Washington DC

One of the bonus's of having a doctor for a spouse are the trips needed for his continuing education.  Next spring he will need to take the board exams, something he will need to do every 10 years to continue practicing medicine.  They are not easy.  This trip was a review course for the exam.  We opted to leave the kids at home with Grandma Patty (Thank You!) for this little getaway.  I  enjoyed the days exploring the museums along national mall while Dave attended his classes.  Then in the early evening he would join me and we would explore what we could, most everything closed at 5, so we had to get creative.  But we saw and did a lot, and he learned a lot, which was the whole purpose, I suppose.

We rented bikes on several occasions to get around the mall with.  They made it really fun, and it was nice for me to get off my tired feet from walking the museums all day.  One day we took the bikes into the city to get to the national geographic museum for an evening talk.  It was crazy trying to keep up with Dave in those streets.  He definately has more experience biking in a big city than me!  Luckily the talk along with the photo gallery tour was worth putting my life on the line!

There was a day or two he was done early enough to join me for an hour or two at a museum.  I think this was the air and space museum.  This is a bike the Wright brothers designed and sold.

We got tickets to the National Symphony one night.  Amanda was jealous.

I really enjoyed jut being in our Nations capital and taking it all in.  It was so immense, and there was so much to see.  I loved all the art that I have learned to appreciate through teaching art heritage in the kids schools.  And it was neat to see the first flag, and so many historical uniforms and artifacts.  The holocaust museum was an experience I wont ever forget, I walked around dazed for an hour after trying to get my bearings.  There were beautiful botanical gardens and I found a favorite little cafe for lunch in the midst of a sculpture garden. 

The last day I ventured to Arlington cemetary to watch the changing of the guard, and just walk around.  It was cool to learn that it was once the home Rebert E Lee, and see the home that he and his family had once lived in along with the slave quarters.  It was in a beautiful spot and you could see the capital and the national monument from the front porch.  I happened past a couple Gordon tombstones, maybe they are related?  

I didn't get a picture, but one evening we were treated to dinner with Aunt Linda and uncle David.  We enjoyed catching up and getting a chance to spend time with them.  It was too short, but a treat none the less.