tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46906326561438951082024-03-18T16:34:05.402-07:00Dog Food For ChairsFunny Ha-Ha meets Funny Strange every Monday and Thursday.Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.comBlogger1374125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-61941338557178995672024-03-18T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-18T16:33:34.219-07:00General Dungeon Master Philosophy- New Young Players<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmUFd0K2itRUXJVynLBNVWfnSTk4XfaiTPj_u1vR0sV5gsxxZ6UaUihGc4dAAXCJU1wyWjmV_s2EfyQxZ33NW_RZRn4Qo7yyd2OOSbxI0EpZ-BiIwYVwNNCPb7-zLUXL56k3XrZJfr2m1vzApE_Vh_PGaRjXnYMMhO2pKgEkTqhetC6O9h_yCPc6WokSn/s4032/DM%20screen%20with%20wandering%20damage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmUFd0K2itRUXJVynLBNVWfnSTk4XfaiTPj_u1vR0sV5gsxxZ6UaUihGc4dAAXCJU1wyWjmV_s2EfyQxZ33NW_RZRn4Qo7yyd2OOSbxI0EpZ-BiIwYVwNNCPb7-zLUXL56k3XrZJfr2m1vzApE_Vh_PGaRjXnYMMhO2pKgEkTqhetC6O9h_yCPc6WokSn/w400-h300/DM%20screen%20with%20wandering%20damage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>I
am incapable of starting at the beginning of any story without leaping, face
first, into multiple preliminaries. Part of it this time is due to the sheer “magic”
I feel whenever I look through my old Dungeons and Dragons books and papers. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And holding the dice. Man! That really amps up the nostalgia.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The combination of the many fond memories, and the creative potential is inspirational.
Therefore, I need to start with my overall beliefs about running D&D sessions
which will make clear many of the decisions encountered during the documentation
of the often goofy adventures of my group of players.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Aside-
It is no coincidence when, years later, I played the Dead Alewives “<a href="https://youtu.be/-leYc4oC83E?si=U_eKhckQ7b1KDneN" target="_blank">Dungeons and Dragons</a>” sketch for these kids, their first response was, “When did you tape
us?”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>For
this bit of philosophy, I don’t mean general beliefs about the game’s goal being
connected to interactive storytelling and overall fun for the group... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because I wrote about that shortly after we were playing almost 25 years ago.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2018/01/how-to-win-at-any-edition-of-dungeons.html" target="_blank">How to Win at Any Edition of Dungeons and Dragons.</a><br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>What
I mean is detailing some of the weird choices and "house rules" I make as a Dungeon
Master, and the reasoning behind them. There isn’t a massive amount of thought
that went into these. Therefore, this will have plenty of room to serve as an index
to the stories.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[Later edit, even with the minimal amount of thought I run my
life with, there is still my usual far too much explaining. In fact, it became the longest post in the series. I wish I could control my mental output in any way at all. On the positive side, with it all concentrated here, the gamers can read it all at once, and the non-gamers can easily skip it and get to the stories.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hence there is a separate <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/03/fun-filled-old-dungeons-and-dragons.html" target="_blank">index. </a>Still, the value of the index is maintained.]</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This way anyone who stumbles upon these adventures has easy access to the
“prequels” that will allow the tales of fantasy and adventure to make sense.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>OK,
to allow the tales of fantasy and adventure to make something that sort of resembles
sense… if you squint a little.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Most
of these choices orbit around the ideas that I often work with young, first time
players. Many are connected to the notion that I view their characters as the protagonists in a Heroic Fantasy
story.<br /> Not
a tale of gritty realism.<br /> Not
a tale of dire woe.<br />They’re
the good guys, they’re the ones with above average abilities who are going to defeat evil.<br /> They’re
