In the Quiet

It's late at night, and I'm just thinking about going to bed. Suddenly I see our security light turn on. My mind instantly goes to the scary place. As I creep over to the kitchen window to take a look, I try hard not to panic. After checking to make sure the door is locked I cautiously peered through the blinds to find the intruder. A really cute back and grey cat looking for adventure, although he won't find much here as I sprayed raid spider killer everywhere earlier today. I settled myself back on the couch, I'm too awake now to go to bed.

A short time later I hear a quiet sound coming from down the hall. I look up to see Diane slowly emerging from the shadows. Shes wearing her dinosaur feety jammies and is suffering from tremendous bed head. As she enters the room her eyes squint against the light. She climbs onto the couch and snuggles right up to me. I just love these moments. We sat there a bit, quietly cuddling for a while. After a drink, and a peek outside to see the grey tabby I took her back to bed and kissed her smile goodnight. When I take the time to enjoy these moments as opposed to finding them intrusive I feel renewed and fulfilled.

There's no Place Like Home

Home at last. It's bittersweet coming home after such a fabulous vacation. There is laundry to be done, schedules to keep and jobs to go to. The first thing I noticed when I got home (besides the very cold weather) was how massively big our basement suite is. It's only about 1100 square feet, but when you've been living in hotel rooms with three people for 18 nights it feels gigantic. I'm so thankful that I don't have to rummage through a suitcase to get dressed in the morning. I'm so thankful that I can sit on a couch to check email, facebook and blog.

Since getting up at 7:30 this morning, we've driven up from Seattle, dropped off the in-laws, driven home and restocked the house with groceries. I'm just finishing up the laundry and enjoying a little quiet time before we jump back into real life. Tonight I sleep in my own bed at home. Ahhhhh...sweet dreams to me.

And tomorrow I will have coffee. Lots and lots of fantastic coffee. Coffee made with real cream, not coffee whitener (what is that crap anyway?). I will savour my coffee. I will sip and enjoy every last bit of it. Here's to sweet dreams at night and coffee in the morning.

Across the Nation

Today is our last day in DC. This afternoon, we will fly back to Seattle. As has become custom, we fought commuter traffic to Bethesda and arrived just after 10am. Grandma was less alert today and I’m thankful that we took family photos yesterday when she was more awake. After a light lunch we allowed Diane to climb the tree some more. She almost fell out so I decided that it was time to stop climbing. The last thing I need is a trip to the hospital.

Even though our flight is not until 6, we left Grandmas at 2. There was no way we wanted to be stuck in rush hour traffic. The drive down George Washington Parkway was relaxing and beautiful. We made good time and thankfully made it through security with nothing more than a quick pat down. Our gate was situated directly in front of the runways and Diane (just like Papa) enjoyed watching the aircraft coming in and taking off. She’s just so interested in how things work. I too enjoyed observing the goings on of the airport.

The view from our plane, while waiting to take off

Connecting in Atlanta was quick and easy. But I was really not looking forward to being in the air for 6 hours. I was relieved to find that we were allowed a much larger plane this time. Three cheers for Boeing 767. Whoa girl, slow down, this is still a 6 hour flight. Although the seats were bigger and there's a bit more leg room there were only three working lavatories on the plane. have you ever had to wait in line to pee at 15000 feet? It's more than a little awkward. Add to this the fact that my seat would not recline and the cabin was horribly cold and it all equals a long sleepless night.

After some tolerable turbulence we arrived in Seattle at midnight local time. This is 3am for our exhausted bodies. Thankfully our hotel shuttle was quick in picking us up. I'm too tired to think. I just want to be home and we still have to drive home in the morning. I've loved this trip. We've seen more in this last 17 days than I ever thought I'd see. I'm sure we'll be talking about all the wonders we've experienced for a long time. As it is now 4:30 for me, I shall bid you adieu.

Fathers Day with Family

We all decided to sleep in a little for Fathers Day. The heat has been extreme down here, and tomorrow is a long day of travel. After a very restful sleep we made our way to Grandmas to spend the day. Why is it that when you are laughing and livin' la vida loca time goes by far too rapidly, but when you’re still and quiet, time seems to go in reverse? I managed to herd everyone into the same room to take a couple of pictures of everyone but that's about as much craziness as everyone could handle.

Back: Dad, Aunt Olive, Uncle Ricky, Cousin Patrick, Aunt Viviene, Aunt Rose

Front: Mike, Diane, Aunt Cherry, Mom, Grandma

Grandma is still complaining about her sore back from that fall almost two weeks ago. She refuses to do her daily exercises and wouldn't go outside at all this week. When she sets her mind to something, it will not be changed. When I think about her life, I can begin to understand where she gets her strength from. She and her husband emigrated to Jamaica when she was quite young. She barely remembers coming by boat to the US and then a train that seemed to last forever, before one more boat ride to Jamaica. As the mother of nine she was kept very busy, and when her husband died she was unable to care for her youngest son Ricky. At that time mom and dad had just been married, so they raised him for the next few years before they moved on to Toronto. There is such history in this family, I just wish I knew more. I'm trying hard to discreetly take notes when listening to them talk of their lives.

After lunch, Mike, Diane and I headed outside in the heat so she could climb the tree and run around. Dad and Patrick joined us and we sat in the shade for quite a while and talked about school and the differences in daily life here and at home. After what seemed like an eternity, we said our goodbyes and headed over to Fuddruckers one more time to enjoy their amazing Buffalo burgers. Tonight is pre packing for travel tomorrow. And yes I intend to pack our dirty laundry on top again, just in case TSA decides to check my luggage.

Saturday in the Sun

So here's our dilemma. We are exhausted from being busy every day. It's been non-stop adventure and we are back in DC for 3 days. So shall we spend these days at Grandams place in the quiet darkness? Or venture out again? We opted to spend one more day sightseeing. After leaving mom and dad at Grandmas and headed out the the now familiar Metro. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the parking was free on weekends. Our destination today was the Air and Space Museum. Although it was crazy hot outside and the air quality is at 'orange' (orange and red means free bus, but not Metro) there was no shortage of people in and around the National Mall. The mix of people was different that the previous week. Before it was retirees and school tours. Today it was families with nasty, unruly children. I much prefer a herd of school children. You can predict where they are going to go and avoid them.

Time flies in these museums. There is an unbelievable amount to see and learn about. We learned that astronauts sleep 'standing up' zipped into a sleeping bag. I also had to laugh at the high tech device used for keeping towels in the correct place. Does anyone remember the plastic circles with the X cut out? As children many of us got our fingers stuck in the hole. Well this is what they use on the international space station.

