Our Last Days in DC

In the true spirit as a child of the sixties, Captain Mark took Madeline in search of the Wish Tree honoring John Lennon's Imagine Peace. I think John would be proud to see the wishes hanging so wonderfully on this tree.



What fun it is to see these figures in the Smithsonian Sculpture Garden.

Captain Mark and I spent several days at the Smithsonian Portrait and National Art Gallery. We absolutely fell in love with the place and found ourselves going back day after day until we saw the entire museum and took every docent tour available.

I was captivated by a special photography exhibit by Zadia Ben-Yusuf and this photo in particular. Captain Mark found the self-portrait pop art poster of his favorite author and fellow Hoosier, Kurt Vonnegut.



Crew members Terry and Will recommended the Old Glory restaurant in Georgetown, so of course we had to give it a try. True to the recommendation, the BBQ was excellent – so good in fact that we walked all the way back to the boat in order to work off all the extra weight we gained by eating there. As we passed the national headquarters of DAR, we took lots of pictures for Nancy and Eleanor.







We were fortunate enough to meet Steve and Gloria from sailing vessel Living Well during our stay in DC. The night before we left they invited us to their boat which has been customized to be exceeding comfortable and most welcoming. Steve and Gloria have done all the work themselves and made their boat their home with many unique creature comforts including dual recliners in the salon. Not only are they talented in boat construction, but we discovered that Steve and Gloria are excellent wine makers as well. So we spent the evening drinking their wine, getting to know their friend Bill aboard Puddle Jumper while sharing laughs and sea sagas. It was the perfect ending to our time spent in DC.

Viet Nam Memorial

Having come of age during the late sixties, the Viet Nam War was ever present in my awareness and life. For more than a few of my guy friends, Viet Nam was more than the evening television reports. As graphic as the television and print media coverage of Viet Nam was at the time, my friends experienced the horror of this war first hand. I do not know of anyone of my generation who was not scarred by this war in some manner. All of us either were there or know of someone who was there. In my case, more than five of my immediate peer group enlisted and were sent to Viet Nam within one year of our high school graduation. The military draft was invoked at the time and consequently if a young man was not lucky enough to be able to go to college, then most likely he was unlucky enough to be sent to Viet Nam.

For the past forty plus years, I have taken the selfish road by avoiding what I did not want to acknowledge. I have done all that I could to avoid watching movies, reading books or reliving my thoughts and fears about Viet Nam. Of my friends who served in Viet Nam, several were fortunate to come home physically whole but wounded in ways that most Americans could not fathom, then or even now. One dear friend came back so physically wounded and so angry that mentally he just gave up the fight to recover.

However, the one hero of Viet Nam that I would like acknowledge is my cousin, Donald Richard Barrett. It was for him and his siblings that I made myself visit the Viet Nam War Memorial while in Washington. Mark had visited the Memorial on a previous trip to DC and had found Don’s name on the wall. I was not sure that I would be able to find the inner strength to be able to do the same but as I remembered Donnie (as he was so affectionately known within our family) and his nine brothers and sisters and the loss their immediate family felt, my personal feelings seemed trite and selfish beyond imagination.



Don was pretty much in the middle of his sibling group and was two years older than me. The last time that I saw him was shortly before he was dispatched and we ran into each other at a party given by one of my fellow college students. I recognized him immediately and began talking with him and his girlfriend. It was at that time that he told me that he would be leaving in the not too distant future. The year was 1968. As an Army Infantryman, he was killed August 18, 1969 as a result of hostile fire. He will always be the hero of our family.

Miss Madeline Goes to Washington Part 2

Arlington National Cemetery








No trip to Washington would be complete without a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. On the way, we explained to Madeline the importance and significance of a national cemetery. However, as much as I tied to prepare Madeline for the impact of seeing the rows and rows of white markers, I myself was not prepared for the feelings I experienced. It is certainly a humbling feeling to stand before the everlasting flame at the gravesite of John Kennedy, with Jacquelyn at his side and then to have his brother Bobby buried so close as well. To Madeline’s generation, these are vague but important historical figures but to our generation, these are the deaths that marked the loss of innocence to our generation and are forever etched in our personal histories as well as those of the nation.



Tomb of the Unknown Solider

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is officially known as the Tomb of the Unknowns. To witness the guards and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider is one of the most emotionally moving events that we had ever seen. Madeline immediately understood the solemness of her surroundings as we watched the Tomb Guard protect this monument dedicated to American servicemen and women who have died without their remains being identified.

It is considered one of the highest honors to serve as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Less than 20% of all volunteers are accepted for training and of those only a fraction of the 20% pass the training to become Tomb Guards. The sentinels do not wear rank insignia on their uniforms so that they do not outrank the Unknowns. Once becoming a sentinel, one must live by an extremely high moral code of conduct for life, even following departure from the Army. The Tomb Guards is a special platoon within the 3rd US Infantry Regiment which is known as The Old Guard. Making personal sacrifices to have the honor of serving, they work on a team rotation of 24 hours on, 24 hours off, for five days and then taking the following four days off. A guard takes an average of 6 hours to prepare his uniform which is solid wool and worn regardless of the time of year. In addition to preparing the uniform, guards also complete physical training, Tomb Guard training, cut their hair before the next work day and shave twice per day.

