November 6-17th Mom and Dad flew out here to visit! Wes was able to come for that first weekend also (6-10th) and having him was a blast. I'm so glad he could come!
The weather was gorgeous for most of their visit... very Fall-ish; chilly, crisp mornings & cool afternoon temperatures, but with clear, sunny skies! Towards the end of the week, we had a few rainy days, but those are right up Mom's alley (a true Oregonian), so they didn't seem to bother her. :-) Mom was also quite pleased that they arrived just in time to see the end of our Fall season... At the beginning of the week, most leaves still had their brilliant color, but by the time they flew out on the 17th a lot of the color was gone & our trees were looking quite bare!
We were on the go-go-go the entire time but it was so much fun... I forgot my camera a few of the days, but here's a photo diary of their time here on the days I remembered the camera!! :)
Saturday the 8th we had great ambitions to go on the
Monuments Cruise that we took Loren and Sherrie on a while back... We arrived early, or so we thought since the boat wasn't docked yet. After and hour of waiting we decided it wasn't sailing that day. :( Come to find out (later), they STOP sailing for the month of November - Hmph.
Here's Mom and Dad eating lunch... waiting since we arrived "early"... a month early I guess!
Proof that Wes was here! :-) Same lunch location as above.
Peter and I... again, same place!
Since the cruise wasn't sailing, we decided to walk from Georgetown to DC and visit the many monuments along the way - on foot instead of by water. :) I just calculated our walking distance that day, and we covered about 4.25 miles.
Here's a panoramic of the bay while we were walking to DC. (click to enlarge) The bridge on the far left connects the
National Mall to Arlington Cemetery.
Side view of the Lincoln Memorial
The Washington Monument as seen from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Gorgeous color!
Panoramic of the WWII Memorial
Dozer, planning an ambush on sleeping beauty... aka Wes. :)
Wes left on Monday. :( This picture was taken right outside our townhouse before we headed up to Baltimore to see him off.
Tuesday (Vet's Day) we headed out to Arlington Cemetary... a PERFECT day for this! They had a ceremony at the Pavilion where we got to see V.P. Cheney speak as well as hear some neat music played by the Navy Band (I think).
Fall is definitely the season to tour the cemetary... it was breathtaking.
Me with Robert E. Lee's home in the background.
I love this picture...
Some of the Armed Forces getting ready for the Ceremony
Canons used for the 21 gun salute before the ceremony
Ceremony at the Pavilion - lots and lots of people, but we still found some great seats!
Wednesday we went down to Alexandria and did some browsing/shopping in Old Town.
Isn't this couch wild?
This Christmas Tree was decorated with Snow Owls... it was so creative!
Penguins sliding down the stairs... SO cute!
Dad and I in Old Town... I must point out - new boots! :)
Mom and Pops... cute
Fish Market where we had lunch... :)
Saturday (15th) we decided to find another cruise that actually would sail us up the Potomac River. I found a lunch cruise that suited us just fine. It was cloudy, but quite balmy... in the 60's probably, and the rain waited to start until the cruise was over... just perfect!
Peter and I waiting for the boat... we sailed on
The Dandy this time.
Mom n' Pops waiting for boarding... This photo looks across the Alexandria harbor.
Finally on the boat... Love this pic!
Peter <3
Mom and I... hair blowin' in the wind...
After the cruise we headed over to
Mt. Vernon. This is where George Washington lived... many many years ago! They have restored his house, and tours are available of the inside. Then you're free to walk around the property and see his tomb, plantation etc... it's quite neat!
His house sits right on the waterfront of the Potomac River. It's an AMAZING setting.
Looking through one of the archways towards the river... beautiful.
A panoramic view from the porch of the house...
And finally, our day ended with a beautiful rainbow, perfectly perched over Washington's house.
It was SO good to have Dad, Mom and Wes here... I miss the company already!
Now that all our visitors from the last 6 months have come and gone, it's time for me to grow up and find a job... we'll see how that goes! :-)
