Washington DC - fourth week - Nick

3/24/17

Today we had cereal for breakfast. We were planning on going to I-Hop for breakfast, but mom wasn’t feeling good so we decided to wait until another day. Then we went to the African American History Museum. I did not find the museum very interesting except for one exhibit. The sports exhibit. It was about Jessie Owens, who won four gold Olympic medals, Jackie Robinson, and lots of other people. One thing I didn’t know was that Jackie Robinson wasn’t the first black MLB player. Before the Civil War, started, there were black MLB players and after that they re-segregated sports, so Jackie Robinson wasn’t the first black MLB player. The rest of the museum I did not find very interesting. We stayed at the museum until 7:00. Then we went back to the camper. I saw Sean playing outside so I went over for a while and played again. Finally we had shepherd’s pie for dinner.

Helicopter exhibit at the Marine Corps Museum

3/25/17

Yesterday we had pancakes for breakfast. Pancakes are my favorite breakfast food in the world. Then we went to the Marine Corps museum. It was really interesting. We went to all kinds of exhibits, like the World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korean, and the Cold War Exhibit. I liked all of them a lot. I saw lots of weapons like grenades, machine guns, flame throwers, muskets, rifles, and pistols, and swords. I also learned that the Marines were usually first to attack. We also went to the Boot Camp exhibit. It was all about what Marines had to do and how they were treated in Boot Camp. They had to do really hard training exercises, rope courses, hand to hand combat, and lots of other stuff. They also got treated really harshly. They were always getting yelled at.

After the museum, I went over and played with Sean again. We played football. I did not get to stay very long because Sean was going over to his grandparents’ house for the weekend. Then we had shrimp for dinner and watched Iron Man. I forgot to mention we got special souveniers because my Uncle Ryan was in the Marines. We got dog tags.

USMC Museum souvenir

  

3/26/17

Yesterday we went to I-Hop for breakfast. I-Hop is the international house of pancakes and I love pancakes, so I had to go there. I got a thing called Build Your Own Breakfast and you get 3 pancakes, two eggs, bacon or sausage (I got sausage), and hashbrowns. Everything was delicious. After that we went to Great Falls National Park. The line to get in was over a mile long. It was slightly downhill and it was moving so slow that my Dad turned the engine off. When we had to move he let go of the brake and we glided down as far as we needed to go and then he hit the brake again. By the time we got into the park it was 12:45. The park was really neat. There were lots of hiking trails that we hiked on for a while. Some of them led to places where you could see the waterfalls. The water was moving really fast. We guessed 20 mph. We saw some trick kayakers who were kayaking down the waterfalls. We also saw someone fishing and two people were rock climbing. There were some really nice people who set up a tight rope and they let us try tightroping. I was not very good and neither was Andi. Then we went home. Just for fun Andi and I set up a tent using two trees and a tarp. We had some help from Dad. Then we had chicken for dinner. We ate outside.

Walking on the slack rope

3/27/17

Folding the flag at Fort McHenry

Yesterday we slept in really late. Then I made eggs for breakfast. Everyone liked them. Then we went to Fort McHenry. That is where the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner was rose. When Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner he was with the British because he was getting an old friend out of prison. The British were fighting the Americans to get Fort McHenry and the battle lasted 25 hours. The Americans finally won and Francis Scott Key could see the American’s flag in the dawn’s early light! In the fort we saw the men’s rooms which had about 8 bunks and they slept 2 to a mattress. There were no tables, no dressers, just a fire. The commander’s rooms were a whole lot different. They had slaves to cook great meals for them, a bed for themselves, a fireplace, and a sink. After that we got to see a ranger lower the flag above the fort and put a new one up. I got to help fold the flag. It was huge. Then we came home and made homemade pizza for dinner. For dessert we had cone smores. Those are where you have a waffle cone and you put marshmallows and hersheys, reeses peanut butter cups, kit kats, and other chocolate in it. Then you wrap it in tin foil and put it in the coals of a fire. We didn’t have a fire, so we just put them in our toaster oven. They were so good.

Making S'more Cones 

 

3/28/17

Yesterday we went to the Arlington Cemetery. To get buried there you had to serve in the military in a time of war. There were graves as far as you could see. We saw the Eternity Flame which is a fire that they never let die. John F Kennedy is buried next to it. Thirty-eight people got buried in the Arlington Cemetery every day. We also saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is a memorial for the soldiers that died in battle and were not recovered. There is always a guard and the guards switch every hour. We got to see the guards switch. After the Arlington Cemetery we went back home. I saw Sean out again and I went over and played football with him. Then I came home and had dinner.

