Monday, April 25, 2011
3-29-2011 Visit to the Cherry Trees
It's National Cherry Blossom Week in DC so we had to do the visit. Sue came down and met me after work and we walked over the reflecting pool. The garden of the Castle was very nice. Here you have a picture of me in my DC uniform, complete with heavy coat. What a dorkus! Oh well. The trees were pretty, the crowds were not too bad and it was a nice day.
3-27-2011 Dyke Marsh
After a day in the car we felt like a good walk. So we headed south on the Mt. Vernon bike trail, thinking we would just walk for a awhile and then head back. After walking along the road for awhile, we came to the park right across the river from National Harbor. A bit further down we found ourselves at the entrance to Dyke Marsh. We had seen signs for it but never thought of visiting it - until today. It was a nice walk, cool to cold but sunny. Not much to remark on - one can walk out to the Potomac. On the way back Sue saw an eagle flying over us carrying a fish it had just caught and we spotted another bald eagle in a tree in the park. A nice day, a nice walk. And the cherry trees are almost there - the picture is of the steeple on St. Mary's school by our house.
3-26-2011 Fredricksburg, Spotsylvania Battlefields
We have been wanting to make it down to the battlefields around Fredricksburg for some time and today is the day. The drive down was uneventful -no big tie ups. We went to the Fredriskburg Battlefield visitor center, saw the overview movie and then walked along the trail. The trail parallels the wall the Confederates were behind as the Union troops walked into the cannon and musket fire - just amazing. There is a large National cemetery just over the ridge behind the wall. Of course, all the houses cover up the slope that the Union troops walked up and died on. But still, one's imagination can help see the carnage.
We had lunch and drove down to the Spotsylvania battlefield. This is a driving tour though one can walk it if you have enough time. We only had 90 min or 2 hours so we drove. There are signs at the key points. The description of the Bloody Angle in the Shara book was running through my head as we walked over the land where that battle took place. Such a concentration of killing in one spot! The last picture below is what is left of the earthworks from the Confederate lines in the bulge that the Union eventually overran.
We had lunch and drove down to the Spotsylvania battlefield. This is a driving tour though one can walk it if you have enough time. We only had 90 min or 2 hours so we drove. There are signs at the key points. The description of the Bloody Angle in the Shara book was running through my head as we walked over the land where that battle took place. Such a concentration of killing in one spot! The last picture below is what is left of the earthworks from the Confederate lines in the bulge that the Union eventually overran.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
3-20-2011 A walk around Alexandria
Spring is here! The tourists are back. The crocus plants are popping up in the grass. Life is good!
3-19-2011 Abingdon, Treasury, Natl. Geographic
A gorgeous day - sunny, not humid, cool - the best type of day back here. Sue had made arrangements some weeks ago for us to tour the Treasury building. Since it is right next to the White House, one has to go through the Congressional delegation process just like for a White House or Congress tour. This was out day.
On the way downtown in the rental car Sue had gotten the night before, we stopped at the National Airport to take a look at the Abingdon Plantation site. I had read about this inside the airport, at the history exhibits in the old wing of the Airport. (BTW, National is a great place to prowl around in - art all over the place and history exhibits in unexpected places.) After winding our way through the parking garage, we found the place. I have put some pictures of the plaques and the foundations here. You can see the airport and Metro stop in the background behind Sue. The site is tied up with the Alexanders (of Alexandria), the Washingtons and the Custis' (related to Lee). It's a very small world out here when it comes to the aristocracy.
We drove then downtown and went for our Treasury tour - no pictures allowed unfortunately. A very good tour, about 90 min. The inside of the building has been restored to its appearance in the early 1800s. There is one office that was Andrew Johnson's office after Lincoln's assassination, since Lincoln's wife couldn't make it to move out of the White House. Talk of the secret vaults in the basement - nothing there they said!
After seeing the Treasury, it was such a beautiful day we decided to see something else so we walked over to the National Geographic Museum to see the photos. Amazing pictures - and these were the rejects from the magazine!
On the way downtown in the rental car Sue had gotten the night before, we stopped at the National Airport to take a look at the Abingdon Plantation site. I had read about this inside the airport, at the history exhibits in the old wing of the Airport. (BTW, National is a great place to prowl around in - art all over the place and history exhibits in unexpected places.) After winding our way through the parking garage, we found the place. I have put some pictures of the plaques and the foundations here. You can see the airport and Metro stop in the background behind Sue. The site is tied up with the Alexanders (of Alexandria), the Washingtons and the Custis' (related to Lee). It's a very small world out here when it comes to the aristocracy.
We drove then downtown and went for our Treasury tour - no pictures allowed unfortunately. A very good tour, about 90 min. The inside of the building has been restored to its appearance in the early 1800s. There is one office that was Andrew Johnson's office after Lincoln's assassination, since Lincoln's wife couldn't make it to move out of the White House. Talk of the secret vaults in the basement - nothing there they said!
After seeing the Treasury, it was such a beautiful day we decided to see something else so we walked over to the National Geographic Museum to see the photos. Amazing pictures - and these were the rejects from the magazine!
3-18:23-2011 Tim and Ann visit
Sue and I both got back to Alexandria on the 18th - I flew in from LA and she flew in from Sacramento. Her flight to National got messed up in Sac so she switched and flew into BWI, so she rented a car and drove home - got here about midnight. Also Tim and Ann came to town as part of the gathering of Berridges for a funeral in the family. They stayed with us but of course spent most of their time with the Berridge family. We visited in the evening and John and Cho came over for dinner on the 22nd. It was a very good visit.
