robert Kennedy’s grave… it is very simple compared to his brother’s. The crowds here were atrocious… the worst was this girl who pushed in front of everyone at Robert Kennedy’s grave and then just wanted to stay there and not make room for anyone else. I finally had to say “Excuse ME” quite forcibly to get her to move. Even my mother was aggravated with her!
We then caught the trolley and headed to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We had a perfect view. They held two wreath ceremonies during the 25 minutes – ½ hour we were there before the changing of the guards. At 10:30 was the changing of the guard ceremony. It was amazing. Such precision. Such respect. Even the crowd (including all the school children) remained quiet and respectful. I bet I took 50 pictures of the ceremony!
We left this area and went to the Arlington House. The house is being re-done so all the furniture was moved out. There wasn’t much to see right now, but you got the general feel of how the house was in Lee’s time. The tour guide on the tour Tuesday night told us the story of how Arlington House became Arlington Cemetery. When the Civil War began, Robert E. Lee was living with his family at Arlington. The property actually belonged to his wife, who was Martha Washington’s grand-daughter. While Robert E. Lee did not believe in succession and did not wish for the country to go to war, he could not take sides against his beloved Virginia. So he resigned his commission with the U.S. Army and joined the Confederacy. When he did that, he was forced to pack up himself, his wife, and their seven children and move to Richmond. His West Point classmate, Montgomery Meigs, who was a General in the U.S. Army, never forgave Lee for going to the Confederacy. Probably out of revenge, Meigs suggested that Arlington be used as a military burial ground. Based on his recommendation, the estate was turned into Arlington National Cemetery in 1864. Robert E. Lee and his family never lived there again. As a matter of face, the Union government took the property away from Mrs. Lee for non-payment of taxes. She actually sent a messenger with the tax payment, but the government turned the messenger away – demanding that Mrs. Lee herself come pay the taxes. It was impossible for Mrs. Lee to travel to the north, of course. Years later, her son sued the government and won the property back. He sold part of the property, which held the cemetery, to the government. After the war, Mrs. Lee wanted to see her old home and had her driver take her there in her carriage. Once they arrived, and she saw all the soldiers’ graves around her home and barely recognized anything else, she was so heartbroken, she did not even get out of the carriage. She died a few months later.
We left Arlington and proceeded on our quest to find lunch. Food seems to be difficult to come by in Washington. There is no suburbia here… it’s all downtown city. Therefore, most of the restaurants are in areas where there is no parking… or if there is parking, it is very expensive parking. Since we were staying out so far, it makes it difficult to find food when we’re out at the condo. So when we left Arlington, we drove toward a restaurant I found on the GPS… only to find it was in a downtown area in Virginia, with no parking nearby. So we rode back toward our condo without finding anywhere… then past our condo without finding anywhere… finally we found a seafood market and got lunch. It was 2 pm before we got back to the condo.
We stayed in the rest of the afternoon. I took a nap, but felt worse when I awoke, since my sinuses were all messed up. That cleared up shortly, thank goodness.
We got ready for our evening, and I called for a taxi. They showed up on time and we were off to the Kennedy Center to the symphony! The National Symphony performed a selection of movie themes, along with a screen showing pictures of the directors, composers, and actors associated with the film. It was excellent… I especially enjoyed the compilation of music from Casablanca! We controlled ourselves and didn’t run around the center taking pictures… no one else was and we really didn’t want to look like country come to town! But I did manage to sneak a couple of pictures (without flash)! And while waiting for a taxi after the show, a nice lady behind us in line took a couple of pictures of us. So we have the evening covered for a scrapbook page!
Taxis were slow in coming, but we finally got one and got back about 11:30. That would explain why I didn’t update here last night. :)
We drove there… with Samantha, my GPS, it’s not very hard. The only thing is that buses and taxis will run you over here. And everyone else will use any excuse to blow the horn at you. It doesn’t matter that 10 cars are blocking your path through an intersection; the car behind you will lay on the horn. But it really isn’t too hard to get around… parking is the only problem. There is no parking downtown unless you want to pay $12-15 a day. The Metro stations even charge for parking during the week. But Arlington has parking at its visitor’s center. They charge you, but it’s reasonable.
Again, there were tour buses everywhere!! We went into the visitor’s center and purchased tickets to ride the Tour Mobile. They have a great set up here. The tour trolley takes you to three places at Arlington: Kennedy’s grave, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Arlington House (the home of Robert E. Lee). Well, you get off the trolley at the first stop and you have no limit on how long you can spend there – you just catch the next trolley as it comes by. Plus it saved our poor tired feet and swollen ankles when we didn’t have to walk the cemetery – as it is HUGE. Acres and acres.
Anyway, we saw John F. and Jackie Kennedy’s graves first. It was nothing like I had imagined. Everything seems larger on TV, I guess. Plus, for some reason, I thought his, at least, was above ground. I don’t know why, but that’s what I thought. We also walked over to Robert Kennedy’s grave… it is very simple compared to his brother’s. The crowds here were atrocious… the worst was this girl who pushed in front of everyone at Robert Kennedy’s grave and then just wanted to stay there and not make room for anyone else. I finally had to say “Excuse ME” quite forcibly to get her to move. Even my mother was aggravated with her!
We then caught the trolley and headed to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We had a perfect view. They held two wreath ceremonies during the 25 minutes – ½ hour we were there before the changing of the guards. At 10:30 was the changing of the guard ceremony. It was amazing. Such precision. Such respect. Even the crowd (including all the school children) remained quiet and respectful. I bet I took 50 pictures of the ceremony!