3/29/17

Yesterday we waited in line to get tickets to the Infinity Mirrors. The Infinity Mirrors are in the Hirshhorn Museum. We got tickets for 3:00. Next we went to the Ford Theater. That is where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. He got shot right by his left ear. He was shot by a pistol we also saw a play at the Ford Theater which was re-enacting the day Lincoln got shot. Then we got lunch at We the Pizza. I got two slices of pepperoni. It was delicious. Then we went back to the Infinity Mirrors. They were not very interesting in my opinion. They were just boxes with mirrors on all the sides. After the Infinity Mirrors we went to our camper. I saw Sean and his brother Andre playing outside. I went over and played football with the for awhile. We also invited Sean and his family to our camper for a campfire. We had smore cones with them on the fire. It was good. Then we said bye and went to bed.

  

3/29/17

Today it was Dad’s birthday so we all woke up before him and when he got out of bed we yelled “Happy Birthday Dad!” Andi and I made a card for Dad. Then we let Dad pick where he wanted to go and he picked the American History Museum. The two main exhibits we went to were the Revolutionary War exhibit and the Civil War exhibit. They were cool, but I didn’t really learn anything new because we are studying both those wars in home school. I did see the sword George Washington carried into battle which was cool. The handle looked like it was made out of emeralds, but I bet it wasn’t. After that we went to the store. Only Dad went in. he was picking out ice cream to have for his birthday and wanted it to be a surprise. We had leftovers for dinner and then dad showed us what kind of ice cream he got. He got Moose Tracks. It is a type of chocolate ice cream! It was delicious. Sean and his family weren’t home yet so we didn’t get to play with them tonight.

3/31/17

Yesterday we slept in late. We had cereal for breakfast and Mom had tons of work to do. When she was done it was lunch time. We had ravioli. Then we went to the Portrait Gallery. I did not think it was very cool, because it was just a bunch of paintings and sculptures, and I’m not a huge fan of art in the first place. One of the exhibits I found especially boring because the artist just drew a bunch of lines on an oil canvas and that was it. At the end of the exhibit there was a book where you could write what you thought about that exhibit and someone drew a box, put some lines through it and wrote, “I’m an artist too!” I thought that was pretty funny. After that we went geocaching. Geocaching is where you go on the geocaching website and pick one cache. There are 2 million caches all over the world. Then the website leads you to the cache you chose. Once you get there, there is a box or something you have to find. The one we found was magnetic and it was stuck to the bottom of an electrical box. Once you find the cache you open the box. There is a log book and you have to write down that you found the cache. After that there are toys and stuff you can take but to take a toy you have to put something back in. we went geocaching twice and we only found the cache once. Then we went home and I played football with Sean and his brother, Andre. Then we said bye because it is our last day in D.C. Then we came home and went to bed.

Washington DC - fourth week - Andi

Mar 24 2017

Yesterday I went to the African American Museum. We saw the music crossroads. I saw a lot of the suits that the people wore. I saw the sports exhibit. I found a ton of things about the Harlem Globetrotters. We went down a floor and I found a dance game. I loved it. I couldn’t stop playing it. Then we went outside and had lunch. Then we got back in and went down to the boring part. Then we got kicked out and went home and played with Sean and his brother and sister. There was also a kid named Toby that we played with. Then we went home and had dinner. Then we did blogging and went to bed.

Mar 25 2017

Andi's Marine Corps Souvenir

Yesterday I went to the Marine Corps museum. It was a well made museum. We saw how they stood to get on the bus to boot camp. I heard a couple of examples of the drill instructor and how they acted. They were really hard on people. Then I did a little test to see if I was a good marine corps. I was not. Then we had lunch. Then we looked at pictures of people getting their families back. Then we went back to the other place that we were before. I played a fishing game for babies. Then I did the discovery cart. I got to try on a suit and a hat. There is a picture in here somewhere. Then we saw a guy shooting at us from a boat and we fake surrendered. Then I went to Chesty’s Corner. It’s a little kid’s area. I colored a picture there. Then I saw a record of the president’s own band. Then I went through a jungle with videos about how the marines survived there. Then we saw a video about bonds and stamps. Then we saw another video about the marines turning their tanks into boats. Then we saw a video of a school group learning about the Marine Corps. Then we saw the monument of the soldiers. Then we went home and had dinner and Iron Man with three cookies.

Mar 26 2017

Yesterday we went to the IHOP (International house of pancakes). Then we went to great falls national park. It took us about 2 hours to get in. Then once we got in we went to a couple lookout areas. We were about to go on a trail when we found a couple people tight roping. They asked us if we wanted to and I said yes but Nick said no. But then right when I got on, Nick said okay I’ll go.  Then we said thank you and went on the trail. When we were on the trail we saw a guy kayaking. Then we went home. Nick and I went biking and found out that three was a camp fire in the campfire circle. Nick and I set up a little tent. Then we had dinner and went to the campfire circle while mom and dad talked to the people next door.

