Daddy had not been to our nations capitol before, so they wanted to be sure they saw as much as they could. Mommy planned a full itinerary for them including visits with family and friends!
The first day was an exploration trip to find out how to use the Metro (the train system in the D.C. area). They flew in mid-afternoon and Mommy's brother (John) picked them up at the airport. The traffic in D.C. is a lot busier than where we live!
Mommy said it was so nice seeing Uncle John again. I know how she feels. When my brother, Ringo is away from me, I miss him, too!
Mommy and Daddy never used a train before, so it was quite an aducation. They looked up the routes they would need each day and became real experts at something called the "Blue Line." The list of adventures included breakfast with our Senator (Al Franken). They got to say "Hello" and have their picture taken with him, but then he was off to vote on something.
After the Capitol tour, they walked outside and saw the capitol on the outside, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court and several sculptures. Daddy took many pictures (at least 750 of them)!
Later that day, they had dinner with Uncle John and his family. I found out I have two human cousins named Lauren and Jake!
Day two, Mommy and Daddy went to Arlington National Cemetery. They took a trolley around the cemetery because it is very big.
That afternoon, they went to cousin Lauren's graduation at Constitution Hall. All the graduates looked very nice, especially Lauren! When the ceremony was over they all went out to eat at a place with cheesecake! As you can tell, I love food!
A tour of the White House was scheduled for the next day. The First family was out of town, so they didn't get to meet Bo the dog :( Daddy said there were many rooms. He didn't get to take pictures because cameras weren't allowed inside. When the tour was over, they could take photos with their phones outside.
When Mommy and Daddy returned to the hotel, Mommy's friend, Stacy and her husband (Bill) were there. It is so funny that Mommy has a friend named Stacy because that is Mommy's other name, too! They hadn't seen each other for four years, so it was a wonderful reunion! After many hugs in the lobby, they went to the Botanical Gardens to see and smell the flowers. Then they went to a fabulous dinner at a two story restaurant on Backlick Road.
The next day they tackled the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was a big place with lots of interesting stuff! Daddy and Bill took many photos, while Mommy and the other Stacy walked around and met many people. For some reason, people liked talking to the Stacys! It was so nice of Mommy's friend to push her around in a wheelchair - because of Mommy's foot, she is not able to walk more than 30 minutes at a time. Mommy can hardly wait until it is healed completely! After the museum, they had an Italian meal that was very tasty and filling!
That night, they hung out at the hotel bar while a storm went raging through the area! It was a nasty storm and a little bit scary! Stacy and Bill had to leave the next morning to go back to work.
The last two full days, Mommy and Daddy had a boat cruise on the Potomoc river where they could see Georgetown and all the memorials/monuments lit up at night. It was beautiful! On board, they had a nice meal and a band played awesome music.
The final day, they took a guided tour to make sure they caught all the memorials (Vietnam War, Marine Corp, Jefferson, Lincoln, Korean, WWII, etc.) It was very hot, so we appreciated the AC. They met Uncle John for dinner and one more hug. The next day, they took the shuttle to the airport and flew home to Ringo and me! I'll admit, it was nice to see them again - we were all smiles!
Love,
Boomer the Mellow Yellow Lab
P.S. Here's a little slideshow Daddy made of their trip - just the highlights for now...