I was continually amazed by the size of everything space. The life sized model of the Hubble Telescope is beyond imagination. And the living space on the shuttle is a claustrophobics nightmare. Seeing a life sized model of the lunar lander brought up more questions than answers. Like how can it be strong when it looks like its made of tinfoil? How could they fit three people in it? Just amazing to see up close.

Time ran out again. Mom and dad liked to be picked up before 5pm. The aunties need to feed Grandma dinner and get her ready for bed and it all takes a lot of time. We left the Smithsonian late, and to avoid the crowds, I decided that we should take the Metro from a different station, and route back to Bethesda that way. This new direction took us to Chinatown where we needed to change trains. The changing of trains is nothing new to us. However, this place was unfamiliar territory. We found ourselves among a more colourful group of people. There were less families with screaming children and more young people with tattoos and colourful hair. Of course Diane doesn't prejudge anyone and she quickly made friends with the fascinating young lady sitting behind us. Sometimes I wish we could all be a little more trusting. With no train delays or mishaps, we made it safely back to the motel. Funny enough, I ventured down onto the second floor to get ice for Mike. If you remember my story from way back this will make you laugh. Even though we just returned from Toronto, we are staying at the same motel we were at for the first 8 days of our vacation. And down on the second floor, right beside the only ice machine in this motel are a washer and dryer. Oh well, there wouldn't have been a story if I could've done laundry here.

Frogger

Have you ever played Frogger? Close your eyes and think back. Hold the joystick in your hands and quickly force it left, right, back and forth. Now imagine sitting on a bus with wings while the pilots play frogger with the plane. Nauseating? Frightening? Yes, all of the above. This was the take off from Toronto that we experienced. So, as of yet I am not a fan of US Airways.

Before any of this excitement was the routine processing through customs and security. We had no issues with either, but mom and dad were not so fortunate. Customs was a breeze, but when we went through security, they were subject to a more thorough search than wanted. This was the first time that any of us had to go through the body scanners. Just as we finished processing I looked up to see Mom in the scanning machine, and dad standing off to the side, holding all the items from his pockets in a tray. They looked a little worried. Dad's laptop was scanned for traces of elements used in the building of bombs, but thankfully none were found. And I was concerned about getting socks on my feet!

With everyone cleared, we found our way to the holding area. I've become a little jaded about airline travel and no longer refer to this area as the 'waiting lounge'. It's a holding area used to process the cattle. Our plane was not delayed and everyone was processed and seated in a timely fashion. All righty then, the weather is clear, let's get off the ground. Ahhh, but is was not to be so easy. After a short taxi to the runway, we were in the air. Well sort of. Within seconds, I thought for sure that one of the wings was going to gouge a large trench into the landscape while we flipped end over end into a fiery ball. I was not informed that it was 'take you child to work' day at US Airways. I'm sure there was an eight year old flying. Although an eight year old could have done a better job, considering he's probably logged more hours on an Xbox.

After arriving in Philadelphia, we were subject to another horrifically long wait for our connecting flight. This time, we were all too tired to go to the main terminal, so we foraged for lunch at terminal F. This allowed me time to catch up on my previous days' blogs, while Mike showed his parents how the new Net Book works and Diane played on the PSP. By the time we were loaded on the plane, we just wanted to get to DC and go to bed. Unfortunately Philadelphia was really backed up for take offs, so we were forced to wait, buckled up and at the ready. At first I busied myself with the view in front of me. I learned that there are 4 main ways that men 'comb over' their hair. There's the side over, front to back, back to front and then the Trump swirl. I pointed these options out to Mike for future reference. I finally got sick of following the rules, and put one earphone in and listened to my iPod for a while. I just made sure to keep my head turned away from the control freak flight attendant. Just before it was our turn for the runway, the really pretty stupid girl behind me decided she couldn't wait to pee. The second she closed the bathroom door, the pilot was forced to tell the control tower that someone was in the can. So we were pushed back in the queue. I've never seen a flight attendant get as politely angry as this one. I even yanked out my secret earphone as she stormed down the very narrow isle to give pretty girl a stern talking to about getting out of her seat and causing us further delay. I chose to keep my earphones put away until we reached cruising altitude.

The rest of the fight was pleasant and quick. Now that I've been to DC Airport before, I feel like a pro and we quickly picked up the rental van and made it to our hotel. I was not looking forward to 3 more nights in a double bed. I'm beginning to think that the floor looks really good. But to my surprise I was greeted with a King sized bed in the room. I yelled so loud that Mike thought there was a spider on the floor! Diane was more than a little disappointed to learn that, she could not have the big bed to herself, or at all for that matter. The only thing that dampened the mood, was the realization that TSA went through our luggage. As much as I feel violated, I take a sick comfort in knowing that the top half of my luggage was all dirty laundry (separated by the laundry bag itself). Dirty socks worn while touring in the heat all day...take that TSA!

Let's Get Medieval

We are all created with the innate need to know where we come from. Who we are, and to be connected to where we’ve been. Today was a chance to see some of Mike’s roots. With just the three of us in the van, I received the grand tour of Mike’s childhood. He took me to see the schools he attended, and the neighbourhood that used to be his old stomping grounds. Not too far off from the Jane and Finch area. Around the lunch hour he took us to a place called Allan's Pastry. It’s a small bakery in an industrial neighbourhood. There’s nowhere to sit down to eat lunch, so we enjoyed a picnic in the van. Who cares if it gets dirty, it’s a rental! I enjoyed a beef patty (minced spicy beef in a pastry shell) with coco bread and Ting! real Jamaican soda. It was so awesome to spend the morning and early afternoon learning about his life in Toronto. He has a real connection to this place.

Because we had reservations for dinner at Medieval Times, we had to leave time to pick up dad and head into traffic. We intentionally arrived at our destination early, because reservations do not always equal good seats! Once in the area, we noticed a wind turbine within walking distance. We had seen it a couple days earlier from the top of the CN Tower and now we had the chance to be right at the base of it. As interesting as it was to be so close to this silent machine, what I found more incredible is what was directly beside it. A Hydrogen refuelling station. Yup, they’re real. It’s a small station, and only a few vehicles can use it, but it’s there. I was fascinated and spent a little time reading up on this very renewable source of power. 

There was even enough time to allow Diane some time at the play park. Dad kept a watchful eye on her while Mike and I sat in the cool grass under a tree. It was wonderful to sit a do nothing for a time. The air off the lake was refreshing, and there were no sounds of traffic. Just quiet. I would have fallen asleep if I'd have laid down. Except the anticipation of the coming event kept me all aflutter with excitement.

