Thursday, July 06, 2006
NEW PICTURES!
Ok, I'm finally getting around to posting weekend and fourth pictures. You can check back throughout the day and evening as I add them below. Also to note: If you click on the picture, it will enlarge (Dean!).)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Apartment pictures
I know this may be a bit random and delayed, but I finally got around to taking pictures of our place. While you've caught me being completely honest... it was clean and that's why I took pictures. For your viewing pleasure...
** December 16 Update: Pics were removed to post other pics **
** December 16 Update: Pics were removed to post other pics **
The Best July 4th E-VER!
Everyone abandoned me on July 4th this year. Drew is in Germany and Mal went to NC because she had jury duty today. This left me in DC, the most patriotic city in the whole United States on July 4th, alone.
Before I could get all pouty, Steve, our neighbor from downstairs, invited me to a DC Nationals baseball game with him. The stadium is about ten blocks from our apartment. So, at about twelve we left to catch the game that began at one.
It was SO hot yesterday. It was in the mid nineties. Storms were warned for later, but the afternoon was clear.
Our seats were behind home plate in section 315. I took my sunscreen in anticipation of sitting in the sun all day. Steve brought us some hats. When we arrived, I was relieved when our seats sat beneath the stadium seats above us. So, not only was our view great, we were in the shade!
(view from our seats)
The game was awesome. In one of the early innings, one of the Nationals guys hit an "in-the-park" home run. It would have been a double, but the FL Marlins made some errors, and the guy made it all the way around. By the ninth inning, the Nationals were down by one (4-3). We had two guys on base and two outs when Ryan Zimmerman stepped up to the plate. He swung two strikes and had one ball against him. The fans were going nuts. The energy in the stadium was growing and people were screaming and chanting. Something big was in the air. The ball was pitched and Zimmerman slammed it out of the park. The Nationals won by two!
(The lady behind us was REALLY into the game. I like to imagine that she's screaming and not yawning.)
(The kid was really into it too (as he glances into the camera lens)...)
It was great... I've never seen a more entertaining baseball game.
After the game, we walked back and each did our own thing for a bit. We had a big storm that gave me an excuse to huddle inside and take a nap (bet you knew that was coming). I mean, I didn't want to be exhausted before the fireworks.
Yup, DC fireworks. Steve and I made our way to the Lincoln Memorial (it was rumored to be less crowded than The Mall) to watch the show. We arrived in time to relax for a little bit before it began. There were so many people around us. The steps leading up the Lincoln Memorial were covered. We looked towards the Washington Monument and could see the sea of people on the lawn ahead of us. It was an indescribable sight. The atmosphere was buzzing with patriotism and excitement.
(the Memorial behind us... about twenty minutes until show time!)
The fireworks began at 9:10 and lasted until 9:30. What a show!! They were beautiful. There were chandeliers, pentagons, circles, shimmering dust, ice crystals, and many other lights. Their sizes ranged, but most (as quoted by Steve) were about 1000 square feet in diameter. Enormous!! They filled the sky and the acoustics from where we sat were perfect. The booms echoed off the memorial behind us and danced all around.
As I sat there, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else in that moment. I'm going to be completely spoiled from any other fireworks in my future.
(These are some shots, captured from Steve's camera, of the fireworks. The second is my favorite. Doesn't it look like a chandelier? They were so beautiful... no way captured by the images.)
We (and the 450,000+ people out there with us) left after the show. What a cattle herding! It took us quite some time to break from the crowd. We opted to walk some of the way home. Then, as we were neared a metro that wouldn't be crowded, we took advantage of it. It took us until 11:15 to get home. However, I did get to see the waterfront and some new restaurants that Steve says are really good. I'm hoping to check one out in the near future.
It was a wonderful fourth and filled with very "American" traditions (right down to eating moonpies as we waited for the fireworks to begin). It's definitely one for the books (or the blog) and one I will never forget.
Before I could get all pouty, Steve, our neighbor from downstairs, invited me to a DC Nationals baseball game with him. The stadium is about ten blocks from our apartment. So, at about twelve we left to catch the game that began at one.
It was SO hot yesterday. It was in the mid nineties. Storms were warned for later, but the afternoon was clear.
Our seats were behind home plate in section 315. I took my sunscreen in anticipation of sitting in the sun all day. Steve brought us some hats. When we arrived, I was relieved when our seats sat beneath the stadium seats above us. So, not only was our view great, we were in the shade!
