A Soggy Nation's Capitol...

Cherry Hill RV Park

We checked into the Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD Wednesday and are looking forward to touring the DC area.  George has been here many times so he will be the perfect tour guide.  We sat down last night with brochures in hand, taking the forecast into consideration, and made plans for the next two days.  We purchased 2-day tickets online from the Big Bus Tour Company.  This is one of many  "hop on/hop off" buses where, you guessed it, you can "hop on and hop off" at any stop on the tour.  

There are 3 tours, the RED which encompasses most of the museums, some memorials plus the Capitol Building and the White House.  The BLUE tour loops around the Tidal Basin and Potomac River taking in the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, WWII Memorial and the Holocaust Museum.  The YELLOW loop covers Georgetown and everything north of The White House.

The Capitol

So, on this rainy Thursday, we donned our raingear, took the Metro into Union Station and choose the RED loop for today.  First stop was the Capitol Building and Botanical Garden, then the American Indian Museum. 


Next was the Air and Space Museum where we "hopped off" to check this one out.  The line was quite long but under cover so no big deal, right?  So glad we did as it didn't disappoint.  Saw the Spirit of St Louis, the Apollo II capsule, the Lunar Rover and much more.





We also went to the IMAX Theatre to watch "Journey to Space" in 3D.  "Hopped back on" the Big Bus to finish the remaining 18 stops on the RED loop.  The museums we wanted to visit had long lines which were outside in the rain so we decided to hold off until tomorrow when the weather is supposed to improve.

Washington Monument

The weather was definitely better on Friday.  It was still cloudy but at least no rain so today we got off the bus and walked around the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; then caught the BLUE loop  around the tidal basin, past the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, over the George Mason Memorial Bridge which spans across the Potomac.  We drove passed the Pentagon and you just can't imagine how HUGE it is until you see it in person. 




Next stop - Arlington National Cemetery.  We walked up the long hill to the JFK burial site and, the closer we moved toward the eternal flame, there was a serene quietness amongst the people.  When it was our turn to walk up to the gravesite, my emotions got the better of me and tears came to my eyes.  My thoughts turned to that day back in 1963.  I was 17 years old, standing at a store front window in downtown Chattanooga, alongside strangers, starring in awe at what was happening on the television in the window.  It didn't seem real...innocence lost and the unthinkable had happened.  Now, here I am, years reversed (I'm now 71) experiencing similar emotions which made me wonder what if....what if this great man had lived, what great things would he have done, how would our lives have changed.  So many thoughts...so many tears, so many years ago.  I wasn't prepared for such an emotional experience, however, George warned me as I was also overcome with tears when we visited Gettysburg several years ago.




Just as heartbreaking, a few yards away, was the lone gravesite of Bobby Kennedy, the lone gravesite of Edward Kennedy and the lone gravesite of Joe, Jr.  It just doesn't seem fair that one family should have had to endure this much tragedy. 






Navy Band




Naval Funeral of a fallen soldier

We then walked toward the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and, along the way, encountered a full blown Naval funeral complete with a band, followed by a horse-drawn carriage transporting the flag draped coffin of a fallen soldier.  Navy cadets and family members were walking behind the carriage.  What a moving event adding more drama to an already emotional day.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Finally making it to the top of the hill, we witnessed the "changing of the guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Honestly, this is the most amazing place and I'm just in awe looking north, south, east and west as perfectly aligned gravestones span in all directions.  Visiting Arlington National Cemetery is a MUST SEE and by far the most meaningful place I've experienced.

Me and George time...

SunTrust Atlanta Braves Stadium

Normally we avoid Atlanta like the plague, however, on this Saturday morning, we took I-75 South from Adairsville, then picked up I-285 NE to I-85 North, careful to avoid the bridge collapse on the southern portion of I-85.  Actually, we blew through town pretty quickly.  Along the way, we saw the new SunTrust Braves Stadium and the Gwinnett Braves Stadium.  Lots of other changes around the Perimeter Highway also...it's been a while.

Driving over South Carolina's bumpy roads is always a pain and this time was no different but we were treated to a view of the Big Peach in Gaffney, SC.