the ones who are going to save the peasants from marauding monsters.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>It
goes without saying that I don’t run evil or backstabbing campaigns. While this
can be fun for some experienced players, it’s a great way to make a group of
beginners hate each other and not want to play anymore really quickly. Plus,
there is truth behind the idea that good deeds are their own reward. I’ve seen
it several times when a gang saves the day against high odds.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Another
point is the characters cannot be the heroes of the realm if they are dead.<br /> Therefore,
I will give the players the benefit of the doubt a lot of the time.<br /> They
should be mightier/ smarter/ stealthier than the average serf.<br />This
is why I use the suggested character roll up methods from <i>Unearthed Arcana</i>
(the first of the “new” First Edition Hardcover rule books) that inflates required stats.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_36xkFZfDnrBatljgbSJOluuUS9k_iqMgFtZkFHR4n47mcrduYgoYaLjMAYxjdfVFqosu4ABdwvVilORvF3ElfOvlEEuMr8bLn3_P_oqbK0LYQw75f6PAT0TQNtaSpIYFsabJHrR4zbjQGkpgUT52AiXxw9BbXLUmucDj8MCz3xzdVCR1-zl9JYt7Iy8v/s4032/unearthed%20arcana.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_36xkFZfDnrBatljgbSJOluuUS9k_iqMgFtZkFHR4n47mcrduYgoYaLjMAYxjdfVFqosu4ABdwvVilORvF3ElfOvlEEuMr8bLn3_P_oqbK0LYQw75f6PAT0TQNtaSpIYFsabJHrR4zbjQGkpgUT52AiXxw9BbXLUmucDj8MCz3xzdVCR1-zl9JYt7Iy8v/w400-h300/unearthed%20arcana.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>I have made up characters used a straight 3D6 for each stat (three rolls of a six-sided die, which gives
a bell curve in a 3 to 18 range) and let the numbers force which class had to
be chosen. A great learning experience was using this method the first time I
convinced my age group and some younger kids <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/06/up-links.html" target="_blank">Up the Lake </a>to try the game the year I started playing. I
distinctly remember the next day overhearing one girl say, “I rolled some dice and
Jeff yelled ‘You’re a Dwarf!’ in my face and scared me. I had no idea what was
going on.” She must have been rolling for Constitution. That was the same time
I learned, for new players, it is critical to set up time in advance either individually,
or while the rest of the group can occupy themselves with something else, to
allow helping everyone make a character to prevent the rest of the gang isn’t dying
of boredom. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That whole experience was a trip. Role Playing Games were relatively new at
the time, meaning many of the parents wanted to watch and learn how "This D&D thing" worked.
They were clearly amazed I was only reading some of what happened from my books
and mostly we were all “making it up as we went along.” Still, having them
there was super awkward. Also, the lack of player experience showed through a bit.
When surrounded by Kobolds, Tracy said, “I’m a thief right? Can I steal their
spears?” I got a lot better at both being the Dungeon Master and explaining the
game mechanics after that foray. Having one of those kids (the Dwarf's sister, in fact) refer to me as “our Dungeon
Master” in an online birthday message when we were both grown ups meant a great deal. At least I wasn’t a complete disaster.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Especially
since I’m often working with first time players, the <i>Unearthed Arcana</i> method
of rolling up statistics works the best, because it allows the player to select
the type of character they want ahead of time AND be a heroically effective version that type. For specialty
character classes that have high requirements for certain stats, I have also
allowed “trading points” to reach the scores needed in the categories required to
create the character they have in mind once the rolling is complete.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There
is one simple reason for this. If I tell a kid, “Well, I know you wanted to be
a Barbarian, but you rolled up a weak limbed genius and therefore you have to
play either a Wizard, or a Barbarian who is terrible at barbarianing.”<br />Guess
what? They’re not coming back next week.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The
players can still face rough odds, dangerous traps and difficult puzzles, but I always
try to give them a “run away and nurse their wounds” option over wiping them out.<br />Again,