At last the hour arrived, and we waited patiently in the entry all as it filled with more and more people. Suddenly the doors swung wide towards us and we were greeted with trumpets and the Royal Messenger. The King and Princess came forward and invited us into the castle to join them for dinner and a tournament of their best Knights. We were first in line and were so startled by the event that Mike didn’t even have time to take pictures of it!

Once inside we waited in The Great Hall, where people could be knighted or become 'ladies of the realm'. A few people had this done for retirement or birthday celebrations. We were fortunate enough to have a couple of minutes with the Royal Falconer. Here he is with Diane and one of his falcons, Viviene. Later in the evening, he came into the arena while we were eating, and Viviene showed off her hunting prowess. There was also a viewing area of the performance horses getting all dressed up for the Tournament. We went to the Castle Museum. Which tuned out to be a museum of prison and torture devices used in the Medieval times. We hurried our way through this. While we waited to enter the auditorium, there were any opportunities to buy souvenirs. We purchased a cheering flag, and a princess headpiece, which I happily wore all evening!

For the next couple of hours we ate without utensils and cheered our favorite Knight! What a show. Diane and I yelled so much, we were both hoarse by the end of the night. Even dad seemed to enjoy it. We had such an amazing evening. Everyone who works there does their absolute best to make you feel like you really are part of this forgotten world. I liked being referred to as 'My Lady' and of course Diane loved eating with her hands. The actors all do a fabulous job of transporting us from our hurried life, to one of chivalry and honor. After the show, Diane met with our Knight and she had him sign our flag. This was an experience that we will always remember.

Where's the Party?

As we continue on this never ending vacation, I wonder how many more quiet visits I can endure. I’m doing my very best to be polite and quiet, yet I’m bursting at the seams for some noise, lets have a party, I need to feel alive again!

We found some time today to visit with Lieu, Mikes mentor from 20 years ago. We met up at his shop. He’s been running the same business for decades, as one of the best stereo installers in the Greater Toronto area. He wanted to treat us to his favourite Vietnamese restaurant. I never say no to Pho. As we drove through town, I was treated to the Jane and Finch area. Apparently this place is notorious for gang violence. Sure, I’d love to take my very Caucasian self out of the vehicle and enjoy lunch!?! Unlike Mike, Diane and Lieu, I’m not trained in any martial arts. My only defence is a big sarcastic mouth, and that’s more of an offensive weapon. Once I decided to trust Mike and Lieu, I relaxed and enjoyed the best Pho of my life.

Our visit was cut way too short, as we had to get back to Aunt Daisy’s to pick up Daisy and Mom for a family dinner. Time to meet Aunt Faye and Uncle Carl, another of dad’s brothers. Living with them is their daughter Nicole, her husband Steven and daughter Ashley. OK, I can do this. I’m ready to face the quiet. Well much to my delight, we’ve found the black sheep of the family. A whole heard of ‘em. Can I stay here for the duration of our visit? We had ourselves, a rip roaring great time. Laughter to split your sides. I ate it up, it was like fuel for my soul. Thank you Lord for people who live life with a joie de vivre. While we were all relaxing after filling up on some fantastic Jamaican food (no White Fungus and tofu) I could not hide the fact that I was still suffering from this never-ending headache. Immediately Aunt Faye grabbed the 150 proof Jamaican Rum and ‘wet up me head’ (as in pour it onto my head and rub it into my hair) and then had me inhale the fumes. I love this woman! I could have partied all night. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and the in-laws and Daisy needed rest from the pandemonium. Aunt Faye made it very clear that next time we are in Toronto we are to stay with her. OK, no problem mon! In dis house we all be irie!

Up!

After our splendiferous visit at Casa Loma. We headed for the most famous landmark in all of Canada. The CN Tower. We had been warned by Aunt Daisy that traffic would be a nightmare, but at 4:45 on a Tuesday we found very little traffic. Aparently the city has been telling people to stop driving downtown in preparation for the G8 and G20 Summits. As a result driving and parking were a breeze. I'm thankful we are here this week and not next as the core will be closed to tourists and the tower will be closed as well. Everything about this place is overwhelming. Looking up from the ground is vertigo inducing.

We hadn't made reservations for dinner, but thought we'd take our chances anyway. Luckily, we had arrived early enough that we were able to get in right away. So up the elevator we went. There was a glass opening on the floor and Diane loved watching the ground get further away. The dining room of the 360 is beautiful, but even more stunning is the massive windows affording a view unequaled in all of North America. Luckily we were sat window side and we settled in to enjoy a spectacular dinner. I enjoyed a perfectly prepared peppercorn steak, the only thing missing was a glass of wine.

With taste buds and stomach satisfied we walked down two levels to the lookout. It is here that one can go outside and feel breeze in your hair and get a great perspective of how high up you really are. This is also the location of the famed glass floor. I had told myself that it would be a piece 'o cake, after all I'm not afraid of heights. I read that the floor can hold 400 elephants. I know in my head that it is completely safe. However, my brain and stomach went totally squirrely when I looked down for the first time. Diane jumped right on. She was actually jumping up and down on the floor. It took me a few minutes to get up me nerve, but I finally did it. I couldn't go all the way to the CN tower and not even try. My first walk across was quick and I didn't look down. Eventually I gained a bit more bravado and I managed to look down, all...the...way...down...

The final highlight to our tour of the top is known as the Sky Pod. This level of the CN tower it the highest observation deck in the entire world. And wow! what a view. We were able to barely see Rochester, New York across Lake Ontario. I just couldn't take it in enough. It's absolutely surreal. Finally we descended back to reality.

As the sun was setting, the city became alive. Mike drove through the city on our way back to Aunt Daisy's. He took us down Queen Street, up to Yonge Street. We passed an outdoor concert, and to my delight 'Heart' was performing. Mike drove around the block, so I could hear them a bit longer. Long live the 80's! This city is so vibrant. It's just a Tuesday night, and yet people are dressed to the nines and limosuines are about. Such an amazing place to be. I wouldn't want to live here, but I sure would like to have more time to visit.

Casa Loma

Seven years ago we were in Toronto for about 10 hours on our way to Jamaica. Mikes friend and mentor, Lieu, took us around the city and showed us the sights. Unfortunately it was at night so I only saw the outside of everything. I still remember when I first laid eyes on Casa Loma, in Spanish it means 'Castle on the Hill'. Today I was able to see the inside of this incredible place. Sir Henry Pellatt was a great entrepreneur in the late 1800's He sponsored Thomas Edison and commissioned to have electric lights through the city of Toronto. His story is both one of victory and tragedy. www.casaloma.org

In this modern age, there is no tour guide talking you through the sights. Everybody carries a small device that plays the information for each room. Its so much nicer than reading a signpost and not viewing what you came here to see. I really enjoyed wandering from room to room and learning while looking at the antiques. Henry was a visionary and a dreamer. He chose to decorate his estate as the mood took him. One of the guests suites was completely furnished in Oriental design, while the room next to it was Edwardian. I love this.

