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Published: October 5th 2011
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Hi again folks. Just a note to let you all know that due to a brain fade and a quick set of 'mouse' fingers I put the wrong date on a blog about Las Vegas and therefore it publishes at the top of our blogs. I'm not sure how to change the date now that it is published so please go down below the blog with the photo of the 'Pokie Player' on it to see the latest ones. I dare say that after October 29th things will right themselves again.
The second full day in Washington DC started somewhat differently.
We all went with Ted and Ainsley to her school, St. Andrews ( a private church school) where she attends what they call Pre-K (I think) and it is the year before the first year of school proper (quite a different system to ours). It was a ‘Dad’s and Donuts’ morning where Dads (or Mums) go to school and have a donut and coffee and then go to a book fair where they purchase kids books for themselves and also for the classroom. We bought a book for Ainsley’s classroom called ‘Sacrecrows need Haircuts Too’ (or something like that)
and Robyn and Trevor also made a purchase for the classroom.
We then headed back into the city and spent a couple of hours at the Arlington National Cemetery. This was the home of Robert E Lee until he resigned his Commission in the US Army to join the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War in 1861. The Lee House still stands on top of the hill overlooking the rolling acres that now contain the graves of US Servicemen and in some cases their wives etc. I can’t find anything that tells me how many graves there are but as far as the eye can see in every direction are white marble headstones.
Arlington also has the graves and the Eternal Flame of John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy-Onassis and two of their children. There were lots of visitors and the ‘highlight’ was watching the full ‘Changing of the Guard’ at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb has a guard on duty 24/7 and each soldier does one hour each where they march across in front of the tomb and stand to attention at the end of each march across before about-turning and marching back. This is
done constantly and demonstrates the total honour and respect the American people hold their military personnel (both dead and alive) in. The guard changing was a very ceremonial thing and hopefully I got the whole thing on video. Lots of the American equivalent of ‘Pomp and Circumstance’.
Straight after the Changing of the Guard, there was another equally moving ceremony where the wreath on the grave was changed and a bugler played ‘Taps’, the American equivalent of our ‘Last Post’.
Those of you who know me will know that this sort of thing is ‘right up my alley’ and that’s why I said it was a highlight.
We also spent some time at the Lee House on top of the hill. This is slowly being refurbished and in many ways is not unlike going into the Mission House at Waitangi.
After a couple of hours at Arlington in lovely warm sunny weather, we headed into the middle of town and went to the North fence of the White House and took some photos and Ted again gave us a good history of buildings sited there. It is certainly an impressive building.
We then headed back through the city to pick
Ainsley up from school and then stopped at a local fish shop to buy ‘crab cakes’ for dinner.
After about an hour at the house we went to pick Ted’s other daughter Emmie from her day care and then went to ‘Sandy Point’ a beach on the shores of Chesapeake Bay with the huge Bay Bridge in the back ground. This was built in the early 60’s and is actually 2 bridges with 3 lanes on one and 2 lanes on the other. It is about 2 km long and replaced a ferry service way back. Joy and Robyn had a paddle with the little girls and then we headed home.
Ted cooked another magnificent dinner - crab cakes, asparagus, pasta salad and green salad with stuffed mushrooms and we settled back for more ‘chatting’.
We have Amtrak train tickets booked for 1100am tomorrow from Baltimore (the nearest railway station to Ted and Nicki’s place) to Penn Station in New York City. Due there around 2 pm and another major leg of the big journey will begin.
That’s today, a little more relaxed but still packed with plenty of new places and American history.
Bye ‘til next time.
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Jane Sheldrake
non-member comment
New York
Hi to you both. What a wonderful trip you are having. We loved out Amtrac journey across the States although don't be in a hurry! Freight trains take preference on the tracks in the states. I wonder if your arrival at Penn Station is at 2pm during the day or like ours was at night. Quite a magic scene coming up out of the station to all those tall buildings and lights. At least you will have some time to relax in the observation cars and put your feet up for a while. Cheers Jane