Travels With Teens: Take Two “I Can Organize This Trip in My Sleep!”BC Dee in DC Roti & Fini p. 40

[natebenma]

Wonderful pictures of Nate!!! Smiling ear-to-ear!

I know! Thanks. I just adore the joy in his face!

I guess that is what can happen when someone other than mom is behind the camera.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I just added the two pictures of Nate receiving his diploma to Post 635.

Aw those are amazing photos of Nate. Definitely worth framing. He looks so proud and happy

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

your pictures of the monuments in Washington DC reminds me of the family trip i took a few years ago.
You can see my pictures here.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/11288498@N02/sets/72157629634975581

This is a picture that has the text "I have a dream" and is where Martin Luther King Jr. stood to give his I have a dream speech.

Here's a link to more pictures from it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/11288498@N02/sets/72157629270242042

 

[Wood Nymph]

How many Smithsonian museums did we visit before lunch? 10 points


Museum of Natural History-True or False, 10 points each:

1. I touched a rock from Mars
   
   
2. I saw the Hope Diamond
   
   
3. I took a forbidden picture

The Obamas have two dogs, Bo and Sunny. Did we see them during our White House tour? 10 points for guessing whether we saw 0, 1 or 2 of the first pets this year.

I have no idea how big these museums are but since you hit the memorials before 8 am then I'm going to guess 4.

1. True
2. true
3. true

I'll say that you saw both dogs.

Biggest smile I have seen on my boy in a picture in a long time!

That is a nice picture of Nate. He looks almost grown up in that picture.

 

[bookgirl]

I'm going to say you visited 2 museums. They're big and there is lots to see

No to the Mars rock. I know the protocols for Moon rocks and I'm guessing it's about the same.

Yes to The Hope Diamond

BIG YES to the forbidden picture. Everyone needs to walk on the wild side every now and then.

0 on the dog sightings

 

[natebenma]

your pictures of the monuments in Washington DC reminds me of the family trip i took a few years ago.
You can see my pictures here.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/11288498@N02/sets/72157629634975581

This is a picture that has the text "I have a dream" and is where Martin Luther King Jr. stood to give his I have a dream speech.

Here's a link to more pictures from it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/11288498@N02/sets/72157629270242042

Wow! Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Aw those are amazing photos of Nate. Definitely worth framing. He looks so proud and happy

Thanks! I love them! The other dude in the photos is our city's major. I supported his opponent in his first election- my candidate lost BY 3 VOTES!!! Of course, a bunch of my friends did not bother voting, which would have made a difference. But I am actually pretty impressed with the job he has been doing the past few years.

I have no idea how big these museums are but since you hit the memorials before 8 am then I'm going to guess 4.

1. True
2. true
3. true

I'll say that you saw both dogs.

Got 'em!

That is a nice picture of Nate. He looks almost grown up in that picture.

Thanks! The pictures make me proud. and sad. all at the same time.

:

I'm going to say you visited 2 museums. They're big and there is lots to see

No to the Mars rock. I know the protocols for Moon rocks and I'm guessing it's about the same.

Yes to The Hope Diamond

BIG YES to the forbidden picture. Everyone needs to walk on the wild side every now and then.

0 on the dog sightings

to the Washington part of this report.

Thanks for playing!

 

[natebenma]

Smithsonian Castle


We left the area with monuments and walked along the Mall to area where the Smithsonian museums are. It was around 9:30 when we arrived. The main museums do not open until 10 am, so we went to the only place that is open a little earlier- The Smithsonian Castle.


This beautiful Red Seneca sandstone building built in a Romanesque/Gothic style (looked that up) was the original building that housed exhibits in James Smithson’s collections. It now houses the Smithsonian administrative offices, the public Visitors’ Center and an eclectic display of artifacts from the various Smithsonian Museums. And apparently, there is a crypt just inside the north entrance that houses the tomb of James Smithson. There are tours of the Castle offered throughout the day, but we have never taken one.

This was a neat display about the history of the Castle:

Items from the various museums in the Smithsonian system are on display. I think these probably rotate out and change occasionally.


