Trip part 1--days 1&2
Here's the first part of the trip.
We woke up on Wednesday morning bright & early, 4 am. This allowed us barely enough time to eat breakfast, drive to off-airport parking, check in, and get through security in time for our 6:30 am flights. Two years ago it wouldn't have been nearly enough time for getting through security, but San Jose has improved its efficiency considerably. The security line was at least 100 feet long but they got us through in under 10 minutes!
A scary moment for me was the moment where we left Alma & Lemuel at the Alaska gate so we could get to our United gate. We had frequent flyer tickets from two different airlines, and we thought it would be a good way to get them to practice life skills. (Homeschooling topic: how to check in and fly on your own.)
The flight was fairly uneventful, other than some mild turbulence going into/out of Denver and some moderate turbulence going into Baltimore. We picked up our rental car--with only 169 miles, practically brand new--and drove to D.C. Traffic was terrible inside the Beltway. We barely managed to escape to Virginia with our sanity intact--a story that would be repeated many times in the next few days! We stopped briefly at a store to get stuff for dinner, drove to Pohick Bay Regional Park, and checked into our cabin. Then, after a brief rest, it was back to the airport--this time, Reagan National--to pick up the older boys.
Alas, our plan for meeting them was not particularly well thought out. They weren't where we were supposed to be and they hadn't called the cell phone. (They had a calling card for calling from a pay phone, so I couldn't just call them and ask where they were.) Sooo, Zoodada continued to circle the airport in the van while I got out to look for them.
The baggage claim was empty except for a small group of people huddled around the Delta carousel at the far end. I went upstairs and watched people stream out of the concourse and down the escalators to the baggage claim. No Alma and Lemuel. Finally my cell phone rang. I couldn't pick it up in time, but got a voice mail saying that they were downstairs in the baggage claim!! I don't know how they got past me, but somehow I missed them.
By the time we got to bed that night, we were terribly tired.
The next day, Thursday, we didn't get on the road until 11 am. The little boys and I were up early, so we explored the campground area.
This was supposed to be the day of our White House tour, but that had been cancelled (maybe due to the Pope's visit?) so we decided to tour Mount Vernon instead. This was a great laid-back first-day activity, since we were staying just a few miles from the estate. I loved it!! Favorite snippets:
Seeing the decor that was "in" two plus centuries ago. (I love historical houses.)
Gardens!!! Yeah!!! Both flowers and vegetables. The tulips were in full bloom and were astounding!!
"Meet Martha Washington"--a volunteer in full historical dress sat on a platform in front of the room, cross-stitching & answering any and all questions about the time period. Her knowledge was astounding!
The George Washington Pioneer Farm, with reconstructed Treading Barn, was fantastic. Highlight here: a young (18-20 yo?) volunteer in historical garb, guiding a pair of young oxen pulling a sledge. He stopped them to let people examine and pet the oxen and to explain what he was doing. When I approached with Lehi and Nephi in tow, he asked me if they were homeschooled. Note that, at this point, none of us had said anything to him, not even hello. I said they were, and he told me that he can spot the homeschooled kids a mile off! LOL.
Later, when every was thoroughly exhausted from all the tramping about, we went to my sister Sacha's studio apartment for dinner. It was a largish studio, but not so large that fitting seven people in to dine was particularly comfortable! Still, it was good to talk to my sister again, since I see her so infrequently.
By the time we dropped by the grocery store for the next day's breakfast, it was almost midnight EST. We fell asleep pretty quickly that night!
Next post: A dumb thing I did, and the nightmare that is Philadelphia.
We woke up on Wednesday morning bright & early, 4 am. This allowed us barely enough time to eat breakfast, drive to off-airport parking, check in, and get through security in time for our 6:30 am flights. Two years ago it wouldn't have been nearly enough time for getting through security, but San Jose has improved its efficiency considerably. The security line was at least 100 feet long but they got us through in under 10 minutes!
A scary moment for me was the moment where we left Alma & Lemuel at the Alaska gate so we could get to our United gate. We had frequent flyer tickets from two different airlines, and we thought it would be a good way to get them to practice life skills. (Homeschooling topic: how to check in and fly on your own.)
The flight was fairly uneventful, other than some mild turbulence going into/out of Denver and some moderate turbulence going into Baltimore. We picked up our rental car--with only 169 miles, practically brand new--and drove to D.C. Traffic was terrible inside the Beltway. We barely managed to escape to Virginia with our sanity intact--a story that would be repeated many times in the next few days! We stopped briefly at a store to get stuff for dinner, drove to Pohick Bay Regional Park, and checked into our cabin. Then, after a brief rest, it was back to the airport--this time, Reagan National--to pick up the older boys.
Alas, our plan for meeting them was not particularly well thought out. They weren't where we were supposed to be and they hadn't called the cell phone. (They had a calling card for calling from a pay phone, so I couldn't just call them and ask where they were.) Sooo, Zoodada continued to circle the airport in the van while I got out to look for them.
The baggage claim was empty except for a small group of people huddled around the Delta carousel at the far end. I went upstairs and watched people stream out of the concourse and down the escalators to the baggage claim. No Alma and Lemuel. Finally my cell phone rang. I couldn't pick it up in time, but got a voice mail saying that they were downstairs in the baggage claim!! I don't know how they got past me, but somehow I missed them.
By the time we got to bed that night, we were terribly tired.
The next day, Thursday, we didn't get on the road until 11 am. The little boys and I were up early, so we explored the campground area.
This was supposed to be the day of our White House tour, but that had been cancelled (maybe due to the Pope's visit?) so we decided to tour Mount Vernon instead. This was a great laid-back first-day activity, since we were staying just a few miles from the estate. I loved it!! Favorite snippets:
Seeing the decor that was "in" two plus centuries ago. (I love historical houses.)
Gardens!!! Yeah!!! Both flowers and vegetables. The tulips were in full bloom and were astounding!!
"Meet Martha Washington"--a volunteer in full historical dress sat on a platform in front of the room, cross-stitching & answering any and all questions about the time period. Her knowledge was astounding!
The George Washington Pioneer Farm, with reconstructed Treading Barn, was fantastic. Highlight here: a young (18-20 yo?) volunteer in historical garb, guiding a pair of young oxen pulling a sledge. He stopped them to let people examine and pet the oxen and to explain what he was doing. When I approached with Lehi and Nephi in tow, he asked me if they were homeschooled. Note that, at this point, none of us had said anything to him, not even hello. I said they were, and he told me that he can spot the homeschooled kids a mile off! LOL.
Later, when every was thoroughly exhausted from all the tramping about, we went to my sister Sacha's studio apartment for dinner. It was a largish studio, but not so large that fitting seven people in to dine was particularly comfortable! Still, it was good to talk to my sister again, since I see her so infrequently.
By the time we dropped by the grocery store for the next day's breakfast, it was almost midnight EST. We fell asleep pretty quickly that night!
Next post: A dumb thing I did, and the nightmare that is Philadelphia.