“OK, you’ve all been eaten by the invisible dragon you failed to detect, who’s
coming back to make new characters next week?<br />Hello…<br />Hey,
where is everyone?”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Speaking
of survival, the biggest chance for biting the dust comes at first level during the beginning of
the game. Therefore. I’ve added my own modification to the die rolls. EVERYONE gets
maximum hit points at first level. The book says roll a D8… you get 8 hit
points, plus any Constitution of other bonuses.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Its
either that or force nearly everything they meet on their first adventure to
miss them repeatedly, and that can be even more boring than kicking the bucket. The
maximum hit points- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>aligned with
liberally allowing the party ways to rest and recover health - keeps everyone
battling, but also keeps everyone alive to move forward in the game.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Unless they're determined to be really stupid. Hey, ya can't save everyone.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDV7EbwdHAGVKASQ60ys-S9oDMFlsuJREzj968akoZk626wXWzpsIm2LQqNFgV58acaGYrW_M5i_MLCHbsjvz0JO8GfPlp7R8qslAUCATSLmrU4Mf2_d210aWCYfkshOZANSfEmVPHPZPatt8a3QMWy1DTmcUGwz32JJRiAxxY3AG9bx5eh7FvVxkPfYC/s4032/hit%20points.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDV7EbwdHAGVKASQ60ys-S9oDMFlsuJREzj968akoZk626wXWzpsIm2LQqNFgV58acaGYrW_M5i_MLCHbsjvz0JO8GfPlp7R8qslAUCATSLmrU4Mf2_d210aWCYfkshOZANSfEmVPHPZPatt8a3QMWy1DTmcUGwz32JJRiAxxY3AG9bx5eh7FvVxkPfYC/w400-h300/hit%20points.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Additionally,
I feel a lot of other first-generation gamers like myself believed in “House Monopoly
Rules” ideas about character death automatically happening at zero hit points. The original AD&D hardcovers talk about reaching
-10 hit points and a few other elements before a character has moved beyond “mostly
dead.” </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The house rules idea is equally true for character statistics. They are based on 3D6
ranges, but the original <i>Dungeon Masters Guide </i>had a half dozen methods
designed to increase, optimize, and customize character stat roll ups.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7Jso0bHgcUbQhuv8XPdLL3IqlydlSfN2DLtbph3ZtCRDWSzC1UW24yaYtP6gDn0KM4kPS0-5dT6Py3Ge7_Sj2BAVeJz59vxWokxxuUO1W4a8Q1JGpJ4HF9NFZ5I0sAHdU79EYTuf1gfnzwko8oEhQC23CCLDzLZu_KpMLppWZKfqWQ9BtLkpbtjWsdar/s4032/rolling%20characters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7Jso0bHgcUbQhuv8XPdLL3IqlydlSfN2DLtbph3ZtCRDWSzC1UW24yaYtP6gDn0KM4kPS0-5dT6Py3Ge7_Sj2BAVeJz59vxWokxxuUO1W4a8Q1JGpJ4HF9NFZ5I0sAHdU79EYTuf1gfnzwko8oEhQC23CCLDzLZu_KpMLppWZKfqWQ9BtLkpbtjWsdar/w400-h300/rolling%20characters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>Something
I learned from, Jesse, my Dungeon Master, was unspoken in our game sessions. We both
featured a “common sense” rule about some of the more mathematical, i</span><span style="font-family: arial;">n game </span><span style="font-family: arial;">mechanics.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Encumbrance was a big one. Spending chunks of time calculating how much everyone can carry
and how fast they can move when they carry it can be a nightmare. We let common
sense be a guide and used basic movement numbers for dealing with chase
situations.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhAs_SQC8X8WOBkfhlrcGn5RXv4Xxept1FEMcTjLEx7xtzHfcB7OS-oRJnt4_NgrNAPeQA3LsMrSsCsgdhBtKTB6A27dPrIoaZUVrJrP1eXEhBGzYReGaKy6Ffl3HRx2-H3bI3rcMrY-U9cIHqtvVePWAsuDR8LFLiIaL-NQKlHY_F1gkqA_sWQdlKy43/s1528/fafran%20character%20sheet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1528" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhAs_SQC8X8WOBkfhlrcGn5RXv4Xxept1FEMcTjLEx7xtzHfcB7OS-oRJnt4_NgrNAPeQA3LsMrSsCsgdhBtKTB6A27dPrIoaZUVrJrP1eXEhBGzYReGaKy6Ffl3HRx2-H3bI3rcMrY-U9cIHqtvVePWAsuDR8LFLiIaL-NQKlHY_F1gkqA_sWQdlKy43/w400-h249/fafran%20character%20sheet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In
college I gamed with a much more serious group who did follow those rules and
other required calculations to the letter, plotting out movement, weights, and
attack speeds regularly. We still had entertaining sessions, but those calculations
led to a non-narrative type of problem solving that took time away from the story-based
interactivity and deduction. An example comes from the very first time playing with them.