From the American History Museum, displays include a Gibson guitar, Edison Light Bulb, Jackie Stewart's crash helmet, Gordie Howe's Hockey Skates, Brian Boitano's skates

From the Natural History Museum

From the Air & Space Museum- Space shuttle heat shield, a piece of the Wright brothers hangar, a piece of the Hindenburg

Portrait Gallery

We spent about 30 minutes at the Castle. It was now 10:00 and the rest of the Smithsonian buildings were open. Time to visit the Museum of Natural History, which was just across the way. Normally it would be a straight shot over, but there was a lot of work going on in the plaza area between here and the US Capitol, so we had some construction detours.

Continued in Next Post

 

[natebenma]

ok to read now. !


Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

We arrived just a moment or two after “rope drop” so we didn’t have a wait going in.


I suggested to my family that we go to the top floor and work our way down, hoping to avoid the crowds looking at the exhibits on the first floor. Plus, I knew the Gem and Mineral exhibits were up there and I wanted to get to the Hope Diamond before it was surrounded by tourists.


We got there and saw the sign that gave us NO HOPE.


The famous diamond was currently off exhibit.


Dang!


But we still spent plenty of time in this area and there were some jewels to see.






Not a great picture, but these were Marie Antoinette's earrings.





For consolation at missing out on the Hope diamond, I did something out of this world.





It was cool to see something we learned about on our trip to Hawaii- Pele’s Hair and Pele’s Tears- by products of volcanic conditions.




And then, we checked out a bunch of really interesting rocks.

Gold and Silver:

We then ventured into some other parts of the museum and saw Egyptian artifacts. My pictures suck. I need to ask Nate to send me his but he gives me a hard time whenever I ask him to share pictures.








Dem Bones!


Then we wandered around the mammal, sea creature and reptile rooms- skeletons and taxidermy. Pretty cool and gruesome at the same time. I think my favorite display was the snake skeletons, but I know many people are not that into snakes, so I have chosen not to post that one.

And finally we took a trip in the wayback machine to the time of the dinosaurs. I remember spending a lot more time in this area 5 years ago when Ben was super obsessed with dinosaurs!











At this point we were starting to get hungry, so we decided we would head back to our hotel’s foodcourt before it got too crowded, get something to eat and then get ready for our 1:00 tour of the White House. The boys got hot dogs and French fries from 5 Guys (no picture) and I got a meal from a Mediterranean place

Fortified, we were ready for our next outing.

Next Up: The White House and the Washington Monument


I’m not sure if I will be back today with a scoring update- busy day. We are going to visit Mark’s parents and the boys are going to go fishing/kayaking. Then I have a meeting this evening.

ETA: See next post for contest update.

******************************************

We still have a question for the next update- how many of the Obama dogs do we see while we are at the White House? 0, 1 or 2

You may keep your current answer or change it before the next update, which hopefully will come before the next President is occupying the building!


Two new questions- After the White House, we go up into the Washington Monument.


When you are in the elevator going back down, windows open and you can see special stones donated from around the country and world. I was excited to see one from NH. Was it Dover NH or Durham NH (5 points) and why are these cities significant? (5 points each)


When we were finished touring the Washington Monument, and were back outside, we witnessed something really cool that would have been even more awesome to see while we were still up there. What was that? (15 points)

 

[natebenma]

Contest Answers:


How many Smithsonian museums did we visit before lunch? 10 points Two


Museum of Natural History-True or False, 10 points each:


I touched a rock from Mars True

I saw the Hope Diamond False

I took a forbidden picture False (can you believe it???)



rteetz: TFT, 3 plus 5 bonus Graduation Points = 25 points
luvpoohandcompany: TFT, 2 = 30 points
SarahDisney: FTT, 3 plus 5 sympathy points = 5
Wood Nymph: TTT, 4 = 10 points
afwdwfan: Has not read this updated but has excellent excuse. Congratulations and 20 bonus points for the birth of Ryder.
annie170: FTT, 1 plus 5 sympathy points = 5
pas130: TTT, 4 = 10 points
bookgirl: FTT, 2 plus 10 welcome points = 20



Updated Leader Board, June 25

rteetz: 95
luvpoohandcompany: 95
SarahDisney: 60
Wood Nymph: 60
afwdwfan: 50
annie170: 35
pas130: 20
bookgirl: 20

 

[rteetz]

When you are in the elevator going back down, windows open and you can see special stones donated from around the country and world. I was excited to see one from NH. Was it Dover NH or Durham NH (5 points) and why are these cities significant? (5 points each)


When we were finished touring the Washington Monument, and were back outside, we witnessed something really cool that would have been even more awesome to see while we were still up there. What was that? (15 points)

First off awesome update! All of the skeletons of different animals are cool to see. I bet that piece of Mars has been touched thousands of times so it might not be as authentic as it once was.