We left this area and went to the Arlington House. The house is being re-done so all the furniture was moved out. There wasn’t much to see right now, but you got the general feel of how the house was in Lee’s time. The tour guide on the tour Tuesday night told us the story of how Arlington House became Arlington Cemetery. When the Civil War began, Robert E. Lee was living with his family at Arlington. The property actually belonged to his wife, who was Martha Washington’s grand-daughter. While Robert E. Lee did not believe in succession and did not wish for the country to go to war, he could not take sides against his beloved Virginia. So he resigned his commission with the U.S. Army and joined the Confederacy. When he did that, he was forced to pack up himself, his wife, and their seven children and move to Richmond. His West Point classmate, Montgomery Meigs, who was a General in the U.S. Army, never forgave Lee for going to the Confederacy. Probably out of revenge, Meigs suggested that Arlington be used as a military burial ground. Based on his recommendation, the estate was turned into Arlington National Cemetery in 1864. Robert E. Lee and his family never lived there again. As a matter of face, the Union government took the property away from Mrs. Lee for non-payment of taxes. She actually sent a messenger with the tax payment, but the government turned the messenger away – demanding that Mrs. Lee herself come pay the taxes. It was impossible for Mrs. Lee to travel to the north, of course. Years later, her son sued the government and won the property back. He sold part of the property, which held the cemetery, to the government. After the war, Mrs. Lee wanted to see her old home and had her driver take her there in her carriage. Once they arrived, and she saw all the soldiers’ graves around her home and barely recognized anything else, she was so heartbroken, she did not even get out of the carriage. She died a few months later.
We left Arlington and proceeded on our quest to find lunch. Food seems to be difficult to come by in Washington. There is no suburbia here… it’s all downtown city. Therefore, most of the restaurants are in areas where there is no parking… or if there is parking, it is very expensive parking. Since we were staying out so far, it makes it difficult to find food when we’re out at the condo. So when we left Arlington, we drove toward a restaurant I found on the GPS… only to find it was in a downtown area in Virginia, with no parking nearby. So we rode back toward our condo without finding anywhere… then past our condo without finding anywhere… finally we found a seafood market and got lunch. It was 2 pm before we got back to the condo.
We stayed in the rest of the afternoon. I took a nap, but felt worse when I awoke, since my sinuses were all messed up. That cleared up shortly, thank goodness.
We got ready for our evening, and I called for a taxi. They showed up on time and we were off to the Kennedy Center to the symphony! The National Symphony performed a selection of movie themes, along with a screen showing pictures of the directors, composers, and actors associated with the film. It was excellent… I especially enjoyed the compilation of music from Casablanca! We controlled ourselves and didn’t run around the center taking pictures… no one else was and we really didn’t want to look like country come to town! But I did manage to sneak a couple of pictures (without flash)! And while waiting for a taxi after the show, a nice lady behind us in line took a couple of pictures of us. So we have the evening covered for a scrapbook page!
Taxis were slow in coming, but we finally got one and got back about 11:30. That would explain why I didn’t update here last night. :)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Day 5 of Washington Trip: Wednesday
Got to sleep until 6:30 this morning! Yea! Got ready and walked the ½ mile to the bus stop for the X2 bus. Took it to H and 7th Streets. Went into Starbucks and got a drink and something to eat. Walked a couple of blocks and saw a park with benches so we sat down to enjoy our breakfast. After we ate, I looked at the map and realized we had walked the wrong way on 7th Street! So we reversed course. We were in Chinatown and there are all sorts of restaurants, stores, and theatres. Mom even saw an Irish Pub with the name in Chinese underneath! LOL The Hooters restaurant also had the name written in Chinese. I did not know that the Chinese had that word in their vocabulary! LOL
We got to the Crime & Punishment Museum a little after 10. Even though our tickets were for 11, they let us right in, no waiting. There was no one ahead of us! They told us we could take pictures, just without flash. It was a very neat place… and another overload of information. It started with medieval forms of punishment and moved to the Salem Witch trials to the Old West outlaws such as Doc Holliday and Jesse James to the 1930’s Capone era to modern day criminals such as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Unabomber. There was also a section with unsolved cases. And a “fake” crime scene where you follow the evidence right through a CSI lab, complete with the body lying on the autopsy table!! There were lots of interactive things throughout the museum.
We were very fortunate that only one VERY large school group came through soon after we entered the museum. They went on past us and then we had the place almost to ourselves! It was great! Lastly, we went down to the studio where they tape America’s Most Wanted. Alas, just my luck, John Walsh was not in town and they were not taping today. But it was neat to see the studio… it looks SO much smaller in person.
As you leave the exhibit area, they snap your picture and put it up on a screen with a bunch of other mug shots! Funny stuff!
Of course, we visited the gift shop… I got a pair of handcuff earrings… just like Beth Chapman’s… LOL.
It was 1:30 before we left there… so we found a McDonald’s and ate some lunch. Then we walked to the Ford’s Theatre. It was an absolute zoo there! Kids and people EVERYWHERE. There were 4-5 buses on this one block at all times. We were there early and they wouldn’t let us in until our appointment time at 3. Then they told us that we couldn’t be in line in the lobby – we had to be in line outside. That was fine until it was time to go in and they took the line in the lobby first! To have so many tourists, many of these places are not very organized! Anyway, we finally went in and were seated in the theatre. There was the box were Lincoln was shot… decorated as it was that very night. A park ranger came out and told us the history of the theatre and the story of that night in April 1865. Our ticket to the theatre was supposed to include the Peterson House, which was the boarding house across the street where Lincoln died. Well, the line to get in there was forever long… Mom and I looked at each other and said, “That’s just the room where he died – let’s go!” We stopped in a souvenir shop, bought some more stuff, and caught the D6 bus. We were so tired and sore by then…. Riding on the bus sounded like heaven – at least we’d be sitting down. Thank goodness we didn’t have to wait long.
