First stop, Ft. McHenry, in Baltimore. Yep, it's the place where Francis Scott Key penned the Star Spangled Banner. Quite a pretty place. We did a quick visit, on our way down to D.C.
Here's Old Glory, flying high...
The kids, acting very interested in the signage about cannons. Spencer wanted to pick up the lead balls...
Nattie, eating her "straps" -- always tasty!
The harbor. Oh, how fun to sail, brings back lovely Boston memories!!
Running by the seawall... I added this one because this is how things were for much of the vacation: "Sammie, come back!"
We stayed in the D.C. area for a couple of nights, with our dear friends, the Becks. We knew them in London and share Idaho ties, so we've kept in touch pretty good through the years. Sadly, I got NO pictures of them, or our other friends, the Eliesons, who we also saw while we were in D.C. How unfortunate!
But I did get some "we were in Washington D.C." pictures, such as...
We did a hour-long "run by" of some of the Smithosian Museums (which, let's be honest -- that's about all we'd really want with three tots in tow, right?) Here's Spence and the dinosaurs... he was a little scared, can ya blame him?
Samantha, admiring the Hope Diamond. This girl's already got some taste...
Sam's been studying about minerals lately, so she LOVED their mineral collection! She took this one herself, not bad for a 5-yr-old, eh?...
Spencer was really impressed with the Air and Space Museum. (for about 10 minutes, of course)....
We lucked into a Memorial Day concert in front of the capitol building, pretty cool!!
Here's the crowd and the stage...
They sang some patriotic songs and talked about our vets. The kids lost the plot after awhile, so we didn't stay for it all. But it was fun to be part of it, for a half hour or so.
Brian took this lovely shot of the capitol at dusk, from our spot on the grass...
We took a little night walk around the city. I just have to laugh at this pic of the White House (that tiny spec, way in the background). We were totally exhausted by the time we got there, and it shows. Check out Samantha's nice scowl...
After D.C., we drove down through Virginia to Charlottesville to see Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's estate). Quite the place!! A few pics...
No pictures allowed inside, such a shame. But here we are on the back lawn...
And then, Brian got up really early to see the campus of University of Virginia there in Charlottesville, while the rest of slept. No, this isn't part of Jefferson's estate, but it was designed by him, can you tell?? ...
An artsy doorway, for those who love college campuses (Brian). I'd like to photoshop out those handrails, fyi...
After Virginia, we swung by Raleigh, North Carolina to see Duke and pick up my parents, who joined us for the rest of our trip. Fun! Here's a quick look at Duke. (I have to throw these in, for Brian)...
That bell tower (above) was playing some lovely hymns while we were there. I LOVE bells!
Here are the little darlings, at a fountain in one of Duke's botanical gardens...
Another part of the gardens...
Just to prove that we were really at Duke, ha ha...
And from there, on to the Outer Banks and Kittyhawk, NC. Anybody know what happened there?...
That's right, the Wright Brothers first flew their plane at Kittyhawk. How exciting!! My dad really wanted to see it, so we were glad to add it to our plans. Did you know, that grassy knoll was NOT there when the Wright Brothers flew? They actually chose this spot for the great sand dunes. But of course, a memorial needs grass, right? So... well, so much for authenticity, eh?
We really should have gotten a picture of my dad at Kittyhawk, but he was off reading all the plaques and taking pictures and buying a 200-page book about it. So... all you get is us...
Inside the visitors center, they have a full scale replica of the Wright Brothers' plane -- named the Flyer (original, no?) It was pretty neat to watch the demonstration and see how mechanical the different parts of the plane were.
And, inside a replica of their little hanger...
Well, this is getting so long. I think I'll do a vacation, part 2. Hold tight!!
1 comment:
Hey Kam--Thanks for the informative post!! I was pleasantly surprised to find it here right before heading to bed this Sunday night. Your pictures are GREAT!! I keep meaning to write about our wonderful time there with you, but I keep putting it off, and I am afraid my memories will get dull if I don't hurry and write things down. This was fun to read about. Glad you took the time to do it! Love, Mom
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