Last Day in D.C.

After John finished up his work commitments, we set out to enjoy the capital. We enjoyed a walk along the mall, taking in the monuments (WWII above). We found ourselves by the National Museum of African American History & Culture. https://nmaahc.si.edu/

The history portion of the museum begins under the ground level and circles up. At the start, it explains the start of slavery. We wound our way to the civil rights era before calling it a day. This museum definitely needs another visit. There was so much to see and learn. It is very captivating.

We hopped on the metro for dinner in the GWU area. We had fun watching the people streaming to and from the metro stop there. John recollected a place where he had played darts during a previous visit so we rushed there for 1 and 3/4 games of darts before we had to depart to catch our flight. As we emerged from the pub, it was pouring rain. Thank goodness for the ease of uber use! The D.C. area is always so fun to visit. Much to see and do!

Mount Vernon

Tuesday's adventure was to Mount Vernon. Hats off to the WMATA for having a free shuttle service to Alexandria and helpful staff to help navigate your travels while they undertake platform work on the Metro. Today I traveled to Mount Vernon via the river on a Potomac River cruise. This was a fun way to travel, however, the cabin was so cold due to AC that I even moved to the outside deck in the drizzle just to stay warm! Still, the narration supplied lots of interesting tidbits and I enjoyed the views of the shoreline and the sightings of several ospreys.

The day was spent touring the mansion and walking the grounds, which were beautiful. Sweeping river views from the hillside, a lovely bowling green at the front of the house (kept kempt by scythe and a large stone rolled over the grass!), and walled kitchen gardens that I went gaga over.  I felt this day gave me a better insight to George Washington and made me appreciate him more as a person and not just an iconic figure. Mount Vernon itself was also a surprise. It was not constructed of stone as I had thought, but rather of pine. The wood was carved and painted with a technique using sand that gave the appearance of stone. Stone homes relayed the message of wealth. As you can see, it is undergoing restoration. The boards are actually original to the house.

All Work and All Play

Hopefully that balances out John and I as we find ourselves in the DC area. He is here working and I find the city as my oyster! Our family traveling has definitely gone through a shift as the kids have gotten older. The summer began with Adelaide and I camping with some of her friends. Then we took a whirlwind weekend road trip to Ohio to see 21 Pilots in concert in their home city of Columbus.

This trip kicked off with a visit to the National Gallery (Free! I love this about the DC museums, monuments, and libraries!). The last time I was here was 18 years ago pushing Nicholas in a stroller. We had no sooner found an interesting gallery when he erupted in a crying jag. No museum that day! But on this day, I enjoyed each minute whether it was studying Gilbert Stuart's amazing brush work on his portraits (he nailed the gauziness of men's kerchiefs) or actually giving physical start upon realizing the painting I was staring at was painted by Gloucester's own Fitz Henry Lane! 

So a little "eye spy" challenge. These two Gloucester inspired paintings by Winslow Homer were hanging on the corner walls next to each other. I was not the only admirer who kept looking back and forth between the two. What do YOU notice?

Our day was capped off by a dinner with our nephew, Michael, and his girlfriend, Molly. You realize how quickly the years pass when you are having an adult conversation with the same person who was a child---like yesterday--or so it seems in your mind! We had a great visit with them. They showed us their fantastic apartment with views of the National Cathedral! The highlight was meeting their new kitten, Zadie. Thanks Mike and Molly for making time for us!!

Taking the Long Way Home

Today, after dropping Adelaide off at camp in Rindge, NH, we decided to turn off the GPS and go exploring. Everyone should do this more often. You never know what you might discover!

After poking in and out of small towns and being rerouted out of a parade route in Fitchburg, we found ourselves in Sterling, MA. John remembered seeing gliders in the area during one of our many wonderful visits to Davis Farmland when the kids were young. Today we followed the airport signs and discovered the small Sterling Airport, home to the Greater Boston Glider Club. What a kick it was to see the gliders being towed up, released to circle around in the air currents, and then to swoop in for an almost silent landing. We also struck up a conversation with another bystander who mentioned that on the 2nd weekend in September, the airport hosted the free Sterling Fair. That might be a perfect pairing to an adventure in the Davis Farmland megamaze!

Our further ramblings brought us to the beautiful Wachusett Reservoir. This was fun to see because last year after dropping off Adelaide, we visited the fascinating Quabbin.  The Wachusett Reservoir was much larger than I would have thought.  Right outside the town of Clinton we found the Wachusett Dam--impressive and scenic. It was completed in 1905 and is purportedly the world's largest hand dug dam. We walked down the 191 stairs behind the dam where there is a lovely fountain and walking trails.

Our exploration ended in Maynard at the Pleasant Cafe where we had a leisurely dinner and enjoyed local-ish beers from their substantive beer menu. Nightshift is proving to be reliably good, no matter the type. Great fish tacos here, too.

This day was totally worth avoiding the major thoroughfares and finding the long way back home!