After our afternoon arrival in DC the prior day, we were excited to get down to the National Mall and check out the sites. Joel woke up early to try to get some sunrise pictures of the monuments, but was only partially successful – alas, the weather had turned cloudy and cold, blocking any views of the actual sunrise. The early morning light was still nice for capturing a few pictures anyway.
Joel returned, we ate breakfast, and then we all headed out again together, with a plan of seeing the monuments before the Smithsonian museums opened. Unfortunately, a storm had been brewing and the weather became very windy and — while we at the base of the Washington Monument — very wet! We ran for cover and waited for rain to subside or the museums to open, whichever would happen first. Quite the contrast from the sunny-and-70s weather of the day before!
The rain let up a little bit, so we headed over to wait in line for the Air and Space Museum. Thankfully we didn’t have too long to wait, because the rain started to turn into hail and then snow! We were out in it long enough that Joshua’s little socks and shoes got pretty wet though. Once we got in, Kristen used a blow-drier in the bathroom to dry out his socks, and then we were off!
For lunch we feasted on peanut butter and jelly bagels while we made the trek over to the American History Museum. There were several highlights for us, including the War History section (soooo well done!) and the Stars and Stripes Exhibit with the American flag that led to the writing of our national anthem. (Dark room and no pictures allowed.)
The rain completely cleared up, so we made attempt #2 for the monuments. The wind was still blowing with a vengeance, but we did it! The Lincoln Memorial made the biggest impact on Joshua; he talked about it for days following!
The Meyers 