My favorite room was the conservatory. Henry wanted flowers in bloom year round, so he had steam pipes run through the soil in the conservatory to keep the plants warm. The marble floor was beyond spectacular, and as I was suffering another ferocious headache today I just wanted to lay down on the cool surface for a while. Although this would have been frowned upon by the staff, I did manage to find a corner and sit with my back against the marble wall for a bit. It provided some relief from the pain.

Well, part of being in a castle, is finding ones way up into the tallest tower. So up and up we went. From the third floor we came upon the never ending flights of stairs. Often times we would have to wait for a group to pass before we could wind our way up the next staircase. This part of the building has not yet been restored to its former glory. As can be expected thousands of people have taken advantage of the unsupervised areas and have written their names on the bricks. Funny enough, we did find a little alcove where someone had inscribed 'Enter Here Diane'. So we took some pictures of her hiding in the little space.The view from the top was spectacular. I could imagine Sir Henry and wife Mary spending time together admiring the view. Amazingly dad made it all the way up the tower as well. He's pretty fit, probably more so than myself and he's 76 years old!

In total we spent three and a half hours touring this magical place. We went up and down secret stairs. And through the 800 foot long secret tunnel to the stables. These stables were used during WW II for government research. All the while tourists were enjoying their visits in the castle.

Arriving in Toronto

Today was one of those days where I think we'd have been better off driving and not flying. The hotel we stayed at was comfortable, and I kinda wanted to stay there a while. Our transfer van was full from the hotel to the airport. Besides us, there was a flight crew of 4. Diane chatted with the flight attendant who sat behind her. It makes me so proud when my 6 year old can have a discussion about the things she's experienced so far on this trip.

Ronald Reagan Airport is massive. Everything is done with touch screens, and the customer service here sucks. I had difficulty logging into the US Air check in screen and the stress kept mounting as the employees were cattle calling everyone to keep moving, meanwhile I've got four other people watching everything I do. At long last, we checked in, had our baggage weighed and processed, then moved towards our gate. The place is crowded. Insane. We found a small area for mom to sit where we could be close. Eventually we were called to 'board'. Rather than walk down a jetway, we are herded like sheep down an escalator. Do they load coach passengers through the belly of the plane now? Oh no, it gets better. We are shoved into a transport bus and moved across the tarmac. Our baby plane is waiting at the other end of the airport for us. It's so small that the big planes won't let it play with them.

Once we are seated on the Dash8-300 we were off for the duration of our trip...to Philadelphia. We were in the air for about 20 minutes. I think it would have been faster to drive there than to be processed through the airport. Ahhh, the joys of travel. Our connection to Toronto was not for another two and a half hours and we were stuck at Terminal F, where there are no shops and only a sad little sandwich place for food. It took some convincing on my part but finally everyone was willing to take the shuttle bus to the other terminals. Now we had options of how to spend our time.

Arriving back to our terminal we were greeted with the information that our plane to Toronto was delayed over an hour. Once it arrived we hustled down the jetway and onto another Dash8-300. This Greyhound with wings seats 50. I'm pretty sure that there were 80 people on board. I decided that it was time to ignore the rest of the world. Once Diane was set up with her PSP and a pile of snacks I set my iPod to TSO's Night Castle and closed my eyes for an hour. Thank goodness for noise cancelling earphones. I could hear nothing outside my own little world.

Flying over Toronto and Lake Ontario is a fantastic sight. The city just goes on forever. The line up to get processed through Canada Customs rivaled those of Expo 86 (for those of you seasoned enough to remember). We had no issues through customs and our luggage was waiting for us on the carousal (thankfully). Due to issues with the car rental company we were really late when we hit the 401 on our way to Aunt Daisy's. We still had to stop by our hotel to check-in. Mike and Dad quickly went in to register while us girls stayed in the van.

Aunt Daisy had prepared a beautiful traditional Chinese dinner for us. First up was her famous tofu soup. For anyone who knows me well they know that I absolutely cannot stand to eat tofu, mushrooms or lima beans. I don't care how fancy the restaurant is, I will pick these offending items out of my food, but this is not a restaurant, this is Aunt Daisy, and she made this meal just for us. Crap. As I was doing my best to pretend to enjoy the tofu, I stupidly asked about the other ingredients in the soup. She listed off a couple things I've never heard of. Then I asked what the jellyfish like stuff was. Bad mistake! Aunt Daisy proudly told me that it is a traditional Chinese ingredient called White Fungus, and it is not always easy to find in the stores. You don't say. It took all I had to eat that soup and the rest of the meal followed in similar fashion. At long last with bellies full and our initial visit complete Mike, Diane and myself left the in-laws and ventured towards our hotel with the anticipation of a great nights sleep.

In the daylight, the hotel had looked clean, and friendly. However, under the blanket of darkness, it had become a scene from a bad horror movie. As we drove around back, I noticed a lot of random garbage in front of the rooms. There was minimal safety lighting in the parking lot, and a few undesirable people about. I tried to convince myself that I was just tired and overreacting. Biting my tongue I woke Diane and gathered our suitcases. As we entered the hotel, it was all I could do not to cry. Were we really going to stay here for 4 nights? Would we survive the first night? The hallways smelled terrible and again the lighting was dim. It was so very late, and I didn't want to burden Mike with my selfish wining, so I just started praying to Jesus to protect us from harm and disease. There are people who have no roof over their heads, I kept telling myself. Once in the room I started to go about settling in, no point to putting it off. Mike attempted to lock the door to our room, and found that it wouldn't close properly. Thank God. He told me not to unpack while he went to the front desk. After what felt like half an hour (Diane and I huddled together, while I prayed for safety) Mike returned and said that we were leaving. Thankfully we were not charged for the room. My eyes welled up with relief.

We still had no place to go, and it was very late. The next hotel was a Delta, although beautiful, clean and safe $250 a night is too much unless I'm resorting it. We then found another hotel, the exact same price as the one from the ghetto. We are not much further from Aunt Daisy's. It is clean and safe. There are actual guests here that are not renting the rooms by the hour. Thank you Lord for answered prayers. And thanks for the added bonus of an indoor pool and hot tub!

Planes, Buses and Hotels

Too exhausted to get into the details right now. We've had a very long day of travel and just arrived at our hotel in Toronto. Goodnight

Needs vs. Wants

After living for a week in a hotel, it has become clear to me what is a need and what is a want. Living on less has not been as difficult as I had anticipated. Our daily routine involves being together 24/7. If Mike hadn't had 6 weeks off work earlier this year I'm sure we'd be having a more stressful time. But we have been blessed with good communication skills (if only for a couple weeks...) Diane manages to fall asleep before us, by facing the wall while I blog and we watch TV. We've settled into a nice holiday routine.

