We had not seen Bill's parents in many months, so now that we were settled in the new apartment, we invited them to come for a visit over Easter. Neither of us had much vacation, so rather than hang out while we were at work, they decided they were only going to stay for a few days. The drive from Toronto to Dallas is 24 hours one way. Bill and I thought that sounded pretty unpleasant, so Bill suggested we meet them in Washington D.C. Hard to believe, but I had never been to our nations capital.

In three days we covered pretty much everything, and even though it should have been a bit too soon for the cherry blossoms, we got lucky, and they were in full bloom early. The weather was on the gray side, but not too cold or wet, so it was good enough. We stayed at the Marriott within easy walking distance from the White House. That said, it is a LOT of walking. Ouch, my feet!

The White House was not nearly as impressive as I expected, after seeing in in the movies all my life. I’ve always had the impression it was big and set on some rolling acres. Not so much, at least not from the front. We did not attempt to tour, since we had not planned the trip much in advance, and apparently it is a process involving a congressman for me, and the Canadian embassy for Bill and his parents. We visited all the major memorials, Arlington, the Pentagon, Smithsonian Museums, and of course the tidal basin where the cherry trees were glorious.

While some of the sights did not live up to my grand Hollywood expectations, it was humbling to be reminded of all those who contributed so much to making our country great, those who were lost in the wars, and of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.

Cross another one off the bucket list!

You can see our pictures at FLIKR: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bill_and_ dessa/albums/72157670081902015

P.S. Bill and I really like the botanical garden, so more flower pictures…Yea!!