Mar 27 2017

Yesterday Nick and I made breakfast. Then we did math. After that we went to Fort McHenry. We saw the flagpole that the flag was on that Francis Scott Key saw. We went in a part of the living space and saw a short video. We also got a tour and saw the officers sleeping quarters. We saw the overground magazine and the underground magazine. Then we went to the store and got some stuff. Then we went back out and saw the ranger take the old flag down and put the new flag up. Then we went home and had homemade pizza. Then we had these cone things. They were like smores in a cone with candy and then you wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the coals of the fire and when you think it’s done you take it out and take the yumminess out and gobble it up. Then we read Harry Potter for a while.

JFKs grave with the eternal flame

Mar 28 2017

Yesterday I went to Arlington National Cemetery. We saw people over and almost 100 years old! We saw President John F. Kennedy’s grave. It had a nice warm fire that made it even hotter. We saw more graves and then we saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We went to Quarterdeck and got crab. The Carbonaro Effect was on. Then we went home and had dinner. We also played with our friends.

Mar 29 2017

Yesterday we waited in line for tickets for the infinity mirrors. Then we went to Ford’s Theater. That’s where Abraham Lincoln got assassinated. Then we went to the infinity mirrors. We saw a lot of art. We saw mirror boxes. Mirror boxes are boxes that have a platform that you walk on and there is stuff around you and the mirrors around the stuff, and it looks like there is infinity of anything that goes in them. Then we went home and played with our friends and had smore cones.

Mar 30 2017

Yesterday it was Daddy’s birthday. We let him choose where he wanted to go. He chose the American History Museum. We went to the Civil War stuff. We saw a drawing of how Abraham Lincoln looks in heaven. Then we saw mansions of the olden days. They were like two stories high. That’s huge for the olden days. Then we saw a video about the civil war and then went to the store and let Daddy choose his birthday ice cream. It was moose tracks. We had dinner then had moose tracks then read Harry Potter.

Mar 31 2017

Yesterday I went to the portrait gallery. We saw moving pictures. The rest of the museum I didn’t think was very interesting. Then we went geocaching. Nick found the first geo cache. The next one no one found. Then we went home and had dinner and read Harry Potter.

Washington DC - third week - Nick

3/16/17

Today we woke up early and ate breakfast. Then we went on the metro. We met my Uncle Ryan and his friend, Chelsea at a metro stop called Capitol South. Then we went on a tour of the Library of Congress. The coolest thing I saw was a painting of a woman and no matter where you looked at the painting from, the girl’s toes were facing you. Then we went to We The Pizza. I got pepperoni pizza. It was delicious. Then we went to the Supreme Court. We just sat down in one room and the tour guide told us about it and then the tour was over. I did not find it interesting. After the Supreme Court, we went to the Capitol Building again. We saw the same stuff on the tour as last time. After the Capitol tour we ate dinner at Carmines.

Eating corned beef with Uncle Ryan

3/17/17

Today we went to the Hirshhorn Museum to see the Infinity Mirrors with my Uncle Ryan and his friend Chelsea. We waited in line for an hour and a half to get a ticket and we ended up not getting a ticket. After we waited in line we went to see the National Archives again. Then we went to Hamilton’s for lunch. I got corned beef, but it wasn’t as good as Mrs. Julie’s. After lunch we walked around the whole mall again and saw the Lincoln Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. After we walked the mall, it was time to go home. I said bye to Uncle Ryan and Chelsea who went back to the hotel and I said bye to my Mom who was going to the airport. It is time for her to go home for 4 days. Dad, Andi, and I went back to the camper, ate dinner, and had ice cream.

3/18/17

Today we met Uncle Ryan and Chelsea at a stop on the metro called Gallery Place. After we met up with them we went to the zoo. We saw Pandas and Red Pandas. We saw Prairie Dogs and Big Cats. The tiger as walking on the edge of the water and almost fell in. there were a bunch of lions that were all staring at something but I don’t know what. My favorite thing I saw was an orangutan that was on the suspension wire. Those are wires that run all the way around the zoo that are like 50 feet in the air. After the zoo, Chelsea and I talked my Dad into letting everyone get slushies at 7-Eleven. I got a mix of banana and cherry. After we got slushies, we got lunch at Ophelia’s Fish House. I got clam soup. After dinner we went to the Metro Station. It was Uncle Ryan and Chelsea’s last day so we said good bye. I was really sad to see them go, but I look forward to having more visitors.