We spent the afternoon at Grandmas. In total there were eleven people in the house, yet it was surprisingly quiet. I'm so used to a plethora of children, not to mention the cacophony of laughter coming from the grown-ups in the kitchen. Besides us and Grandma, there were Aunties Viviene and Cherry. They live with Grandma and Cherry cares for her full time. Aunt Rose lives nearby and walks down every day to help Cherry until Viviene comes home from work. All three sisters are not married, and have no kids. Aunt Rose was married a long time ago and she had two children, both of whom died around the age of 5 from birth defects. When mom shared this story with me, it explained why Rose takes a special interest in what Diane is doing. The two of them will go outside to collect sticks or watch ants busy at work.

Uncle Ricky came over today with his son Patrick. Patrick is finishing his first year of university and working towards his MBA. I haven't met or heard of Rickys wife, and so I'm left wondering whats not being said. We had a nice visit with everyone. I'm so thankful that they have air conditioning in the house as today was insanely hot and humid. Grandma was very lucid today, and that makes for an easier visit. She is such a stubborn old bird. She fell a couple days ago and she blames her walker for it. It's quite amusing. With such pain in her lower back, she didn't want to walk from the living room to the kitchen for lunch. Aunt Rose just looked at her and said "well than why am I wasting my time coming over here, if you won't get up and eat lunch than I'll just go back home". Within a couple minutes Grandma joined us in the kitchen for lunch.

Later in the afternoon, we decided it was time to head over to our new hotel for the night. We need to be closer to the airport for our morning flight to Toronto. I just cannot get over how beautiful the highways are. It was a lovely drive from Bethesda to Alexandria near the airport. When there's not rush hour traffic, it's so much nicer.

After dinner, we had planned to take a dip in the indoor pool at our new hotel. But it's just a pool. No water slide, diving board or floaties. Nor was there a hot tub for Mike. So Diane opted to have a bath instead. But what to do about bath toys? Well let's see what do we have here? A shower cap, a plastic cup, a facecloth, a bar of soap, and what else? A rubber chicken. Yep you heard right. At one of the souvenir shops Diane purchased a small rubber chicken to go with the two she has at home already. And so we ended the day. Clean and content.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My

"Are we going to the zoo today?" asked the small person relegated to the very back of the minivan. Finally the day had come for us to go to the zoo. With mom and dad comfortably at Grandmas and the morning pleasantries over with, we headed off in the direction of the National Zoo. Knowing that there was an octopus feeding at 11, we attempted to make it in time, but the need for coffee was just too great. The urge to stop at Starbucks overtook us and we succumbed to the desire. The hotel room coffee has left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The coffee at Grandmas is not much better, the best we've found so far is Dunkin Doughnuts, as the in laws don't 'do' Starbucks. So yes, we decided on coffee over the octopus feeding.

As with all the Smithsonian Institutions, there is no admission. It was a little unsettling just walking into the zoo. There are no front gates. You just park your vehicle and walk in. Or should I say 'hike in'. The zoo was build on a hill, of which we were unfortunate enough to park at the bottom of. The first thing I noticed was that the zoo is exceptionally clean and beautiful. Like the Seattle Zoo, there are pathways to each exhibit, trees line the walkways, and there are grassy areas to sit and enjoy a snack. I could spend a lot of time here. We purchased our zoo map for $2.00 from the vending machine, then we planned what to do first. The Big Cats were in the area, so it seemed fitting to get a look. But something unusual caught our attention. Something I never thought I'd see. 45 feet up in the air and heading my way was an orangutan. She was on her way from the Ape House to another enclosure along what is called "The O Line". We were encouraged to step back away from the splash zone, to avoid being inadvertently peed on. Following closely behind, was a large male. He was a little more adventurous than the female. She moved along the cables in an upright position, while he swung along in true monkey fashion. Thankfully we didn't get anything on us because shortly after the male passed our way he chose to leave behind a present for the other guests.

After our close encounter with the orange kind we continued on our path to see the cats. Surprisingly, the enclosures were not behind bars, but open for viewing, safely on the other side of a moat. The cats were all having their mid day naps, so we snapped a few photos and went about the zoo. On our way to the Amazon exhibit we visited the local farm animals. Once in the fabulously air conditioned Amazon house I was once again impressed by the grandeur of this zoo. The displays are truly world class. We were greeted with the sting ray pond, visible from above and on the side. Great photo ops! Considering the extreme heat and humidity of the day and the vast amount of displays available to us, we spent over an hour in the Amazon house.

After some time in one of the outdoor sprayers to cool off, we ventured into the Reptile Exhibit. While waiting in a short line to enter, we were treated with the up close and personal view of a sleeping alligator. Unlike other reptile houses there was no stench to contend with. Again, the displays were great. We spent some time in the discovery room, a place (like in most Smithsonian Museums) that children and adults can learn about and touch the artifacts. We touched the skin of an anaconda, the shell of a tortoise and a sea turtle. We learned about snakes (did you know they can shed their skin 10 times a year?) and watched a zoo keeper chase an escaped iguana. Many of the worker areas are walled with glass, so we can see what really happens. One thing that I noticed in the worker only area, was the many “press in case of snakebite” buttons. I guess that takes workplace hazard to a whole new level.

We soon found our way to the Invertebrates House where we watched the afternoon octopus feeding. Did you really think I’d choose coffee over watching an octopus feeding? It was here that we came upon a giant lobster. This thing was massive, it must have been at least 2 feet long. On our way out of the exhibit we had to pass the ‘Orb Spider’ Apparently this particular breed of spider never leaves its web, so there is no glass separating it from us. I was NOT ok with this scenario. Upon leaving the Invertebrates House we ventured over to see the Komodo Dragon, like most of the animals today, this one was sleeping, but he woke up enough to move his head and give us a great picture.

We began the long walk uphill to the Giant Panda exhibit, this was the most crowded part of the zoo. They were both sleeping, but we were able to get pictures of one of the male. The female was asleep inside behind the exhibit in another room. But we could see her on the zookeepers monitor. Again, because the zoo allows you to see behind closed doors, we could watch the zookeeper, watching the Pandas.

From here it was back to Grandmas to pick up the in-laws. We headed over to Fuddruckers for dinner (dad's new favorite place). After dinner, with a storm approaching, we had time to shop at Burlington Coat Factory. It's a fabulous place to get a great bargain. Surprisingly they sell coats there and we managed to pick up a new winter coat for Diane. It's raining, but still hot out and the sky is a beautiful array of pink, purple and stormy grey. So we are back at our hotel, tomorrow, we are going to change hotels to be closer to the airport. Early Monday we will be flying to Toronto for a few days to visit with mom's side of the family.