I should have been suspicious of anyone who thought Eight AM on a Saturday in
college <i>existed </i>never mind was a good time to gather and role play. I
created a Norse type fighter, Fafran. (You try to
think of good names that early in the morning... possibly when hung over.) I
worked with the Dungeon Master to upscale him to an appropriate level that would mesh with
the others and outfitted him with equipment based on his background. The DM was thrilled I chose
a personality themed weapon like a Great Axe instead of a boring sword like
everyone else. Then we started playing. I learned why everyone else chose boring weapons. Boring weapons had higher in game speed ratings. Because of all those calculations,
in an encounter with a bear before the quest began, the animal got
multiple sets of attacks before Fafran could move and my new mighty warrior almost died in the bushes well before reaching the dungeon.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kTKqq6olS2hV6lirIeE47MQa0VtCAqYjhHe934p3lFKMdYaTs0jtN3pszAooV18k8nPMFO3XKuWWooWTEZ4acfYGR2MWSbhx-aVwipFIddyHX3slnQ-zf8ZugX1pkzDdJTqZrynq1K-4jkuy2k7xXtIlfRuT-h-sU_7OUlbk8DgLv8uESJI4qytmycOH/s325/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kTKqq6olS2hV6lirIeE47MQa0VtCAqYjhHe934p3lFKMdYaTs0jtN3pszAooV18k8nPMFO3XKuWWooWTEZ4acfYGR2MWSbhx-aVwipFIddyHX3slnQ-zf8ZugX1pkzDdJTqZrynq1K-4jkuy2k7xXtIlfRuT-h-sU_7OUlbk8DgLv8uESJI4qytmycOH/w345-h400/image.png" width="345" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>I
feel Jesse and I made the right decisions, especially concerning what time to
play.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>My
old groups and the groups I ran followed a much more high-level approach. Are the
characters lugging around about what you’d expect in a sword and sorcery film? Is
no one carrying anything ridiculous lake a catapult or a pony around the dungeon?
Okay, we’re good.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The
same was true for provisions. As long as some of the party remembered to pack
food, drink, and a light source with fuel we were not going to
worry about the details or consumption rate. We did however worry for specific
situations. If you’re only carrying rum, you can’t say, “I pour out my canteen
to douse this fire.” On the opposite side- if a Magic User casts a Continual Light spell
on a stick:
yes, they have a light source that can’t be blown, or otherwise snuffed out. However, it
also can’t be used to burn up a spider web or a Mummy.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Arrow, other missile weapons and actual
spell components were critical, though, and had to be listed and counted. I also used a liberal
interpretation about spells for the low-level characters, allowing them to have
more in their books than they could memorize at once, along with incorporating bonuses
for memorization. The standard first Level Magic User with one spell at a time,
a dagger, no armor and four or less hit points gets really bored (or killed…
which is more boring as everyone continues) on early adventures otherwise. The
spell bonuses are balanced out by the much higher starting hit points and equipment
allowances the other classes get. Granted, if they make it to high level, Wizards
can get insanely powerful, but I found keeping a group of kids focused enough
to go through a series of low-level adventures was a big enough challenge on
its own without worrying that far into the future.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>One
odd addition I’ve developed over time for low level characters is that almost everyone
gets an animal of some sort. I know that is normal for Magic Users and their familiars, or some of the wilderness dwelling races and classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because I’ve often played with groups of kids,
those “obvious” selections easily led to other players complaining, “Why does
he get a pet? I want one too!” Mostly, they come in handy when the players have
missed the point or gone off mission so far there’s no hope of them finding a
critical clue or pathway to continue. The animal actions range from required prods (Your Raven familiar is focused on something gleaming sticking out of the
obvious box in the corner you were afraid to open…it looks like a key.) to
outright rescues. (“The Cleric’s faithful guardian hound bites the leg off of
one of the Kobolds sneaking up on the camp that you forgot to post guards around
when everyone went to tie up the horses and you left your unconscious and
bleeding comrade alone in the clearing.”)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Often
the animals strictly added comedic effect.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_89vzI-GL1RAHYYHonKQWSZ9548jQQPlVtuToSRJcj7B8UOdk4syd6WKicYYduM16OjcgHw81Llexpk-vxxpMh3vkgGmHio52CzLHgb3rDOSD9K89g1gND61xw0ygWsBP9Ypg46lfK22yJI9qAJMn09x6ni5jt-2NNAoiExEonxpCRhLZNNGoG5QGEfb2/s4032/i1%20module.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_89vzI-GL1RAHYYHonKQWSZ9548jQQPlVtuToSRJcj7B8UOdk4syd6WKicYYduM16OjcgHw81Llexpk-vxxpMh3vkgGmHio52CzLHgb3rDOSD9K89g1gND61xw0ygWsBP9Ypg46lfK22yJI9qAJMn09x6ni5jt-2NNAoiExEonxpCRhLZNNGoG5QGEfb2/w400-h300/i1%20module.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">For most situations I’ll follow the rules for the <i>Toon </i>Cartoon role playing game. For that game if it was funny it was allowed. When I run a D&D game if it works in the context of the story it’s allowed. Honestly, I follow the “if it’s funny” rule in almost any game I run, as well. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This happened with a later group of Up the Lake kids I took through I1 <i>Dwellers of the Forbidden City. </i>One “pet” accompanying “Truk” my younger cousin’s massively strong, armored… and slow on the update… fighter was Frank, his chicken. Frank was dead and had been for quite a long time. Truk would toss him at foes and yell, “Get ‘em Frank!”