Robert E Lee’s Arlington Home

Prior to visiting Arlington National Cemetery, I knew that the home on site was once Robert E Lee’s adult home but I did not know the circumstance surrounding how the home “left” the Lee family. The grounds of the mansion were selected as the site of Arlington National Cemetery to ensure that General Lee would never again be able to return to his home. This is not a story of which we, as Americans, should be proud, however time and history have allowed Robert E Lee to shine as the gentleman and hero that he was and for his Arlington home to be restored to its original magnificence.

Iwo Jima

It was surprising to us when Madeline asked to visit this monument as it not one that is usually known to her generation. Located just outside the gates of Arlington Cemetery we headed in that direction. I was surprised by this monument on several counts. First of all, it was a much larger sculpture/monument than I anticipated. Secondly, by how much this monument moved all of us as visitors. Since this monument is out of the way and a destination of its own, it was obvious that all in attendance were there with special reason to remember someone from WW II.




The Washington Monument

While we were having fun riding the train to DC, Captain Mark was able to secure tickets for us to go inside The Washington Monument. For all of us, this was the first time inside the monument and it was worth every minute of the wait in the HOT sun. After a very brief history lesson, we were whisked to the top of the monument by an elevator. Once atop, we were able to spend as much time as we wished at each of the windows which face each of the four directions. The day was clear and we could see for miles, literally. It was fun to look down to locate the Lolligag and of course all of the other famous landmarks in DC.



The Lincoln Memorial

We visited the Lincoln Memorial twice, once at night to see the monument with lights and then again during the daytime. No matter how many times we have seen pictures of this famous memorial, it is vastly more impressive to stand before it and look up into Lincoln’s face. I was proud, and I must say surprised, by the civil, polite and respective way all of the visitors behaved while viewing this memorial. There was no pushing or shoving, just people from all countries showing their respect and admiration for this great American hero.

Korean War Memorial

Of all the memorials, I found this one to truly capture the spirit of conflict with the nineteen larger than life stainless steel statues representing a squadron of soldiers from each branch of service on patrol. The facial expressions and body positions are hauntingly life like in intensity as they are dressed in full combat gear and placed within the circle as if on patrol.

The memorial is in the form of a triangle intersecting a circle. The circle contains the Pool of Remembrance, a shallow 30-foot-diameter pool lined with black granite and surrounded by a grove of trees with benches. Inscriptions list the numbers killed, wounded, missing in action, and held as prisoners of war.

White House Helicopters

President Bush was visiting China and the Olympics during most of Madeline’s visit. As luck would have it though, we were walking right by the Washington Monument when he returned to the White House. Before the President’s helicopter comes into the area, a reconnaissance helicopter flies over the immediate area to make sure all is secure. Then there is a formation of three identical helicopters each flying approximately one minute apart. Each copter flies directly to the White House lawn and diverts at the last minute if it is not the helicopter containing the President. We all took bets on which helicopter President Bush would be in and Madeline won the bet by saying that he would be in the third helicopter. Within twenty minutes of landing, President Bush held a press conference at the White House on the Russian invasion of Georgia.

This shot was taken on the day we came up the Potomac. As you can clearly see, here is a shot of me taking a picture of them taking a picture of me.



Being a tourist is hard work.

Miss Madeline Goes to Washington Part 1

I am sure that everyone who is a grandparent would agree with me when I say that being a grandparent is the best gig that ever came along. It makes those dreadful years spent with teenage daughters worth it. We are most fortunate to have four delightful grandchildren and nothing pleases Captain Mark and me more than to take them on trips. We decided that when each of them was ten years old, they could pick any where in the United States they would like to go and we would take them there. This year Madeline will be ten and as luck would have it, she chose to visit Washington, DC and we just happen to be in the vicinity.

So I flew back to Indiana to fetch her and we returned to DC via Amtrak. This was Madeline’s choice of transportation and it was fun to ride the train back – for the first eight hours…the next six hours were a bit much, but we made it just the same. Really, we did have a good time riding the train and most of the time was spent traveling at night so overall the time went by rather quickly.

Captain Mark met us at the train station and our DC adventures began. While I rested, Mark and Madeline explored the National Mall and Madeline was excited and thrilled by her first look at the White House. She loved seeing the league serious games of kickball and softball being played on the grounds of the National Mall. On their way back to the boat, they stopped at the Jefferson Memorial which was located almost diagonally across the Washington Channel from our slip.




