Howdy

What a wonderful summer. We have seen God bless in a variety of ways. Justin works every Saturday. We were able to go to Washington DC for an extended weekend (Thur pm - Sun afternoon). We visited/did:
Friday

• Washington Monument - Going up and looking around was great. God gave us a nice, sunny sky.
• US Forest Service - I have walked by the building probably 50+ times over the years. Finally, I stepped in. We saw Smokey and the Visitor's Center. It was a quick, yet unique stop.
• US Capitol - Rep. Platts' staff was very gracious and gave us a tour. The gallery lines were long, so we did not visit either of them, but everything else was wonderful to see.
• Union Station - We ate (twice actually) at the large food court in Union Station.
• Old Post Office - The Old Post Office is a cool place to visit. I usually go to see the view from the clock tower, a National Park site itself. It is the second tallest public viewing location in the city.
• Ford's Theater - There was no scheduled tour, nor a play taking place, but we were able to take the self-guided tour of the museum and theater.
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing - We saw money being printed and received the tour, but alas, no free samples.
• Marine Corps Evening Parade - We concluded the day at the 8th & I Marine Barracks to see the Marine Corps Band and the Drum & Bugle Corps. It was awesome!

Saturday

• Rosslyn Metro Station - We hopped off the Metro to rise the escalator at the Rosslyn Station. It is one of the tallest escalators in the western hemisphere.
• National Museum of American History - We visited a couple of Smithsonians and this was the first. We saw some of the unique symbols of America's culture and history.
• National Museum of Natural History - I usually refer to this as the Museum of Evolution. It does have a lot of great things to see, as long as you keep in mind that the dating system is seriously flawed. i like looking at the Upper Michigan copper and the stone from the island of Yap.
• Sculpture Garden - In all of my trips to DC, I have never stepped foot inside the fences of the Sculpture Garden until this trip. I may never do so again, as I am not much of a modern art type of guy. Relaxing, but not me.
• National Air & Space Museum - We like to walk and see the planes, rockets, and missiles. It is a fun place to visit and see the progress "we" have made in air travel.
• Tourmobile - We went back to Union Station to dine and then took the Tourmobile's Twilight Tour. I love riding around to see the city and especially the monuments lit up against the night sky. It makes for a long day, but it was a wonderful day.

Sunday

• National Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center - Typically referred to as the Air & Space annex, it has some great displays. an SR-71, the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Enola Gay, and an air traffic control tower.

Then it was time to head home to catch the evening service back at Emmanuel. God gave us a great weekend and great weather to tour. We were not able to take a long or expensive vacation, but we were able to take a couple of days and spend time together as a family. God has given me a great family and He allowed us a wonderful time together.

See the photos here.