(view from our seats)
The game was awesome. In one of the early innings, one of the Nationals guys hit an "in-the-park" home run. It would have been a double, but the FL Marlins made some errors, and the guy made it all the way around. By the ninth inning, the Nationals were down by one (4-3). We had two guys on base and two outs when Ryan Zimmerman stepped up to the plate. He swung two strikes and had one ball against him. The fans were going nuts. The energy in the stadium was growing and people were screaming and chanting. Something big was in the air. The ball was pitched and Zimmerman slammed it out of the park. The Nationals won by two!
(The lady behind us was REALLY into the game. I like to imagine that she's screaming and not yawning.)
(The kid was really into it too (as he glances into the camera lens)...)
It was great... I've never seen a more entertaining baseball game.
After the game, we walked back and each did our own thing for a bit. We had a big storm that gave me an excuse to huddle inside and take a nap (bet you knew that was coming). I mean, I didn't want to be exhausted before the fireworks.
Yup, DC fireworks. Steve and I made our way to the Lincoln Memorial (it was rumored to be less crowded than The Mall) to watch the show. We arrived in time to relax for a little bit before it began. There were so many people around us. The steps leading up the Lincoln Memorial were covered. We looked towards the Washington Monument and could see the sea of people on the lawn ahead of us. It was an indescribable sight. The atmosphere was buzzing with patriotism and excitement.
(the Memorial behind us... about twenty minutes until show time!)
The fireworks began at 9:10 and lasted until 9:30. What a show!! They were beautiful. There were chandeliers, pentagons, circles, shimmering dust, ice crystals, and many other lights. Their sizes ranged, but most (as quoted by Steve) were about 1000 square feet in diameter. Enormous!! They filled the sky and the acoustics from where we sat were perfect. The booms echoed off the memorial behind us and danced all around.
As I sat there, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else in that moment. I'm going to be completely spoiled from any other fireworks in my future.
(These are some shots, captured from Steve's camera, of the fireworks. The second is my favorite. Doesn't it look like a chandelier? They were so beautiful... no way captured by the images.)
We (and the 450,000+ people out there with us) left after the show. What a cattle herding! It took us quite some time to break from the crowd. We opted to walk some of the way home. Then, as we were neared a metro that wouldn't be crowded, we took advantage of it. It took us until 11:15 to get home. However, I did get to see the waterfront and some new restaurants that Steve says are really good. I'm hoping to check one out in the near future.
It was a wonderful fourth and filled with very "American" traditions (right down to eating moonpies as we waited for the fireworks to begin). It's definitely one for the books (or the blog) and one I will never forget.
Whirlwind Weekend: Part Two (Sunday)
Well, it's halfway through the week. Guess I should go ahead and wrap up what I started on Monday, eh?
Sunday morning, the four of us went to Mal's and my church here in town. The church is very contemporary in nature. We actually meet in a movie theatre that's nestled in Union Station. They have a live band and, depending on which service one attends, the pastor can be caught "live" or on the movie screen with a pre-recorded rendition of the message. We caught the 11 AM service (the last one), so we actually watched him on the screen. Interesting. I had never seen him on the screen before. It was a good message though (Romans 12:1-2). To get an idea of just how contemporary the church is... their "offering plates" are popcorn tubs. Wonder if the church has to buy the containers even though no popcorn is in them?
After church we headed across the street to The Dubliner. It's an Irish pub that features live Irish music every night. Of course, seeing as how it was lunch time, there was no music playing. We grabbed a table outside on the patio and enjoyed our lunch while we mulled over plans for later in the day.
We then made our way to the International Spy Museum. Although the museum isn't free (unlike most other area attractions), it was worth the admission price. It was very interactive and engaging. Basically, at the beginning of the museum, guests are asked to study a "profile" of a spy that they'd like to be. As a guest makes his way through the museum (learning about spy techniques, weapons, tools, etc), there are games and "tests" to be completed for the mission's success. Pretty cool concept and definitely entertaining.
We stayed a couple hours in there and eventually decided to dart through the last bit of the museum to do some other activities. Mal and Dave decided to see the movie Superman at the Verizon Center, which was about three blocks away. Since Mike and I were a little slower making our way through the museum, we caught The Lake House, which started later.
Honestly, it felt good to just sit down and relax a bit after we had been going all day. The movie was okay. It was a bit slow at some points, and definitely had some "downer" moments. It was also a bit confusing (to me) in some places due to a time separation of two years between the two main characters. There were several points in the movie when I uttered my confusion to Mike. I think he followed it okay and tried filling in some of my holes at the end. I guess I get it (sounds convincing, eh?). If you're thinking of seeing it, I suggest waiting until it's available on rental. There are some better movies in the theatre now than Lake House.
