Changing of the Guard at Arlington

This is the shift commander that is inspecting the "relief" soldier that will guard the tomb for the next hour.
Here is the soldier who is currently on duty. They undergo a synchronized pattern that is followed in steps of twenty-one for the entire hour they are on duty.
Here is the tomb of the unknown soldier that these men are guarding.

The commander with the two Army guards.

The commander inspecting the relief soldier to make sure everything is in order from his uniform to his gun.

US Navy Memorial

We started our day at the US Navy Memorial. There is a huge circular wall with bronze pictures of navy and coast guard scenes. Here is one of the Coast Guard pictures.
Michael and I at the statue of the Lone Soldier.
Coast Guard flying over the memorial.

Vietnam Wall

The rain broke long enough for us to visit the Vietnam Wall.
Three soldiers Vietnam statue
Vietnam Women's Memorial

Air and Space Museum

Sorry, I managed somehow to miss a post from our day on Wednesday. It rained that day so we were not able to see much outside. This is the day we went to the Air & Space Museum.

This picture is of a cockpit that we were all busy taking a picture of, as you can see in the reflection. The label says it is courtesy of Fairchild which is one of the companies my father used to work for.
Michael and Daddy.
Michael and Mom.
This was not in the museum. Our subway - Metro looks like this when it arrives.

Our narrator hard at work with the video camera.
Michael & Mom again. Yes, it was cold that day!!, notice the layering :)
View when you look up as you walk into the museum.

Yep, another Firestation! Chinatown, MD

This is at the Fire Station in Chinatown which is also where we ate last night. We are getting proficient in riding the metro - subway, so we went back and ate mongolian food. Daddy wished he had taken his Prevacid with him too.

Yes, they number the doors! They also open from the center out to the side.
This is not the rescue door like we think of it, that is over to the side "apart" from the fire trucks. Their rescue personel only work from seven to seven, then go home. Sounds king of familiar :)
This is one of the special operatons high angle rescue trucks.
Oh yes, we had to have the "my department, your department has discussion".
They have four to five guys on one truck per shift as opposed to our two to three. Oh well, Michael II & III had fun and after four patches, three trucks, two shirts and one hat with the partridge in the pear tree, we left. Only to watch the homeless guy peeing in the street. You have go to love big cities!

Here is the long tall pointed thingey, sorry my history is bad. It is the Washington Monument, Daddy corrected me.
Daddy took this pic, pretty good, huh?
Here the boys are at the WWII monument.
Yes, the only waterfall I will see.
This is the Lincoln Monument from afar off. Lincoln monument closer!
Right there!
Vietnam wall!, very sobering and reality breaker. We are so in awe of all that was given in the past for our present freedom! THANK YOU MILITARY FOR YOUR PROTECTION!

Williamsburg follow up

Here is our "little" walking trek to Willamsburg, so we can save money and park at the visitors center instead of driving the "RV" and try to find a parking space, ummm three maybe.
Ok, so now we are in the Willamsburg mood. Costumes and everything, right?
Yes, a pretty house that I made the boys stand in front of with all of the layers of clothes, it is cold here.
This picture is for Pops it is of someone who is DEAD in a cemetary!, pops favorite place to visit on vacation.
Yes, it has been calibrated. It is indeed two fifteen in the agternoon!

This is for Darwin------Look at the Collard greens, yum!!!!!
Way offf faimily.
Way closer family.

Fire departments, YES, I said sssssss

Yes, this is the beginning of Michael's (Daddy) history with the fire department. I guess I should have been happy with this choice after he said he wanted to be a COP! To which my answer was, oh please, God, NO!! Anyhow this evolved into my husband's second home. He got me pregnant and left me for this :) No really he had required time which consumed all of "my" time!!!!!! However, he never would have come home if they would have run out of this station which is what they have twelve years later!
Which led to this trip to the Suffolk Fire Department to trade patches. Which was a joke because they proved to be twice as large as ours :) Got to out doooo the Jones's patches.
Thus we go on our patch trading trip! Wow their's are twice as large as ours. Portsmouth Fire Department, this is actually their reserve truck!
This is their fire station, kind of looks like our ST 12!
Chesapeake Fire Department! Wow what a tiller! Kind of a large fire truck and patches twice as large as ours, too!!
Look, nice pull out bins in the compartments! Looks like a walk in closet to a woman!
Here is the Chesapeake Fire truck. Kind of like ours :)

More friends in Portsmouth, Va

Allen and Michael at dinner together. The boys do not remember each other but now realize they are very close to each other. They we were born less than one day apart. Allen's parents and we were in the same Lamaze class together.

This is Carol the mother of Allen. We were always on the phone together making sure we knew what we were doing, correctly?, as we were raising our children together :)
Here is where Michael and Allen were both born. This is also the reason for this trip. Michael wanted to see where he was born.
This is Michael, Michael and Daryl. Daryl was Michael's first babysitter, yes, I was still in the same house.
This is Michael, Daryl, MUM Yates and Brother Yates. What is so important about this family is ....... while I was pregnant with Michael I was in the hospital twice. Michael (Daddy) was working and in paramedic school and clinicals during this time. Therefore, I needed someone to be with me. No Mommy nearby!! So..... MUM Yates came and sat with me and read the Bible to me followed by her singing to me. Not just falala, but opretic quality singing of hymns! I was soon lulled to sleep with her help. This woman is loved greatly by our family!!!
I did stoop down to take this picture, she is only about 5' tall. But we still love her!!!!