We don't just go places...we have ADVENTURES!!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Catching up..New Year's Day 2008

Yes, I KNOW that January is almost over...but I'm still in catch-up mode, so bear with me!


We started our 2008 in true Zoo Crew style…with a road trip! We headed out to DC this time, planning to check out a monument or two and just enjoy the beautiful day. Found out that Bill’s new “Personal Navigation Assistant” doesn’t know which streets are one-way!!

It was picture-postcard PERFECT outside, though a wee bit chilly when the wind blew through. First stop--the Washington Monument. As Patrick and I worked our way up the walk (couldn’t find the handicapped parking, so we hoofed it!), Matthew & Ben ran up ahead with Daddy. At the base of the monument, the elevator vents out HUGE blasts of warm air, which drew Ben’s attention, thanks to billowing clouds of steam. That blast, when combined with a nice gust of wind, had Ben airborne for a brief second. Little guy didn’t know what hit him! Patrick and Abbey helped me take pics of the monument and the White House. (Got to try out my telephoto lens…VERY COOL!).


Rosy cheeked and heading back to the car, Matthew said “It’s going to be a GREAT 2008, Mom, because we are starting it with the best day EVER!” At which point, Ben & Abbey chimed in, singing, “It’s the best day EV-errrrr! It’s the best day EV-errrr!” Pretty soon we were all singing…even Patrick! (Okay, so Katie refused to sing, but hey, her pre-teen angst thing was going pretty strong that day!)

The only way to top that was to find a bathroom. A clean one. Spotted the Botanical Gardens with “ample handicapped parking” and figured it was worth a shot. BONUS—very cool model train display running around outside the gardens. Had a marvelous time watching the trains, trying to predict which would be the first to traverse the bridge spans. Wandered through the gardens, checking out the various flora (alas, no fauna but we did spot a few faux dinosaurs!), found a potty and wandered our way back out to the REAL attraction…the trains! The Capitol is just steps away from the Gardens, so I snapped off a few shots of that, too...

More singing of our improvised trip theme song, the requisite stop at Sheetz for potty and beverages, and we were home again. Truly a fun-filled family day…and nice moments to freeze in time!

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