| One advantage of being anchored within walking distance of the National Mall is that it is very easy to get to the sights and events. When we learned that weather would keep us in DC for a week longer than expected, we realized our timeline would intersect with the visit of Pope Francis to DC. Along with some of our newly made DC friends, we trekked up to the mall, passed through the security checks and lined up with thousands of others to get a glimpse of the Pope Mobile as it passed through the parade route near the White House. It was an historic event that was not to be missed. While it only took about 30 seconds for the Pope to pass by, the event was worth the effort - for us all to see and be a part of. The crowds were excited and full of wonderful, positive energy. Well worth the wait! |
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We've met some great families during our 3 weeks in DC. The Capital Yacht Club is very friendly to transient cruisers and welcomes them like members.
Ava and Reed were thrilled to meet some live aboard kids, Lucia and Micaela, and spent many days playing games and having fun. Lucia's family has 3 Optis - perfect for the kids to go out for a sail on Washington Channel. Reed would like to have one to tag along as we travel south so he can sail anytime, but that isn't in the cards. They both really enjoyed sailing with their friends! Thanks for following!
We had a lovely walk around the lagoon and by traveling counterclockwise, the path winds along and under 100+ year old cherry trees through three fabulous monuments.
The first was the fairly recent MLK memorial. The inspirational quotes remind one of the path he traveled and principles for which he advocated. It was stunning and humbling. From MLK, it's an easy walk to the FDR memorial. Organized into four sections, each representing one term in office, we were reminded that FDR presided over some of the most difficult times in our country's history. And he did so with compassion and focus on benefits to all citizens and with reminders that when we help each other, it is the noblest of human pursuits. It was definitely one of the favorite stops on our DC trip. The third stop around the lagoon is the Jefferson Memorial, we had briefly visited earlier in our stay but this time explored the visitors center and history of all of Thomas Jefferson's contributions to America. His pursuit of knowledge and fairness still ring true today. Enjoy and thank you for following! We walked through the Jefferson Memorial on our way to the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. It was a lovely walk along the Potomac. The tour of the facility was fantastic, including a history of the development and focus on the arts in the nation's capital. At the end of the tour, we were treated to a free concert by the Navy Jazz Band, the Commodores.
On the 3-mile walk back to the boat, we had a lovely nighttime view of the White House, Washington Monument and several other historic buildings. Being in DC at this time of year, we are fortunate to have very few crowds and great late summer weather. During our visit to DC, we are continually amazed and grateful for the fact that so many of these incredible museums, memorials, and other sights are free and open to the public.
One of the places the kids were most excited to see was the National Zoo. To get there, we needed to ride the Metro, a first subway ride for both Ava and Reed. It was a lovely landscape, designed by F.L. Olmstead. Ava's favorites were the pandas, cheetahs, and wolves. Reed loved the reptile house, turtles, and birds. It was a nice break from museums in the outdoors on the perfect day - we will likely go back before we leave in a week or so. We highly recommend a visit to the National Zoo if you are in DC, whether you have kids in tow or not.
Our DC adventures continue with a visit with Washington State Senator Maria Cantwell. We were in town when Senate was in session and she has office hours every Wednesday. The kids were a bit intimidated by all the official people in the room, but were more relaxed when it was our time to have our family picture taken and chat one-on-one with the Senator. She was very gracious and interested in our two year adventure - even encouraged Ava to come and work in her office as an intern someday based on her learning traveling around the country. Very cool!
After the meeting, we were taken on a special tour of the Capitol Building by one of Senator Cantwell's staff members, it was a very interesting tour, although many of the more beautiful rooms were hidden by scaffolding due to the recent renovations. After the tour, as we were walking back to the boat, we saw a demonstration on front lawn of the Capitol Building including Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, and Ted Cruz! We also stopped at the Botanical Gardens and Museum of the American Indian on our walk back, just quick walk-throughs for previews of visits next week (hopefully!) On September 11th, we decided it would be a great opportunity to visit the Pentagon Memorial to the lives lost in the attack on the Pentagon 14 years earlier. It was a somber visit, many flowers and tributes placed at the benches by the families and friends who were there earlier in the day for the private, closed event. The kids asked lots of questions and we ended up having a lot of good conversations about what happened that day, something they had heard about but not really understood all that went on. We also had a fantastic private tour of the Pentagon given by our friend Blair Keithley. We were able to walk the halls in front of the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as the Secretary of Defense. Although I think Ava and Reed were most impressed by the cafeteria - serving nearly 25,000 employees each day. We only saw a small portion of the building but got a great feel for the size and scope of the important work that goes on their every day. Enjoy and thanks for following! With so many sights and museums to see, we decided to let the kids take the lead on planning our itinerary. Not surprisingly, they chose the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as our first stop.
We spent two full days there and still didn't see everything. It was a fantastic collection: Reed loved the Rocks and Gems as well as the Oceans exhibits, while Ava preferred the Mammals and Photography exhibits. They both really enjoyed the butterfly exhibit and we got to watch a tarantula being fed. The exhibits were a great combination of specimens, learning centers, and videos. We saw a great IMAX video that focused on the importance of the smallest creatures in the ocean. The days flew by and we all feel smarter and more energized to learn more about each area we encountered.
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AuthorsWe are Karrie, Eric, Ava, and Reed Sanderson. Our house is in Seattle but our home is wherever the four of us are...and for the next two years, our home is Night Music, a Tartan 37 Sailboat. Archives
June 2016
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