3/19/17

Today, we ate cereal for breakfast. It was really rainy and crummy out so we decided to stay at the camper for most of the day. After we ate breakfast, we watched a movie. Then we went shopping at Target and got Kleenex and pizza. When we got back it was 2:00 so we skipped lunch and just had some snacks instead. Andi and I also played a game called Cover You’re A$$ets. Then we ate pizza for dinner. We had ice cream for dessert. Then we watched a movie called The Natural. It was really good.

3/21/17

Yesterday we went to the Museum of Natural history. The first thing we did there was go to an I-Max video that was about dinosaurs. My favorite part of the video was about an early reptile they discovered. It looked like a dinosaur but it was actually related to alligators. The only thing that made it not be a dinosaur was the ankle bone. It was the same ankle bone of crocodiles and alligators. After the video, we went to lots of exhibits. The dinosaur exhibit was small but it was very cool. There was a T Rex skeleton. It was ginormous. Scientists think it could not run any faster than 10 mph because it would take it 3 tons of leg muscle to go faster than 10 mph. I also read that some dinosaurs are still alive. Modern birds are still dinosaurs but they have just evolved. So birds are dinosaurs. After that we went back to the camper and did some math for school work. Then we had dinner and watched Man of Steel.

3/22/17

Yesterday we had eggs for breakfast. Then we did math for a while. After that we biked a mile and a half to a playground that wasn’t very cool. We only stayed for about half an hour. Next we went to the John F Kennedy Center and had a tour. We did not like the tour very much and my knee was hurting really bad so we left in the middle of the tour. We took a shuttle bus back to the Metro and then took the Metro back to our campsite. Then we had pizza for dinner and watched 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

3/23/17

Yesterday we had cereal for breakfast. Then we went to pick mom up from the airport. Next when went home, Andi and I saw a kid playing outside. We went over and played 500 with him! His name was Sean. Then we did math for a while. After that we did laundry at a laundry mat. There were a bunch of arcade games in the laundry mat. I checked the coin return on all of them. Someone had played every arcade game and forgotten his change on every one. I got six quarters in all. Andi and I each got to play one racing game. Andi and I kept looking for change. She found 11 more cents. I found $1.73. then we went home and had fish for dinner. Then Andi and I played for a little while.

Washington DC - third week - Andi

Mar 16 2017

At the World War II Memorial with Chelsea

Today I saw uncle Ryan and Chelsea for the very first time on the trip. We went to Library of Congress. We got a tour. We saw a girl named Minerva. There were two platforms on the sides of her. When you went on the right her feet were pointing at you, and if you went to the left her feet were pointing at you. Then we went to the We The Pizza.  After that we got a tour of the Supreme Court. I liked that one because I got to sit. Then we got another capitol tour. Then we had dinner at Carmines.

Mar 18 2017

Yesterday we went to the infinity mirrors. We stayed in line for tickets for about four hours. Then we went to archives and got coins from the store. Then we went to Hamilton’s for lunch. After that we walked the mall. Then we dropped mom off at the airport. Then we bought ice cream. Then we had dinner and ice cream.

Mar 19 2017

Yesterday we met Uncle Ryan and Chelsea at Gallery Place. Then we went to the zoo. The prairie dogs were out and there were a lot more pandas. Then we got slushies from 7-eleven. Then we looked at a couple restaurants and chose Ophelia’s Fish House. Then we said bye to Uncle Ryan and Chelsea.

Mar 20 2017

Today we watched Beauty and the Beast in the morning. Then Nick and I played a game of cover your assets. After that we went shopping and I got new socks.  Then we watched The Natural with pizza and ice cream.

Mar 21 2017

Yesterday I went to the field museum. We got tickets for a 3D show about dinosaurs. Then we saw the hope diamond. It was dark blue with 16 white diamonds surrounding it. It also had 46 more white diamonds making it a necklace. We saw a lot of other diamonds. I saw a solid wall of gold. I also found a rock that was magnetic. There were paper clips that would stand straight up. Then we saw bones and the dinosaurs. After that we went to the butterfly pavilion. I got to hold a big grasshopper. I also got to hold a hornworm. It’s actually a caterpillar with a fake horn on the back. It also has fake legs in the back. Then we went home and watched Man of Steel and had ice cream.

Mar 22 2017

Yesterday we had a down morning. We did our math. We biked to the playground that was about a half mile away. Then we took the metro to the Kennedy Center but it was not what we expected and Nick’s knee hurt so we ducked out early then we went home and had pizza and ice cream.

Mar 23 2017

Yesterday we picked up mom from the airport. Then we went to the laundry mat. We folded our laundry, then played with the kids next door. I colored for a little while, then we had dinner. After that Nick and I played before bed.