We had started talking with a really nice lady at the bus stop. So once the crowd thinned out on the bus, we moved and sat next to her and was continuing our conversation. Another lady on a cell phone was on the other side of the lady. To my left was a lady with a cane. Across from us was this man who had a backpack, two other bags, a couple of coats, headphones, etc. Pretty sure he was homeless. Well, he was talking constantly. People thought for awhile that he was talking to the lady next to me. I actually wondered at first if he was practicing something he was listening to on his headphones. But it turned out that he was just crazy. Which became apparent to everyone once another man boarded the bus and was standing up front… with one foot over the yellow line. Well, all of a sudden crazy man jumped up, yelling and complaining, went to the front and was telling the driver that he needed to make that man move back behind the yellow line because it could cause the driver to wreck. And he wanted to be safe on this bus! That was bad enough, but then the man standing in front that crazy guy was talking about started arguing with him. Back and forth. The women around us and the bus driver started telling him to let it go – it wasn’t worth it. The woman next to me even stuck her cane in between them a couple of times! But being a man, he just wouldn’t give it up. I just knew they were going to come to blows at any moment and all of us would be in the path. This went on for a couple of blocks and then finally crazy man got even more mad and grabbed up all his stuff and wanted off the bus. Standing man told him not until a bus stop and wouldn’t let him by. People were begging him to let the crazy guy off. We finally came to a bus stop and standing man still had to be difficult and not let crazy man by until we had come to a complete stop. Insane! But crazy guy did get off, stood there facing the bus, threw down his bags, ripped off his jacket, put his hands on his hips and glared! Everyone laughed. The women around us swore this was normally a calm and quiet bus! As we got to the end of the line, the lady with the cane, the lady from the bus stop, Mom and me were all who were left on the bus. We were all laughing and talking about what happened with the driver. He was so enjoying it. He said we were his best trip of the day!
We transferred to the B2 bus (which luckily lets us off only 3 blocks from the condo) and got back here about 4:30. We haven’t done much since then. Ordered a pizza and now we’re watching POTC: Dead Man’s Chest… my favorite of the trilogy.
We’re headed to Arlington National Cemetery in the morning. And we’re driving there!
We got to the Crime & Punishment Museum a little after 10. Even though our tickets were for 11, they let us right in, no waiting. There was no one ahead of us! They told us we could take pictures, just without flash. It was a very neat place… and another overload of information. It started with medieval forms of punishment and moved to the Salem Witch trials to the Old West outlaws such as Doc Holliday and Jesse James to the 1930’s Capone era to modern day criminals such as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Unabomber. There was also a section with unsolved cases. And a “fake” crime scene where you follow the evidence right through a CSI lab, complete with the body lying on the autopsy table!! There were lots of interactive things throughout the museum.
We were very fortunate that only one VERY large school group came through soon after we entered the museum. They went on past us and then we had the place almost to ourselves! It was great! Lastly, we went down to the studio where they tape America’s Most Wanted. Alas, just my luck, John Walsh was not in town and they were not taping today. But it was neat to see the studio… it looks SO much smaller in person.
As you leave the exhibit area, they snap your picture and put it up on a screen with a bunch of other mug shots! Funny stuff!
Of course, we visited the gift shop… I got a pair of handcuff earrings… just like Beth Chapman’s… LOL.
It was 1:30 before we left there… so we found a McDonald’s and ate some lunch. Then we walked to the Ford’s Theatre. It was an absolute zoo there! Kids and people EVERYWHERE. There were 4-5 buses on this one block at all times. We were there early and they wouldn’t let us in until our appointment time at 3. Then they told us that we couldn’t be in line in the lobby – we had to be in line outside. That was fine until it was time to go in and they took the line in the lobby first! To have so many tourists, many of these places are not very organized! Anyway, we finally went in and were seated in the theatre. There was the box were Lincoln was shot… decorated as it was that very night. A park ranger came out and told us the history of the theatre and the story of that night in April 1865. Our ticket to the theatre was supposed to include the Peterson House, which was the boarding house across the street where Lincoln died. Well, the line to get in there was forever long… Mom and I looked at each other and said, “That’s just the room where he died – let’s go!” We stopped in a souvenir shop, bought some more stuff, and caught the D6 bus. We were so tired and sore by then…. Riding on the bus sounded like heaven – at least we’d be sitting down. Thank goodness we didn’t have to wait long.
We had started talking with a really nice lady at the bus stop. So once the crowd thinned out on the bus, we moved and sat next to her and was continuing our conversation. Another lady on a cell phone was on the other side of the lady. To my left was a lady with a cane. Across from us was this man who had a backpack, two other bags, a couple of coats, headphones, etc. Pretty sure he was homeless. Well, he was talking constantly. People thought for awhile that he was talking to the lady next to me. I actually wondered at first if he was practicing something he was listening to on his headphones. But it turned out that he was just crazy. Which became apparent to everyone once another man boarded the bus and was standing up front… with one foot over the yellow line. Well, all of a sudden crazy man jumped up, yelling and complaining, went to the front and was telling the driver that he needed to make that man move back behind the yellow line because it could cause the driver to wreck. And he wanted to be safe on this bus! That was bad enough, but then the man standing in front that crazy guy was talking about started arguing with him. Back and forth. The women around us and the bus driver started telling him to let it go – it wasn’t worth it. The woman next to me even stuck her cane in between them a couple of times! But being a man, he just wouldn’t give it up. I just knew they were going to come to blows at any moment and all of us would be in the path. This went on for a couple of blocks and then finally crazy man got even more mad and grabbed up all his stuff and wanted off the bus. Standing man told him not until a bus stop and wouldn’t let him by. People were begging him to let the crazy guy off. We finally came to a bus stop and standing man still had to be difficult and not let crazy man by until we had come to a complete stop. Insane! But crazy guy did get off, stood there facing the bus, threw down his bags, ripped off his jacket, put his hands on his hips and glared! Everyone laughed. The women around us swore this was normally a calm and quiet bus! As we got to the end of the line, the lady with the cane, the lady from the bus stop, Mom and me were all who were left on the bus. We were all laughing and talking about what happened with the driver. He was so enjoying it. He said we were his best trip of the day!
We transferred to the B2 bus (which luckily lets us off only 3 blocks from the condo) and got back here about 4:30. We haven’t done much since then. Ordered a pizza and now we’re watching POTC: Dead Man’s Chest… my favorite of the trilogy.
We’re headed to Arlington National Cemetery in the morning. And we’re driving there!