After the movie, we shopped a bit in Chinatown. Then, we hopped on the metro and made our way to Adams Morgan. It's a "neighborhood" in DC. It was there that we took the guys to their first Ethiopian experience. We ate at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant. I wrote of it back in March (the 20th) when Mal and I visited it before. It's an overall fun experience and I think the guys enjoyed it enough.
(Enjoying Ethiopian)
The evening wrapped as we detoured for ice cream on the way home (well, Mal and Dave got ice cream- Mike and I were too full). By the time we arrived home it was pretty late (approaching ten). We all cleaned up and watched a movie before crashing and burning.
It was a wonderful weekend. Definitely one that I was still recovering from on Monday. I may be caught up on sleep at this point. It's still debatable.
Sunday morning, the four of us went to Mal's and my church here in town. The church is very contemporary in nature. We actually meet in a movie theatre that's nestled in Union Station. They have a live band and, depending on which service one attends, the pastor can be caught "live" or on the movie screen with a pre-recorded rendition of the message. We caught the 11 AM service (the last one), so we actually watched him on the screen. Interesting. I had never seen him on the screen before. It was a good message though (Romans 12:1-2). To get an idea of just how contemporary the church is... their "offering plates" are popcorn tubs. Wonder if the church has to buy the containers even though no popcorn is in them?
After church we headed across the street to The Dubliner. It's an Irish pub that features live Irish music every night. Of course, seeing as how it was lunch time, there was no music playing. We grabbed a table outside on the patio and enjoyed our lunch while we mulled over plans for later in the day.
We then made our way to the International Spy Museum. Although the museum isn't free (unlike most other area attractions), it was worth the admission price. It was very interactive and engaging. Basically, at the beginning of the museum, guests are asked to study a "profile" of a spy that they'd like to be. As a guest makes his way through the museum (learning about spy techniques, weapons, tools, etc), there are games and "tests" to be completed for the mission's success. Pretty cool concept and definitely entertaining.
We stayed a couple hours in there and eventually decided to dart through the last bit of the museum to do some other activities. Mal and Dave decided to see the movie Superman at the Verizon Center, which was about three blocks away. Since Mike and I were a little slower making our way through the museum, we caught The Lake House, which started later.
Honestly, it felt good to just sit down and relax a bit after we had been going all day. The movie was okay. It was a bit slow at some points, and definitely had some "downer" moments. It was also a bit confusing (to me) in some places due to a time separation of two years between the two main characters. There were several points in the movie when I uttered my confusion to Mike. I think he followed it okay and tried filling in some of my holes at the end. I guess I get it (sounds convincing, eh?). If you're thinking of seeing it, I suggest waiting until it's available on rental. There are some better movies in the theatre now than Lake House.
After the movie, we shopped a bit in Chinatown. Then, we hopped on the metro and made our way to Adams Morgan. It's a "neighborhood" in DC. It was there that we took the guys to their first Ethiopian experience. We ate at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant. I wrote of it back in March (the 20th) when Mal and I visited it before. It's an overall fun experience and I think the guys enjoyed it enough.
(Enjoying Ethiopian)
The evening wrapped as we detoured for ice cream on the way home (well, Mal and Dave got ice cream- Mike and I were too full). By the time we arrived home it was pretty late (approaching ten). We all cleaned up and watched a movie before crashing and burning.
It was a wonderful weekend. Definitely one that I was still recovering from on Monday. I may be caught up on sleep at this point. It's still debatable.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Whirlwind weekend: Part One (Fri. & Sat.)
It was hard to get out of bed this morning. With the weekend that we had, I definitely would have embraced sleeping in! As promised, here is an update for the weekend. Pictures are at home, still in my camera, but I will try to get some posted this evening. (NOTE: I've separated the weekend events into two postings. One for Friday and Saturday and the other for Sunday because of their lengths.)
Friday night our old roomie Mark moved out. Mal and I anticipated the arrival of Katie on Saturday, so we immediately got to work cleaning out the room after Mark left. We knew time was limited before the guys came. We finished most of the cleaning, put up some curtains to close off the closet (we don't have doors on our closets), and just tidied up the place. We began hanging up some art in my room just as Dave arrived at the front door. His arrival signaled the "weekend of fun" truly was here!