As I sit here recalling all the moments of the day, I look up just long enough to see both Mike and Diane, in separate beds roll over at the exact same time, in the exact same way. I love my family.

Pain, Pain, Go Away

We arrived a Grandmas late today. Our plans were to go to the zoo, but I woke up with a ferocious headache and I just wanted to do nothing, should have stayed at the hotel. After dropping off the in-laws, we drove to nearby Rockville to indulge in one of Mikes favorite eateries. A little Popeye's Chicken if you please. A little spice and oooh that's nice!

I had been hearing about Aileen's Basement from the aunties all week. Its a brand name discount store. On our way there we saw a little say spa along the strip mall. Mike encouraged me to see if they had any openings during the afternoon. Luckily they were not busy and could get me in right away. They actually had time for both of us. The owner of the store offered to keep an eye on Diane while we were relaxing. Because the place was set up like a beauty salon; many massage tables in one area, and we could see the front, we took her up on her offer. Diane and the owners' son sat together and coloured for the whole hour we were there. Those people are crazy amazing. It started off with a warm foot soak while the masseuse worked on my skull and shoulders. Thankfully I was wearing shorts today, because while working on my feet I received a much needed calf massage. Mikes masseuse had a difficult time working through the long johns. Yup, you heard right, the man is wearing long johns in DC in June. I really have nothing more to say on the subject. Even though you know there are other people in the room, the low lighting and quiet music makes it all go away. I left feeling rejuvenated, relaxed and rested. Seeing how wonderful it was for us, Diane wanted a turn. So after we returned 'home' I treated her to a warm foot soak in the bathroom sink. I washed in between her little toes, after which I wrapped her feet in a towel, dried them off and massaged her calves and feet with hand lotion. She was pleased as punch.

Cave Woman

I have fond memories of our family exploring a lava tube cave in Oregon. I was about 14 years old, and the cave seemed to never end. This was back in the day where there was no admission, no tour guide and honestly, no safety precautions. We just parked our Suburban and went in. It was exciting and scary all at once. I still recall some of the beautiful formations, and of course, seeing real bats! Today, was an adventure as well, but with a more educational, touristy tone.

After what has become our normal morning routine; nasty coffee, low water pressure and an hour long commute in rush hour to take Mom to Grandmas house, we set our sights on Highway 66. Having spent so many days in the busyness of the city, it was refreshing to get away from it all. The road meandered along on our way to Shenandoah National Park. Even the forests are different here. The earth is a golden rust colour. There are ferns that grow to be the height of trees.

90 minutes later, we arrived at Skyline Caverns. A quaint family run business just off the highway. The tour underground was fascinating. We were guided by a young lady by the name of Kristen, who was knowledgeable and had a corny joke at every turn. At the lowest point we were 200 feet underground, and we walked a total of 1.8 miles. Not too sure what that is in kilometers, but it's a long way. As usual on any field trip we take, Diane was right up front chatting up the tour guide.

One of the most beautiful (and rare) formations in the cave were the Anthrodites. They are known as the "Orchids of the Mineral Kingdom". They looked like sea urchins suspended from the ceiling. As of yet, Anthrodites have only been found in two other places in the world. It was impossible not to be entranced by these beauties. So amazing to think that they were created in the depths of the earth, with nobody to enjoy them but The Creator Himself.

Speaking of creation, here's an example of the brilliance of scientists. A while back a minuscule beetle was discovered in the cave water. Scientists from the Smithsonian took a sample of 6 beetles back to the surface for testing. What they didn't plan on was that the heat from the sun would fry these 'samples' upon exposure. The ironic thing is this...they've never found any other beetles. Discovered and Extinct all at once. The name given to this microscopic beetle is Pseudonophthalmus Petrunkevitch Valentine Beetle.

After coming back to reality, we found our way back to Grandmas. We visited with the aunties and Grandma for a while. Apparently she had been asking for the 'little one' all day. She enjoys watching Diane playing in the back yard and climbing the tree. When her memory is good, she calls her Diana, other times it's just little one. We sat in the backyard for a while, and enjoyed the clear sky and late day breeze.

At a slower pace

I'm starting to feel edgy. Too much too fast. I have had a great time so far, but I'm needing a little down time. Maybe later this week I'll manage to convince the family that I'm not feeling so good, then I can go look in the second hand shops in the area, and maybe go to Burlington Coat Factory. Alone!
The weather today was miserable, a good day to do laundry. We dropped the in laws off at Grandmas, and headed out for the dreaded chore. I had given Mike the address found on google for the nearest laundromat. Once the info was loaded into TomTom we were off. Just us three, to spend the day together.

Speaking of TomTom, I highly recommend it. I could not imagine this trip without it. It has allowed us to negotiate everywhere we need to go. Just between our hotel and Grandmas place we must travel on 4 separate highways. This thing is a marriage saver. If we had been using a map book this entire time I would have flown home alone by now. Between Mike having no sense of direction and the in laws continually sharing their thoughts on the best way to go, I'd have gone crazy! Never travel with family in a major city without a GPS!

As we faithfully followed TomTom it looked like we were headed into an industrial area. Sure enough the laundromat had been torn down years ago to build shiny new things. Thanks google. So we entered the next closest location. I truly believe that there is a sick person out there adding fake addresses into google, just to mess with tourists. This address led us to an apartment building. But no laundromat. We stopped at the Marriott Hotel nearby. I was informed by the concierge (we don't have a concierge at our hotel by the way) that there was complimentary machines on the second floor. Dang my honesty!!!! We really should have posed as guests and just used the machines at the Marriott. Three times a charm right? Well if you consider finding a laundromat lucky, then yes.

We happened to find ourselves in the less than ritzy area of town. There was no Tiffany & Co. here. No Louis Vuitton. No Saks. Bordering the local 7-Eleven was the laundromat. Well beggars can't be choosers. So avoiding eye contact with the youth from the local detention centre on break from picking garbage we parked the minivan and entered the coin laundry. After depositing $6.00 in quarters for one wash we decided to head into the 7-Eleven for lunch. We really didn't want to walk to find a cafe. I've never done lunch at a convenience store before. It was quite an experience. Nothing like being with six inches of the Hope Diamond, but noteworthy none the less.

Back in the minivan we quietly ate our lunch of hot dogs, pizza, Jamaican patties and slushies. Honestly, the clothes couldn't dry fast enough. There was no place to sit inside to wait for clothes. No space to fold the laundry. In desperation, I asked about washroom facilities and was told that 'yes, we could use it, but the sink was broken and we'd have to wash in the nearby laundry sink'.

