Grandma Comes to Washington: September 9-12

With my youngest sister, Sharesa, moving out of the house to start her first year of college, my mom is a new "empty nester." While there are some lonely days, there are also some new perks. When my dad found out he needed to go on a last-minute business trip, my mom decided she needed to go on a last-minute trip to see her granddaughter Olivia. (She says she was coming to see me too, but I know the truth.) It took Olivia a few minutes of studying my mom to make sure this was for real, but then it was four days of smiles from there.

On Thursday, we took a tour of the Capitol.
This is the ceiling of the Capitol dome. It is a beautiful building.
Among many other interesting things, we saw where Abraham Lincoln used to sit as a congressman.
We saw the Supreme Court of the United States. (Or as Daniel and his legal buddies call it, SCOTUS.)
On Friday, we took a tour of Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate. When we saw that there was a $15 entrance fee per person, we thought about going home. But it ended up being the highlight of the trip. I have a new hero and only wish there were more people in America today like George Washington.
We visited the burial place of George and his wife Martha. George Washington chose to be buried here rather than in the middle of the Capitol where American political leaders had reserved a place for his tomb. After visiting Mount Vernon, it is easy to see why he would want to be buried there. Mount Vernon was where his family and his heart was. His tomb commemorates him as a real person, not just as a political and military leader.
On Saturday, Daniel joined us for a trip to the national monuments and memorials. The Lincoln Memorial is in the background, just behind the World War II Memorial.
From the other end of the Mall, from the same steps where Martin Luther King, Jr., made his famous address, we got a nice view of the Washington Monument and the Capitol.
Mr. Abe Lincoln sitting in his memorial. He was good about posing for our picture.
The Vietnam War Memorial. The wall lists the names of every American who died in the war. So sad.
Just before we left downtown Washington, D.C., to take my mom to the airport, we saw something that confirmed that we were really lucky to have her come out and spend time with us. I have only seen a black squirrel twice in my life and every time it has been accompanied by good luck.
On our way back to the car, we passed a pond full of noisy ducks. They are so lucky Olivia doesn't know how to walk yet. For now, she'll just have to stick with her rubber ducky.
Mom, thanks for coming to visit! And to the rest of you: come soon!