Washington DC (Goodbye) Day 8

Last day of our vacation. We awoke to rain and decided the skies were crying with us about our soon to be a departure. As we packed, we let Moses and Molly run around and help us (shhh, don’t tell Aunt Grace, they even made it upstairs). We are extremely grateful to Uncle Jim, Aunt Grace, and Matt for their hospitality. We had such a WONDERFUL experience.

Off to Starbucks to collect a mug or two from the area, filled the car with gas which was $1.00 cheaper per gallon than the current Seattle area prices, and headed back to the BWI car rental return in Baltimore. We made it with time to spare and decided to grab a bite to eat at the airport before boarding. Brooklynn and Alecia ordered a crab cake with grits, two items they kept seeing on every menu, and enjoyed them both. We finished just in time to board the plane and felt fortunate to grab the same exit row we had on the way there. Extra legroom for me again! We waited to take off and then waited some more. First, the pilot said they were waiting for paperwork, then he said they were still waiting for paperwork, followed by we are waiting to proceed to the de-icing pad which was currently full. Evidently, someone must have asked to get off while we wait because the next announcement explained that they cannot allow passengers to leave the plane during this time or we lose our place in proceeding to the de-icing pad and have to start over. Unfortunately, they only had enough staff to run two de-icers at a time. An hour and 15 minutes later, it was our turn. The staff sprayed green liquid all over the plane to prevent ice from forming at high altitudes. Kinda cool to watch.

A fourth nor’ easter storm was rolling into the area and temperatures were dropping, the rain continued to fall, but we made it out of Baltimore and back to Seattle before the nor’ easter hit. We landed 30 minutes later than originally scheduled and while we were on the plane a long while the staff on our flight were so friendly and kind. Upon arrival, I texted our ride about our arrival and found out that her house had caught fire and she lost her master bedroom, and everything in it, before it could be put out. We told her not to worry about picking us up and called my nephew (Ryan Dixon) to see if he was available to help us out. He just happened to still be at work, across the street from the airport and arrived right as we exited the airport. A big thank you to Ryan! We picked up our car and didn’t get the opportunity to hug our friend as the fire marshal was there. On our way home, we stopped in North Bend to fill up with fuel and find some dinner. TripAdvisor led us an outstanding Mexican restaurant, in town, called Rio Bravo. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but we will definitely go again when we’re in the area. All the tables were full and people were standing to wait for taking out. After a delicious meal and a two-hour drive over the mountains, we were back in Wenatchee and reunited with Jax and our furry people. We had such a wonderful time on our trip! We experienced an abundance of tender mercies and sweet blessings throughout our time there and can’t wait to return.

Washington DC (Arlington, Lincoln Memorial, Holocaust Museum v2.0) Day 7

We woke up at 6 am this morning, got online and reserved tickets to the permanent exhibit at the Holocaust museum. We drove by car to Arlington Cemetery, parked there for the day, and walked the cemetery grounds. We visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier first, watched students participate in a wreath-laying, and listened as the taps played. A truly spiritual experience. We thought of our Brooklynn laying the wreath for her 8th grade trip years ago and we could see how much it meant to her. After that, we walked over to the Kennedy gravesite to view where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are laid to rest in the presence of the Eternal Flame. The grounds are so impressive, serene, and regal.

We walked a mile which included crossing the Potomac River and arriving at the Lincoln Memorial. Loved this memorial!!! On to the Korean War memorial, past the Washington Monument, then visit 2.0 to the Holocaust Museum. They say, most visitors spend about 90 minutes in the. Holocaust exhibit; we spent a little over 2 hours, and that was rushing it. Let’s just say it’s an experience that changes you. No matter how much you know about that time period and events, no matter how many books you’ve read, this experience is deeply moving. We all felt heavy in our hearts. Some of us felt a little sick. Regardless, we are grateful to have experienced the feelings, emotions, and thought-provoking discussion that has come from it and forever touched our souls.

It was 3 pm by the time we got out and we needed to get back home to spend the last night we had with Grace, Jim, and Matt. We caught the metro from the museum back to Arlington Cemetery and skated out of DC pretty quickly. At home, Grace made homemade Sloppy Joes that were to die for. Grace is also quite the painter and Brooklynn enjoyed taking a lesson. We took photos, and are ever so grateful for our time here and the hospitality that was shown to us. One week with the Winters family has made up for more than 48 years of separation. We can’t wait to be together again someday soon.

Washington DC (Blue Ridge Mountains/Shenandoah Rivers/Luray Caves) Day 6

Today we headed out to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where Aunt Grace grew up, to attend Aunt Grace and Uncle Jim’s church (Zion’s Christian Church) in Maurertown, about an hour away. After church, we visited with some members of their congregation who explained (with heavy Virginian accents) the art of making Apple Butter which we got to sample. Hopefully, we’ll be able to replicate it’s yummy goodness when we get home. We made a stop for lunch at the Woodstock Cafe (the “other” Woodstock) and had the 81 Pileup. Biscuits with eggs, cheese, bacon, grilled onions, red-skinned roasted potatoes, and cream chipped beef gravy that we just couldn’t get enough of.

The first stop, after lunch, was at Woodstock Tower in George Washington National Park, to look over the valley and take in the bends of the Shenandoah River. Second stop, Luray Caves. For me, these caves are similar to the Mount Timpanogas cave that I grew up visiting. Luray is not a National Park; it’s privately owned and has a gift shop attached. You drive up to the entrance, pay a fee, and take an hour tour that is almost a mile long. It is quite a large cavern and there are many impressive rock formations of stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. In one area of the caves, where weddings occur, there is an organ that has tiny piano hammers hooked up to various stalactites to create notes. It was pretty cool to see and hear. After the tour, we took Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Park. This drive through the Appalachians had many impressive views of the valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Such a beautiful drive! We can only imagine how much more beautiful it would be when the large variety of deciduous trees are covered in leaves. Finally home and ready to relax, and spend more time visiting.