<br />Then he’d inevitably need to rush in to Frank’s rescue, knocking dungeon denizens about like bowling pins. This added a great deal of entertainment for everyone in that later group of Up the Lake D&D players.<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEsyKjoZYRF_GVDiYDsS6tdqI80rNUwFqynXlwfHE4sGc8nM4sW8xrRE45IiIEW3p_yvf8uNkYGet7eJ4HMoHp_4i13KpyGQ7czc6xoSM371aOo5LsTi3KjeKzLa5ivO9Y5IxF7Jqr_5UEg5cwkOaU3e51FjQeWQ3wG5R6ZA3sqqzthu_rYkpfoz0m6uT/s4032/Up%20the%20lake%20character%20sheets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEsyKjoZYRF_GVDiYDsS6tdqI80rNUwFqynXlwfHE4sGc8nM4sW8xrRE45IiIEW3p_yvf8uNkYGet7eJ4HMoHp_4i13KpyGQ7czc6xoSM371aOo5LsTi3KjeKzLa5ivO9Y5IxF7Jqr_5UEg5cwkOaU3e51FjQeWQ3wG5R6ZA3sqqzthu_rYkpfoz0m6uT/w400-h300/Up%20the%20lake%20character%20sheets.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside- I know I have Eric's (Truk) Richie's (John the Ranger with Shadow the dog) Kim's (Aurorin the Elven Fighter/ Magic User) and Tracy's (Betty the Gnome Thief/ Illusionist with Shubert the squirrel) character sheets. If anyone remembers who played "Nosehair the Druid" (Danny? Betsy?) that summer please let me know.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETGV9uoYyO2ZqWc5tmzteP7nV3CyJKVLV9-Iv4kHBBKPsS3Q7p-Ovvn0IlKB2MIxKCd4Qab8J4dYl2Nptu7gfry10Fc11JpyLEujuWNtCFrz6uHb8lOdBGv8BlVLkFqKoA-0b0HG1dmUiSiF3YiBCmCfE_XUOsHiTyoNBEuLk_Tzp2_-gxF3xNBZDvuGs/s4032/miniatures%20collections.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETGV9uoYyO2ZqWc5tmzteP7nV3CyJKVLV9-Iv4kHBBKPsS3Q7p-Ovvn0IlKB2MIxKCd4Qab8J4dYl2Nptu7gfry10Fc11JpyLEujuWNtCFrz6uHb8lOdBGv8BlVLkFqKoA-0b0HG1dmUiSiF3YiBCmCfE_XUOsHiTyoNBEuLk_Tzp2_-gxF3xNBZDvuGs/w400-h300/miniatures%20collections.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A
final note on miniatures. When we played, we all had miniatures, and some of us
had “Dungeon Floors” or other table mapping tools. (My lead figures are still in the box they were delivered in. The protective egg cartons feel like a "Mom Idea." Since they're almost all intact, thanks Mom!) Aside from rare times we remembered to use their positioning to establish “marching order” or locations relative to each other
and things if it could be confusing when it was important. (doors, chests, statues ... pretty much any object could be dangerous in Jesse's games) In general, we barely ever used them. I feel like <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/10/milestone-stranger-days-luke-cage.html" target="_blank">Stranger Things </a></i>made the miniatures look like too important a part of the
experience. The best Dungeons and Dragons games I’ve been a part of in my life
were all in our heads.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>That’s
my general style- Before I can start the stories of our bold, if often confused
adventurers, we need an introduction to some of my characters who populated and
created backgrounds for the world this party explored and battled in.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Click here to meet my first character and see some early Dungeon Mastering lessons I learned.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This
party’s characters were introduced a while ago, <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/10/dungeons-and-dragons-memories-meet-party.html" target="_blank">click here to meet them.</a><br /><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/03/fun-filled-old-dungeons-and-dragons.html" target="_blank"><o:p> <br /></o:p>Dungeons and Dragons quick character reference and index</a> </span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-81771238784126277022024-03-14T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-14T11:00:00.142-07:00Teacher Tributes: German<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62NzSL-C845Jhr7PD1Cxz2OjIRX_QCkTbeQWt1oDdHtv-ABA5v2yDHDGtkmLjLkE2GVIdxG7ho3DQRCID82-ThA994FUTxXgvm8xmMj7Gv-20qFhPv98Ptx4cExysBm-m7R9ycmZfk9c0-RHrbYwcr-hHwdRwA9Xye1lXrkQuwxvgxf4rcDODi8Ab3aNQ/s480/german%20post.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="480" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62NzSL-C845Jhr7PD1Cxz2OjIRX_QCkTbeQWt1oDdHtv-ABA5v2yDHDGtkmLjLkE2GVIdxG7ho3DQRCID82-ThA994FUTxXgvm8xmMj7Gv-20qFhPv98Ptx4cExysBm-m7R9ycmZfk9c0-RHrbYwcr-hHwdRwA9Xye1lXrkQuwxvgxf4rcDODi8Ab3aNQ/w400-h295/german%20post.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I have always had an excellent memory, the ability to read and retain things quickly, and often well past when I needed them. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The ENORMOUS exception to this is languages other than English. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have tried several reputable programs and websites to learn Spanish since meeting<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/10/perfect-10.html" target="_blank"> Rosa.</a> Some of those were shortly before being immersed in the language on trips to <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/search/label/Peru" target="_blank">Peru</a>. It doesn't stick. I can usually follow conversations she and Anabelle are having, unless they get emotional and speed up. I have little hope of finding the words needed to speak it myself. Honestly, a large portion of what I do remember comes from shared Latin roots of scientific names of animals and dinosaurs. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This language barrier was a huge hinderance in High School.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took four years of German. The only time I remember any of it is when I try to speak Spanish to my family, and the proper word in <i>Deutch </i>comes out. