Remembering a super visit and week.

We left from Amarillo on the 10th of September, drove to Albuquerque, NM, spent the night, and caught a flight to Atlanta, then to Reagan airport in DC. Wayne met us at the airport, and after buying a car (well, really renting one, but my first few cars cost a heck of a lot less than the rental) we spent almost a week with Kari, Wayne and little Carson. It was fantastic!

Trees and greenery everywhere! Traffic was hectic, sorta like the tangles you encounter when travelling through Umbarger during rush hour....Yep, it was fun, and we even made it for Carson's 6th birthday.

Washington's Monument is unique, and draws an even larger crowd of admirers and shutterbugs.
The main reason for the trip was to visit Judy's sisters and their families. This is a group photo taken at nephew Jeff's house. Judy is with her sisters. A trip the Smithsonian Air and Space museum is a must, doubly so if you ever flew. As a kid, I distinctly remember the event that this historical airplane and the weapon it carried caused that ended World War II.

A somber and bleak reminder of the Vietnam war occupies space in a park that is almost concealed by its depressing presence and the names of our dead from that conflict. I searched out Jack Feldhaus' name. Jack and I were instructors in Training Squadron Thirty in Corpus Christi, in the mid 60's.
More solemn reminders......
The location is hidden in this trench. It cannot be seen from the street.
On a happier note, we dropped by a "Seafood Mall" and enjoyed the delicious odors of steaming crab and shrimp. No, we didn't get to bring any home, but we did enjoy crab in a couple of local restuarants.
Finally, the real reason for the trip was to celebrate Carson's 6th birthday. He even lost another tooth to mark the occasion.
Flying to and from Washington was a drag. Delta did have seats to Atlanta, but it was the very back of a MD-88, noisy and uncomfortable. I can't really complain, the seats were lousy, but the price was right! Getting all the way to Reagan airport from Albuquerque, through Atlanta, and back was daunting, but we did it. I don't have any qualms about a repeat trip, but we may leave on a Wednesday next time.