Almost Heaven...West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains...Shenandoah River...

This past Memorial Day, Lacey and I decided to take a mini road trip to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. (Our original plan was to go to Charleston, SC for the whole weekend, but that turned out to be a little too costly.) I had read an article in the Post about a guy who rented a bike in Harpers Ferry and biked along the C&O Canal, which sounded oh-so-lovely. But after arriving at noon, driving around for an hour looking for parking, and then having lunch, we weren't up to biking. So we just walked around the town a little. It reminded me of all those little mountain towns in the Sierra foothills of California.

Blue Angels

If you all remember, I got to go up to the Naval Academy last year to see the Blue Angels air show during commissioning week. The Naval Institute was kind enough to invite me up again this past Wednesday for the annual event. The weather didn't cooperate as nicely as it did last year, but it was a day away from work, so I can't complain.

I've never really gotten that excited about airplanes, but there's something about seeing a live air show that is so thrilling. It is truly amazing what these guys can do.

While we were waiting for the show to start, we walked over to the boat house to look around.

Turns out there are some rather famous artifacts in there.

Apparently the 1920 Olympic rowing team trained at the Academy.

And astronaut Alan Shepard was on the rowing team!

We walked over to the chapel after the show because the lines for the shuttle were INSANE. And we stumbled upon a barbershop quartet performing! (It's not as lame as it sounds; it was actually pretty cool.)

Pretty!

Again, it was a nice way to spend a Wednesday. I enjoyed the planes, the lovely grounds, and seeing the midshipmen in their dress whites. :) I'm looking forward to next year already!

American Art Museum

I visited the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery yesterday, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite museums. There are actually two separate museums that seamlessly share the historic Patent Office Building downtown. The landmark was beautifully renovated and re-opened last year. (Or was it two years ago? I can't remember.) They have some amazing pieces in their permanent collections, and they also show wonderful temporary exhibits that keep me coming back. Yesterday my mission was to see the "Obata's Yosemite" and "Lincoln's Inauguration" exhibits, yet I spent most of my time wandering around my favorite spot: the sculpture wing. Their sculpture collection isn't that extensive, but I find myself increasingly fascinated with them.

This is titled "The Puritan," and I remember seeing a picture of it in my 8th grade history book!

The Portico Cafe has a nice view of the National Archives.

The renovation of the courtyard was very time-consuming and controversial. Historic preservationists didn't want the glass-and-steel canopy added, and for the most part I agreed with them. But after seeing the finished product, I was completely blown away. I think it's a beautiful addition and doesn't harm the integrity of the building. It contributes to a pleasant ambience, and you still feel like you're out in the open air.

They also added these little streams/fountains/pools - I'm not sure what you call them - but the kiddies love them.

Picture of the day

The Boy Scout Memorial on the Ellipse. Seems a little provocative for the Boy Scouts, no?

Picture of the day

This was taken at the FDR Memorial on the Tidal Basin - featuring Roosevelt with his cherished dog, Fala.

Welcome to the world

I have a new niece! Elise Michele was born late Friday night in Woodland Hills, CA. It's weird that I'm not around for this one; I got to see the other babies right away. I will probably have to wait till August to see little Elise. Congratulations Tricia and Noel...I love you guys!

Photo courtesy of my brother-in-law Noel.

Picture of the day

This was taken in front of the Old Executive Office Building. Ah, spring!

Picture of the Day

I've been taking a lot of pictures lately, but haven't really had the chance to post them. Here's one I took at the Smithsonian Castle about two weeks ago.