Can't wait to hear about the White House.

1. Dover NH. Dover is the oldest settlement in NH, Durham was part of Dover and was part of King Williams War.

2. Hmm, I'm going to say a presidential motorcade.

 

[natebenma]

First off awesome update! All of the skeletons of different animals are cool to see. I bet that piece of Mars has been touched thousands of times so it might not be as authentic as it once was.

Can't wait to hear about the White House.

1. Dover NH. Dover is the oldest settlement in NH, Durham was part of Dover and was part of King Williams War.

2. Hmm, I'm going to say a presidential motorcade.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the update.

The number of artifacts and exhibits at the Smithsonian is impressive. And a bit overwhelming. So much to see.

Ah, somebody has been googling...



Those are not the significant aspects I am looking for- I will give you an opportunity to change your answer as as a graduation gift.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Finally back to your report after being away and then all heck breaking loose on us. Congratulations to Nate on his graduation and on the scholarship! They had a professional photrapher at Hunter's graduation too. So glad that they did because there's no way that I could have gotten a decent picture. Of course, I paid an out the wazoo price for the picture.

Your pictures of your time around D.C. are fabulous! You have really seen a lot and you haven't been there that long either. Of course, I'd expect nothing less from a trip with Dee.

 

[Wood Nymph]

When you are in the elevator going back down, windows open and you can see special stones donated from around the country and world. I was excited to see one from NH. Was it Dover NH or Durham NH (5 points) and why are these cities significant? (5 points each)

I'm going to guess that it was Durham, NH because that is where you and Mark went to college. It is also where Nate is going to go in the fall.

ETA: Dover - I'm going to guess that is where someone in your family was born.

When we were finished touring the Washington Monument, and were back outside, we witnessed something really cool that would have been even more awesome to see while we were still up there. What was that? (15 points)

Lots of things are awesome to see. I'm going to guess that it was something sailing by on the river, like maybe a tall ship or something, Rivers are cool.

 

[pas130]

Tied for last place, I need to guess better
Loved the Smithsonian pics!

 

[annie170]

Those are some pretty amazing artifacts at the Smithsonian. That was smart to start at the top and work your way down. I imagine it was less crowded that way.

I'm doing so bad guessing that I'm getting sympathy points! Big old "L" on my forehead right now! I guess I'll stick my original dog guess and say the rock was from Dover, NH and the significance is that you grew up in Dover and went to college in Durham.

 

[SarahDisney]

We've never been to the Smithsonian Castle - it looks pretty cool! I like that they have a display from each museum - it's a nice way to get a small sense of what each of the museums are about.

Sad that the Hope Diamond wasn't there, but it definitely still looks like a lot of beautiful and interesting stuff to see. That Mars rock is pretty cool.

When you are in the elevator going back down, windows open and you can see special stones donated from around the country and world. I was excited to see one from NH. Was it Dover NH or Durham NH (5 points) and why are these cities significant? (5 points each)

I'm going with Durham, NH - I'm about 95% sure that's where UNH is, and that's where Nate will be spending his next 4 years
No idea what the significance of Dover is ... did you or Mark grow up there?

When we were finished touring the Washington Monument, and were back outside, we witnessed something really cool that would have been even more awesome to see while we were still up there. What was that? (15 points)

A rainbow.

And thanks for the sympathy points. I'm hoping I won't need them this round...

 

[rteetz]

Okay I am changing those answers since you allowed me too. Durham is where Nate is going to college and Dover is where you're from.

 

[natebenma]

Finally back to your report after being away and then all heck breaking loose on us. Congratulations to Nate on his graduation and on the scholarship! They had a professional photrapher at Hunter's graduation too. So glad that they did because there's no way that I could have gotten a decent picture. Of course, I paid an out the wazoo price for the picture.

Your pictures of your time around D.C. are fabulous! You have really seen a lot and you haven't been there that long either. Of course, I'd expect nothing less from a trip with Dee.

Thanks for reading!