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is not helpful.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did have some dangerous<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2018/07/teacher-tributes-physics.html" target="_blank"> waves of apathy in</a> High School, but there were many instances where I would spend more time studying for German than everything else combined. I could do the reading and writing assignments with help from context clues and a heavily thumbed dictionary. However, when it would come time to take a straight vocabulary test all four years, I'd be lucky to get 40% right.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luckily, there are other things to learn.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first two years of German class had stereotypical teachers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">German 1 was taught by a round faced, smiling man, that I could easily believe had lederhosen and an oversized brass instrument at home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">German 2 was taught by a small, stern faced woman, *drops into Eddie Izzard voice* "Very Prussian, very organized. "</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then came Herr Elbin for German 3 and 4 and things were different. He was tall with thinning but still somewhat out of control hair, a bushy beard, and a frequent, disarming smile. The differences were brought home during our first quiz when he had his sandaled feet up on his desk and was strumming his not-plugged-in electric guitar to pass the time. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside- his coolness increased when we learned his wife worked as a keeper at the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/01/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures_30.html" target="_blank">Bronx Zoo</a>. I never found out her name or what area she worked in, but I feel like, due to statistics in general, I must have seen her there sometime in my life.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">His class provided instruction in far more than a foreign language. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Without warning, one day he was completely serious, separated us into groups based on clothing color selections, and forced one set of students to stand in the back.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's an example of his "show don't tell" methods of instruction to highlight the important "Nazis are bad" concept. He made sure to highlight the methods they used, such as encouraging prejudice, turning one group against another with artificial information, assuming authority will not be questioned and other of the more sneaky tactics that evil group used in order for us to recognize them when others try to pull them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We did an in depth section on Faust too, which had a boat load of applicable to the present day lessons built in, that he clearly highlighted.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When assigning biographies of famous Germans, he made sure I'd get Doctor Wernher Von Braun, knowing full well that not only would I know who Tom Lehrer was, but that I was one hundred percent certain to bring in <a href="https://youtu.be/TjDEsGZLbio?si=gVD2OJUDxc3Hp0wS" target="_blank">his song</a> about the Doctor as part of my presentation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We were reading a murder mystery in class and were asked to write our own endings. Two guys found the book (much tougher in those pre-online caveman days) and learned the reveal in the ending was the victims were stung by scorpions. We weren't supposed to do that, but since they had the murderer be Klaus Meine, lead singer of German metal band "The Scorpions" ("Rock You Like a Hurricane") he decided it was too funny to get mad about.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Teaching a language can be very focused on the topic at hand. Granted, the later years connect more to the literature and culture of that language, but it can still be very focused.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mr. Elbin made sure we learned not only a wide variety of topics, through the lens of German class, but also adjusted the classroom atmosphere and assignments to ensure his students used peak creativity and a variety of ways of thinking. He gave us examples that showed a multiple communication methods and ways to relate better to other people, not only via a new language, but through culture and humanity in general.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the transition into Junior year, when I first entered his classroom, was my lowest point, one of the greatest compliments I ever received was what he wrote in my yearbook.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"I think you may have picked up more than anyone else in German 3 & 4 ... and I'm not necessarily talking about the t-shirt collection."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was and continues to be obvious to anyone that knows me that he was not talking about the German language either ... but the other part still means a great deal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Herr. Elbin- this teacher tribute is for you.</span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-64692212597626576022024-03-11T18:10:00.000-07:002024-03-18T11:11:08.063-07:00Fun Filled Old Dungeons and Dragons Memories- Reference Sheet and Index<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmTqVUdwcEuBJq9-xn0w2aerS2s7qSyudbbxzsKPwBY9zRQ-UgzAedwiIFoW5pL6D9MTG12QzkCnFdleksAvEqBNPlx2wWPQ_d4Cs_naPVJEuNHIfSu1iZ2fVyxluYnOgUu8-AveYFXZps2oCIsANm1S7B8B82f2VpUFfPkqDIW432tB9gWF-iCt1LFvH/s4032/party%20character%20summary%20page.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmTqVUdwcEuBJq9-xn0w2aerS2s7qSyudbbxzsKPwBY9zRQ-UgzAedwiIFoW5pL6D9MTG12QzkCnFdleksAvEqBNPlx2wWPQ_d4Cs_naPVJEuNHIfSu1iZ2fVyxluYnOgUu8-AveYFXZps2oCIsANm1S7B8B82f2VpUFfPkqDIW432tB9gWF-iCt1LFvH/w300-h400/party%20character%20summary%20page.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Here
