Playing Tourist

Friday night and yesterday we worked hard at painting the kitchen, dining room, living room and downstairs bath ceilings and cleaning up the mess painting ceilings makes.  Today we decided to play tourist in our nation's capital for my last day here that Brad has off work.  We headed to the downtown area-I was surprised to find that it is only about 45 minutes from their house.  They don't actually live in D.C. itself, but in a suburb called Edgewater, appropriate since they are right on the Chesapeake Bay.  I can't tell where Edgewater and Annapolis end and begin.  We do most of our shopping in Annapolis and the stores are only 10 minutes away.

It was a beautiful day, in the low 50's when we arrived, but 67F when we left in the afternoon.  I think that may be unusual for November.  We walked the length of the National Mall and back-about 4miles.  This was our first stop.  The Washington Monument.  Gorgeous.

My Mandy, Piper and Brad.  I love them and they seem to like me okay too.

This was an accidental picture of the monument.  I was trying to get a perspective of how tall it is and didn't notice the flag but I think it is very appropriate.  I used my iPhone for all of my pictures so they aren't professional quality.  I like them anyway.

Piper loved this "horsey"!

In front of the Capital Building.  Poor Miss Piper has a terrible head cold but she was SO good.  Not fussy at all and loved the walk.

Pretty day.

Here I am!  

Scaffolding seemed to be the order of the day at the Capital Building, but it's still grand.

Love the road sign.  I tried to get a few others but the traffic was pretty heavy.  I actually took this one as We were walking across the street.

We parked downstairs in this building.  It was gorgeous.

inside on the way to the parking garage.  The floors were amazingly shiny!

Another view.

I lost track of the names of these beautiful old buildings.  I told Mandy that this part of D.C. reminded me of London and the City of London.  Just as I said it she said she was thinking the same thing.  She and I spent a week in London, Bath and Stonehenge, England when she graduated from nursing school.  We had a great time.

This was the only shot I got of the White House.  Too many people and we were in the car.  It was too far to walk because this....

....was happening to Piper.  She was exhausted after our long walk.  We had lunch at the Smithsonian Museum of Aeronautics and Space and looked at airplanes.  This little girl and her Daddy LOVE airplanes.  Their new house is within 2 miles of an airfield so Daddy and Piper can go flying in his free time.  

Poor baby was exhausted.  She slept like this all of the way home.

I forgot to show you the pictures of the Porta Potties.  Yes I took a picture of them.  There were literally thousands around the perimeter of the Mall.  We checked online and sure enough, they're setting up for a huge Veteran's Day Concert Tuesday night.  They are expecting over 850,000 people!!!!  I guess they will need all of those toilets, but I would sure have liked to see the beautiful Mall without all the fencing and Porta Potties!  I'm sure we'll play tourist there again someday when Dennis comes back with me to visit.

Tomorrow We Paint!!! The walls downstairs will be done first and if there is time before I leave, we'll start upstairs.  Lot's of work and a sick toddler.  Oh well.  We'll do our best.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I am way behind in reading your blogs.  Please forgive me.  I'll try to catch up when I get home.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others."  Philippians 2:3-4

Blessings,

Betsy