The Jefferson Memorial

We were as close to the Tidal Basin as one can get nowadays with a private boat and each evening we could sit on the boat and see the back of this monument. Of course, it would have been better to see Tom, but we walked over several times both during the day and in the evenings to pay our respects. Like the Lincoln Memorial, this monument is a wonderful tribute to one of our greatest founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson was such a multi-talented man: statesman, inventor, scholar, orator, and president. He contributed so much that it would be difficult to determine in which area he gave the most to the United States.

The Capital Yacht Club is very conveniently located to a Metro (mass transit) station, the Smithsonian Castle, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and the National Mall. We could not have been in a more centrally located spot from which to visit the sites in Washington. This is the view of our marina from the Washington Monument.



Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

This was the first of the Smithsonian Museums that we attended. We all enjoyed very much traveling through space and time. Our generations were showing in that Captain Mark and I could remember and visualize with clarity each of the US space exploits while at the same time Madeline commented on how long ago each of these events took place.

The National Zoo

I am not sure who was most excited about going to the zoo as we were all looking forward to seeing meerekats, lions, tigers and bears – panda bears that is, of course. We were up early and on our way as the elephant washing starts promptly at 10:30a and this was something we did not want to miss. This has to be the best zoo that I have ever attended. Since Chicago has two wonderful zoological parks, that is quite the compliment. The National Zoo has a wonderful collection of animals but also the grounds are laid out in a way that is pleasing and easy to walk without repeating paths. The exhibits are geared to both children and adults and staff was accessible and very informative.

Smithsonian Natural History Museum

I will confess right up front that I am totally spoiled by the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and while the Smithsonian Natural History Museum is outstanding; nothing can top the Field Museum. Again the exhibits were aimed at both children and adults. The insect and reptile sections were way above average in both quality and quantity of exhibits and of course, there was the Hope Diamond which is certainly something to behold. The one area where I must admit that the Smithsonian was superior to the Field was in the cafeteria – never have I seen such a great array of foodstuffs than at this museum = YUM!

The National Archives



This is the one place where both Madeline and I were disappointed. We waited for what seemed forever to be crowded and shuffled along to see the most important historical documents in our nation’s history. I think what disappointed us both, but not Captain Mark, was that we could not really “see” the documents as they were faded with time, the handwriting was very difficult to read and the glass through which we were looking was so thick that we could hardly make out what we were seeing. Madeline and I both agreed it would be a better use of our time to purchase a book to read these important documents than spend the time in line to “see” them.

On a side note, I have an exhibit in the National Archives vault of very special things and believe it or not, it is knitting. I, along with fellow knitting guild members, were invited to the White House by President and Mrs Clinton in 1998 when our knitted item was placed on the official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room. After the knitted mitten/hat ornament was taken from the official tree, it was placed in the vault of the National Archives for posterity.

The Spy Museum

This was a family fun place to visit and a cute break from all of the serious things there are to see and do in DC. It was a little pricey but it was different while being informative. As one would expect, it is full of all sorts of spy gadgets, disguises and intriguing stories about real life spies. There is lots and lots of information about the Cold War, the CIA and the KGB. There are also fun facts about real spies in history and a great exhibit of James Bond, Wild Wild West, Get Smart and all of the media spies through the years.






Capitol Hill

Arrangements were made for us to meet with a staff member from the office of Congressman Mark Souder, who represents Indiana’s third congressional district. Our guide for the tour of the House of Representatives portion of the Capitol Building was James Wegmann. A college student working as a summer intern, James was both entertaining and extremely informative as he took us in and around the Capitol Building. He presented the historical and current legislative information in a manner that made the details interesting and thought provoking. He was full of funny antidotes and unusual facts about the building and historical figures. What impressed us the most was the way James was able to direct his conversation to Madeline so as to retain her attention and infuse her with enthusiasm for the history of what she was experiencing. Even though Congress was officially in recess, several members of the House of Representatives remained in DC to protest the Congressional adjournment during the energy crisis. We were lucky enough to be granted access to the floor of the House and to be able to sit in the seats where the Congressman sit during session to view the speeches made by the Congressmen who remained to protest the lack of action being taken to end the energy crisis. This was a wonderful experience for us all, as we will probably never in our lives be given to opportunity to be on the House floor.

Native American Museum

The newest addition to the Smithsonian family is the Native American Museum. Honoring the heritage of the Native Americans of the United States, this museum has four floors dedicated to unique Indian artifacts. What is unusual and most refreshing about many exhibits in this museum is that the curators have allowed the individual Nations to create and maintain their own exhibits. This allows us to see what is the most important aspect or the most critical message wishing to be expressed by each Native American Nation. Architecturally, the building is simple and yet powerful in that the main entrance faces east so that it may capture the early morning sun. The grounds are reflective of crops and plant life vital to Native American livelihood. Last, but hardly least, is the restaurant that serves only Native American food. HOW (get it?) cool
is that?







Bar Hopping

We had to watch Michael Phelps swim after all...or at least that is the story we gave Madeline's parents as the reason we had to eat dinner at the brewery.