Washington DC - second week - Nick

Hamilton's Restaurant

3/9/17

Yesterday we went to the Library of Congress.  There was a kids’ area where you could actually take the books off the shelf and read them. In the main area you can only look at the books. There was a puppet show thing that Andi liked. After the Library of Congress we ate lunch at a place called Hamilton’s. My grandparents’ last name is Hamilton. We got some cheese curds to share and they were so good that I liked them and I don’t even like cheese!

3/9/17

I am continuing 3/8/17. I did not finish yesterday. After we ate lunch at Hamilton’s we got a giant pretzel from Hamilton’s and gave it to Office Dqqki. Next we went on a tour of the Capitol Building. We saw the Senate and House Galleries which were kind of boring because there was nothing going on in them. We also learned that there were 103 statues in the Capitol. After we saw the Capitol we went to the Supreme Court which is where they check the Constitution to make sure the laws are legal. There was also a museum which was not very interesting buy the building was really cool.

Yesterday we went to the Air and Space Museum. It was super interesting. We saw bombing planes, fighter jets, remote controlled fighter jets, passenger planes, really old planes and lots more. We also saw a model of a plane called the flying boat. Its wing span was 350 feet long. And it was made entirely out of wood. It only flew for twenty seconds and it was never used again. I also won a paper airplane contest where you have to throw a paper airplane through a hula hoop. I won a medal with a blue ribbon. On my last throw it hit the edge of the hula hoop and then bounced in. we also saw a model of the inside of a really old plane and the seats were facing each other with a table in the middle. I like that setup more than modern planes. Then we went to the mall. The mall was not like I expected at all. It wasn’t even a building. It was just a big open field. In the ‘mall’ we saw the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. My favorite was the Lincoln Memorial. After we walked through the ‘mall’ we went to the National Archives. The National Archives is where they keep the real Declaration of Independence, the real Constitution, and the real Bill of Rights. They were all really faded and we couldn’t read them. My favorite was the Bill of Rights because it was the least faded and we could sort of see it. We didn’t stay in the National Archives for very long because it closed right away. Then we walked the whole mall again at night because it was supposed to be really pretty. All the memorials were really pretty especially the World War II Memorial.

 

Wall of Freedom at the World War II Memorial - there are 4048 gold stars,
each of which represents 100 WWII servicemen who died or were missing

Today we went on a tour of the Pentagon which was not very cool because all we got to see were the hallways. The tour guide said that one Capitol building could fit in the middle of the Pentagon and one more in each side. He also said that 3 Empire State Buildings could fit in the Pentagon. After the Pentagon tour we went to the American Indian Museum. I didn’t understand most of the adult museum but some of it I did understand. I went in the Children’s Museum which had more hands-on stuff. There was a ride that simulated how hard it was to stay up in an Indian canoe. Then we got dinner at a seafood place and I got crab.

3/10/17

the Blue Room

Today we went on a tour of the White House. We saw the Library, China Room, East Room, North Entrance, old family dining room, State Dining Room, Red Room, Blue Room, and the Green Room. My favorite was the Blue Room only because blue is my favorite color. After we finished the White House we got lunch at Taylor Gourmet. My Aunt Lisa recommended it to us. I got a sandwich called a 9^th and it had a bunch of different meats in one sandwich. It was delicious. After lunch we went to the American History Museum. There were lots of exhibits. My favorite one was an exhibit about really cool athletes who lost their legs and stuff but continue to do sports. One was a guy who lost his leg in a snowmobile accident and then went to do dirt biking. The rest of the exhibits were also really cool too. Then we went back to my Grandparents’ hotel, went swimming, and had dinner.

3/11/17

My Spy Identity

Today we went to the Spy Museum. It, of course was all about spies. There was stuff like daggers that could be hidden in your show, sniper rifles made out of umbrellas, tiny guns hidden in watches, and lots more. We also got to see the James Bond car. It had machine guns in the front, things that could come out of the tires and pop other tires, a bullet proof shield and lots more. In the beginning we were given a fake identity. I was Billy Henderson. I was 14 and I lived in the USA. We spent the whole day at the Spy Museum and then went to eat dinner at Outback Steak House. I got clam chowder that I didn’t like. Andi got mac ‘n cheese that she didn’t like so we traded. After dinner we got ice cream at McDonalds. We also went swimming in the pool and we met a nice boy who we played Marco Polo with.