Feeling a little creeped out, and in need of normal civilization, we headed back to the safer area of Bethesda. We thought we'd indulge in a couple fantasies. I stopped in to visit the 'Coach' store. Diane was such an angel. It was as if she could sense that we were in a special place. She sat down in a chair and busied herself with a catalogue while I 'tried on' a few of my favorite selections. After ensuring that Mike had taken note of my favorites, we left to spend some time at the 'Apple' store. Not much to comment on there.

And so ends our quiet day, adventure at every turn and purses to dream about in my sleep. Life just doesn't get any better. Oh wait, yes it does, tonight I get the bed all to myself to make up for the other nights sleeping with Princess Bed Hog. I'm really looking forward to this, as our room only has 2 double beds. Good night y'all.

Day 2 of the Smithsonian

Originally we had not planned to see the White House. I had figured that since nobody gets in for a tour, that there would be no point. My in laws have been inside for the tour on two different occasions. Hearing that reminds me that they have so many stories to tell. Like the time that Dad played on the National Basketball team for Jamaica, but the only other teams they could beat were the teams from neighbouring islands. Or of Mom climbing up the coconut trees in her bare feet. But I digress...once were were in DC, it only made sense to get a little closer to the White House and get the all too popular photos of this historic building. As we made our way down Pennsylvania Ave. a motorcade zipped passed us. With one flash of the red and blue lights, and a blare of the horn and all security stood at attention. The two black SUV's were waved through as if they were carrying the President. Maybe they were. Throughout the day I heard people talking that they had seen him get out of the SUV and go into the house. By the time we reached the viewing area all the action was over. It was fascinating and a little intimidating to see all the security surrounding the White House. We even got a picture of the snipers on the roof!

With the excitement over, we walked towards the National Mall. There were many more people out today, and the heat was a bit more intense than yesterday. We walked the long distance to the Natural History Museum, passing many street vendors along the way. You can buy anything here, cold water from some creepy guys cooler, to a very good knockoff of a 'Coach' bag (tempting...but no). I felt dwarfed by the immensity of the historical buildings along the way. The National Treasury seemed to go on forever. I wonder if the people who work in these buildings still look at them in awe.

Once at the Museum we headed straight up to the Butterfly Pavilion hoping to get our hands on some tickets to get in and spend some quality time with these beauties. As evidenced in the photo, we were successful. Diane was lucky enough to have one land on her hand, Dad was host to another and yet a third landed on Mike. This one, however, did not want to leave. It took the butterfly specialist a bit of work to remove the stubborn insect from Mike's hair.

In the Ocean hall we viewed a well preserved specimen of a Giant Squid. Considering that these animals are cephalopods and have no bones it was a real treat to view it up close. There were many other soft ocean creatures preserved in what I am guessing is formaldehyde. As we continued our journey through the lower level we learned about fossils, dinosaurs (although the Royal Tyrrell in Alberta is substantially better) and mammals through history. It feels like there in an unending wealth of knowledge to be had. Unfortunately, almost every display includes the words evolution and millions of years. In light of this, we chose to skip the 'Human Origins' and 'Early Life' rooms.

I am sad to see our short time at the museums come to a close. We never even made it to the Air and Space Museum,or the National Museum of American History there the original Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz are on display. Then there's the National Postal Museum...U.S. Botanical Garden...Arlington Cemetery...
Who knows, we're still here for a few more days.

Smithsonian and the National Mall

Much to my surprise, we took the MetroRail into the city. The Aunties managed to convince Mike and Dad that traffic downtown is horrendous, and parking is nonexistent. And so began our journey on the Metro. The men have not been on a subway since the advent of self-service ticket machines. And I've never been on a real subway system (somehow, Skytrain just doesn't cut it). So began our underground adventure. As I was reading the very detailed instructions, the men decided that we should be able to purchase our tickets from a real person, but that is not an option in today's world. After I convinced them to join the new generation way of doing things, we purchased our day passes and headed into the bowels of the earth. It felt like we would never reach the bottom. Diane had a little apprehension about going down so many escalators. After an uneventful ride on the Red line and transfer onto the Blue line we found ourselves on the grounds of the National Mall.

What to do first? We started at The Castle. Much of it is used for admin, so not much to see there except for the crypt of James Smithson. After a quick cup of coffee (still missing my Tims) and overview of the museums we were back outside. Diane really wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial. Something about Night at the Museum II. The weather was beautiful and we were feeling up to the task, so we set to walking. There is a free transit system in the mall area, but only on weekends. It is a great distance (a total of 13 city blocks). First was the Washington Monument. We arrived too late in the day to take the inside tour. After some pictures, and a view of the White House, we trudged off in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial. Next stop, World War II memorial. A beautiful combination of concrete and water features. All the states are represented with concrete pillars, and on some of them people have placed flowers and other gifts in memory of loved ones.

Following that was the famous reflecting pool. I had imagined that it would be crystal clear, still, reflecting the blue sky. That may have been the case when it was envisioned and created. But now it is a rectangular pond for ducks and geese. As we walked along the edge of the pool, I continually chided Diane for walking too close. I had no desire to take her back on the Metro, then the hour long drive back to the hotel covered in pond water and goose droppings.
Arriving at the base of the Lincoln Memorial brings emotion to the surface. It is imposing and beautiful. Walking up the steps, I couldn't help but think about Martin Luther King giving his 'I have a dream' speech from this exact spot. Once at the top and inside, I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the columns. Engraved on the wall are some of the more famous of Lincolns speeches. Reading these out loud to Diane I could feel my voice waver. He had such a passion for the people, for equality, and human rights.
After spending some time here, we decided to take a taxi back to the museums. We decided to tour the Museum of Natural History.

While looking at the displays for "early man" I was able to show Diane how after Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden they had to wear animal skins, and work the land with rudimentary tools made of stone and animal antler. Further down, we noticed that humankind had learned to fashion better tools and make fabric. She learned that the Hebrew's who left Egypt with Moses would have used similar tools and clothing.

We came upon the bones and forensics display. We were able to actually hold and learn about human bones. It wasn't as creepy as I thought it would be.  On display are the skeletons of hundreds of different animals, including a grey whale and common house cat.

We then meandered through the insect display. I have enough horrific thoughts about six legged and eight legged freaks and there's really no need to add more information to feed that fear. Diane enjoyed seeing the live and static displays of thousands of Gods creatures, while I looked at the maps and brochures I'd been collecting all day.