After catching up for a few minutes, we put him to work. Aren't we such great hostesses? He helped us hang the pictures in my room before we all began attacking Katie's room again. We moved in there where Dave assembled her chair and light, while Mal and I worked on fitting the AC unit into the window. Just as Mal and I were our sweatiest and Dave finished his tasks, Mike called. He was down the road about a mile and needed some directional assistance. After talking to him a few minutes and realizing that I had no idea where he was (big surprise, I know), I gave the phone to Mal and she talked him in.
When Mike arrived, we stopped working (we actually finished as he arrived) and all just hung out. Mike and I had our White House tour scheduled for 8:30 on Saturday. So, after eating a late dinner, the two of us turned in around 12 as Mal and Dave settled in to watch a movie.
Saturday morning arrived super early. Did I even sleep? Although our appointment was for 8:30, people are required to be there early (20-30 minutes) before their tour time. This meant leaving the house by 7:15, which we did with no problems. After catching the metro (it was Mike's first metro ride!), we were at the White House shortly after eight. There was hardly anyone in line. We approached the guard to get our guidebooks and proceed inside.
She stopped us and told us the "rules" before we proceeded. We were okay to go through except for one minor detail. We each had our camera. Cameras were a no-go.
"You have three options," the guard said, after looking at our cameras. "One, you can take your cameras back to your car." Okay, no, we rode the metro. "Two, you can turn around and take them back to your hotel." Hmm, the apartment is a 15 minute metro ride and ten minute walk away. No to number two. "Or three, you can go in one at a time while the other stands outside and holds the cameras." Well, that's not any better and defeats the purpose of us coming together to the White House.
She could tell from our expressions that none of her options thrilled us. The guard added, "You can take your tour at anytime up until 12:30." Feeling relieved and less pressure to "go right now", we came up with a fourth option. I called Mal and woke her up. Once she made it out of her groggy state, she agreed (thankfully) to meet us, with the car, at the metro closest to our apartment. Mike and I took some pictures in front of the White House and made our way back to the metro. When we stepped out of the metro center closest to home, Mal was waiting in the car.
(This picture was snapped before we took our cameras to Mal. The WH is behind us.)
She offered to shuttle us back to the White House, to which we quickly agreed. What took us twenty minutes to walk and ride the train back, took about five in the car. Surprisingly, there was no traffic. We got out of the car, leaving cameras and phones inside (we couldn't remember if phones were allowed in the WH), and agreed to meet back up for the Capitol Tour that Mal offered to take all four of us on. We had over two hours before we had to meet Mal and Dave.
Before we went on our tour, we stepped inside the WH Visitor Center and educated ourselves on what to expect. The WH tour itself is self-guided, so unless you know anything about it, it could make for a less interesting tour. We strolled in there for over an hour before going to the WH.
By the second time around, the line was much longer. I guess not too many people want to get up on Saturday morning before eight unless they have to. Either that, or there were a bunch of people like us who didn't know the "rules" before hand. Regardless, we had no problems getting in the second time. The White House was very grand. We were able to view about ten rooms, including the dining hall and several entertaining rooms (Red, Blue, and green Rooms), and go down a hall adjacent to a beautiful garden. Out front, we viewed the bald spot on the lawn where the tree fell earlier in the week because of all the rain. The guard standing nearby told us his story of being on duty as it fell right near him. Ooooh, ahhh.
We left the WH and made our way to the Capitol where Mal agreed to lead Dave, Mike, and me on a staff led tour. She handed us our special "staff" stickers and we proceeded into the building. She was a great "tour guide" and I learned a lot about the building. Most impressionable was "The Freeze" artwork that wrapped around the inside of the Capitol's Dome. It was beautiful and painted to appear three dimensional from where we stood below. Amazing.
(The Capitol Building)
(A view of The Mall, seen standing on the Capitol steps. The building to the left of the Monument (yeah, it's super small in the distance) is the Lincoln Memorial where I sat and watched the fourth's fireworks with Steve.)
(Mallory telling the guys about the Capitol's Dome)
("What a great shot, Mike," was said after two shots Dave took without capturing the $1500.00 chandelier behind us. Yeah, I didn't leave any zeroes out. Because of his (lack of) picture taking ability, Dave was often passed over (and the camera handed to Mike) when a picture was needed. This is in the Capitol. Nicknamed the "North Carolina" room.)
(Mike and me on the Capitol steps.)
(The guys and me before Mal's tour)
(Mal's turn!)
After our tour, we metro'ed it to Chinatown. We ate at Chopsticks. While the food was good, Mal and I were scarred after visiting their restroom and seeing some other slightly unpleasant sights throughout the restaurant. Don't think we'll go back, but it did fill us up and gave us some laughs.