I know things have been crazy for you. I was so thankful for the professional pictures. There is no way I would have seen the big smile on his face from where we were sitting. I am a sucker paying for family photos!

We really try to get the most out of our trips since we are only at those places for a short time. I'm sure you can appreciate how difficult it is to just sit an relax.

I'm going to guess that it was Durham, NH because that is where you and Mark went to college. It is also where Nate is going to go in the fall.

ETA: Dover - I'm going to guess that is where someone in your family was born.


Lots of things are awesome to see. I'm going to guess that it was something sailing by on the river, like maybe a tall ship or something, Rivers are cool.

Got your guesses!

Tied for last place, I need to guess better
Loved the Smithsonian pics!

Thank you!

Those are some pretty amazing artifacts at the Smithsonian. That was smart to start at the top and work your way down. I imagine it was less crowded that way.

I'm doing so bad guessing that I'm getting sympathy points! Big old "L" on my forehead right now! I guess I'll stick my original dog guess and say the rock was from Dover, NH and the significance is that you grew up in Dover and went to college in Durham.

It was really pretty empty in the gem and mineral rooms where we started out and then as we started to go to other floors, with the mammals, reptiles and skeletons, it was much more crowded. So yes, I think our strategy made sense.

We've never been to the Smithsonian Castle - it looks pretty cool! I like that they have a display from each museum - it's a nice way to get a small sense of what each of the museums are about.

Sad that the Hope Diamond wasn't there, but it definitely still looks like a lot of beautiful and interesting stuff to see. That Mars rock is pretty cool.

I'm going with Durham, NH - I'm about 95% sure that's where UNH is, and that's where Nate will be spending his next 4 years
No idea what the significance of Dover is ... did you or Mark grow up there?

A rainbow.

And thanks for the sympathy points. I'm hoping I won't need them this round...

The Smithsonian Castle is a great "sneak peak" of what the collection contains. And in a way, the things there stand out more because there are just a few artifacts. When you get to the main museums there are just SO many things on Display!

Okay I am changing those answers since you allowed me too. Durham is where Nate is going to college and Dover is where you're from.

 

[natebenma]

White House


I’m going to start this update with a couple of flashbacks from past trips.


My first trip to the White House was in 1978, with my father and brother. I was 13, but looked much younger because I was petite. On the tour, we were told no pictures in the White House. When we got to the Blue Room, overlooking the wisteria-framed yard, a fountain and the Jefferson Memorial, temptation got the best of me. I took a picture looking out the window.


After I did that, the security guard in the room said “You can’t take pictures inside the White House”


I replied, “But it is a picture OUTSIDE the White House!”

*mic drop*


He didn’t know what to say and he let me keep the film.

My only regret is that I didn’t wait until the next window because the Washington Monument would have been in the shot, too!


I was very excited last year when the news reported that Michelle Obama had lifted the restriction on photos by people on the White House Tour. Hooray!


*******************************************************************************


We took a White House tour when we visited DC in October 2012 with the boys. At the time, you could not bring cameras into the White House, so I left mine back at our hotel. While we were walking around the building, waiting to go in for our tour, we saw a famous member of the Obama family out on the lawn. Bo the dog! Unfortunately, since I didn’t have my camera, I don’t have a picture. And the sighting does NOT count in this year’s contest.


Let’s see if we are lucky spotting any first dogs on this trip.


*******************************************************************************


We joined the line at the White House Vistor’s Center. You are told to bring your invitation and photo ID for anyone over age 18. You are not allowed to bring in any bags. As I mentioned above, phones and cameras are now permitted. You go through a metal detector before entering the grounds.


I’m going to go a bit out of order on the photos here, starting with exterior shots and what I consider the “entrance hallway” which you go through at the end of the tour.



Front Lawn of White House

This is the one picture I insisted on during the trip.

From 2012- OMG, looks like Ben has the same smirk in both photos!



Backside of the White House

Back Façade

This is Mark and me just outside the White House. Probably would have been a better picture with the building in the shot, huh?

You actually enter the White House near the front side of the White House

Next Up: Inside the White House

 

[natebenma]

Inside the White House

Nate’s Picture

We did not have any encounters with Bo or Sunny on this trip.


I’m sure I have sufficiently overloaded you with pictures for the moment, so I will hold off on the Washington Monument Post for a few days. I was pretty snap-happy on that visit, too!


Next Up: Washington Monument