Washington D.C.

We finally made the trip to D.C.! It's so close... it's kind of crazy we just now got around to it! We got really lucky with the weather - it was absolutely beautiful all weekend. We left Richmond on Friday night and the 2-hour drive turned into almost 3 hours, but we were expecting that. By the time we got to the hotel downtown, it was pretty much time for bed. But that allowed us an early start on Saturday.

Saturday morning, we walked with the dogs a couple of blocks to get some breakfast and then headed down toward National Park, where the monuments, memorials, and White House are. We knew having the dogs with us was going to be a bit challenging considering the huge crowds, and we were right - especially in the beginning. Both dogs attract a lot of attention, so we were stopped frequently by people wanting to ask us questions and pet them both. Hutch, of course, was in heaven. He can't contain his excitement when merely passing people, let alone when they give him attention! Much of our walk that morning was spent reigning him in.... Izzy loved the attention too, but it's not hard to restrain a 25 lb. puppy. :) To our relief, both dogs eventually started to lose energy on the long walk and became content to stay by our side and ignore everyone. After the White House, we took a break on the lawn of the Washington monument and enjoyed the sunshine and cherry blossoms. Then we headed toward the Lincoln memorial, passing the new WWII memorial on the way. There were several veterans having their picture taken and it was great to see them stand tall and proud as they posed! The Reflection Pool between the memorials proved to be quite the temptation for Hutch, so we stayed way off to the side for most of the walk. Dogs aren't allowed inside the Lincoln memorial, so Stuart and I took turns going up. We agreed that this one was the favorite. Stuart even took the time to read the Gettysburg Address engraved on the wall. We each rested on the lawn as the other went up, and we all loved the break! The dogs could have stayed there all day! As we headed back to the hotel, we stopped again at the White House and were able to get closer than before. I'm glad we got to see it from that point! There are apparently snipers on the roof around the clock... crazy!

National Park

Zoom in and you'll see two guys on the roof. Most of the time, they were at their guns.

Washington Monument

In front of the Reflection Pool.

Lincoln Memorial

View from the Lincoln Memorial

Who says dogs can't smile?! These two are happy as clams in front of the White House.

When we finally got back to the hotel, the dogs were exhausted! So we left them behind, grabbed some lunch and went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. It was insanely crowded and I think we both would have enjoyed it more with less people and of course, more energy! The highlight for me was the gems and minerals section. The jewelry was just massive... I've never seen so many diamonds in one place! And, as you can see below - we got to see the Hope Diamond very briefly before someone shoved in front of us. After almost 3 hours there, we ate dinner and called it a night!

Dinosaur!!!

This... is a giant sloth from the ice age. Holy crap!!!

The Hope Diamond, in a very secure case. And a security guard nearby.

The next morning we had a nice breakfast outside and I insisted on getting gelato before we left town. We were both sore from walking so much, so on Sunday, we lazed around after we got home. And my spring break started on Monday, so that's what I've been doing ever since!!! We agreed we have to go again - we had an awesome time and we haven't even experienced half of it!