I got an idea of the continuing relevance and strong feelings and traditions the summer before last, when Tom and I went to Branson Missouri during the 4th of July weekend. We decided to go to the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede Dinner Theatre http://www.dixiestampede.com/
It was so much fun, but we were shocked to learn that we would choose whether to be Yankees or Confederates and be seated on opposites sides of the arena-huh!? There were feats of skills between the two "teams" and we cheered on the Yankee side of course. I thought the Civil War was so long ago that it was not so relevant anymore- wrong. In retrospect, I think it is important to remember this time and be proud of the people who fought and worked so hard for needed change.
Well, my sister Mary Beth and husband Bob came for a visit in May to celebrate her 60th birthday- imagine that. We are all Yankees, the Thouvenels and the Drydens- born and bred in the Pacific Northwest. My brother in law is a retired high school history teacher and my sister a voracious reader and also a retired teacher and principal. Both are very much interested in American History.
Mary Beth is four years older than I am and we have a special bond (as I do with all three of my sisters for the different reasons and seasons they have influenced my life). We socialized a lot together back in the 70's and 80's in Portland with our first spouses. We know each other pretty well, I would say. Because she is four years older, I missed out on riding on her coattails of popularity at Redmond High School- how unfair!
The anticipation of having more visitors was exciting- the weather was just starting to improve and I was looking forward to my first Spring here. I worked feverishly on the planned itinerary to make sure it would be a memorable visit. The highlight of the trip was to be a trip to NPR (National Public Radio)studios in D C- well as my son-in law would say: Fail!!
The first day here we went to The Old Ebbit Grill for dinner, a walk to the White House and a moonlight trip to The Lincoln Memorial. I never get tired of the sight of the Lincoln Memorial- so awe inspiring.
The next day was our trip to Arlington Cemetery. The weather was nice and we enjoyed the Lee House which I love to see when we make trips into DC. I have come to love General Lee- he has the dearest, saddest eyes and he was conflicted about slavery. He is revered here and it has been fun getting to know more about him.
The next day was MB's birthday and we had an awesome day planned. Okay, I screwed up the plans for NPR and the much anticipated tour. Somehow I cannot seem to get the concept that National Public Radio and my local NPR affiliate are not one and the same.......I hauled these two poor Yankee visitors from the beaver state almost to the end of the red line train after the "helper" at the Metro station didn't know where or what NPR was . It turned out we were really close, but then took a ridiculous detour to WMAU and were politely informed that we were in the wrong place- they were trying not to laugh at us but it was surely embarrassing.....sorry about that Mary Beth. I vow to get there one day and will probably have to drag Tom there in your place.
The rest of the day went smoothly except for putting up with the insufferable Metro workers who Mary Beth says must have some sort of seasonal affective disorder from being in dark cavernous spaces most of the day. She thinks better lighting would make them less cranky.....
We took a quick tour of the museum at Ford's Theatre before heading out for day one of our Tourmobile tour of the Orange and Green lines. We lucked out and had great drivers/tour guides. We made a stop at the National Cathedral -beautiful and chock full of school groups.
We ran to In style Nails when we returned home and got french pedicures-awesome and our feet were killing us by the way.
We ended the big birthday day at LaPorta's Restaurant-delicious! http://www.laportas.net/
The next day was drizzly and grey and the tourists seemed to be growing exponentially along the mall.
We attempted to take a tour of The Capitol Building . It began to rain and then pour on us- an omen I think. A pleasant intern was posted outside by the screening area handing our red umbrellas to borrow while waiting. The screening process is stringent and MB had to chuck her empty water bottle. I was delayed getting in as the European tourists in front of me had nail scissors in their bag-sigh...I felt and looked like a drowned rat and after seeing the hoards of middle school kids waiting for their tour- we decided to peruse the museum displays and forgo the tour.
We went to The Library of Congress, The Air and Space Museum and The National Museum of the American Indian. We had a tasty lunch at the Mitsitam restaurant at the museum. I have one more Groupon- so Tom and I will soon be returning for another delicious meal- a not to be missed experience.
We especially enjoyed the collection of Civil War photos at the Library of Congress. The pictures were heartbreaking to see so many young, innocent soldiers and their families fighting in that terrible war.
No trip to our neck of the woods would be complete without a visit to my favorite- Mount Vernon! The weather was great and we enjoyed the day.
That night, we went to Eamon's Restaurant http://eamonnsdublinchipper.com/ in Old Town Alexandria- this was on Bob's wish list and since he was such a good sport we tried it out. The fish and chips were very good and we should have stopped there. We decided to try out a dessert sampler of a deep fried Mars bars and dough balls. How to describe the effect on the digestive tracts of four 50 plus Yankees.... Oh my, the fried delights sunk down in our stomachs and we were queasy from the overload of grease and sugar. It was worth it though and now I can cross deep fried candy bars off my bucket list : )
Our last day in DC was spent at The National museums of Natural and American History. The grand finale was a matinee of Liberty Smith at the Ford's theatre. A delightful treat- thanks Mary and Bob!
The last day of the visit was spent in Gettysburg PA. I will write about that in a separate blog as this one is getting rather long and I want to include lots of pictures.
We had a great visit and enjoyed the good company, delicious meals and the fun of exploring here in DC Metro.
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