The BIG Peach

Once in NC, we had a nice ride to our destination, Tanglewood Park of Forsyth County in Clemmons, NC and were surprisingly impressed with this park.  A very high-end but inexpensive county park.  There's tons to do here besides RV camping, such as tennis, 2 golf courses, trail rides, carriage rides and hayrides.  Paddle boating, fishing, an aquatic center and a Manor House, cottage and lodge rentals.  Not to mention a ballroom, concert shell and grill room.  There was a Prom being held in the Ballroom.  Once settled in, we drove over to the golf course to make some tee times.  I fixed sloppy joes (one of George's fav's) then we collapsed on the sofa for the evening.

We golfed on the Reynolds Course Sunday and it was quite hilly.  Shot a 95 and, considering that I haven't played in over a month, plus I pulled something in my right knee (on the first hole), I'll take it.  There was plenty of deer on this course and they were not spooked by people.  The temperature only got up to about 69 today so we were able to open up the windows and enjoy the breeze.  Back at the RV, we had a healthy salad and I iced my knee several times throughout the evening to prepare for tomorrow's round.


Monday morning we were down to about 18 campers in the park and it was noticeably quieter.  We made our way over to the golf course and teed up on the Championship Course which was equally as hilly plus has a higher slope and  course rating.  My knee is feeling much better today but my score is going in the wrong direction.  Honestly, I think we were both in at least one sand trap on every hole.   The course is beautiful and in great condition except for the multiple bunkers which are either hard-pan or full of water...go figure.  Another beautiful day with windows open taking in the breezes.  

Championship Course

Bye, Bye (again) for now...

Wednesday we left Chattanooga and moved down to Harvest Moon RV Park in Adairsville, GA for the next three days.  We've stayed here before and it's about a mile off I-75 and as close to Atlanta as we can  get.  Once settled in, I got the laundry caught up, along with some phone calls, and we just took it easy the rest of the day.




Me and Pat

Thursday:  My dear friend, Pat and husband Les, came for a visit this afternoon and it was such a delight to see them again.  Pat and I bought into brand new Bentley Ridge Condominiums  in 1981 and became fast friends.  Hmm...there's a story about us racing over a fire hose to get to John Henry's (our neighborhood bar), but I won't get into that here.  Anyway, we had great times there, one of which was assembling a gas grill one rainy day, over a bucket of margaritas.  Once it was together, we were worried we would blow up the clubroom, not to mention ourselves, if we lit it.  HA!   Buckets of margaritas were the norm at the pool back then.  You actually bought the bucket, complete with tequila, put it in the freezer, then VOILLA!



They had not seem our RV so, once again, the GRAND TOUR, then wine and catch-up time.  For all of you "wine snobs" out there, Pat and Les brought a bottle of BUTTER, a California Chardonnay,  which is a Rombauer knock-off.

BUTTER

Maine Street Coastal Cuisine

George found a restaurant on YELP called Maine Street Coastal  Cuisine in downtown Cartersville.  The menu sounded fantastic so we tried it.  We were a bit worried at first as there was only 2 other people in the restaurant.  As it turned out, we hit the jackpot!  Everyone's meal was absolutely fantastic except Pat's was a bit spicy.  Sadly, it was time to say "Bye Bye for now" but they promised to come see us and take a trip up to Sedona and the Grand Canyon and lots of golf.  It's actually because of Pat that I took up golf.  We first took up tennis because the outfits were cute.  Then, she met Les, and decided to try golf.  Tennis was not fun anymore without Pat so, I tried golf and was hooked forever. 





We drove back to Chattanooga Friday morning to attend Maxine's funeral.  It was very sad losing Maxine, she was such a great and funny lady.   Her husband, Jack, was terribly upset.  They were just weeks away from celebrating their 67th anniversary.   It was good, however, to see her daughter Marta, and son Chuck.  All of my other cousins were there to pay their respects also.

We left Chattanooga about 4:00, stopped by the RV to feed the cats, get changed then on to Bob and Janis's house.   We met Bob at the Atlanta Singles Golf Association and became friends.  He later met Janis and the four of us spent a lot of time golfing together, eating out, etc.  When we moved to Florida, they moved into our house until their new home in Laurel Canyon was completed, which is a very long story.  We had a very relaxing evening  at their house.  Bob cooked some fantastic steaks on his Big Green Egg and Janis prepared a wonderful salad with asparagus, blueberries, bleu cheese and greens; roasted potatoes, rolls and sweet potato pie.    They, too, promised to come visit us in Arizona so, once again, "Bye, Bye for now"...