so this is Easter / D.C. recap

Today is a day I have sort of been dreading. My first major holiday away from home. I had big plans to go to Pittsburgh this weekend and spend it with family, but it didn't work out. We went to Washington D.C. yesterday for a fun outing, which kept my mind off of the family celebrations I will be missing. It sucks. There's really no other word for it. So, rather than dwell on that and get all teary and mopey, I will instead share some details and pictures from our D.C. trip. No sense being a downer on a beautiful (and I mean BEAUTIFUL!) Sunday morning.


So, yesterday we drove to the Western-most edge of the Washington Metro's Orange Line and went to spend the day on the National Mall. Hazen was super excited to ride on a train. We got to our destination and headed for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

That place. It was huge and completely crowded. We barely scratched the surface. We basically walked through every exhibit with little time to stop and read the plaques before we were compelled to hustle along by the shifting tide of the crowd. After a few hours of this, the menfolk were getting restless. So, I compromised by getting tickets for the butterfly exhibit for a later time and we ventured back out to the Mall.

There is a serious lack of food on the Mall. You're pretty much relegated to carts. Now, I am not one to turn my nose up at street food, so we chose one of the ubiquitous hot dog stands surrounding the Mall. I bought some dogs and some drinks from a very angry Asian woman and we went to find a bench and relax for a little while.

This little sojourn may have been Hazen's favorite part of the day. He got to run and chase birds and squirrels. He was having such a blast. After he ate and got some running out of his system, he was a new man.

sleepy man

who's watching who?

where'd that squirrel go?

All fed and stretched out, we headed back to the museum to see some butterflies. The exhibit was nice. The butterflies were fluttering around like crazy. That had a giant Atlas moth, first one I've ever seen NOT dead. I love butterfly exhibits and have been to many. This one was well done considering the limited size they were working with. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Definitely worth the cost of admission.

So, after I got my fill of fluttering insects, we headed out to see the monuments. This was my favorite part of the day. It shaped up to be a fabulous day weather-wise. Sunny and warm and gorgeous. We wandered from the Smithsonian to the Washington Monument down to the Lincoln Memorial.

Walking back up to the Smithsonian Metro station, we found what i had hoped to find all day! The Tulip Library!! Tulips are my favorite and the stunning variety they exhibit just keeps me hooked. I was so glad to catch them at the time of day did.

All and all, it was a fabulous day. I can't wait to go back! I can't say that I felt all that more patriotic or proud to be an American, but I can say that I had a lovely day with my family looking at beautiful sights and that's really all that matters.

Happy Easter!