Washington

Well we finally made it to Washington, but by car, not by boat.  One objective of our trip this spring was to be in DC for cherry blossom time.  We missed the peak bloom period by about 10 days, but still very nice to be here.  Other varieties are still in bloom and there is "pink snow" on the pathways.  And there is lots to see.

First day, we focused on the outdoor sights as the weather was expected to be the best.  Started at the tidal basin, where the majority of the cherry trees are, but they are all over the city.  Visited the Jefferson memorial, which is on the south side of the basin. This is a fair distance from the National Mall, but there is a great free shuttle bus, called the "Circulator" that operates from Union Station, around the mall and tidal basin, with about 15 stops, that we made good use of. In the same area, also saw the FDR and Martin Luther King memorials.

Next stop was the Lincoln memorial, and the Vietnam memorial which is close by.  After another shuttle and lunch, we headed to the Holocaust museum for a pre-booked visit. Very intense museum, with lots of information and horrifying pictures and film footage.  Very worthwhile stop despite the depressing subject.  Good to come out to sunshine and magnolia trees in bloom. We spent most of the afternoon in here so weary legs begged for the metro back to the hotel. 

Next day we started at the American Indian museum, which covers all of the Americas, not just the US.  The main display features about a dozen different native groups from NE Alaska, Canada,  east, central and western US, Mexico, Peru and Chile.  This occupied the entire morning and a highlight of this museum is their cafe, which features foods from various native groups. 

After lunch, Jude headed to the National Gallery and Greg visited the National Archives, where the original Declaration of Independence is on display.  That wasn't all that exciting, and very crowded, but the other displays here are very good.  We met up later and toured the west wing of the National Gallery, which featured Monet, Manet, Degas, Van Gogh, and Tintoretto. The rotundas itself of this building are beautiful. Again, a full day and back to the hotel on the metro. 

Our last day, Judy wanted to visit a Macy's before we headed out. So I found the closest one to us, in Arlington, and headed there. I walked around while she shopped and noticed there was reference to an ice complex on the top floor of the shopping/office complex. So I headed up to take a look.  To my great surprise, it was the practice facility for the Capitals, and they were due on the ice soon. So I met Judy at our appointed time and we went back up to watch the practice.   A few people there, but not real busy. And able to get quite close to the players.  very fortuitous event, and thanks to Jude.

Speaking to the arena manager, she highly recommended we stop at the National Cemetery since we were in Arlington. It wasn't very far so we did stop before heading back to Norfolk. Worthwhile stop. Beautiful grounds, and we got to visit the Kennedy memorial before signs of rain started and warranted heading out.








We spent the weekend preparing the boat for storage, along with a few "fun" things, like visiting Cape Henry, which has a famous lighthouse and was the site of the "First Landing" of the colonists who eventually settled at Jamestown.

As this was our first time prepping for storage, we had some items to acquire so there were a couple of shopping runs as well.  Biggest issue to prepare for here is the humidity and potential mildew.  Judy found some large vacuum pack bags for linens and bedding that work great. Fold the sheets or comforter or mattress pads, slip inside, seal and use the vacuum to suck all the air out, and it seals itself. We also bought a portable dehumidifier to leave running all summer.  With doors and windows closed, should allow the boat to stay reasonably dry inside.  Also washed the boat to remove the pollen buildup that had accumulated over the past 10 days.  The pollen count here is INCREDIBLE. Hopefully, the worst is over and the boat will stay reasonably clean now.  Moved the boat out of the covered storage to the fuel dock to top up the tanks, pump the waste tank, and do oil changes on the main engines.  This all went smoothly, as first time doing oil changes is always a learning experience.

We returned the boat to the covered storage, but swapped positions with the boat in front of us, so she is now well inside out of the sun and any rain.  Also installed the cloth rail and stern covers to give the varnish an added bit of protection.  After defrosting the fridges and freeze (that was a learning experience!) and final clean up we said good by to our boat for the summer and departed for our overnight hotel before our flight home the next day.

The trip has overall really been great.  We look forward to picking up next fall and continuing to New York and possibly Boston.  Given the need to head south and get far enough south in good weather in the fall, we may have to revisit the plans for Boston.

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