Storm

For the last hour we had been hearing loud booms from lighting that we couldn’t see. We just made it to the anchorage before it let loose. Our poor flag just about got tore loose from the 55 kt gusts hitting the boat. Glad we made it off from the ocean.

What a bridge

I do think that this is the most beautiful bridge that we have seen.

Early human

When we were in the Natural History Museum, we went through the early human exhibit. They had what looked like a camera booth set up but what it really did was take your picture and then transposed your eyes, mouth and a few facial features into a replica of what an early humanoid would have looked like. Then you could email it to yourself. I could have been a Neanderthal but instead I chose to be a heidelbergensis man, a direct ancestor of modern humans. Heidelbergensis lived between 700,000 and 200,000 years ago in what is now Europe and Africa and maybe in Asia as well. I was one of the first early human species to live in cold habitats and sail boats. (OK, I added that last one).
A rather dashing looking gentleman wouldn't you say?

The heat

The heat index was going to be about 115 deg today with an actual temp of 102 so we broke down and hopped on the ‘connector’ bus that runs from the marina up to the down town area to see the National Archives. It’s a great building and it holds the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and of course everything else that you could think of.

We spent many hours in there before wandering back out into the heat and over to the natural history museum.
The kids were awed by the dinosaurs, marine life, early humans, the Hope Diamond and so many other exhibits that my mind reels from it all. For their last day it was one filled with our great national treasures and great natural wonders. Just before bed time I asked them to grade their one month trip and got grades from, A- to A+++ so, I think they’ve had a good summer! It’s sad to see them go.

The heat

Everyone should come to Washington at least once in their lives to see the extravaganza of history that is on displayed everywhere about this town.
I would never recommend that anyone come here in July… in the middle of a heat wave.
Today it almost reached 100 deg with about 100% humidity and as the day progressed it became just miserable. We walked along seeking one shady spot after another and refilling our water bottles at every fountain that we came to, usually just to spill ½ of the bottle over our heads!
If the kids hadn’t brought a window A/C unit along with them (which I’ve rigged into place on the deck) then the boat would have been unbearable.
Washington is a great place it just needs to be a bit cooler... say, I know, why don't we shut off the A/C to the capital building, maybe if the Congress had to live in this heat they would get the deficit reduction done sooner!!!

A Monument walk

The evening was a bit cooler so I took the kids for a walk around the monuments. Jefferson, Mason, Lincoln, Roosevelt and a night time view of the Washington and Jefferson memorials.

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Sometimes you could glimpse a dawning of understanding as they realized just how important these people were to the founding of our nation and the critical role others played in shaping the fate of our country.
It was almost like being young again.

Walking around Washington-1

As we were walking around Washington, we came upon the old Post Office building.
It turns out that you can go up to the top of the tower for free and get a 360 degree view of Washington.
At the top, we had great views.

As a bonus, as we walked down the steps we came upon the official “bells of congress”.

These bells are rung every time there is a special occasion or national event. The bells were a gift from Brittan to the US and they are really impressive. It was a nice interlude after a hot day of wandering around the national mall.