4th Day of Washington Trip: Tuesday - Part 2
We ate and went out to wait for the tour bus. We were to wait right in front of the Old Post Office Building right next to Ben Franklin’s statue (which I took a picture of!) There were police cars up and down Pennsylvania Avenue. We wondered what was up… We saw so many tour buses as we were sitting there…
The tour bus came promptly and we boarded. It took them awhile to get someone there from the office to check that we were on the list and paid. Then it took them another while to figure out who was going to be our tour guide. Meanwhile, the police had asked us to move along on Pennsylvania Avenue so we had to circle the block. Finally, our tour guide, Barbara, boarded the bus and we were off. It was still daylight at this time… just a little after 7. Our first stop was the Jefferson Memorial, which I was very excited about since Mom and I had not seen it yet and we wondered when and how we would get there! It was amazing… not as amazing as the Lincoln Memorial, but great in its own way. We got back on the bus and went to the area of the Korean Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Vietnam Wall. Since Mom and I had already seen the last two, we got off and took some pictures of the Korean Memorial and then got back on the bus, rode with Sam, the driver, around to the other side and waited for everyone to return to the bus. It was dark by the time we left there. Then we went to the WWII Memorial, and we definitely wanted to see it all lit up. It was just as beautiful, if not more so, than in the daylight. The tour then went by Arlington (just passed it by) on our way to the Iwo Jima Memorial. Again, I was excited cause Mom and I had not made plans to go there. It is HUGE. It is so much larger in person than you can tell on TV. I was a little bummed because right before the tour bus arrived, the batteries went dead in my “good” camera. I put in the extra set I had brought with me, and they were dead, too! UGH. This is the camera with all the cool settings – including a night setting. So I just had to suck it up and use my new little Polaroid digital. It takes great pictures normally, but I wasn’t sure if it would be up to my standards for night pictures. Well, I found a night setting on it. The photos are not great, but I can deal with them. They are better than nothing.
Oh, and we met the funniest couple from California while waiting for the tour bus. They were so much fun. She and I hit it right off. And he could throw out the zingers, too!
After Iwo Jima, we headed back into downtown and went to the White House. Well, you don’t actually go “to” the White House anymore… Pennsylvania Avenue is now permanently blocked off so you have to get out at the corner and walk by the White House. I got a couple of beautiful pictures of it lit up. We also saw Blair House across from the White House – this is where guests stay. This week, the prime minister from Israel is visiting, so the Israeli flag was flying on the house. It was also lit up, and our tour guide figured that they were having some function there that the president was attending.
The tour guide told us the story of how Blair House came to be. Used to, guests stayed in the White House… on the same floor as the First family. Well, during WWII, Winston Churchill was visiting the Roosevelts. Eleanor Roosevelt walked out into the hallway late one night and found Churchill in just his nightshirt, holding a brandy sniffer in one hand and a cigar in the other! Mrs. Roosevelt asked him, “Winston, what are you doing?!” to which Churchill replied, “I’m looking for Franklin.” Mrs. Roosevelt told him, “No you’re not!” and steered him back to his room. Soon after that visit, Mrs. Roosevelt impressed upon Congress the need for a separate guesthouse for guests, and Blair House was born! LOL
We took our pictures and were standing there with our tour guide listening to her when all of a sudden a policeman came over to us and told us we either needed to get moving or cross the street. So evidently the party was ending at the Blair House and the president needed to be escorted back across the street!
We caught the tour bus at the end of the block and headed to our final stop, the Capitol. It was also beautiful, lit up. We took pictures, listened to the tour guide tell us the story of how the dome was finished during the Civil War. You would think the country would not have the money at that time to finish such a large project, but Lincoln was adamant. He felt that the country seeing that dome going up would be good for morale and show them the country was continuing on.
We found out that one of our tour passengers needed to get to Union Station to catch a train, and our wonderful bus driver, Sam, was going to take her there. I realized then that would be a better place to catch a taxi there from where the tour originated. So we got off at Union Station about 10 pm, got in the taxi quere and got a taxi very quickly. The driver was very nice (much more friendly and knowledgeable than the one yesterday). He was from Pakistan, spoke excellent English, had lived in the area for 10 years, and worked part-time driving a taxi. He brought us right to our door. We were wiped out! We went to bed very shortly after arriving back at the condo. Thank goodness we didn’t have to get up real early in the morning!
The tour bus came promptly and we boarded. It took them awhile to get someone there from the office to check that we were on the list and paid. Then it took them another while to figure out who was going to be our tour guide. Meanwhile, the police had asked us to move along on Pennsylvania Avenue so we had to circle the block. Finally, our tour guide, Barbara, boarded the bus and we were off. It was still daylight at this time… just a little after 7. Our first stop was the Jefferson Memorial, which I was very excited about since Mom and I had not seen it yet and we wondered when and how we would get there! It was amazing… not as amazing as the Lincoln Memorial, but great in its own way. We got back on the bus and went to the area of the Korean Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Vietnam Wall. Since Mom and I had already seen the last two, we got off and took some pictures of the Korean Memorial and then got back on the bus, rode with Sam, the driver, around to the other side and waited for everyone to return to the bus. It was dark by the time we left there. Then we went to the WWII Memorial, and we definitely wanted to see it all lit up. It was just as beautiful, if not more so, than in the daylight. The tour then went by Arlington (just passed it by) on our way to the Iwo Jima Memorial. Again, I was excited cause Mom and I had not made plans to go there. It is HUGE. It is so much larger in person than you can tell on TV. I was a little bummed because right before the tour bus arrived, the batteries went dead in my “good” camera. I put in the extra set I had brought with me, and they were dead, too! UGH. This is the camera with all the cool settings – including a night setting. So I just had to suck it up and use my new little Polaroid digital. It takes great pictures normally, but I wasn’t sure if it would be up to my standards for night pictures. Well, I found a night setting on it. The photos are not great, but I can deal with them. They are better than nothing.
Oh, and we met the funniest couple from California while waiting for the tour bus. They were so much fun. She and I hit it right off. And he could throw out the zingers, too!
