Washington finale -- When in DC you must do the MONUMENTS - the imposing Lincoln; the classically beautiful Jefferson; the understated Vietnem etc are all unforgetable. So on our last full day we went to Arlington, walked over the Potomac to two of our favourites. The Korean War memorial with its 19 larger then life foot soldiers slogging through paddy fields ( 19 cos when reflected you see 38 ='s the 38th parallel). We've been there in the snow, in autumn and now in spring and the impact is always the same and as you walk alongside the struggling determined men, the futility of war is clear. By contrast FDR's memorial by the water is over an extensive area. You walk through and around walls, pools and falls flowing over granite slabs with words and quotes ... read more

So much has happened that I don’t know where to start - it seems impossible that we have only been away 3 weeks! Perhaps the Shenandoah Valley is a good place because it is so beautiful in the spring and we really enjoyed it when Phil took us there the first weekend. On the way on Saturday we went to the new Smithsonian air and space museum at Dulles airport. Aircraft are displayed in huge hangers that give much greater opportunity to exhibit some of the larger planes such as the Enola Gay (of WW2 Hiroshima fame), a 707 and a Concord. It also covers helicopters and light aircraft as well as some of the very early flying machines. One section is devoted to space travel. The museum in the city is still there and you ... read more