First steampunk outing...
The girls and I dressed up in our recently-created finery and took Metro into D.C. to meet up with other steampunk enthusiasts in the gardens behind the Smithsonian castle. There were easily forty people there. It was great fun to check out everyone's outfits and accessories and chat about sewing patterns, thrift store bargains, and construction methods. We hung around in the gardens for an hour or so, causing a minor stir among the more mundanely dressed tourists.
I was pretty happy with how Spike's goggles turned out. I expect to see a great many more pictures posted at steamfashion over the next few days.
After the meet and greet/photo session, it was off to visit some of the museums. A high point for me was the Freer Gallery, where I finally got to see the Peacock Room in person! Doing so with a large crowd of fancifully dressed fellow museum patrons was an added bonus. :)
Another high point was the early flight exhibit at the Air and Space Museum... Several steampunk gentlemen took turns striking 'scoffing' poses in front of a 'newfangled' biplane: "It will never catch on!" Unfortunately by that time my legs were killing me (must remember to take advantage of park benches and sit rather than standing for a solid hour--duh) and Spike was jonesing for ice cream, so we took our leave from the group.
Ice cream at the Smithsonian Castle cafe, then metro back home. The girls had a great time--they are hooked on steampunk now! Woot! All in all, a fitting end to winter break.