Washington, DC

This year’s spring break trip was not as long nor as exciting as last year’s trip to China, but it was a needed respite from work. The best part about last week was that we were able to spend time with family. We spent one evening with my aunt and grandmother going through my great grandmother’s recipe box. Why do you think anyone would ever need a recipe called “Mock Duck”?

She not only had that one but “Mock Turkey” as well. These recipes apparently came from Florence Trautman, a friend of my great grandmother’s. I can only wonder why this woman would purchase steak and try to serve it to others as anything but.

We did some sightseeing while we were in the area as well. It was a great time to show Menderes our great capital city. Douglas did the Marine Corps Marathon in 2001, but that was his only visit to D.C. He therefore had a lot to visit, and although I have been to the capital many times, I will never turn down another trip. I love this city.

Unfortunately, it was not the best time of year to visit. The capital building was undergoing repair, the mall was dug up and there was no water in the reflecting pool.

The most disappointing was that the buds were on the cherry trees. In just a couple of weeks the tidal basin is going to be teeming with blooms, but last week it was rather dreary.

We started out at the sculpture garden. As with the tidal basin, I am sure that this will be a lot prettier in a couple of weeks. As it was, I appreciated the statues.

I am not sure how excited Menderes or Douglas were, but I love sculpture.

From there we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The best part about Washington, D.C. is that most of the museums are free. Douglas and Menderes appreciated this site a lot more. They would both sign up to go into space in a moment.

While we were in Chicago, Menderes made plans to liberate a German U-boat and return with it to Germany. In D.C. he wanted to fly the Messerschmidt back as well. He will be busy this summer it seems. I hope we are not held responsible for taking him to visit these artifacts.

Here I am in Hawaii. Does this count? Can I cross another state off of my list? Somehow it did not feel as warm as I thought it would.

After the Air and Space Museum, we went to lunch, but we stopped at the other side of the sculptural garden first.

I really want a metallic tree in my yard. Is this not spectacular?

Menderes’ favorite sculpture was the spider. He loooooves spiders.

Of course, no visit to D.C. would be complete without climbing a tree. Now that I think of it, I cannot really go anywhere without finding one that is just begging me to climb it.

After lunch we walked by the White House. Can you see the snipers on the roof?

Next, was the National World War II Memorial. It was not as crowded as it can be in the summer, but there were a lot of people there. The two arches to the north and south of the fountain represent the Pacific and Atlantic fronts. Each of the pillars beside the stand for a state or territory of the United States that sent troupes. Each of the 4,048 gold stars on the western wall represent 100 Americans that died in that war.

There were also crowds at the Lincoln Memorial. It had been a long time since I had been to visit Abe. Lincoln has always been my favorite president. When I was a kid I took out every book on him that I could find in the library. He is an inspiration.

I was not sure why I never noticed this inscription on the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech. When I did a little research it became clear to me why. This carving was created in 2003, and the last time that I had visited the Lincoln Memorial was when I was in high school in 1992.

There is more to share about our trip, but this post is already long enough. You will have to wait for the following installment. Check back next Monday.

Happy Homemaking!