Maryland

August 16-25

First stop on our Retirement Travel was a visit with Allison and family to their new home in Silver Spring, Maryland.  We are excited for them to be living in an area so rich in history and culture, and excited for us to have a wealth of interesting places to visit.  First stop was to the site of the first Battle of Manassas (otherwise known as the Battle of Bull Run) - first major battle of the Civil War.  Brian had prepped Elaina & Erin with a history lesson and activity book.  They had also made hard-tack (the staple food of soldiers), which they shared with the park ranger.  

We were enjoying a picnic together, when an unexpected guest crashed the party.  

Years ago we started collecting children's books from the places we travel to.  We have been looking forward to sharing all of these books with our grandchildren some day at our house.  We ended this afternoon in a bookstore, and purchasing an A-B-C book about the Civil War.  How appropriate to be doing it together.  

In addition to the typical activities we enjoy around the house (playing games, reading stories, walks to the park, etc), we spent a couple of days visiting Washington DC.  So many familiar sites, but our first trip here. Everyone our age remembers where they were when JF Kennedy was shot, and I remember watching the funeral on TV.  We started our day with a walk through Arlington Cemetery, then across the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial.    

True to the exploratory nature of her parents, Allison has taken the Metro into DC several times in the few months she has lived here, undaunted by traversing the city with small kids in tow.  Consequently, Elaina & Erin were excited to share their knowledge of the sites, including identifying the major monuments.  We learned a lot from them as we walked a distance of 5 miles!  We are thrilled with their spirit of Ames adventuring, and they are also becoming great map readers in the process.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Monument

Jefferson Monument

Washington Monument

At one point in the afternoon we decided to separate and set a meeting place for a short while later.  Allison and I took Isaac in the stroller and made our way to the designated spot.  We waited so long for Grandpa Ducky and the girls that we thought they were lost despite their combined terrific map skills.  We should have known better....they had stopped for ice-cream cones!  

I have always wanted to see the White House and what a terrific day with the two best tour guides of Washington DC.  

Another day in the city we spent at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.  What an opportunity to learn from a real scientist.  

We ended that day with Mike joining us for a sunset cruise past the monuments on the Potomac River.