After Iwo Jima, we headed back into downtown and went to the White House. Well, you don’t actually go “to” the White House anymore… Pennsylvania Avenue is now permanently blocked off so you have to get out at the corner and walk by the White House. I got a couple of beautiful pictures of it lit up. We also saw Blair House across from the White House – this is where guests stay. This week, the prime minister from Israel is visiting, so the Israeli flag was flying on the house. It was also lit up, and our tour guide figured that they were having some function there that the president was attending.
The tour guide told us the story of how Blair House came to be. Used to, guests stayed in the White House… on the same floor as the First family. Well, during WWII, Winston Churchill was visiting the Roosevelts. Eleanor Roosevelt walked out into the hallway late one night and found Churchill in just his nightshirt, holding a brandy sniffer in one hand and a cigar in the other! Mrs. Roosevelt asked him, “Winston, what are you doing?!” to which Churchill replied, “I’m looking for Franklin.” Mrs. Roosevelt told him, “No you’re not!” and steered him back to his room. Soon after that visit, Mrs. Roosevelt impressed upon Congress the need for a separate guesthouse for guests, and Blair House was born! LOL
We took our pictures and were standing there with our tour guide listening to her when all of a sudden a policeman came over to us and told us we either needed to get moving or cross the street. So evidently the party was ending at the Blair House and the president needed to be escorted back across the street!
We caught the tour bus at the end of the block and headed to our final stop, the Capitol. It was also beautiful, lit up. We took pictures, listened to the tour guide tell us the story of how the dome was finished during the Civil War. You would think the country would not have the money at that time to finish such a large project, but Lincoln was adamant. He felt that the country seeing that dome going up would be good for morale and show them the country was continuing on.
We found out that one of our tour passengers needed to get to Union Station to catch a train, and our wonderful bus driver, Sam, was going to take her there. I realized then that would be a better place to catch a taxi there from where the tour originated. So we got off at Union Station about 10 pm, got in the taxi quere and got a taxi very quickly. The driver was very nice (much more friendly and knowledgeable than the one yesterday). He was from Pakistan, spoke excellent English, had lived in the area for 10 years, and worked part-time driving a taxi. He brought us right to our door. We were wiped out! We went to bed very shortly after arriving back at the condo. Thank goodness we didn’t have to get up real early in the morning!
4th Day of Washington Trip - Tuesday - Part 1
Had to get up and out early this morning… it was White House tour day! It took two buses, but we made it there in plenty of time. Cameras are NOT allowed in the White House, so that was killing me, as all you scrapbookers can understand. I couldn’t even take pictures of the outside!! UGH!
The tour is interesting… the rooms are beautiful… very clean and ornate. We saw the East Room - where press conferences are held – the Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, and the State Dining Room – where state dinners are held. It was neat, but it only left me wanting more. And can you believe that Obama blew me off??? Neither he or Michelle came down to meet us. Unbelievable!
The tour was over very quickly. We had to walk to a Metro Station (DC’s subway), and on the way we stopped in a Starbucks. The lady checking us out so liked my Georgia accent that she gave Mom her coffee for free!!! Everyone has just been so nice and helpful here. It’s been great.
So we got a lesson from a Metro agent on how to get a fare card to ride the subway. We rode the Orange Line out several stations and then caught a bus back out to where we’re staying. We had to come all the way back out here to get our bags (bags, including purses, are not allowed in the White House either!) and of course, cameras!! We then had to walk ½ mile and take two more buses to get to the Holocaust Museum. We almost caught the wrong bus on the transfer, but luckily I asked the driver and he straightened us out. We just had to cross the street to catch the correct bus.
We got to the museum and wanted to eat lunch in their café. We went through security to get in the building and asked the security officers where the café was located. Come to find out we had to go out of the building into another building, where we had to go through security to get to the café!! All the food they served in the café was Kosher, but to them that seemed to mean without ANY kind of meat! Not good for the ole meat and potatoes girl here. I ended up ordering a pantini like Mom got, and I was surprised at how good it was. I also ate some chips, so I was happy. We had to go through security a THIRD time to get back into the main museum building!
We then joined 100+ teenagers to hear a Holocaust survivor speak for an hour. It was so heartbreaking, amazing, and moving. This lady is Polish and when Germany invaded Poland, they took her father away immediately… she never saw him again. She, her mother, and her sister were moved to the Ghetto, along with all the Jewish people in the town. Her mother and sister were forced to work for Germany every day… her mother (a teacher) digging ditches and her sister (age 15) knitting socks for German soldiers. When her mother started hearing rumors that the Ghetto was going to be destroyed, she made arrangements with two area farmers to hide the family… her sister at one location and the mother and Charlene at another. The day came that the sister was sent into hiding. Charlene never saw her sister again. Then the day came for her and her mother to go into hiding themselves… they waited until late at night to sneak out… and gunfire erupted. They went into the river to hide. The gunfire continued and then the ghetto was set on fire… her and her mother hid in the river for days. Then Charlene awoke from dozing and discovered her mother gone. She never knew what happened to her. Charlene then went to the farmer who was supposed to hide her and her mother, and he refused to let her stay. She went into the forest and proceeded to live there for three years. Finally, Russian soldiers discovered her and took her in, fed her, cleaned her up, and saved her. She eventually made her way to the United States. It is an amazing story… definitely a testament to human endurance. Though no human should have to endure any of that.
After the talk, Mom and I walked through the Nazi Propaganda exhibit. Very scary how Hitler used propaganda tactics so effectively and convinced the people of Germany he was their savior and got elected to power so quickly. We only made it through half of this exhibit… it just went on and on and on… and after awhile, I got really sick of reading about and seeing Hitler. Don’t misunderstand… I fully believe we need to remember the Holocaust… the survivors and the killed… but I don’t want to give Hitler himself too much of my time and energy.