(As seen through the lens of Mike's camera. I love the line of kids crossing the street. Perfect shot of Chinatown's gate.)
After Chinatown, we made our way to Union Station where we signed up for a DC Ducks Tour (check out the website!). While waiting for our Duck departure, we shopped around in Union Station. There is a vast array of stores and the guys were patient as Mal and I browsed through several of them.
Our Duck Tour departed at 5:00 and was the best tour I've been on in DC (well, besides the fabulous one Mal gave us earlier in the day!). The tour is given aboard an old, restored WW II vehicle that is part SUV and part boat. It easily converts from land to water and vice versa without doing anything (ie. attaching anything extra or taking anything off) to the vehicle. It was a really informative 90 minute tour that was also very entertaining.
(Mal and Dave quacking it up with their DUCK "quackers" that were given to each of us.)
(Dave and me quacking. Don't you love the hair?)
(A couple Quackheads)
(Standing outside the DUCK mobile)
After our tour, we grabbed our dinner at Ben and Jerry's (yes, we had ice cream for dinner). Mal and Dave went to rent some movies and chill at the apartment while Mike and I opted to catch some of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival before they closed up shop for the evening. It was fun wandering around on The Mall and listening to the different music. There were many tents set up for mechandise sales, but most of them were closed. The only tents still open were food vendors and those that covered the musicians. After about two hours, when everyone was leaving, Mike and I walked the approximate two miles back to the apartment. It was a nice evening and a pleasant walk.
(Shadows walking home. That's the Capitol lit ahead of us. I love DC at night. The company wasn't bad either...)
When we got back, we joined Dave and Mal and watched Airplane (a movie that the guys referenced and quoted earlier in the day). Mallory and I attempted to watch all of Crash with them too, but we crashed ourselves before the end. The guys were troopers and finished it. Our Saturday came to a close on Sunday's wee morning hour of about two.
Friday night our old roomie Mark moved out. Mal and I anticipated the arrival of Katie on Saturday, so we immediately got to work cleaning out the room after Mark left. We knew time was limited before the guys came. We finished most of the cleaning, put up some curtains to close off the closet (we don't have doors on our closets), and just tidied up the place. We began hanging up some art in my room just as Dave arrived at the front door. His arrival signaled the "weekend of fun" truly was here!
After catching up for a few minutes, we put him to work. Aren't we such great hostesses? He helped us hang the pictures in my room before we all began attacking Katie's room again. We moved in there where Dave assembled her chair and light, while Mal and I worked on fitting the AC unit into the window. Just as Mal and I were our sweatiest and Dave finished his tasks, Mike called. He was down the road about a mile and needed some directional assistance. After talking to him a few minutes and realizing that I had no idea where he was (big surprise, I know), I gave the phone to Mal and she talked him in.
When Mike arrived, we stopped working (we actually finished as he arrived) and all just hung out. Mike and I had our White House tour scheduled for 8:30 on Saturday. So, after eating a late dinner, the two of us turned in around 12 as Mal and Dave settled in to watch a movie.
Saturday morning arrived super early. Did I even sleep? Although our appointment was for 8:30, people are required to be there early (20-30 minutes) before their tour time. This meant leaving the house by 7:15, which we did with no problems. After catching the metro (it was Mike's first metro ride!), we were at the White House shortly after eight. There was hardly anyone in line. We approached the guard to get our guidebooks and proceed inside.
She stopped us and told us the "rules" before we proceeded. We were okay to go through except for one minor detail. We each had our camera. Cameras were a no-go.
"You have three options," the guard said, after looking at our cameras. "One, you can take your cameras back to your car." Okay, no, we rode the metro. "Two, you can turn around and take them back to your hotel." Hmm, the apartment is a 15 minute metro ride and ten minute walk away. No to number two. "Or three, you can go in one at a time while the other stands outside and holds the cameras." Well, that's not any better and defeats the purpose of us coming together to the White House.
She could tell from our expressions that none of her options thrilled us. The guard added, "You can take your tour at anytime up until 12:30." Feeling relieved and less pressure to "go right now", we came up with a fourth option. I called Mal and woke her up. Once she made it out of her groggy state, she agreed (thankfully) to meet us, with the car, at the metro closest to our apartment. Mike and I took some pictures in front of the White House and made our way back to the metro. When we stepped out of the metro center closest to home, Mal was waiting in the car.
