As I stated in my previous post, I write these entries usually late at night after the kids have been tucked in for the night. This morning's post was the perfect example. After reading it this morning, I realized that I left out so many other great sights from Wednesday's touring.
After cooling off in the Natural History Museum, we felt refreshed enough to make another attempt on the Mall with the goal of reaching the Lincoln Memorial before anyone passed out. On the way, we paused to take pictures of the White House. Abby and Ella were thrilled to discover that an "alive guy" lives there but even more excited to see where "Rock o'Bama" lives.
We continued on with the Washington Monument just to our left. As we approached the WWII memorial, we could see a crowd of people gathered in the middle. Just then I realized that we had stumbled upon one of those services honoring the aging veterans of "The Great War." The veterans, mostly in wheelchairs, were lined up with their backs to the memorial. There in front of them was a color guard comprised of representatives from each of the branches of the military. A Marine played taps while an elderly female veteran placed a wreath on the plaza. I have to admit that it was hard not to tear up. I thought of my own grandfather, Ikie, and his years of service as a Marine in the South Pacific. I wish that he had lived to see this memorial and to have been honored there with his fellow servicemen and women.
When the service ended, I grabbed Aidan and took him forward toward the honorees to shake the hands of as many of the veterans as we could. I was really proud of Aidan. He handled the situation so well. I think he understood what we were doing and why. Meanwhile, the girls waded in the fountain right beside the sign that said, "No Wading." Oh, well.
Satisfied that we had spent enough time there, we got back on the trail for the Lincoln Memorial. At this point, Abby was absolutely losing it. Her alter-ego, "The Hornet," had once again emerged. She was yelling at all of us and thrashing about in the stroller. Ella, tired of being elbowed during Abby's fits, decided to abandon ship and hoof it with Aidan. They climbed the steps of the memorial as the heat rose off of the sun-baked marble. It was like walking on a hot plate. When we got to the top, Aidan turned around and noted that Martin Luther King, Jr., made his speech from these steps and that Lincoln who freed the slaves was right behind him (sweetie). Ella, on the other hand, was utterly exasperated and said, "Awww, it's another DEAD GUY! Let's go!"
We walked around the monument, grateful for the shade inside, while Aidan took pictures and read the inscriptions. He's such a little nerd and I couldn't be more proud. Once Aidan had his fill, we decided to head over to the refreshment kiosk for some water, but this wasn't just ANY National Park refreshment stand! They also served beer. Nice. 2, please. We took a break under and umbrella and made a toast to ourselves. I mean, we deserved it, right? We just pushed 80 pounds of whining, wiggling, flip-flop dropping, tantrum throwing, "Dead Guy" hating, 4-year-olds, and one question asking precocious almost-8-year-old the length of the National Mall in a heat index above 100. Yes, Cheers to us!
Feeling much better, it was time to start the trek back, by way of the the Korean War Memorial. Once again, we all thought of Ikie as he was a veteran of that war as well. The statues were "dressed" and sculpted as if in action. It was a very tangible way for Aidan to imagine what Ikie would have been wearing and what the weather must have been like there.
Finally, we were through with the Mall and headed for the car for the ride out to Sara's house. I was grateful to not have to think about dinner tonight or cleaning up the mess after. Sara, if you are reading this, thanks again. It was so great to meet your family and to reconnect with you.
In my last post, you will read about Thursday morning... I know, things are a bit disorganized. No matter... it's the perfect metaphor for DC.
On Friday morning, we packed up camp and headed for Gettysburg a short hour and a half away. We arrived at the Drummer Boy RV Campground by noon where we were informed that due to our early arrival, we would be charged a $25 fee. It's hard to imagine why we would be charged an early check-in time for a gravel drive-way in the woods, but there was nothing we could do short of turning the bus around and parking in a Wal-Mart for the next 3 hours. In the end, we decided to fork over the money, suck it up, and set up camp. After lunch, we would have a long day of touring. No one liked the prospect of having to do all the hook-ups after that kind of day.
Gettysburg National Park, despite what naysayers suggest, is absolutely worth seeing; however, I will admit that the brand new, gorgeous, state of the art visitors center certainly adds to the appeal. While the park itself is free, the movie, museum, and access to the cyclorama are not. For a nominal fee, we purchased tickets to all three. The museum was utterly packed with relics of the war; guns, buttons, coats, documents, and flags were all very well displayed. Again, Aidan was eating it up. The girls loved the touch screen computers.
On the advice of our friend, Colonel Burton, we purchased the slightly pricey audio cd tour of the battlefield. We were assured that it would be worth the cost; indeed, it was. The cd is timed within seconds to match the stops of the auto tour of Gettysburg. Along the drive, the narrator describes in great detail the history of the great battle making visualization possible even for Aidan. Every few yards, we would stop the cd and take an opportunity to walk along the pathways lined with markers honoring the various regiments, soldiers, and generals. It's truly hard to describe the beauty of the landscape here and seeing the great open fields dotted with memorials to fallen soldiers was so moving. Good thing we had the kids with us to lighten the moment. Back in the museum gift shop, we purchased Aidan's first-ever toy gun. Having been opposed to the idea for nearly 8 years, I finally caved... When in Rome, I guess... or Gettysburg. That gun has been the greatest thing ever, by Aidan's own admission. He joyfully jumped from the car at the auto tour stops and pretended to be a soldier, crouching along the stone fences and ducking behind boulders. Even I have to admit, that it was pretty cute. Maybe the gun increased his interest in learning about the battle. By the end of the tour, he could answer all kinds of questions he would only know from listening to the tour. It worked!
We decided not to make dinner tonight but to take our chances in the adorable town. The square reminded me of Franklin twenty years ago. It was quaint, but the tourists filled up the sidewalks and kept the shops open. We settled on the English pub, MacClellan's. It appeared to be a stand alone pub, but once inside, we discovered it was part of the Gettysburg Hotel. It was our second big mistake of the day (more on the first later). Never trust a fake English pub attached to a hotel. It's going to be overpriced and phony. Oh, well....
I failed to mention how our day in Gettysburg began. Some of you will recall our mishaps with glass last summer. Well, it happened again. When we arrived at Dummer Boy, I opened a kitchen cabinet only to be nearly knocked out by a falling wine bottle. Luckily, it narrowly missed my head but crashed onto the ceramic tile floor exploding into a million pieces and splashing a cheap but delicious cabernet all over the floor. As I bent to begin cleaning it up, the wine started to disappear. Oh, NO, where is it going????!!! Just then, Brent started yelling from the outside something like this, "WHY THE HELL IS RED WINE LEAKING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE RV?" Yikes. The wine had leaked out through the cracks and was filling the storage compartment underneath with what would later become a sticky, smelly, jam. Once again, one of the kids saved the day with something funny. Aidan declared the RV, the "Mega Poop (our van has always been known as the Poop for its less than fresh smell). After that, all we could do was laugh and enjoy the day. As Leigh once said, "Those we're all in this together vacations you take really bond a family." I sure hope so.
Currently, we are driving through Pennsylvania, en route to New England. Tonight, we will be camping on the Connecticut coast, but for now, we are enjoying the lovely Pennsylvania scenery. Today's route has taken us past some truly beautiful farmland and past the surprisingly lovely city of Harrisburg. The kids are being really good and we'll be in CT by 4. Everything is wonderful except for one thing... the U.S. is playing today at 2:30. Normally, this isn't a problem as we have Direct TV in the coach. The bad news is that it is being broadcast on ABC instead of ESPN. We don't get the "local" channels! This is unacceptable. We might just have to look for a roadside sports bar. Stay tuned.
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