3/12/17

Today we went to Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. It wasn't really even a museum because it didn't even have very many signs. It was just a bunch of planes in a giant hangar. I think my favorite plane was the SR-71 Blackbird. The SR-71 Blackbird was the fastest plane ever built. It could go 2,193 miles per hour. It was so long that if it made a sharp turn it would snap in half. The SR-71 Blackbird was 107 feet long. I also like a plane called the Enola Gay. Enola Gay was just the name it was given. The type of plane it was is a B-29. It dropped the nuclear bomb, Little Boy on Hiroshima, a city in Japan. We also saw the space shuttle Discovery. It was kind of the same as the Atlantis. The whole museum had 169 planes in all. After we were done with the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, we went and got dinner at a sports bar and watched the Badgers basketball game. We are planning on going swimming and playing board games with my grandparents.

  

Nick completing a space shuttle landing simulator

3/15/17

Two days ago we woke up early in the morning and ate breakfast. Then we drove my grandparents to the airport. I was really sad that they were leaving but I was happy because my Uncle was coming in two days. After we dropped my grandparents off, we went back to my camper and Mom and Andi did laundry while Dad and I went shopping to get me a dress coat because in one day we are eating lunch in the Senate Dining Room. Then we went back to the camper and folded laundry. After that we packed up our camper and went to our new campsite. Next we went shopping again to get Dad a suit coat. Yesterday it was really snowy so we stayed at the camper. The lunch at the Senate Dining Room was cancelled because of snow. We spent awhile getting dressed in our nice clothes and then we figured out it was cancelled. Then we ate lunch and watched Thor. After we watched Thor it was time for dinner. So we ate dinner and then watched another movie.

Cockatoo Squid

Today we sat around all morning and did a bunch of math. Then we went and ate lunch at a Chinese place with David Jewett. He is the son of one of the people my mom works with. Then we went to the Museum of Natural History. We didn’t have much time so we only went to one exhibit. It was called Ocean Hall. My favorite thing I saw was a Cockatoo Squid. It was completely clear. We also saw a Megaladon jaw. It was huge. If it wasn’t in a case I would be able to stand up inside of it. After the museum we went home and had dinner.

Washington DC - second week - Andi

Children's room in the
Library of Congress

Mar. 8, 2017

Yesterday I went to the Library of Congress. I went to the kids’s room and did a puppet show. I also colored a coloring page. It was from a Nightmare Before Christmas.

Mar. 9, 2017

I didn’t finish yesterday. Then I did another puppet show. After that we went to Hamilton’s. that’s our Nana and Granddad’s last name. We bought pretzels for Dqqki. Then we got a tour of the Capitol Building. There were 103 or more statues. We saw the Senate and House. It wasn’t very fun. It was because three people were talking at different times and nobody was listening. The person in charge of the Senate was doodling around on his phone. The pages were talking to each other. Pages are people who run and get things or people or anything that needs to be put away. That’s what pages are. People were also typing on their computers. Also some were writing. The only people that were listening were transcriptionists. They are people who type what the people are saying so they have to listen. Then we went to the House of Representatives. There was one person in it. Then we went to the Supreme Court.

Hanging at the pool with Nana

Yesterday, I went to the Air and Space Museum. First I tried to go to a simulator except we would have to pay $8 each. Then we went to the war jets. They had markings of a target on their wings. I don’t know why they would. Then we went to the children’s exhibit and did a paper airplane contest. Nick won! I didn’t get my airplane in the hoop once! Then we walked to whole mall. That’s 3.2 miles! We saw the Lincoln Memorial. Then we saw the World War II and Korean Memorial. Then we saw the real Constitution and the real Bill of Rights. Then we walked the mall again at night.

Today I went to the Pentagon. That’s the 5 branches of the Armed Services. Including the Marine Corps. The Capitol could fit one time in all 5 of the sides and one in the middle. Also two white houses could fit in the gym. Then we went to the American Indian Museum. They had treaties made out of beads called wampum belts. Then we went to Red Lobster.

Mar. 10, 2017

Today I woke up early. We had to so we could make the White House Tour. In the tour we saw the Green Room, Red Room, Blue Room and East Room. We also saw the State Dining Room and where the president and his family sat. Then we went out the North Entry. After that we went to the American History Museum. We went to the Spark Lab. I made a sculpture of a ride. Then I went to Imagination Land. I made my own icon. I also made a spring out of wire. I didn’t find the rest of the museum very fun.

Hanging for 60 seconds...ten times!

Mar. 11, 2017

Today I went to the International Spy Museum. It was awesome. I cracked a secret code. It was ‘6527’. I also became the museum champion of Hang Town. Hang Town is where there are 7 buttons and you push the highest button you can reach without jumping or tippy toes. I could press the second button and they were pretty high. There was a bar that came down and a green button that would light up and you jump on. It would go up and you would try to stay on for a minute. I stayed on for a minute ten times. But I also had to stay in line ten times. Then we had lunch. A little while later we went to Outback for dinner. Then we had ice cream.

