Have you ever seen horizontal hail? (Saturday, April 2)

Well, we have!! But more about that in a minute. 

The President's birds dropped a
bomb on Mrs. Crocker's jacket.




Our kids in front of White House


After breakfast we ventured over to the White House and took a couple of pics in front of the gate. The day started out beautifully with partial blue skies and a brisk chill in the air. But I should have recognized the sign that things were going down hill (see pic for a better understanding).
Even though I was thoroughly disgusted, I got over it....eventually.

Mrs. Phillips offering her reflection in the
Memorial Wall for a great photo!

Our next stop was at the Vietnam Memorial. The memorial walls listed 58,000 names of soldiers who perished in this war. Another statue of three nurses helping a soldier was quite moving. The creators really captured the look of anguish they obviously felt at that time. 

The FDR Memorial was next and this area was surrounded with blooming cherry trees. This was soooo beautiful. The final quote on the wall was "Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear."

The weather was still looking quite innocent but a slight wind, a very chilly wind, had started. 

Original Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz

Original Da Vinci

Next was the Smithsonian Museums. We had a choice of the Air & Space, Natural History, or the American History museums. The students in the group headed by Mrs. Phillips and myself chose to go to the Air & Space and then the American History (which is ultimately were we ate lunch).

This is where the story changes. On our way to the Washington Monument....well, let me back up a bit. While our group was looking around the inside of the American History Museum (by the way, we got to see the original ruby slippers Dorothy wore on the Wizard of Oz - see pic), we noticed that many people coming into the museum were drenched. However, when we exited the museum to meet the rest of the group and go to the Washington Monument, the sun was out and no rain in sight.  We boarded the bus and were excited to see this outstanding monument. While in route, a very weird weather pattern developed which consisted of wind blowing HAIL sideways. Neither rain nor sleet nor snow will hold us back, however, from our grand adventure. We exit the bus, walk (with a vengeance) up to the Washington Monument and the guards are evacuating the building because of lightening. Now, I remind all of you that this day began with clear skies and a nice warm (well, almost) sun.

Our wonderful tour guide switched up the schedule and we went to the Holocaust Museum first and she promised we would try for the monument afterwards if there was still time and if they would honor our tickets. The Holocaust Museum has a very special part called Daniel's Story. The experience of the Holocaust was told from this Jewish boy's perspective as his whole life was changed and he ended up in Concentration Camp.

Mrs. Phillips standing at the WWII Memorial
and attempting to hold up the Washington Monument.
She's strong!

Once finished, we rushed back over to the Washington Monument. By the way, the skies were clear, bright blue and the sun was shining. We made it there very quickly and just got into the final trip up to the top before it closed. It was well worth it as the view was incredible! We are very grateful for our tour guide. Because she pushes us to walk quickly to places, we have been able to see so much. 

Before hitting dinner at Union Station, we got the opportunity to visit the WWII Memorial. This memorial has only been open a few years and is absolutely beautiful and honoring to the soldiers who fought and died for all of us. 

One of our final events of the day after dinner was traveling to the Capitol building and praying on the steps of our Nation's Capitol.  Many of our students prayed openly for our leaders, our President and the people in which they represent. We ended this time by singing Amazing Grace. Several students commented that this was their favorite part of the trip.

Back at the hotel, we all squeezed into Sohailah's (our tour guide) hotel room to watch the fireworks display celebrating the Cherry Blossom Festival (she had the only room that faced the direction of the show). 

Whew!!  We had a busy day and very strange weather. Tomorrow's adventures will soon be here....

(If you haven't seen any pics of a particular member or two from our group, please be patient. The kids have been taking so many pictures that it is been difficult to sort through them in the evenings. However, we will be making a CD with all of them for each family to enjoy.)

DUE TO THE LATE NIGHTS AND BUSYNESS OF THIS TRIP, MY BLOG ENTRIES ARE LAGGING. PLEASE BE PATIENT AND I WILL TRY AND CATCH UP.