We see DC

Ah, Washington DC.  Our nation’s capitol.  There is so much to do in this area we knew we wanted to spend about a week in order to fit it all in.  We stayed 6 days in all and spent 5 of those in the city.  And it was all really really good.
LincolnWhite House

Our first day we took in the Jefferson Memorial before going to the American History museum.  I didn’t think we’d spend that much time in that museum but we spent most of the day there.  I think it is because there is so much diversity that you can’t get bored with any one topic.  There’s technology, business, food, transportation, money, clothes, etc.  It’s really like a bunch of museums all under the same roof.   And there seems to be a good amount of hands on stuff for the kids.  After we left the museum we went over to catch a glimpse of the White House before stopping at the Washington Monument to answer some of the Jr Ranger questions.  We left town about 6:30 and we stopped at a BBQ joint for dinner on the way home then crashed as soon as we got home.
StudentClassic bikeWashington monument from TJ

You can check out all of our first day pictures here.

Day two I dropped the family off at the Natural History museum to save them the long walk from our free parking spot near Jefferson Memorial.  I had some work phone calls to tend to before meeting up with the family for our sack lunch we packed.  I think our collective favorites of this museum were the gems and minerals and the butterfly pavilion.  Normally there is an additional fee for the butterfly pavilion but I had read that Tuesdays it was free.  Sure enough, it was free!  It is not a big butterfly pavilion by any means, but it is still really neat to see all the delicate creatures flitting around.  

I was a real rock hound as a kid and I still enjoy finding cool rocks, but the specimens in this museum were some of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.  So many of them looked like they had been cut by a machine and some didn’t even seem like they were rocks….but they were natural and they were rocks.
Hairy rock
Pardon my tangential thought here but I’ve always wondered: why are some rocks so pretty?  There are so many beautiful things in nature that have a scientific explanation and reason for their beauty.  Flowers have bright, beautiful colors to attract insects who spread pollen.  The rainbow lorikeet’s striking colors help it attract a lifelong mate and keep the species going.  Our moon is a beautiful sight in the sky but is also essential to sea life as it pushes and pulls on the tides.  But I think nature would do just fine if quartz never formed into beautiful quartz crystals, or gold was not shiny, or geodes looked the same on the inside as they did the outside.  Speaking of geodes, caves are sort of like big geodes.  Many are completely sealed off and we don’t even know about them….yet.  Would the circle of life be disrupted if they were simply pockets of air rather than chambers elaborately decorated with speleothems?  Some caves are home to bats, insects, and fish but as far as I can tell the formations in the cave do not serve them any special purpose.  Could it be that these masterpieces were placed here by an intelligent creator solely for the enjoyment of humans?  I think yes!  But if you have any scientific reasons for why rocks are pretty I would honestly like to hear it, so please post a comment or send me a note.

Anyway, after the museum we hit several of the memorials on the national mall on our way back to the car.  The WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, MLK Jr Memorial and FDR Memorial.  I really thought the museums would be more interesting to me than these static monuments and memorials…but standing in the shadow of these grand pieces of art and history is breathtaking.  They really invoke a deep respect and gratitude to those who have helped shape our nation into what it is today.  Our timing at Lincoln’s Memorial was perfect as the light seemed optimal for the reflection of the Washington Monument in the reflecting pool.  We sat on the steps to work on Jr Ranger books and to just soak in the moment.
Enjoying the nice weatherReflecting poolPondering

Day two photos can be viewed here.

Our third day in the city was a big one.  We had contacted Senator Gardner’s office a couple weeks earlier and had set up a tour of the capitol.  We were to meet at the Senate office building at 11:00.  So after parking at our free spot we hopped on a bus to get us to the capitol.  Its supposed to be $1/person but the guy only made us pay $2!!  SCORE!  At Senator Gardner’s office we were able to stash our stuff and then Kyle, a staffer, took us on a personal tour.  This tour was probably the highlight of our visit for me.  I’m not that big into politics or architecture but I felt like we were getting the inside scoop on our private tour while everyone else was on these big crowded tours.  We got to take the little underground train from the Senate Office building to the capitol (kids totally loved that).  Kyle showed us the Colorado statues and took us some of the places that the big groups don’t go.  And there were many encounters with people who had business in the capitol (not tourists) who were genuinely happy to see our family visiting their office.  We got to see senate in action (Wednesdays they are in session!) however it was not super exciting.  We did see Senator Cruz come in to vote on something and another guy gave a speech about reducing red tape so communities can spray for mosquitoes.  Our visit here was really really awesome except for my little run in with security (I’ll save that for another post…but, no worries, I’m not in jail!).  When we went back to the Senator’s office to retrieve our belongings, guess who came in the door?  Senator Gardner!  He was with a couple of suits who seemed to be in a hurry but Cory took time to welcome us, talk to the kids, ask where we were from and made a connection to Longmont.  What a politician…but it worked…the guy was an instant hit with the kids!  We rounded out the day with a visit to the Supreme Court.
Riding the senate trainColorado's Swigert statue

Not a whole lot of photos from this day, but here are a few.

Thursday I stayed at the rig and had a marathon work day while Steph and the kids went to the zoo….and they had a BLAST.  I’m hoping they write a post about it to share their experience.

Our last day in the city started out like the others…soggy.  I dropped the family of at the Library of Congress to shorten their walk.  I parked the beast then huffed it to the Air and Space museum to meet up with them there.  It was a ZOO!!!  Sooooooo flippin’ many people it was hard to move around.  We were tired from 4 long days, the rainy weather was impacting our spirits and the crowds were just ridiculous.  On top of that we have seen a lot of aircraft during our trip:  USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, WWII Museum in New Orleans, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.  We checked out a few of the highlights before deciding to call it a day.  And when we walked outside….SUNSHINE AND BLUE SKY!!!  Oh it felt so good…I just about danced right there on the sidewalk.  That morning I was about to suggest we find sun on the weather map and drive straight for it no matter where it was, but now it was here!  We stopped to get the kids’ Jr Ranger badges before heading home.
Jr Rangers

We were sort of craving pizza but didn’t have much in the pantry at home and we were low on energy too.  So Steph Googled a pizza place and found Charlie’s.  We decided to give it a shot.  And it was amazing!!  Tiny little place that serves Italian and Greek food and has great service.  Our hostess brought rolls and these “cheese pies” that were flaky pastries with a little feta inside.  The two younger kids order gyros and the 3 big kids ordered a pizza.  The food was excellent and while we were eating an older guy came over to adjust the blinds and he asked how everything was.  We asked if he was Charlie and he sat down and just started chatting with us.  Told us he was about to turn 80, and how much he could have bought the entire strip mall for back in 1986, and how everyone says he should expand but he likes it the way it is, and how beautiful the kids were, and how we needed to have some desserts.  When we go out we do not order drinks (other than water) or appetizers, so we certainly do not order desserts.  But the next thing we know 3 desserts are delivered to our table.  “These are from Charlie” the hostess tells us.  They were big and they were DE-LISH!!  The place filled up quickly and it seemed like everyone who came in was a friend of Charlie’s.  Thanks Charlie, you were the perfect end to our DC visit!  Charlie’s doesn’t have a website but here it is on google maps.
Charlie

Only a few photos of this day too, but you can check them out here.

Our last day in the area was a rest day.  I worked and Steph did laundry and a grocery run, so not much rest for us I guess.

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