Airlines 3, Stones 0

They didn't actually go under and strand us, but they went on strike and stranded us, sort of. British Air waited until the day before our departure, but they called on the 30th and told us our flight had been cancelled and would we like to be rebooked on a different carrier. Yes, I said. So, we are now working our magic on Continental Airlines, so if you own any stock in that company I suggest you dump it, now!!! We leave just a little earlier than originally planned and get into Heathrow about an hour earlier, which isn't all that bad. We do have an hour in Newark which isn't all that good. But hey, we wanted an adventure right?

On our last night with the fam we celebrated Sheelagh's birthday. There was a wonderful cake which Beatrix helped make. Her thanks for her supper was directed in a large part to herself. Well done Bea.

All in all it has been a wonderful time with our little girls and their Mom and Dad. We set off on the next leg of our journey renewed by the love we have experienced here. We are looking forward to seeing Dorian in England quite soon. Our good friends Malcolm and Delyth who have done so much to smooth our way are there. So, bring it on.

Cherry Blossom Time

On Friday 26th Sheelagh and Janelle and the girls went down to the Smithsonian Art Gallery and the girls took an art class. It was a great hit and in ideal circumstances. There was a small group of kids with plenty of help. The projects were beautiful and the setting grand. Sheelagh came back raving about the gallery so she and I went back to have another look and we enjoyed a long slow stroll and still didn't see all there was. Along with a wonderful portrait section, there were sculptures and modern art to stretch our preconceptions. On Saturday we visited another branch of the same gallery that had a most amazing sculpture of a clock with a sheet over it. We were standing 2 feet from it and still thought that the sheet was cloth when in fact the whole thing had been carved from a single piece of mahogany.
Saturday was sunny and a bit breezy, a perfect day for a kite festival. We decided that we needed to get pictures of the famous monuments. We took the bus down 16th to the White House and walked from there to the Washington Monument where the kites were flying. The girls were given little paper kites and we did our best to get them into the air.
Next we went around to the tidal basin and Janelle and I and the girls rented a paddle boat and puffed around for about 40 minutes. We had a great view of the Jefferson Monument and the trees along the shore. Try as we could we couldn't catch up with those sea gulls. Grandad's legs were wore away by the time we could get those little navigators to steer us back to the dock.
After some pizza that Liam declared to be terrible, we took the Metro to Foggy Bottom and walked over to the Lincoln Memorial. The view from the memorial down the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument is probably one of the most famous in the world, but it is beautiful.
The trees are magnificent. There is a mixture of cherry and magnolia. The people came out in droves to enjoy their capital and she put on quite a show. The number of tour groups from all over the country was impressive. We had a fun day and came home sunburned and tired.

Grandma and Grandad's date

On Thursday the 25th, Shush and I gave the Stone family a break and took to the streets of Georgetown on our own. Actually we started on M Street at The National Geographic Center. Sheelagh's Dad has been a life long NG fan, so Sheelagh felt that it was important for her to go there. There is always a fabulous photo display of the NG photo journalists' work. It was on water in the life of the world. It was great. They also have a display of big bug sculptures out front.

From there we caught the bus to Georgetown, a very shee shee part of Washington where the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lived. We didn't see any of those homes, but we saw some winners in which we would love to live. After an excellent lunch at Furines, we struck up through the side streets enjoying the charm that oozes out of these houses and townhouses, most of which are listed as historically significant.

We stopped and looked in galleries of art and antiques, crafts and general Briq-a-braque. We stopped in a really high end plumbing store that is over 100 years old. It was great. The Old Stone House on M Street is one of the oldest houses in Washington. Since its completion in 1765 it has been a house and a used car dealership. It is set up as a display and a gift shop. The garden is beautiful and we used it to rest our weary legs.Trader Joe's was our last stop before we went on back to the house. I loved this date. That girl of mine is so cool.

Goin' to the zoo zoo zoo

Wednesday the 24th was hot and beautiful so we went to the zoo. The girls were excited about showing us the many inhabitants, and so were we excited to see them. The animals, on the other hand, were not as excited. The were more inclined to find a place in the shade and snooze.
We saw the sloth bear first and the red panda and the ordinary panda. The birds were more active. Janelle noted that they reminded her of an episode of The Young And The Restless. The birds were both inside and out. This is an excellent zoo with fine settings for birds and animals.
We did all that we could do in the heat and there was still a great deal left unseen.
After parting ways with Janelle down town, we came back to get the girls supper and babysit for the night as L&J had a date night.