By this time, it was time for us to tour the permanent exhibit. The crowd was unbelievable…. I think there were 37 school groups of about 37 kids each!! And the museum dumps about 100 people out at a time in the exhibit. So you have to fight all those people to see or read anything! Also, the entire exhibit is 3 floors and takes about 2 hours to get through. Yea, right! I believe you would have to go every day for a week and just read a part each day. It was moving… it was sad… it was unimaginable… I can’t even describe how you feel as you read the atrocities and see the pictures. Two things struck me… there were, of course, the big atrocities… removing Jewish people from their jobs, their homes, murdering them. But in between there were the “little” things – the things that I believe can really wear a person down day by day… like “Jewish Only” benches and having to wear a Star of David on your clothing and being forced to walk in your synagogue and hear anti-Semitism speeches. The daily humiliation was unbelievable. The unimaginable things that humans can do to other humans…
The second thing that struck me was the “we shouldn’t get involved” attitude in the rest of the world. Including the United States. What is that saying, and I’m paraphrasing here, “All evil needs to succeed is for good men to do nothing.” Well, it was never truer than when speaking about the Holocaust. I’ve always been outspoken, and as I get older, I’m even more outspoken about injustices and wrongs I see. But the world seems to operate on that “we shouldn’t get involved” or “that’s not our business” basis. All I’m saying is that saddens and angers me.
We left the museum at 5pm… exhausted and in pain. LOL. We walked several blocks over the Old Post Office building, which is where we were to meet out night tour bus. Luckily, the Old Post Office has a food court downstairs so we could get some dinner. We actually had to go through security to get into the food court!!
More tonight...
The tour is interesting… the rooms are beautiful… very clean and ornate. We saw the East Room - where press conferences are held – the Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, and the State Dining Room – where state dinners are held. It was neat, but it only left me wanting more. And can you believe that Obama blew me off??? Neither he or Michelle came down to meet us. Unbelievable!
The tour was over very quickly. We had to walk to a Metro Station (DC’s subway), and on the way we stopped in a Starbucks. The lady checking us out so liked my Georgia accent that she gave Mom her coffee for free!!! Everyone has just been so nice and helpful here. It’s been great.
So we got a lesson from a Metro agent on how to get a fare card to ride the subway. We rode the Orange Line out several stations and then caught a bus back out to where we’re staying. We had to come all the way back out here to get our bags (bags, including purses, are not allowed in the White House either!) and of course, cameras!! We then had to walk ½ mile and take two more buses to get to the Holocaust Museum. We almost caught the wrong bus on the transfer, but luckily I asked the driver and he straightened us out. We just had to cross the street to catch the correct bus.
We got to the museum and wanted to eat lunch in their café. We went through security to get in the building and asked the security officers where the café was located. Come to find out we had to go out of the building into another building, where we had to go through security to get to the café!! All the food they served in the café was Kosher, but to them that seemed to mean without ANY kind of meat! Not good for the ole meat and potatoes girl here. I ended up ordering a pantini like Mom got, and I was surprised at how good it was. I also ate some chips, so I was happy. We had to go through security a THIRD time to get back into the main museum building!
We then joined 100+ teenagers to hear a Holocaust survivor speak for an hour. It was so heartbreaking, amazing, and moving. This lady is Polish and when Germany invaded Poland, they took her father away immediately… she never saw him again. She, her mother, and her sister were moved to the Ghetto, along with all the Jewish people in the town. Her mother and sister were forced to work for Germany every day… her mother (a teacher) digging ditches and her sister (age 15) knitting socks for German soldiers. When her mother started hearing rumors that the Ghetto was going to be destroyed, she made arrangements with two area farmers to hide the family… her sister at one location and the mother and Charlene at another. The day came that the sister was sent into hiding. Charlene never saw her sister again. Then the day came for her and her mother to go into hiding themselves… they waited until late at night to sneak out… and gunfire erupted. They went into the river to hide. The gunfire continued and then the ghetto was set on fire… her and her mother hid in the river for days. Then Charlene awoke from dozing and discovered her mother gone. She never knew what happened to her. Charlene then went to the farmer who was supposed to hide her and her mother, and he refused to let her stay. She went into the forest and proceeded to live there for three years. Finally, Russian soldiers discovered her and took her in, fed her, cleaned her up, and saved her. She eventually made her way to the United States. It is an amazing story… definitely a testament to human endurance. Though no human should have to endure any of that.
After the talk, Mom and I walked through the Nazi Propaganda exhibit. Very scary how Hitler used propaganda tactics so effectively and convinced the people of Germany he was their savior and got elected to power so quickly. We only made it through half of this exhibit… it just went on and on and on… and after awhile, I got really sick of reading about and seeing Hitler. Don’t misunderstand… I fully believe we need to remember the Holocaust… the survivors and the killed… but I don’t want to give Hitler himself too much of my time and energy.
By this time, it was time for us to tour the permanent exhibit. The crowd was unbelievable…. I think there were 37 school groups of about 37 kids each!! And the museum dumps about 100 people out at a time in the exhibit. So you have to fight all those people to see or read anything! Also, the entire exhibit is 3 floors and takes about 2 hours to get through. Yea, right! I believe you would have to go every day for a week and just read a part each day. It was moving… it was sad… it was unimaginable… I can’t even describe how you feel as you read the atrocities and see the pictures. Two things struck me… there were, of course, the big atrocities… removing Jewish people from their jobs, their homes, murdering them. But in between there were the “little” things – the things that I believe can really wear a person down day by day… like “Jewish Only” benches and having to wear a Star of David on your clothing and being forced to walk in your synagogue and hear anti-Semitism speeches. The daily humiliation was unbelievable. The unimaginable things that humans can do to other humans…
The second thing that struck me was the “we shouldn’t get involved” attitude in the rest of the world. Including the United States. What is that saying, and I’m paraphrasing here, “All evil needs to succeed is for good men to do nothing.” Well, it was never truer than when speaking about the Holocaust. I’ve always been outspoken, and as I get older, I’m even more outspoken about injustices and wrongs I see. But the world seems to operate on that “we shouldn’t get involved” or “that’s not our business” basis. All I’m saying is that saddens and angers me.
We left the museum at 5pm… exhausted and in pain. LOL. We walked several blocks over the Old Post Office building, which is where we were to meet out night tour bus. Luckily, the Old Post Office has a food court downstairs so we could get some dinner. We actually had to go through security to get into the food court!!
More tonight...
