Parents' Visit Part 2

I almost forgot that there was more to my visit with the parents! We also spent a day out at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - the Smithsonian's annex near Dulles Airport. My dad loved every minute of it, but there were also plenty of interesting objects for us non-aviation buffs.

I'm always fascinated by the pioneering days and the Golden Age of aviation. It seemed so exciting and glamorous.

The Clipper Flying Cloud. Such a far cry from today's air travel where everyone is packed like sardines and given nothing to eat.

And I would be remiss if I didn't give props to our military aviation.

The Enola Gay is obviously very controversial and there was a lot of debate over how to present it in the museum. They even wrote a book about it.

A captured Japanese Zero....

...and Japanese missile.

This is adorable. However, it doesn't seem very safe.

And the piece de resistance....the space shuttle Discovery.

It's ginormous. I couldn't get the whole thing in one shot.

There are lots of items related to space travel, but this one intrigues me the most. In the early days of space exploration, the astronauts had to be quarantined when they returned to Earth, because there was no telling what kind of diseases they might have encountered in space.

Richmond with the parents

Hi friends! I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of my parents' visit waaaay back in September! I have no excuse. I guess I've just been lazy.

We first stopped in Charlottesville to visit Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. I had been there once before (10+ years ago), but it was a first for my parents.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house. It's ok though; I got a picture of the most important room on the property: the wine cellar.

I remember the first time I saw the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Monticello. I thought it was breathtaking. (Unfortunately it was a little overcast on this day, so the visibility wasn't great.)

We paid our respects to TJ's grave before we left...

We then drove to Richmond, where we spent two days. Our first stop was the Museum of the Confederacy.

The museum had some fascinating displays. We actually had to take a break for lunch and then come back, and I think we still didn't see it all.

This is General Lee's actual headquarters tent.

There was also an interesting exhibit on women's dress.

We took a guided tour of the Confederate White House, which is right next door to the museum. The tour was excellent; I highly recommend it. (Once again, we couldn't take pictures inside.)

The state capitol wasn't too far away, so we strolled through the grounds. The capitol building was designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Our last stop in Richmond was Historic Tredegar Iron Works, where much of the Confederacy's iron products were made, including the armor plating used for the ironclad warships.

So that's it for now. Let's hope I get to my Christmas pictures before spring!