We let ourselves sleep in a little yesterday – plenty of excitement the day before. And Laura’s pedometer told us we walked about 12,000 steps, so we slept well! As Tony said, we were very pleased with HersheyPark; it is a lovely park. Clean and pretty, plenty of flowers and trees. The employees all look very young – must be a popular place for high-schoolers to get their first job! As far as the roller coasters, it has been a long time since I’ve been on such “thrill rides”. I haven’t been to Magic Mountain since high school, and when we visited Knotts a few years ago, Julianna and Bodie were too young for the big coasters. I loved the first few we went on, but it took me a couple hours to recover from the Sidewinder, so I took it easy after that. There were, of course, a handful that Bodie couldn’t go on, so I was happy to accompany him to the arcade while the others rode.
So we woke up on Monday, and packed up to move on. A quick breakfast at the hotel – pastries, yogurt, etc. – and we drove about two hours, through Maryland, to Virginia. My family lived in Virginia for nearly ten years, so for Laura and I, as we got farther south, things began to look familiar. We arrived in Chantilly, Virginia and toured a home called Sully Historic House. This was the home of Richard Bland Lee, Robert E. Lee’s uncle, starting in the late 1700s. He was a congressman in his day, and then this home was one of the few in the area that managed to remain standing through the Civil War. I have vivid memories of visiting this home, on a field trip, when I was in elementary school, so it was fun to see it with my kids, especially the stuffed albino squirrel that represents the Lee family pet!
We left Sully and drove to the Manassas Battlefield Park. Manassas, or Bull Run as the Northerners call it, was the site of the very first battle of the Civil War. It’s much smaller than Gettysburg, but has the same quiet, almost sacred feel. There are several cannon on the field, and a home that stood at the time. In front of the home is a small family cemetery, which includes the grave of the 85 year old woman who lived in the home, and refused to leave. She was killed by artillery meant for the infantrymen shooting from her upstairs windows. There is also a monument to the soldiers, built in 1865, only two months after the War ended. The most famous sight is a statue that answered the question Bodie had asked our Guide in Gettysburg – how did Stonewall Jackson get his nickname? A man named Bee, just before he was killed in battle, shouted to his men, “There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!” And the name stuck.
We left Manassas, and headed for DC. We visited the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, which is very simple, but very well designed. 184 cantilevered benches that are engraved with the name of a victim, and which point either away from the Pentagon, or towards it, depending on if the victim was on the plane, or in the Pentagon. Each bench has a little pool underneath it, and there are several trees, too. There is also a small wall at the entrance that has the names of all the victims engraved on it. The Memorial is right next to the Pentagon, and you can see the slight change in the stone color in the wall of the Pentagon, where it was rebuilt.
When we left there, we drove straight to Reagan National Airport, where we dropped off Laura’s friend, Kent. Then we drove to the Air Force Memorial, which was built in 2006. It’s three stainless steel spires, rising up into the sky, admirably evoking the idea of flight, and the “Missing Man” formation. There was a group of 8th graders there, too, but when they left, we were the only ones there, which made it very quiet, and gave us lots of great picture opportunities. From every direction there was some beautiful part of DC. There are plaques with the names of Medal of Honor recipients, including Eddie Rickenbacker, the WWI ace, and Charles Lindbergh. It’s a beautiful spot.
From there we drove to the condo at which we’ll be staying for most of this next week. We thank longtime family friends John and Nancy for offering us their second home, to be our home away from home! It’s a beautiful two bedroom place in Alexandria, Virginia, overlooking the Potomac, with a view of the capital, and the Capitol! We dropped off our suitcases, then headed out for dinner. Our destination was Gadsby’s Tavern, where George Washington dined, but they had closed early because their dumbwaiter was not working properly. Now, I’ve had plenty of dumb waiters, and never seen a restaurant closed because of them, but I guess that’s what happens with a 200 year old place! So we found Joe Theisman’s restaurant just a couple blocks away, and decided on that. It was a great choice. Although it was after 9 pm, we sat outside, and the weather was just lovely. The city of Alexandria bustled around us while we enjoyed crab cakes (me), seared Ahi (Laura) and tilapia, shrimp and scallops (Tony). Kids had pasta and enjoyed it, and the fresh baked rolls. After dinner we drove home and crawled gratefully into bed. Rising early for Baltimore today!
We left Manassas, and headed for DC. We visited the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, which is very simple, but very well designed. 184 cantilevered benches that are engraved with the name of a victim, and which point either away from the Pentagon, or towards it, depending on if the victim was on the plane, or in the Pentagon. Each bench has a little pool underneath it, and there are several trees, too. There is also a small wall at the entrance that has the names of all the victims engraved on it. The Memorial is right next to the Pentagon, and you can see the slight change in the stone color in the wall of the Pentagon, where it was rebuilt.
When we left there, we drove straight to Reagan National Airport, where we dropped off Laura’s friend, Kent. Then we drove to the Air Force Memorial, which was built in 2006. It’s three stainless steel spires, rising up into the sky, admirably evoking the idea of flight, and the “Missing Man” formation. There was a group of 8th graders there, too, but when they left, we were the only ones there, which made it very quiet, and gave us lots of great picture opportunities. From every direction there was some beautiful part of DC. There are plaques with the names of Medal of Honor recipients, including Eddie Rickenbacker, the WWI ace, and Charles Lindbergh. It’s a beautiful spot.
From there we drove to the condo at which we’ll be staying for most of this next week. We thank longtime family friends John and Nancy for offering us their second home, to be our home away from home! It’s a beautiful two bedroom place in Alexandria, Virginia, overlooking the Potomac, with a view of the capital, and the Capitol! We dropped off our suitcases, then headed out for dinner. Our destination was Gadsby’s Tavern, where George Washington dined, but they had closed early because their dumbwaiter was not working properly. Now, I’ve had plenty of dumb waiters, and never seen a restaurant closed because of them, but I guess that’s what happens with a 200 year old place! So we found Joe Theisman’s restaurant just a couple blocks away, and decided on that. It was a great choice. Although it was after 9 pm, we sat outside, and the weather was just lovely. The city of Alexandria bustled around us while we enjoyed crab cakes (me), seared Ahi (Laura) and tilapia, shrimp and scallops (Tony). Kids had pasta and enjoyed it, and the fresh baked rolls. After dinner we drove home and crawled gratefully into bed. Rising early for Baltimore today!
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