Washington D.C. Day 2

On the Saturday of Oompa and Nana's visit, we went to DC again, this time bringing Kyle along. This was a much longer trip with more visits. The first place we went was to the Lincoln memorial. Once again, everything was bigger than it looks in movies and pictures. And there is an unhealthy obsession with lots and lots of stairs. Every building has to have lots of stairs. I got tired just looking at all the stairs I had to climb. Inside the monument, the first thing you see is the statue of Abraham Lincoln, chilling on his chair. On the walls to the left and right are his Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address. And inside the memorial is tons and tons of tourists. They swarm everywhere and wherever they go small flashes of light follow as they snap and snap and snap photos. And YES, there are Japanese tourists! Why the Japanese want to see our National History is a little beyond me. I should have taken a picture but I was too polite.

From the Lincoln Memorial you can see the Washington Monument, which is huge as I have mentioned before. Its a good spot for a family photo without too many tourists getting in the way. Since we wanted to see some museums, we decided to walk to the monument and then on to the museums. Big Mistake. It is incredibly hot in Maryland at the moment. I didn't realize I was so fragile, but apparently being a nursing mother requires a lot of energy, leaving little behind for such simple tasks as walking across the National Mall. Once we got to the Monument, we took a break and Kyle took one of his "perspective pictures." He really enjoys playing with his camera.

From the monument we went on our way (stopping only for food, drinks and cool off time) to the National Space and Air Museum which currently houses the Treasures of American History since their normal residence is being renovated. This was perhaps one of the coolest exhibits I have ever seen. First thing on the inside is Abraham Lincoln's hat. His REAL hat. Also, Thomas Edison's light bulb.

Since television and movies is such a big part of American identity, there was a lot of movie memorabilia. The first Kermit the Frog, The Ruby slippers and the Scarecrow's outfit from The Wizard of Oz, R2D2 and C3PO were all showcased there.

Perhaps the best was Mr. Roger's Sweater. Apparently Mr. Roger's mother knitted his sweaters for him. Which makes me wonder briefly whether or not he lived in his mother's basement between episodes.

Anyways. Among the other interesting stuff on display was George Washington's uniform, a sample of the original penicillin mold, a microscopic plutonium sample in a box and so on. To our surprise, there was also a sunstone from the Nauvoo Temple!

After the museum it was time to head home. So Meghan and Kyle played in the grass and chased pigeons while Kyle's parents fetched the car. There is a LOT of pigeons in DC. I even saw one that had been banded for scientific research. I think that may very well be one of the saddest scientific careers I've heard of - tracking pigeons in DC.

After a long drive home, we enjoyed a good nap and a trip well done.