Finally the trip you’ve all been waiting to see! Our trip to Washington D.C. for the National History Day Competition. To sum it up in just a few words; It was Hot. It was Humid. And it was Hard Work (lots and lots and lots of walking). But it was Awesome.
Here’s another shot of the medal winner and his snazzy medal.
First day in D.C.
We made this big trip with the other two boys who made the NHD website with Cade and their moms. Here are the boys just after their website was judged at the University of Maryland.
They had the very first time slot for judging so they got the hard part out of the way and had the rest of the time up until the award ceremony on Thursday to sight see.
First stop-the Capital
They still have these in the lobby!
“Hey kids, these are telephone booths!” “What’s a telephone booth?”
Waiting for the tour at our Representative’s office
Cade’s NHD project last year was on Apollo 13 so we had to get a picture.
The stairway a President Elect walks down to be inaugurated.
Paintings in the rotunda
The Senate Chamber
The highlight of the capital tour was getting to visit the Senate Chamber while the senate was in session. We got to hear Chuck Schumer (who I heartily disagree with on almost every issue) blathering on about the evil Republicans new healthcare bill. Ordinarily I do not enjoy listening to what this man has to say but it was REALLY awesome to to hear a senator speaking in the chamber especially because I disagreed with him!
This giant lady is the statue on top of the capital. She is HUGE!!!
One interesting fact we learned on our tour that I did not know is that in the days right after 9/11 we thought the white house was the other target in D.C. but since then intelligence has proven that it was actually the capital building that was the other target. Congress was in session and it would have been a tremendous loss of life and leaders had they succeeded. They have a plaque up in the capital to honor those who stopped that from happening on flight 93. I continue to be amazed and moved by the acts of heroism from that horrific day. So grateful for those who sacrificed.
After the capital we headed down the mall.
The Washington Monument was closed when we took the kids six years ago and it is STILL closed. It is now closed indefinitely due to safety issues with the elevator. So Sad.I remember going up to the top as a girl with my dad. I wonder if he does?
If you look hard you can see the capital in the distance.
WW II Memorial
By the end of this first day we were all exhausted. We were going to hit the Lincoln Memorial next but the kids were done. It had been a long, hot day. So we headed home. The eighteen hour traveling day the previous day had really done us in.
These two cuties looked like we all felt. Too bad we couldn’t all sleep like that.
Stay tuned for Day 2-Arlington Cemetery, the Air and Space Museum and the Monuments at night!
Short n Sweet 
Of course I remember going up the W.M. with you. I thought when they fixed the outside a few years ago that they fixed the inside too. I also remember going up with my dad's cousin Walter Liebert when I was about Cade's age, and I think I remember disappointing my sister when I spent more time exploring DC including climbing the world's most beautiful obelisk again than I did at her place in Virginia when I worked a week in NYC about 1984. I'd have stayed up there for hours, but it was getting dark and I had to get back to New York.
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