Monday, May 18, 2009
3rd Day of Washington DC Trip: Monday
Oh, what a day! It was everything I imagined, but also more than I ever expected. But let me start at the beginning…
First of all, I did not sleep worth a flip last night… kept imagining all sorts of bad things happening to us in the big city. So I was up early… I haven’t seen 6am in years!! LOL But it was good… we were not rushed this morning. We walked to the bus stop about 4-5 blocks away… When we were almost there, we started talking to a gentleman named Mr. Dupree who had retired from the Metro recently after 33 years!! He made me feel better about my mapping of the bus routes we needed cause he said I was headed to the right bus!
We rode the bus to Union Station (where we took pictures, of course!). We walked from there just a couple of blocks to the Capitol. We were taking pictures all along the way cause the Capitol can be seen from a long way off! We made it to the Visitor’s Center with time to spare and there was still already a line! We had to throw our water (even though it was frozen!) and crackers away! How do they expect people to get through a whole day in the city???? They don’t care! Anyway, we went into the Capitol and it is beautiful. They have two statues from every state of famous Americans; for example, for Georgia, they had Dr. Crawford Long and Alexander Hamilton Stephens (Vice President of the Confederacy). Anyway, we went on the tour. It started with a 17 minute film that was so good, it reminded you to be proud to be an American! Then we broke into groups, each with a tour guide. The information the guide shared was interesting, but they really rush you through. It was hard to take pictures or look around much at all. (Though the Rotunda, which is where prominent citizens lie in state, is really beautiful. From the marble floor to the paintings on the walls, to the statues of leaders around the room, to the painting on the ceiling!) For example, the Supreme Court used to be housed in the Capitol, and the guide took us through that courtroom. Well, there was another employee there that evidently her only job is to say over and over, “Keep moving. You must keep moving! You can take pictures, but keep moving.” !! Unbelievable! So I got two pictures and could not even tell you what the courtroom looked like.
After the tour, we visited the Exhibit Hall, which is full of documents, pictures, etc. documenting the history of the country and the government. They had dioramas of Washington through the years… it is amazing to see how it’s grown!
We left the Capitol and walked across the street to the Supreme Court. You can actually walk right in the front door there. You tour it on your own. It is a beautiful, marble building, also. We waited until 12:30 and were able to join a group that went into the actual courtroom (!!!) and listened to a 30 minute lecture. The lady who did the lecture was excellent! Mom was tickled to be able to sit in that courtroom!
We walked back down to Union Station and had lunch. The entire bottom floor is the biggest food court I’ve ever seen! We ate at Johnny Rockets (YUM!) and got to see a couple of girls leave without paying! We didn’t realize it at the time, of course, but it was soon apparent when the server went looking for them!
Then we walked down the Mall. It is massive! We just kept trying to imagine it full of thousands and thousands of people, like at inaugurations. We walked to the George Washington Monument. This was the only thing I had been unable to get tickets to. They were booked up until June. But we took plenty of pictures of it anyway! We walked past it to the World War II Memorial. This was my favorite stop of the day! It is so much bigger than I imagined and so, so beautiful. There is a pool with fountains, a column for each state in the Union, and engraved quotes from Eisenhower, etc. I can’t even describe it in words. Plus there is a VIEW from here down the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. That was our next stop. We were pretty tired by then, so we took the elevator up… I stepped out, rounded the corner and saw that HUGE statue of Abraham Lincoln, and it literally took my breath away. I took pictures from every angle! It’s so massive and to be able to see something I had seen on TV all my life… it’s amazing. Plus it is so much larger than life in person! I cannot wait to see all of these monuments after dark tomorrow night!
For our last stop of the day, we walked over to the Vietnam Memorial Wall. There are over 58,000 names on this wall. I had heard about it… it’s all that I had heard and more. We didn’t see anyone doing a rubbing of a name, but we did see several grown men choke up and pictures of the soldiers people had leaned against the wall. It is a sacred place. They have books there with the names of every soldier engraved on the wall. Mom and I checked it for “Tapley” but there were none. My brother and cousin both served, but by the grace of God, they came home. So many did not.
We hailed a taxi on Constitution Avenue to bring us back to our condo. Mom said it was worth every penny!!
We rested awhile and then drove down to Chinatown, looking for somewhere to eat dinner. However, there was no parking down there, so we just picked up Subway, came back here and watched TV while we ate. We’re winding down now and will head to bed soon since we have an even earlier day tomorrow at the White House! Hmmmm, I wonder if Obama spent the day today preparing for our meeting tomorrow???
First of all, I did not sleep worth a flip last night… kept imagining all sorts of bad things happening to us in the big city. So I was up early… I haven’t seen 6am in years!! LOL But it was good… we were not rushed this morning. We walked to the bus stop about 4-5 blocks away… When we were almost there, we started talking to a gentleman named Mr. Dupree who had retired from the Metro recently after 33 years!! He made me feel better about my mapping of the bus routes we needed cause he said I was headed to the right bus!
We rode the bus to Union Station (where we took pictures, of course!). We walked from there just a couple of blocks to the Capitol. We were taking pictures all along the way cause the Capitol can be seen from a long way off! We made it to the Visitor’s Center with time to spare and there was still already a line! We had to throw our water (even though it was frozen!) and crackers away! How do they expect people to get through a whole day in the city???? They don’t care! Anyway, we went into the Capitol and it is beautiful. They have two statues from every state of famous Americans; for example, for Georgia, they had Dr. Crawford Long and Alexander Hamilton Stephens (Vice President of the Confederacy). Anyway, we went on the tour. It started with a 17 minute film that was so good, it reminded you to be proud to be an American! Then we broke into groups, each with a tour guide. The information the guide shared was interesting, but they really rush you through. It was hard to take pictures or look around much at all. (Though the Rotunda, which is where prominent citizens lie in state, is really beautiful. From the marble floor to the paintings on the walls, to the statues of leaders around the room, to the painting on the ceiling!) For example, the Supreme Court used to be housed in the Capitol, and the guide took us through that courtroom. Well, there was another employee there that evidently her only job is to say over and over, “Keep moving. You must keep moving! You can take pictures, but keep moving.” !! Unbelievable! So I got two pictures and could not even tell you what the courtroom looked like.
