Practing Mammal and Sparky and their Offspring Get Some History

This blog is a sister blog to Practicing Mammal. I made it that way so that I wasn't always posting about our trip. Because some of my readers maybe don't care about our trip. I don't mind. But its an easy way for me to journal our trip for our family. Please join us if it pleases you. Blessings!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Yesterday started out beautifully.  Pennsylvania country side, Maryland countryside, so pretty.  We had three hours driving time to get to DC, no problem.  We have done a few three hour drives in the last three weeks.  But yesterday was special.  Special Bad.

Don’t get me wrong here.  The kids have been amazing on this trip.  Sparky has been amazing.  Me…I don’t know.  But anyway.  Out of roughly twenty five days of travel, probably three have been trying, difficult days.  That’s incredible, don’t you think?

Day progressed badly.  Then it got worse.  By the time we reached our very nice hotel, it was time to leave for dinner.  Kids were disappointed, but accepted their fate.  Except some people.  Who, eventually, was forbidden to speak for the rest of the drive because the drivel coming out of his mouth was offensive. 

Anyway.  A couple of weeks ago, which seems like exactly several months ago, we met a lovely home school family when we were visiting the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre outside of Quebec City.  Turns out they were from just outside of DC.  They invited us to give them a call when we got into town, so we did so.  We were now on our way to their house for dinner.  All the grumbling was hard to take and we were wiped out from the day.  Truly, we were wondering if it was a good idea to go for dinner at people’s house we did not know when we were all so unbelievably miserable.

But, obligation oriented and socially starved people that we were, off we went.  Truly, it was a little beacon of sunshine in our difficult day. And in our trip. The kids had lots of fun, we had a great meal, but even greater conversation and it was an evening spent with people we anticipate a friendship with.  Never turn you back on an opportunity to get to know someone, I say.

NEXT DAY, September 15th


Oh man.  Here we are, our first morning in DC.  We ask the kids what they would like to do first.  Huckleberry says, “National Art Museum!  Cool, let’s do that first!”  The professor (not his real name) says, “What’s that?”

“Y’know, Van Gogh and all that.”

“Cool, yeah, let’s go there” 

It warms a mother’s heart.

So yes.  We did two Smithsonians, the Postal Museum and the National Art Gallery West.  And we did see Van Goghs, and Renoirs, and Monets and Manets and Cassats and Rubens and tapestries and sculptures and furniture and Marie Antoinette's writing desk and helmets from the first Crusades, decorative and gilded.  A. Mazing. Going back while the boys are at the space museum, for sure.  I don't actually care much for space.

Dear friends and family at home.  We really miss you all.  See you in a week.  Love you guys.  Love, Mammal and family.

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