are the links to the goofy adventures of a gaming group that really got the hang
of the fun parts of interactive storytelling<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <span><a name='more'></a></span><br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Here’s
a quick Reference Guide to the party, leave it available for easy access to
prevent confusion as to who is who.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Character
Name- Player Name- Race- Class</span></b><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Cuzquena
– Rosa* – Human – Cleric of Tumi<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">El
Chicho- James – Gnome – Thief (prefers “guide”)<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Freynarfir-
David – Grey Elf- Magic User<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Johny
Bigfeet – Dan – Halfling – Acrobat in training (currently Thief)<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Murcielaga
Raffaela- Kim – Human – Paladin of Dianecht<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Metzen
- Jared - Wild Elf – “Hunter” (Modified Fighter-Elves couldn’t be Rangers then)<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Smokey
– Mark – Human – Barbarian<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Snow
Red- Lauren- Mountain Dwarf- Fighter<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Dungeon
Master- Jeff *(theoretically) – Human with reality controlling powers- Storyteller<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Index
Below<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Introduction
1 Running the game for new young players-</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/03/general-dungeon-master-philosophy.html" target="_blank">General Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master Philosophy</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Introduction
2- Dungeons and Dragons Campaign Back Story- Courtesy of Jeff’s Characters<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
1- Basic Character and DM Lessons<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
2- Advanced D&D Characters<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Introduction
3- <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/10/dungeons-and-dragons-memories-meet-party.html" target="_blank">Dungeons and Dragons Memories- Meet the Party</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Palace
of the Silver Princess B3 Adventure<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
1<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
2<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Gozno’s
Stronghold, Modified B1 Adventure<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
1<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
2<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
3<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Part
4<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Other
Links<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2018/01/how-to-win-at-any-edition-of-dungeons.html" target="_blank">How to Win at Any Edition of Dungeons and Dragons</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/11/show-us-your-larp.html" target="_blank">When
D&D led to Live Action Role Playing</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/10/dungeons-and-dragons-memories-meet-party.html" target="_blank">A
Computer Game Like D&D</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/06/my-second-favorite-explanation-of-what.html" target="_blank">The Awesome Dungeons and Dragons Movie</a></span></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-5599781476869224122024-03-07T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-07T11:00:00.138-08:00Books to Open Your Mind- Frog and Toad<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhits3EpgFXyAzdF5CsgmthKQMmUL2TQ7YFlHSque1Hr-6DbxrXRIi7ARuC63Bzyvc7IyhVJh0BBdwxO2B-vRyG-AcdPmmxIXHtU7ezP1SRKeACFhJbYJgKgcYzANYBelLbfv2Dqr_2ECg950eL78U_zN6QyLjwBnNBa7cVSJkOkXvSQYicpVcYCHfHmKXN/s4032/frog%20and%20toad%20books.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhits3EpgFXyAzdF5CsgmthKQMmUL2TQ7YFlHSque1Hr-6DbxrXRIi7ARuC63Bzyvc7IyhVJh0BBdwxO2B-vRyG-AcdPmmxIXHtU7ezP1SRKeACFhJbYJgKgcYzANYBelLbfv2Dqr_2ECg950eL78U_zN6QyLjwBnNBa7cVSJkOkXvSQYicpVcYCHfHmKXN/w400-h300/frog%20and%20toad%20books.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />As a kid I had <i>Frog and Toad are Friends </i>by Arnold Lobell, and took his three other books in the series out of the grammar school library frequently. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The set is one of the most frequent gifts I give to people when they have a baby. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And reading them were featured performances of my doing voices when my daughter was little.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's a remarkable string of happenings considering how much I <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/06/up-lake-animals-part-1.html" target="_blank">dislike </a>the animals the main characters are based on. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There must be something special about these books. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, they are funny. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In fact, they are very funny.