Christmas tidings

Christmas may have been over a month ago, but it's never too late to reminisce about the joys of the season. I kicked off December by doing a very "Washington" activity: I had drinks at the world-famous Willard hotel with some Junior League friends, then walked down the street to check out the National Christmas Tree. 

It's not exactly Rockefeller Center, but there is a view of the Washington Monument and the White House.

I spent the week of Christmas in California (natch), and my family drove up to Yosemite for a day of outdoor bonding. There wasn't really any snow on the ground - much to the chagrin of the kids, who had never seen snow before - but we still had an enjoyable time.

We stopped at the historic Wawona Hotel for a picnic lunch on the porch, then we went inside to warm up by the fire.

They had a gingerbread version of the hotel...so cute!

We thought about going ice skating in Curry Village, but we were a little short on time.

Me and my sister on the valley floor, with Half Dome in the background.

We took a short hike up to Lower Yosemite Falls, and along the way we came across this beautiful deer about 50 feet off the trail. My 6-year old niece wanted to get a closer look, and we practically had to wrestle her to the ground to keep her from running up to it.

Lower Yosemite Falls - probably not as full as it normally is due to the drought in California.

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year!

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!

A jaunt through Williamsburg

I'm finally getting around to posting photos from trips that I took months ago....where has the time gone?? First up, Williamsburg (eventually I'll get around to Richmond).

Back in September, I volunteered for an assignment in Williamsburg. I would be working in a dirty warehouse on a naval base, helping with the inventory of artifacts. It involved a lot of standing around, and there was no cell phone reception in the building, no land line, no computer access...but all of that was actually quite refreshing. It was nice to "unplug" and get away from the usual routine.

Here's a view of the warehouse. It was about the length of three football fields.

The warehouse contains a lot of cool things; mostly items that are too large to be stored at our facilities in Washington. This is the anchor from an old ship (can't remember which one):

This is a prototype for a space capsule:

And this is a piece of the Pentagon. If you look closely, you can see the char marks.

I mostly had the evenings to myself, and I was fortunate in that the weather was beautiful while I was there. Here are a few pictures I snapped while strolling through Colonial Williamsburg on a warm summer's evening.

Bruton Parish Church

One of the many shops along Duke of Gloucester Street

The Governor's Palace

An outdoor vendor selling hats and toys

A lovely house in a bucolic setting

Bienvenue a Quebec!

Hi friends! I am so behind on my postings...I have photos from over a month ago that are still languishing in my queue. However, I'm going to skip over those for now and get right to the good stuff: my trip to Quebec!

Lacey and I met up in Burlington, Vermont, on a Wednesday and drove about two hours north to Montreal. (Sadly, we did not spot any Mounties at the border crossing...or anywhere else, for that matter.) Being in Quebec felt like being in a different world. I knew that French was the official language, but I expected there to be a mix of English and French speakers. I was wrong; French was spoken by EVERYONE and the signs were all in French. Fortunately for me, I took enough French classes in college to earn a minor in it, so we had no problems getting around (except for the poor signage on the Canadian highways, but that's a different story).

Ok, so back to Montreal. It's a large city with a very cosmopolitan feel and a mix of Old World and New, and unfortunately we only had about a day and a half to explore it. And it rained most of the time. :(

Our first stop was the Notre Dame Basilica (also known as the place where Celine Dion had her insanely over-the-top wedding).

Notre Dame sits on the Place d'Armes, which has a statue of Montreal's founder in the middle.

The church's interior is exquisite; it's quite possibly the most ornate church I've ever seen.

The altar, with various reliquaries in the front.

Originally, there was a huge stained-glass window behind the altar, but parishioners complained that the light was blinding. So they covered up that window and added these skylights.

The carved pulpit with the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekial on the bottom.

Next we walked the streets of Old Montreal, and made a stop at the Maple Delights store.

We had oh-so-much maple while we were in Canada.

We also had to try the local delicacy - poutine (along with a Coke Diete).

Montreal City Hall

Marche Bonsecours

The Montreal skyline, as seen from the Old Port.

We then drove about 3 hours east to Quebec City. It definitely has an Old World feel; it's the second-oldest walled city in North America and a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Hi, Lacey!

We went to the houses of Parliament...

...and they had statues of former Prime Ministers all over. I thought this one looked like George H.W. Bush (or maybe Dana Carvey as Bush).

We also made a quick stop at the Citadelle, which is an active military post.

We had tea at the famous Chateau Frontenac (allegedly the most photographed hotel in the world).

So charming...when we first came upon the quaint cobblestone streets of old Quebec, I said "this looks like a Disney set!"

After a too-short visit to Quebec, we drove back to Burlington for a one night's stay. Our first priority in Vermont was to visit the Ben & Jerry's factory. And yes, there were free samples.

The "Flavor Graveyard" of retired ice cream flavors.

And with that, I'll close with a picture of Lake Champlain....

A bien tot, tout le monde!