Field Trip Into DC

Today did not turn out at all like I had planned, and that is a GOOD thing! Sometimes you've just got to go with the flow.

Yesterday, as I was cooling down after my post-Market shower, I realized one of my Tweeple was coming to DC Saturday night to spend Sunday doing tourist stuff. I am a home-body, and I like to take my Sunday's slow and easy, to rest up for the Monday drill. But to meet a real live Twitter peep, well that just does not happen every day! So the rest of my Tweeple talked me into going, and I did! I went to DC today!

But first, I would like to show you that I actually did stamp something this weekend. Took me two days, but I did it.

These two images were purchased on an "I'm bored, lets go stamp shopping" trip one year in Florida. One of my fellow travelers, a non-stamper, went along to see what all the fuss was about. While perusing the millions of stamps on the floor-to-ceiling shelves, she picked out these two because she thought they'd go well together, and she was so right!

I have made several variations of this card over the years, but always with these two images. Last night I found this beautiful basket-weave paper in my stash. I picked it because it had browns and yellows, and I was using a yellow base. I really love how these came out!

Okay, on to the Field Trip! I started out at the local Metro stop, as I live at the end of the line of the system. You are guaranteed a seat, which is a good thing during rush hour. But Sunday is not a rush-hour schedule, so I waited, and waited, and waited. Then I gave up waiting and left. Apparently I was in rush-hour mode and it was a non-rush-hour schedule...not a good mix. But it was such a glorious day today, that I decided to drive into DC instead. That's right, drive! Actually, I only live about 20 miles from DC - I just hate traffic on a day off. But I got to take the George Washington (GW) Parkway, which is pretty much enough reason to live in the DC area in the first place.

This is the GW Parkway on a Sunday. Fuzzy, yes, because I was driving, but work with me here. Maybe step back a bit from the 'puter to lose some of the fuzz. This is not a country road. Nope. This is the GW Parkway, and it runs from the Beltway, through DC and beyond to Mount Vernon and points South. This is the stretch I take from the Beltway to DC. Not bad, huh? It parallels the Potomac River on the left and there's woods on the right. Just beautiful.

When I first moved here, I could not believe this sign was for real, but it is. This is the exit for the CIA.

See?

Once I crossed back over the river and into the city, it was still beautiful. This is just a really pretty city. This was the view to my right as I was stopped at a stop sign, waiting to turn left onto Independence Ave.

The bad thing about driving into DC is the parking, but I got lucky and found a spot right near the Air & Space Museum. As I got out of my car, I saw this:

This is the portion of the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. On the left is the Smithsonian Castle. Did you know The Smithsonian is actually a group of 7 or 8 museums, and not just the Castle? It's true!

I cropped the castle for a closer look, but it is still pretty difficult to see through the trees. In front of the castle is a carousel - still works! Lots of fun.

To my left was the Capitol. Did you know the Capitol building is spelled with an 'o', but it is the Capital (with an 'a') of our nation? Yep.

This is an earlier shot without the guy in the red hat. Further away, though. Still, just a beautiful day.

Inside the Air & Space Museum is a kids' section - lots of hands-on stuff about science, and why airplanes are built out of aluminum instead of steel. Kids play, but big kids read. This caught my eye.

"Did you ever wonder? Why doesn't dust blow off fan blades? [Yeah, why doesn't it?!?!?] Dust on fan blades never seems to blow off, no matter how fast the blades spin. Many dust particles are small enough to lie within the thin boundary layer near the surface. No matter how hard the air blows by, the boundary layer provides a zone where the wind speed decreases to zero. The only way to remove the dust is to wipe it away." Carp. Now I have to clean the darn things!

After my Tweep and I parted ways, I headed for home by getting back on the GW Parkway. But I took the first right and exited at Theodore Roosevelt Island. This is an island in the middle of the Potomac River, and after almost 25 years of living here, I have never been there. So I went. This is how I travel, so beware anyone who thinks they might survive a Road Trip with me at the wheel!

This is a shot from the parking lot of the bridge over to the island. It was so nice and cool and breezy in the middle of that bridge that I stopped there in both directions to enjoy it.

One of the other really annoying things I do is take photos of where I am so I remember where I've been. It is a sickness.

On the island are several hiking/walking trails, and a monument/memorial, so since it was buggy I headed for the memorial and took the obligatory photo. *waves back at Teddy*

Back home, I am resting now. Too much fresh air for a Sunday. But it was so much fun to meet up with one of my virtual friends! Now we know we are real!!!

Okay, off to finish the laundry so I can go to work tomorrow. Oh, a brief look into the ways of laundry in the crooked household: If you forgot you left a whole load of dry clothes in the dryer last week, and they are now hopelessly wrinkled, fear not! Go ahead and wash that next load. Then take one item, like a polo shirt, out of the washer, throw it into the dryer with all the wrinkled mess, and run the dryer again. Voila! Not-wrinkled clothing plus one extra dry shirt. Genius, I tell you, pure genius.

Okay, I am gonna see if I can rustle up something for dinner, and maybe stamp something before bed. Thanks for stopping by!