The third week of May we spent near Washington D.C. There is so much to see that it was hard to choose. We revisited a few places but opted to go to see new places.

We went back to the Mall area and spent hours walking through Smithsonian favorites like the Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum . The National Museum of the American Indian was new to us. The displays and art work were superb. The treatment of the Indian tribes by the government was dealt with honestly. It also showed how the tribes have both integrated with American life while maintaining cultural integrity.

In Chantilly the new and enormous Aerospace Museum showed the history of flight and modern flight. The building is a Quonset style building the length of four football fields. We saw early planes, military planes, the Concorde and the Discovery space shuttle. The tour guide spent about 90 minutes taking us to different areas and giving wonderful explanations for each exhibit. We wandered around for another couple of hours. The planes are suspended over head as well as on the floor. Plan on wearing comfortable shoes.

We returned to the Mall and spent a while at the Museum of American History. It is a big subject to cover but the museum does a great job. The Portrait Museum is outstanding. The portraits of the presidents are mostly terrific. They get to choose the artist that does their portrait. We thought that the one of Clinton was unusual and not very flattering. The museum has a lot of other art and some beautiful sculpture. This museum is not on the Mall but it is worth the extra walking to find it. On the way stop and see the Naval Memorial Building.

Mount Vernon is as special as we were told. The grounds and buildings are extensive. The gardens are lovely. This is one of a very few places that does not allow photographs inside the main house. Some delightful recipe cards are available. My favorite is the “great cake” made with 40 eggs, 4 pounds of butter, 4 pounds of sugar and five pounds of flour and fruit. There is a lovely slave memorial down near the wharf. A few miles down the road is the George Washington Whiskey Distillery and Grist Mill. They do a nice tour.

We happened to be in the Washington D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. My niece, Heidi, lives there and had a very pleasant afternoon barbecue. Heidi’s parents (my sister and brother in law) were in town so we had a nice family visit.

We arrived in Richmond, VA on the 29^th of May. Mitch’s younger daughter, Sherri, flew in on the first of June. Mitch’s son, Barry, and his family arrived on Saturday. We had all gathered to celebrate the wedding of Mitch’s older daughter, Debbie , and Brian Bethea. The day was lovely and everyone enjoyed the happy occasion. Mitch really enjoyed having his three children together for a day.

Our next stop was Camp Hill, Pennsylvania where Barry, Johna, Carly (age 14) and Ian (age 10) live. We had the opportunity to spend some time with the grandchildren and Sherri. Carly was out of school and Ian had a week until his summer vacation. We took Sherri and Carly to the Whitaker Center to see the special Leanardo da Vinci display. I never realized how many instruments and machines he created. His philosophy and forward thinking are still a phenomena.

Our next stop is in the Adirondack Mountain area.