Mar. 12, 2017

Today I woke up and played my tablet. Then I went to the Udvar-Hazy center. You might be thinking of a small building, but it was so big it could fit the Discovery and 169 more airplanes. I went to a paper airplane contest and I won! I got a turquoise and gold medal. I went to the restoration hangar. That's where they get planes, fix them up, and put them on display. After that I went to the Discovery simulator. It's where you have to try to land the Discovery. I was the pilot and the co-pilot at two different times. Then to cap it off, I went on a plane where you actually got to go in and push buttons and drive the plane. Yippy! Then we had dinner and maybe we'll swim. One more thing. I saw the concord. It had a slanted tip. It slanted down.

Mar 14 2017

Two days ago we dropped Nana and Granddad off at the airport. Then we went back to the camper and did laundry while daddy talked to the mean camp rangers. We had lunch and did more laundry. Then we had dinner and watched Trolls. A little more about two days ago we moved campsites.

Megalodon jaw

Yesterday we decided to have a down day. We stayed home and did math and played our tablets. We watched Thor. Then had dinner and after that we watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It had lots of songs.

Mar 15 2017

Today we didn’t have a down day.  Then we had lunch with David (Mommy’s friend) at Chinese. After that we went to that Natural History Museum. We saw Ocean Hall. In it we saw a megalodon’s jaw. I don’t know where they find them. Do you know? We saw how whales evolved. We saw the cockatoo squid. Also we saw the oar fish. It can get up to 37 feet long. Then we went home and ate dinner.

Washington DC - first week - Nick

3/1/2017

Today we woke up at 6:00 in the morning. We ate breakfast as fast as we could. We had to be to a tour by 8:15 and it was super far away. We drove to a metro train station and we went 9.3 miles. It was my first time being on a subway. Then we went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It is one of the only two money printing factories in the country. They printed $850,000,000 a year. They used to print $500, $1000, $5000, $10,000, and $100,000 dollar bills. When we were done with the tour we walked around D.C. for a while. We took the Metro back to our camper and Andi and I played on the playground. We had dinner and then went shopping for a while.

3/2/2017

Stained glass window with an actual
moon rock in the moon (red circle)

National Cathedral tower

Today we took the Metro to the Washington National Cathedral. It is the sixth largest cathedral in the world. We went on an audio tour of the cathedral. It was about an hour long. We got to meet the pastor and he took us into a room that most people can’t go in. It was called the Canon room. The priests and other important people got dressed there. We went to a 35 minute sermon which was like what we have at home. The organ in the cathedral had 10,000 pipes. The smallest was as big as your pinkie and you could climb through the middle. 

Fibonacci playground

After the cathedral we took the Metro to the Fibonacci playground which was rated the 2^nd best playground in the world, but the playground my Dad built at our house was more fun than it. We left right away. We took the Metro back home and had steak for dinner.

3/4/2017

Iguana at the zoo

Yesterday we took the Metro to the Rayburn Office Building. We got to go into our Congressman’s office. He was not there but we picked up our passes to the House and Senate Galleries. The Rayburn Office Building looked very similar on each floor and when we took the elevator from floor 1 to floor 4 Andi was convinced we didn’t change floors. After we left the office building we took the metro to the Zoo. At the Zoo we saw the buffalo. They didn’t have a very big area to move around in. then we went to a café and ate lunch. The café was in the zoo. Next we went to see the tigers and lions. One of the tigers wouldn’t stop pacing and the biggest lion was growling. Next we saw the reptile house. We saw snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, and turtles. One of the turtles was probably 4 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. One of the other turtles looked like it was a million years old. We also saw an anaconda that was 6 feet long. Then we went to the Think Tank which is where they study how gorillas’ memories work. There was a video on it and it was very interesting. There was a game that I played with Dad and I had to make a pattern out of a bunch of blocks and you explain it to your partner who has the same blocks and they try to make it without looking. Next we went to see the pandas but we only got to look at them for a few minutes because the Zoo was closing. After the zoo closed we went home and had dinner.

Today we looked at the next campground we’re going to so we could pick a site. Then we went to pick up my grandparents because they are staying with us for a week. Then we all went to Mt. Vernon which is where George Washington lived. He fought in the Revolutionary War. He fought in 13 battles. He only won 3 but they were all important. George Washington also fought in the French and Indian War. George Washington served two consecutive terms of presidency and two years later he died. After Mt. Vernon we ate dinner at Gadsby’s Tavern. The food was delicious. Then we went swimming at my grandparent’s hotel and Andi and I spent the night there.