(This picture was snapped before we took our cameras to Mal. The WH is behind us.)
She offered to shuttle us back to the White House, to which we quickly agreed. What took us twenty minutes to walk and ride the train back, took about five in the car. Surprisingly, there was no traffic. We got out of the car, leaving cameras and phones inside (we couldn't remember if phones were allowed in the WH), and agreed to meet back up for the Capitol Tour that Mal offered to take all four of us on. We had over two hours before we had to meet Mal and Dave.
Before we went on our tour, we stepped inside the WH Visitor Center and educated ourselves on what to expect. The WH tour itself is self-guided, so unless you know anything about it, it could make for a less interesting tour. We strolled in there for over an hour before going to the WH.
By the second time around, the line was much longer. I guess not too many people want to get up on Saturday morning before eight unless they have to. Either that, or there were a bunch of people like us who didn't know the "rules" before hand. Regardless, we had no problems getting in the second time. The White House was very grand. We were able to view about ten rooms, including the dining hall and several entertaining rooms (Red, Blue, and green Rooms), and go down a hall adjacent to a beautiful garden. Out front, we viewed the bald spot on the lawn where the tree fell earlier in the week because of all the rain. The guard standing nearby told us his story of being on duty as it fell right near him. Ooooh, ahhh.
We left the WH and made our way to the Capitol where Mal agreed to lead Dave, Mike, and me on a staff led tour. She handed us our special "staff" stickers and we proceeded into the building. She was a great "tour guide" and I learned a lot about the building. Most impressionable was "The Freeze" artwork that wrapped around the inside of the Capitol's Dome. It was beautiful and painted to appear three dimensional from where we stood below. Amazing.
(The Capitol Building)
(A view of The Mall, seen standing on the Capitol steps. The building to the left of the Monument (yeah, it's super small in the distance) is the Lincoln Memorial where I sat and watched the fourth's fireworks with Steve.)
(Mallory telling the guys about the Capitol's Dome)
("What a great shot, Mike," was said after two shots Dave took without capturing the $1500.00 chandelier behind us. Yeah, I didn't leave any zeroes out. Because of his (lack of) picture taking ability, Dave was often passed over (and the camera handed to Mike) when a picture was needed. This is in the Capitol. Nicknamed the "North Carolina" room.)
(Mike and me on the Capitol steps.)
(The guys and me before Mal's tour)
(Mal's turn!)
After our tour, we metro'ed it to Chinatown. We ate at Chopsticks. While the food was good, Mal and I were scarred after visiting their restroom and seeing some other slightly unpleasant sights throughout the restaurant. Don't think we'll go back, but it did fill us up and gave us some laughs.
(As seen through the lens of Mike's camera. I love the line of kids crossing the street. Perfect shot of Chinatown's gate.)
After Chinatown, we made our way to Union Station where we signed up for a DC Ducks Tour (check out the website!). While waiting for our Duck departure, we shopped around in Union Station. There is a vast array of stores and the guys were patient as Mal and I browsed through several of them.
Our Duck Tour departed at 5:00 and was the best tour I've been on in DC (well, besides the fabulous one Mal gave us earlier in the day!). The tour is given aboard an old, restored WW II vehicle that is part SUV and part boat. It easily converts from land to water and vice versa without doing anything (ie. attaching anything extra or taking anything off) to the vehicle. It was a really informative 90 minute tour that was also very entertaining.
(Mal and Dave quacking it up with their DUCK "quackers" that were given to each of us.)
(Dave and me quacking. Don't you love the hair?)
(A couple Quackheads)
(Standing outside the DUCK mobile)
After our tour, we grabbed our dinner at Ben and Jerry's (yes, we had ice cream for dinner). Mal and Dave went to rent some movies and chill at the apartment while Mike and I opted to catch some of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival before they closed up shop for the evening. It was fun wandering around on The Mall and listening to the different music. There were many tents set up for mechandise sales, but most of them were closed. The only tents still open were food vendors and those that covered the musicians. After about two hours, when everyone was leaving, Mike and I walked the approximate two miles back to the apartment. It was a nice evening and a pleasant walk.
(Shadows walking home. That's the Capitol lit ahead of us. I love DC at night. The company wasn't bad either...)
When we got back, we joined Dave and Mal and watched Airplane (a movie that the guys referenced and quoted earlier in the day). Mallory and I attempted to watch all of Crash with them too, but we crashed ourselves before the end. The guys were troopers and finished it. Our Saturday came to a close on Sunday's wee morning hour of about two.
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