The first museum visit was to the Air and Space Museum in downtown DC. Our campground was close to the Metro so it was a quick ride to DC! This is the original Wright Brothers plane.
Neil Armstrong’s space suit from the moon landing
Kids did enjoy the flight simulator!
After the Air and Space Museum they wandered next door to the National Art Museum. They enjoyed it for a little while.
On Saturday we headed south to Mount Vernon. This was the estate that George Washington inherited and expanded. There’s so much to see here! This is a replica of George and Martha Washington with two of their grandkids.
The house
George Washington loved green so many of the rooms were painted green and have remained so
Guest bedroom
Guest bedroom
Closet turned into guest bedroom - The Washington’s hosted so many guests that they had to turn a closet into a guest bedroom.
George and Martha’s bedroom - about 90% of everything in it is original. George died in this bed and Martha died about two years later.
His office with a fan chair - when you press the pedals the fan above it moves back and forth to give you a little breeze. Important when there’s no AC!
The home overlooks the Potomac River
The ice house - slaves would chop up ice blocks from the Potomac in the winter and store them in this ice house that had a deep well
George and Martha’s tombs
One of several carriage houses
The gardens were large and had lots of variety
Separate cellar just to store paint
Smokehouse
Spinning house
Blacksmith
Our new home 😂
After Mount Vernon, we visited Arlington National Cemetery
Changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier
Amphitheater
Memorial honoring those that died in the Challenger
JFK eternal flame grave site
We were all amazed that the tombstones can be seen for quite a distance in every direction. More than 400,000 people are buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Saturday night dinner! We went to a Mediterranean restaurant I’d been to previously during a work trip. The waiter suggested Jason try this lamb entree - he loved it.
I had sea bass baked in salt then lit on fire
It was delicious! The kids liked the pita bread 😂
The metro is so clean and much easier to navigate than NYC’s subway system
Sunday we visited the Marine Corp War Memorial
It happened to be the 244th birthday of the Marine Corp
Next we headed to the National Mall and started at the Lincoln Memorial
Inside the Lincoln Memorial
View from Lincoln Memorial - reflecting pool, Washington Monumnet and the Capitol
Beginning of the Vietnam War Memorial
Vietnam War Memorial Wall
Washington Monument
White House - I didn’t realize until later that he had his eyes shut!
Lots of walking so Grace convinced Jason to give her a ride for awhile. Spoiled!
All of us at the Capitol
How we home school - pajamas all day!!
Jason took the kids to the new International Spy Museum
This is supposed to simulate hanging off the side of a building
Kids got shock gum from the Spy Museum and love to try to trick us!
Video from Spy Museum showing how big data flows
Friday afternoon we headed to downtown Baltimore. The kids and Jason explored the children’s museum while I worked from a nearby coworking space.
Video
Chilling and waiting for me to wrap up work on a Friday afternoon
We walked around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
USS Constellation
Fish sculpture
Jackson would live in a lobster shack if he could!
Sunset in Baltimore! Goodbye Maryland/Virginia/DC!!!
