DCBowerCon aka BC/DC Part II
Sunday - biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast! YUM! Scones and other leftovers too.
Lazy day - The forecast was again HOT - with storms that went boom. There was a major event going on until 3pm at the Mall - a triatholon - which would mean that the area and traffic would be crazy. By group vote, it was decided to head to the Mall after 3pm - maybe do a museum or monument, have dinner at the Peruvian chicken restaurant (jalapeno sauce - Yum!), and then do museum and/or monuments after dinner. All the monuments (except for the Washington monument) are open 24/7.
Yakked and yakked. More ice cream was made? Alex did a reading of his newest Evan story - squee! Made me happy.
Didn't make it out of the house until dinner. I think people were in part drained from walking in yesterday's heat and also? We have a blast yakking and giggling. Kev got his first knitting lesson.
Chicken was very tasty as usual =)
Lucked out and got a parking space right by the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. We walked along the tidal basin and the mall and hit the World War II memorial first. This was the only one I hadn't seen before. Kev was able to find his grandfather's name in the archive. Alex & Deb found their friends' father.
The weather by this time was very pleasant. Yay!
Next up was FDR's - we kept trying to time our visit between the school buses of kids... I don't remember the walls/columns with various raised pictures and braille writing from the last time. Walked over to the Korean War Memorial. It was a bittersweet moment - the last time I'd been there was with Auntie Yoshi, Auntie Nobuko and cousin Lynn - and Lynn's been gone for several years now. One of my favorite pictures has Lynn looking at the faces on the wall.
I don't know what it is about the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial that makes *feel* so much. Thoughtful? Reflective? Sad. All those names. It was Father's Day too, so there were so many tributes - roses, bouquets, notes. I watched the fireflies (oooh!) dance. It was lovely.
Back to the house for more yakking, snacking and snickering. Alex and Deb went to bed early as they were leaving at 4am in order to get Deb to work by 2pm. Hugs were given. I wasn't planning on saying goodbye at that point, as I'd still be awake when they left (hey! it would only be after midnight my time and all) - but I decided to say goodbye JUST IN CASE.
Plots were hatched about going to next year's BaltiCon. Tanya would be there!
The rest of us did the talking thing until 2:30 or 3am. Oh yeah, Alex and Deb would be leaving in a bit and I'd just lie down for a minute and...
Kev & I were bunked in the living room. Kev did hear them leave me. Me? I heard NOTHING and slept through everything. I have mentioned that I can sleep through a catastrophe? A child crying though? That wakes me up immediately.
Monday morning. Good byes to Mat deer. Did not take the Metro to Mall to go to the Smithsonian. (probably a very good thing). Mish left next.
Did a bit of yarn geeking. Reesa has some amazing stuff. Instead of a gourd in my luggage, I brought home soft autumn colored yarn *squee*
Packed up the car, and then went to lunch. On the way to BWI, we just missed a multiple car accident. Bug was upside down, people (kids too) were sitting against the right shoulder barrier. Oy... Scary. We were able to go around the accident in the two left lanes. (Passed it on the way back and the traffic was backed up for miles).
Dropped off Tammy & Kev *sniff*
Next, they dropped me off at Dulles at 4:15. We'd originally thought that I'd have an extra hour - but we made it exactly two hours prior to my flight. Good thing I hadn't gone to the Mall on my own.
Sorry that I didn't make it to the Smithsonian at all this trip. Next time. "Waved" to cousins who live just outside of DC. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see them at Thanksgiving.
Flight home was uneventful. The flight out of Dulles was 30 minutes delayed, but we got into Chicago 5 minutes early anyway. Storm made for a good tail wind.
Thank you Reesa, Michelle and Stanley!!!
Lazy day - The forecast was again HOT - with storms that went boom. There was a major event going on until 3pm at the Mall - a triatholon - which would mean that the area and traffic would be crazy. By group vote, it was decided to head to the Mall after 3pm - maybe do a museum or monument, have dinner at the Peruvian chicken restaurant (jalapeno sauce - Yum!), and then do museum and/or monuments after dinner. All the monuments (except for the Washington monument) are open 24/7.
Yakked and yakked. More ice cream was made? Alex did a reading of his newest Evan story - squee! Made me happy.
Didn't make it out of the house until dinner. I think people were in part drained from walking in yesterday's heat and also? We have a blast yakking and giggling. Kev got his first knitting lesson.
Chicken was very tasty as usual =)
Lucked out and got a parking space right by the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. We walked along the tidal basin and the mall and hit the World War II memorial first. This was the only one I hadn't seen before. Kev was able to find his grandfather's name in the archive. Alex & Deb found their friends' father.
The weather by this time was very pleasant. Yay!
Next up was FDR's - we kept trying to time our visit between the school buses of kids... I don't remember the walls/columns with various raised pictures and braille writing from the last time. Walked over to the Korean War Memorial. It was a bittersweet moment - the last time I'd been there was with Auntie Yoshi, Auntie Nobuko and cousin Lynn - and Lynn's been gone for several years now. One of my favorite pictures has Lynn looking at the faces on the wall.
I don't know what it is about the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial that makes *feel* so much. Thoughtful? Reflective? Sad. All those names. It was Father's Day too, so there were so many tributes - roses, bouquets, notes. I watched the fireflies (oooh!) dance. It was lovely.
Back to the house for more yakking, snacking and snickering. Alex and Deb went to bed early as they were leaving at 4am in order to get Deb to work by 2pm. Hugs were given. I wasn't planning on saying goodbye at that point, as I'd still be awake when they left (hey! it would only be after midnight my time and all) - but I decided to say goodbye JUST IN CASE.
Plots were hatched about going to next year's BaltiCon. Tanya would be there!
The rest of us did the talking thing until 2:30 or 3am. Oh yeah, Alex and Deb would be leaving in a bit and I'd just lie down for a minute and...
Kev & I were bunked in the living room. Kev did hear them leave me. Me? I heard NOTHING and slept through everything. I have mentioned that I can sleep through a catastrophe? A child crying though? That wakes me up immediately.
Monday morning. Good byes to Mat deer. Did not take the Metro to Mall to go to the Smithsonian. (probably a very good thing). Mish left next.
Did a bit of yarn geeking. Reesa has some amazing stuff. Instead of a gourd in my luggage, I brought home soft autumn colored yarn *squee*
Packed up the car, and then went to lunch. On the way to BWI, we just missed a multiple car accident. Bug was upside down, people (kids too) were sitting against the right shoulder barrier. Oy... Scary. We were able to go around the accident in the two left lanes. (Passed it on the way back and the traffic was backed up for miles).
Dropped off Tammy & Kev *sniff*
Next, they dropped me off at Dulles at 4:15. We'd originally thought that I'd have an extra hour - but we made it exactly two hours prior to my flight. Good thing I hadn't gone to the Mall on my own.
Sorry that I didn't make it to the Smithsonian at all this trip. Next time. "Waved" to cousins who live just outside of DC. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see them at Thanksgiving.
Flight home was uneventful. The flight out of Dulles was 30 minutes delayed, but we got into Chicago 5 minutes early anyway. Storm made for a good tail wind.
Thank you Reesa, Michelle and Stanley!!!