Today we went back into the city to try to get into the American History Museum and to finish seeing the Air and Space Museum.

First was Air and Space, and we spent most of the morning there. We had lunch in their very noisy cafeteria, then set off for American History. (Yikes, I just got a flashback to high school, although American History in high school wasn't bad. I got the best naps in that class. You know, that could explain why I was so surprised to find that George Washington was such a key figure in the American Revolution.)

Anyway, we got to the American History Museum and, what do you know? Another line to get in. We decided to brave it this time, and it wasn’t all that bad. We saw a bunch of neat stuff (that’s a technical term), like the Count from Sesame Street and Dorothy’s ruby red slippers. (Now why did I think of those first? I’m sure there are a lot of other, more important things that I could have itemized, although I mostly didn’t understand what I was looking at. I really should have paid more attention in high school.)

Oh, there was one other thing I remember that we saw: a house. Wait, let me explain. The Smithsonian purchased a 200-year-old house that stood in the Boston area, dismantled it, and rebuilt it inside the American History Museum. You can see how the house was built and learn about the families who owned it over the years. It was very interesting, and we probably spent the most time at this exhibit in the museum (even more than at the Count).

Wait! There’s another thing I just thought of. We saw the flag that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. The flag was 30 feet by 42 feet in size, but the family who owned the flag clipped pieces off over the years to give away as souvenirs. The flag is now so delicate that it can’t be hung; it will fall apart under its own weight. It now lies flat, on a slight incline, so that it can be viewed by people like me who promptly forget that they saw it.