3/5/17

Today we went to the Smithsonian Castle. It was the first Smithsonian museum. Smithson is a person that dedicated a bunch of his money to making a bunch of museums called the Smithsonian Museums. Then we went to the National Botanical Gardens. My favorite tree I saw was a banana tree. The bananas grew really close together. We also saw a royal palm tree. Each leaf could weigh up to 50 pounds. Next we went to the Postal Museum. I did not find it very interesting. We also met a police officer named Keith Atkins. He told us to call him Officer Dqqki. He was really nice and funny. He recommended a restaurant called Hamilton’s. He said they had really good cheese curds. Then I spent the night with my grandparents again. We also swam in the pool.

 

Andi, Officer Dqqki (Atkins) and Nick

3/6/17

View of the Washington Monument
from the Capitol Building

Today we went to the Holocaust Museum. It was about World War II. I went in the adult exhibit even though it was supposed to be disgusting. It was recommended for 11 years and up. There was one gross picture at the beginning but the rest was interesting. The museum was about the camps the Germans kept the Jews in. the conditions were horrible. After I was done in the adult exhibit I briefly checked out the children’s exhibit. It was not as interesting. Some of the ways the Germans tortured the Jews was they put them in chambers filled with poisonous gas until they died. They would also bury people alive or just shoot them. After the Holocaust Museum we went to the Washington Memorial. It was closed for repairs so we couldn’t go in. I touched the side of it. I also ran around the outside of it. Then we went and got lunch. I got pizza at a pizza place but everyone else got Potbelly. Then we went to the Jefferson Memorial. It was way bigger than I thought it would be. There was a museum underneath it but I didn’t find it very interesting. Next we walked around the National Mall and we are planning on having Chinese for dinner.

Washington DC - first week - Andi

Bureau of Printing
and Engraving

Mar. 1, 2017

Today I went on the metro train for the first time. Once we got out of the metro we walked about 8 blocks to get to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving place. That is where they made money (paper money). They make $850,000,000 a year. The bills they used to make are $500, $1000, $5000, $10,000, and $100,000. Then we saw D.C. After that we played on the playground. Then we had dinner and went shopping.

Children's Chapel

March 2, 2017

Today we went to the metro. Then we got off and on another one. Then once we got off we went to the cathedral. It’s the 6^th biggest in the world. We saw the children’s chapel. It had organs that children played. The children didn’t preach. Then we went to sermon. It was so boring. Then we saw the place where the priests would change. After that we met the pastor. The church had 10,000 pipes. Some as small as a pencil and some big enough for a full grown adult to fit through. Then we took the metro to the Fibonacci playground. Then we went home and had dinner and watched Storks!

Mar. 4, 2017

Yesterday we went to the Rayburn Building. I thought we were always on the same floor. We went to Mr. Sensenbrenner’s Office. Then we went to the zoo. We saw the reptiles and the apes. The apes would be right over your head in the summer. We saw alligators. Then we saw the snakes. One snake was moving like crazy! We saw a turtle that was four feet long, 3 feet tall. The head was the size of a small dinner plate. Then we saw the lions and tigers. After that we saw the bison. Then we saw the think tank. We saw a baby monkey that couldn’t sit still. We played a game called language. Here’s how you play. Somebody makes a shape and has to tell the other how to make it. We played a couple games of that and left the think tank. Then we went home and had dinner.

George Washington's Tomb

Today I went to the airport to pick Nana and Granddad up. Then we went to Mount Vernon. That’s George Washington’s house. First, we went on the tour of his house. Then we saw the smoke house. After that we went to the spinning house. Then we saw the horse stables. Then we saw where they put the horse dung (poop). After that we saw Mr. Washington’s grave. I saw the slaves’ grave and found the last word of my puzzle. Then we went to Gadsby’s for dinner with Nana and Granddad and slept with them.

Dinner with Nana and Granddad at Gadsby's

Mar. 5, 2017

Today we went to the Smithsonian Castle. It was really boring. Then we went to the Botanical Garden. We saw lots of cool plants. Then we went to the Postal Museum. It was boring except two things. There was a front of a semi that kids could drive. And the train with a post office in it. You got to sort, post, and stamp letters. Then we met Officer Dqqki. Then we had dinner.

 

the Postal Museum with Nana and Nick

Jefferson Memorial

Mar. 6, 2017

Today I went to the Holocaust Museum. That’s the murdering of the Jews. I went through the Children’s part so that I wouldn’t have to see gross stuff. It was a story about how a boy named Daniel survived the Holocaust. It was very sad. His mother and sister got murdered. Then I wrote two cards to Daniel. After that we went to the Washington Memorial. We couldn’t go in. Then we went to the Jefferson Memorial. It was a big dome. It had lots of pillars and a 19 foot tall statue of Thomas Jefferson in the middle.