On to the Gems and Minerals. And of course The Hope Diamond and display. It is an amazing piece. It has been temporarily removed from its setting and can be seen in a very secure display case. From there we viewed many beautiful jewelry pieces. Many designed by Harry Winston. Pieces worn by the celebrities of a bygone era. Diamonds in pink, blue and deep red. Emerald rings larger than a dollar coin. As we wandered from gems cut and set by human hands into the uncut gems and raw minerals section, we all began to tire. So agreeing to return again tomorrow, we set out for the Metro, picked up Nana from Grandmas house and returned to our welcoming hotel.

Tomorrow we are going to try and tackle: The Mammal Hall, Dinosaurs, Fossils and Oceans in the Natural History Museum and then see if we can spend some quality time at the Air and Space Museum. If time and weather permit, we'll walk as close to the WhiteHouse as we are allowed without being arrested.

Meet the Family

Well, today was the day. After enjoying some rather pathetic coffee and an english muffin, we drove off to meet everyone. I tried not to be nervous, because even if these people don't like me, I have no intention of leaving the family. We arrived in the beautiful city of Bethesda. So many of the homes are built out of red brick. The streets are lined with large trees, and the backyards seem to go on forever. A very eclectic mix of the old and the new. Later in the day we headed into the more affluent neighbourhoods. Houses were being sold by none other than Sotheby's. We drove through the shopping district as I was glued to the window. Jimmy Choo, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co, Gucci...

OK, so back to reality. Bethesda is a fabulous place. We pulled into the driveway of a 50's style red brick house. The yard was very open with a few trees for afternoon shade. We walked around the back of the house, like family. Because we are family. We were greeted by three of the aunties and an uncle. The inside of the home was like a museum from yesteryear. The original stove top, and oven in place. The stovetop had push button operation (very advanced for its day, I'm sure). This was definitely the home where only women live, dustables in every corner. Grandma and two of her daughters reside here. The daughters take amazing care of grandma and of all the household chores.
Once we got the initial pleasantries over with, I began to relax. Diane had decided that she was going to get everyones autograph, and she set busily to that task. It was a great opportunity for her to connect with her family. She even managed to get grandma to sign the paper. It reads Mama. Not bad for 99 years old!
The house is quiet, people sat or stood and talked in groups of 2 or 3. Nobody talked over each other. Nobody got really loud trying to make a point. It was quite the opposite to a family gathering on my side.

Aunt Cherry made a nice lunch for us, and grandma was able to join us. Although she required a little assistance from her kids to eat, she still enjoyed a good meal. Even though speech is difficult for her, she continually pushed food at all of us, insisting that we eat more. I could see what a spitfire she would have been in days gone by.
It was an interesting time watching how everyone was around her. Dad just sat quietly (as he often does) and looked at her. The aunties were busy keeping the everything in order. The one thing that stuck me was her youngest son, Ricky. Every time he would be near her, he would touch her. His hand on her shoulder, a brush on her arm and every so often he would stroke her hair softly, as if to say 'I love you mama'.

Sleepless in Maryland

For the last two nights, I've had the immense pleasure of sleepping next to my daughter. The first night I opted to let Mike sleep alone because he'd driven for five hours to Seattle. Because of the car accident in February, he gets numbness in his hands and his back gets quite tense. Last night, he was in pain, so again I decided to sleep with Diane.
For a small person, she sure takes up a huge amount of space. I spent the night fighting her off, and listening to her talk in her sleep. At one point, she made it very clear that she "Wanted the green one!" In the wee hours I woke up to the feeling of someone watching me. Sure enough, I rolled over to see her staring right at me. She likes to sleep sideways on the bed, and has no issue sticking her tiny little feet in my face. Thankfully she was wearing satin jammies, so I could easily push her back to her side of the bed.
Already it is very muggy here. I've put on my makeup and managed to get my hair looking great. I just hope it stays until I meet the family.
I miss Tim Hortons!!!!!

Arriving in DC

Here I am. I've made it, after what seemed like a never-ending day of travel. Yesterday we left home at 9am. We picked up my in-laws and then the 5 of us drove to Seattle. We drove in our 5 seater car. Our daughter in her booster seat. All our luggage for 18 days of travel in the trunk. I should have gotten a picture of it. It's a good thing that I've played Tetris so much. Man, can I pack a car! After a few potty breaks, we finally found our hotel near SeaTac airport.
Up this morning at the disgusting hour of 5:30AM! Why do planes even leave before noon?? Managed to get us all ready in time to get some breakfast at the 'free continental' breakfast bar. Bad mistake. I was welcomed with nasty coffee in a styrofoam cup with coffee mate instead of creamer. And for my splendid breakfast a blueberry muffin the size of child's fist. Believe me, the first thing I did once past security was grab a large coffee and a blueberry lemon scone.
Speaking of security. I've done this before. I know the drill. Don't wear a belt, don't wear bobby pins in the hair. Take the laptop and PSP out of the cases. All liquids in a sealed bag. What I didn't know was this. In the States, they make you take off your shoes and walk through the screening area unshod! Eeewwww. As my footwear was going through the x-ray machine ('cause I can pack a bomb in a pair of sandals) I was squeamishly walking in bare feet. So gross. Thankfully I keep some wet wipes in my bag for travel and daughter and I quickly washed our feet before replacing our shoes.
The flight from SeaTac to Minneapolis was fairly gentle. Near the end, the pilot said that they were expecting 'some' turbulence. We'll my last experience with 'some' turbulence was not pleasant. I ended up using 2 of the 'courtesy' bags. And when one spilled out onto the floor as we were leaving, the flight attendant passed me a pair of gloves paper towel and a garbage bag. So needless to say, I now take these warnings fairly seriously. I rapidly ingested a gravol, I'd already had ginger capsules, but I don't always trust the natural remedies to be as effective as the 'good stuff'. With no issues we landed. Then all five of us moved rather quickly to the other end of the airport to catch our connecting flight. Once on our way to DC the gravol began to take effect and I had myself a nice drug-induced coma (I mean nap). I woke up in time to see The Pentagon as we flew into Regan International. It is a big as it looks on TV. We could see the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. I would have taken pictures, but I was unprepared due to my little sleepy time. And the air was thick with smog and clouds. It's overcast today, but muggy, not like at home. This morning in Seattle I was shivering while waiting for our taxi to the airport. This evening, I'm wishing for more AC. The humidity is unbelievable. I'll have to find out what the locals wear for foundation, there's no way I'm walking around for a couple weeks sans makeup!
Tomorrow we are going to meet Grandma and some aunts and uncles. These are people I've never met before and hubby hasn't seen for 30 years. I'm really hoping that there are cousins to meet, someone our own age. Anyone under the age of 60 will do! This promises to be interesting. We are hoping to go to the Smithsonian early in the week. I'll do my best to keep you all informed.