3-11:18-2011 Trips, trips, trips
Sue and I took off for Sacramento on Friday. I spent the weekend there and then flew to LA for a week at SMC. Sue stayed on in Sacramento to get her Grandma fix. I had a great time with the boys while I was there.We went to Old Town for a St. Patrick's day parade. Walking back to the car, we got to see the Sacramento River bridge turn on its axis to let a cruise boat go by. Tim and Ann came over to the Burns' for dinner. Kate took us to a park along the American River for a walk - saw deer, wild turkeys and stink bugs. Aiden is getting tall enough to almost get the cap off my head!
3-4:10-2011 Ron and Sandy Griffin Visit
Ron and Sandy came to Alexandria for a convention of Public Employee groups, to learn how to better lobby Congress. They had lots of events to keep them busy and I was out of town until the 4th. They came over for dinner on the the 6th. They spent the night with us on the 9th and Sue took them (and me) to the airport on the 10th. It was good to visit and a preview of the larger Nason group traveling on July 4th to Alexandria.
First remarkable "hot" "humid" day - the 6th. Maybe I am just sensitized and dreading the summer.
This week we started to see tree blossoms - that will be very nice when it gets going full blast.
First remarkable "hot" "humid" day - the 6th. Maybe I am just sensitized and dreading the summer.
This week we started to see tree blossoms - that will be very nice when it gets going full blast.
2-27-2011 Crime & Punishment Museum and Capitol walk
For an overcast Sunday we decided to head downtown. I had gotten some half price tickets to the Crime and Punishment Museum so we decided to see it. It was interesting but we got tired about halfway through. There was a large Forensics interactive area in the second half that would be great for kids, I think. We saw out fill and rated it a B-.
After the museum we took a walk around the Capitol grounds. The lack of tourists was amazing - in the picture of the mall on the East side of the Capitol there are only 2 humans in the pictures - guards by the central steps. And there's a picture of yours truly - how I have gotten used to the DC dress-up attitude.
After the museum we took a walk around the Capitol grounds. The lack of tourists was amazing - in the picture of the mall on the East side of the Capitol there are only 2 humans in the pictures - guards by the central steps. And there's a picture of yours truly - how I have gotten used to the DC dress-up attitude.
2-26-2011 Lewes, Rehobeth, Fenwick Light
It's a road trip day. We woke to the singing of songbirds. They are back and Spring is close.
The day was cool and lightly overcast - good for driving. Lewes is all the way over to Chesapeake Bay side of Delaware, so Sue got to see lots of the same countryside that I did on my big lighthouse excursion to Delaware. It is very pretty. Lewes (said as Lewis") is the oldest town in Delaware. It is a small village and is fun to walk around. Lots of little shops. We had a great lunch and found a puzzle store wherewe bought some brain teasers. The picture below is of the oldest still-standing house in Delaware (the Ryves House, 1665) and also the oldest gravestone in Delaware (Margaret Huling, b. 1631, d. 1707). And there is the cannon-ball house, with the ball from a British shelling (War of 1812) embedded in the foundation (see it in the bricks). Yeah, there's a lot of history back here - you trip over it all the time. And we saw the OverFalls Lightship moored here.
We drove to Rehobeth so we could see the beach - it was windy and cold and a beach. Moving on.
We picked up another Light House - the Fenwick Island Light. It sits just North of the Mason-Dixon line, which turns out to be from colonial days and was used to settle disputes between Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland over who owned what. It's importance for slavery came later.
The day was cool and lightly overcast - good for driving. Lewes is all the way over to Chesapeake Bay side of Delaware, so Sue got to see lots of the same countryside that I did on my big lighthouse excursion to Delaware. It is very pretty. Lewes (said as Lewis") is the oldest town in Delaware. It is a small village and is fun to walk around. Lots of little shops. We had a great lunch and found a puzzle store wherewe bought some brain teasers. The picture below is of the oldest still-standing house in Delaware (the Ryves House, 1665) and also the oldest gravestone in Delaware (Margaret Huling, b. 1631, d. 1707). And there is the cannon-ball house, with the ball from a British shelling (War of 1812) embedded in the foundation (see it in the bricks). Yeah, there's a lot of history back here - you trip over it all the time. And we saw the OverFalls Lightship moored here.
We drove to Rehobeth so we could see the beach - it was windy and cold and a beach. Moving on.
We picked up another Light House - the Fenwick Island Light. It sits just North of the Mason-Dixon line, which turns out to be from colonial days and was used to settle disputes between Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland over who owned what. It's importance for slavery came later.
2-21-2011 Inside the Lib of Congress Reading Room
It's President's Day and Sue has to work - while I have the day off - the Fed schedule is my schedule. Sooooo, I went downtown to take advantage of a special opportunity. One day a year the Library of Congress opens the Reading room in the Adams building to the public. You can take pictures, wander the stacks and see the decorations inside this amazing building. The public areas of this great building are impressive but being able to see the reading room AND take pictures just could not be passed up.
The pictures show the ceiling of the room, some detail of the statues and windows in the dome, the main desk (where those folks eluded the CIA in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol), the Father Time clock, the card catalog room, and some detail from the figures around the oculus in the ceiling. Imagine - giving evidence of the historical association of Islam with the physical sciences - how true, but how strange that seems today.
The pictures show the ceiling of the room, some detail of the statues and windows in the dome, the main desk (where those folks eluded the CIA in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol), the Father Time clock, the card catalog room, and some detail from the figures around the oculus in the ceiling. Imagine - giving evidence of the historical association of Islam with the physical sciences - how true, but how strange that seems today.
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