After the tour, we visited the Exhibit Hall, which is full of documents, pictures, etc. documenting the history of the country and the government. They had dioramas of Washington through the years… it is amazing to see how it’s grown!
We left the Capitol and walked across the street to the Supreme Court. You can actually walk right in the front door there. You tour it on your own. It is a beautiful, marble building, also. We waited until 12:30 and were able to join a group that went into the actual courtroom (!!!) and listened to a 30 minute lecture. The lady who did the lecture was excellent! Mom was tickled to be able to sit in that courtroom!
We walked back down to Union Station and had lunch. The entire bottom floor is the biggest food court I’ve ever seen! We ate at Johnny Rockets (YUM!) and got to see a couple of girls leave without paying! We didn’t realize it at the time, of course, but it was soon apparent when the server went looking for them!
Then we walked down the Mall. It is massive! We just kept trying to imagine it full of thousands and thousands of people, like at inaugurations. We walked to the George Washington Monument. This was the only thing I had been unable to get tickets to. They were booked up until June. But we took plenty of pictures of it anyway! We walked past it to the World War II Memorial. This was my favorite stop of the day! It is so much bigger than I imagined and so, so beautiful. There is a pool with fountains, a column for each state in the Union, and engraved quotes from Eisenhower, etc. I can’t even describe it in words. Plus there is a VIEW from here down the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. That was our next stop. We were pretty tired by then, so we took the elevator up… I stepped out, rounded the corner and saw that HUGE statue of Abraham Lincoln, and it literally took my breath away. I took pictures from every angle! It’s so massive and to be able to see something I had seen on TV all my life… it’s amazing. Plus it is so much larger than life in person! I cannot wait to see all of these monuments after dark tomorrow night!
For our last stop of the day, we walked over to the Vietnam Memorial Wall. There are over 58,000 names on this wall. I had heard about it… it’s all that I had heard and more. We didn’t see anyone doing a rubbing of a name, but we did see several grown men choke up and pictures of the soldiers people had leaned against the wall. It is a sacred place. They have books there with the names of every soldier engraved on the wall. Mom and I checked it for “Tapley” but there were none. My brother and cousin both served, but by the grace of God, they came home. So many did not.
We hailed a taxi on Constitution Avenue to bring us back to our condo. Mom said it was worth every penny!!
We rested awhile and then drove down to Chinatown, looking for somewhere to eat dinner. However, there was no parking down there, so we just picked up Subway, came back here and watched TV while we ate. We’re winding down now and will head to bed soon since we have an even earlier day tomorrow at the White House! Hmmmm, I wonder if Obama spent the day today preparing for our meeting tomorrow???
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Second day of Washington trip: Sunday
We got an early start today… actually left the motel about 8 am! (That’s early for me!) It was about 175 miles to the Petersburg Civil War Battlefield. About 10 miles from the Virginia state line, we stopped to fill up with gas. Well, it got dark, the wind picked up like crazy, and I really thought we were about to be caught by a tornado. We hurried and got back on I-95 – I was hoping we could get ahead or away from the storms. I called Tracy and he check The Weather Channel for us. He found no tornado watches/warnings – just heavy thunderstorm warnings for where we were. And boy, did it rain on us. All the way through Virginia – to Petersburg. I was so afraid we were going to be unable to visit the battlefield. I would have been so disappointed. We got to the Visitor’s Center at the battlefield, and it had slowed down to a sprinkle, pretty much. We shopped in the gift shop – I got a couple of book, along with some things for scrapbooking – then we toured the museum and watched a film about the Siege of Petersburg. That was interesting and helped put events in order for us. I found the neatest thing in their little museum. They had a headstone that a Confederate soldier had carved for his brother… and they served with the Georgia 48th – the same unit my great-grandfather and his brother served with at Petersburg!! I hope the pictures turn out.
We then left the Visitor’s Center and boy, had the wind picked up! It kept blowing my umbrella inside out. We drove the park’s driving tour, just briefly stopping at each point and taking pictures from the car. The Crater was #8 on the tour, and I was determined to walk to it, despite the weather. Luckily, the rain was just a sprinkle and the wind had died down. So we walked to the Crater and took tons of pictures. It is amazing… and unbelievable to see how close the Union and Confederate lines were to each other… and yet, the Confederates were taken by surprise by the blast. What I didn’t know is that the town of Petersburg and the Confederates had heard rumors of the tunnel the Union soldiers were digging, but when nothing happened, they forgot about it. It only took a month for the tunnel to be built. It is a very disturbing chapter in the entire sad story of the Civil War.
After leaving the Crater, we continued to a local church and cemetery where all of the fallen Confederate soldiers from the Petersburg siege/battles were taken and buried. Most of them are unknown. After getting help from the nice ladies in the church’s reception center, we found the Georgia marker, commerating the soldiers from our great state, including my great-grandfather’s brother, Francis Tapley.
By this time, it as after 2 pm, and we had not had lunch! So we found a Five Guys (thank goodness for GPS), fueled up, and headed on toward D.C.
On the way, we went through Richmond, Virginia… where we saw Philip Morris and a monument to cigarettes out in front of their plant. Only Virginias would build a shrine to tobacco! LOL! We passed by the Marine base, Quantico. My niece and nephew, Missi and Harry Jr., used to visit their dad when he was stationed there. It is really beautiful country in that area – rolling green hills. We came through Alexandria and then without even noticing where, we passed into the District of Columbia! We were on the beltway (I-395) by this time and we saw the Washington Monument, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court as we came in!
We found our condo with little problem. The condo is very nice, clean, and spacious. The neighborhood is terrible. But the owner, who lives right here on site, swears it is safe… so I hope he’s right. We’re staying in tonight to rest up before hitting the ground running first thing in the morning!!
It took me three hours and a call to Dell Support to get online tonight! So everyone of you better be reading this! LOL! Ofr course, it ended up being something really simple. That's a good thing, but I wish I had called Dell first!
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