Butterflies and Carousels

Unfortunately Liam had to go back to work on Tuesday. We were having a great time with the whole troop together. Tuesday was another inside day so the girls suggested a day seeing the butterfly room at the Museum of Natural History. Grandad mistakenly thought that it was in the zoo and said so as we pulled up outside the museum. Seeing all the school groups going in, Ngila quietly commented, "I hope that it isn't a zoo in there,because Tuesdays are free to the butterfly house." Sometimes her way with words amazes us all. On the bus on the way down she found a discarded newspaper and was sitting with her legs crossed, "reading" the paper, lowering it from time to time to cast disapproving looks at some men who were speaking too loudly. Later Sheelagh mentioned an activity that was going to happen a few days later and Ngila said, "Oh yes, I saw that in the paper."
We got our free tickets and got to go in and see the butterflies up close and personal. We also had time to look at some other bugs and things. It was great. After we left the museum we crossed the mall to have a ride on the carousel there.

Running as fast as we can.

We have been having, "adventures" every day, coming home tired out, and I have to admit, neglecting this blog. Today will be a catch up day for me. Sheelagh, on the other hand is off on an adventure to an art workshop.
Now let's see. On Liam's last day off he had arranged for us to go on a tour of the Capital Building. These tours are free but you must have a timed ticket. We arrived at the familiar domed building with time to explore the statue area before we set off. As you might expect, security is everywhere. Sheelagh lost her water bottle, Janelle all her granola bars, Sheelagh and the girls sat on the floor to tell a story to fill in some time, and were told that sitting on the floor is prohibited. However, we got in without Grandad telling them what they could do with their Capital Building.
The tour is quite short and covers the Hall of Statues, the Rotunda and the Crypt. Each state is allowed to put two statues in the Capital Building. They tend to be non politicians such as Helen Keller or native dignitaries. The Rotunda is under the famous dome. There are several large paintings around the walls and a painting of George Washington ascending to heaven with the angels. We heard that George was a very humble man and I wondered how he would have reacted to such a Christ-like presentation of him. The crypt is the room under the rotunda and is the main thoroughfare for people at work in the building. As we stood there, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the house and her entourage passed through.
After our tour we followed a tunnel that joins the Capital Building to the Library of Congress. The girls were excited about showing us the Library. The foyer is very ornate and the children's reading room is a wonderful place. Grandma, Grandad and Mum all got to read a story to two eager little listeners.
We had a fun day inside and didn't care about the rain outside. We are using J&L's old camera so I'll show you what we got.

Annapollis Maryland for a day.

Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, is a short 30 mile drive from Washington. The hardest part is getting out of Washington. With our trusty rental cars, we set off after breakfast and were soon parked at the Chesapeake Children's Museum on the edge of the small city. This little museum was obviously someone's dream and has become a ragtag little building beside a polluted stream. It had fish tanks and areas where kids could dress up and play with artifacts from bygone days. The girls loved it, and would have stayed there, very happily for much longer. Grandad, however was getting peckish and wanted to find a reastaurant for lunch. The crab cakes were delicious.
The historic downtown is busy and parking spots are rare, but we parked and had lunch and began to explore Annapolis. This has been a city from the 1600's. The buildings range from the little shiplap sided cottages, to the grand red brick mansions. The wealthy class built around a large traffic cirle that runs around St Anne's Church. The largest of course is the Governor's Mansion which stands beside the Capital Building. The Capital is perched on a hill looking over the business district running down to the harbour.
Annapolis Naval Academy has a long and proud history. It began in 1845 and has had many famous graduates, including Alan Shepard the first US astronaut. The girls enjoyed running as hard as they could across the sprawling lawns. They sat on the canons and looked in the beautiful chapel.
After we had really good icecream cones we tried one more picture and promptly dropped our camera on a brick sidewalk. The picture of the family gathered around the statue will be the last one from our poor old camera.