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it's not the usual <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/02/jeffs-books-to-open-your-mind-captain.html" target="_blank">subversive </a>or <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/05/of-marxes-and-muppets.html" target="_blank">absurd</a> comedy I like.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They're more a unity of opposites kind of funny. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Toad is an uptight, pessimist who worries about everything.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frog is laid back, easy going and looks on the bright side.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bringing them together is a natural source of comedy. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I guess there is a classic "Vaudevillian comedy team" dynamic to them, which fits in well with my tastes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the appeal of the books is more than the humor.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is the bringing them together because... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They're friends. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Hence the name of one of the books) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In spite of their differences, they are friends. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They take care of each other. They do things for each other. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And yes, they do laugh at each other sometimes but in a good natured way. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Its a relationship built on enjoying each other's company, with a large dose of compassion and empathy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Honestly, the older I get, the more I believe compassion and empathy should be the starting point of just about every human interaction at any scale.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe I'm turning into a hippie in my old age,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or maybe I just had the right influences in my young age.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I read them again a little while ago when Anabelle was reorganizing her shelves. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This time it was not to any kids, just on my own.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They made me laugh, and they gave me warm smiles. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They're nice.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sometimes we all need a little "nice" in our lives.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So maybe they aren't exclusively "books to open your mind."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They're "books to open your heart."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Which is at least as important, likely, very much more so. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And sometimes reflections can be a birthday present to me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bonus content A:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I recently learned there was a kid aimed Off (and very briefly - three months- On) Broadway musical based on the series.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was commissioned by Lobel's daughter, artist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adriannelobel/" target="_blank">Adrianne Lobell</a>. The script was by Mark Linn-Baker of <i>Perfect Strangers, <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/11/it-was-savagely-sensational.html" target="_blank">She Hulk</a> </i>and (personal favorite) <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/01/george-awards-andwere-watching.html" target="_blank">My Favorite Year </a></i>fame. He also played Toad. Frog was Jay Goede. The songs were by Robert and Willie Reale and have a definite vaudeville feel to them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From what I could tell from the soundtrack album it really captured the flavor, humor and warm feelings of the books, with super catchy tunes that stuck in my head.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that "<a href="https://youtu.be/_O8PpM7I4z4?si=TCjmasnv4yfMgKCE" target="_blank">Snail with the Mail</a>" song goes way harder than it has any right to.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've seen clips of both the Claymation episodes (back in the 1980's) and the recent traditionally animated show based on the books. They both captured the feel of the stories as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I guess kindness is pretty simple after all.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bonus content B:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Voices for kids books is a family thing, including </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Kim with <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/09/jeffs-books-to-open-your-mind-we-are-in.html" target="_blank">Elephant and Piggie</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This may date back to Mom's occasional, out of nowhere, <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/03/jeffs-books-to-open-your-mind-dr-seuss.html" target="_blank">Doctor Seuss</a> song and dance performances.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The voices I use-</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frog is an adjustment of my <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/05/of-marxes-and-muppets.html" target="_blank">Kermit</a> voice. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Explanation and origin- Back in the stone age of vehicular audio, when I was single and drove a giant Ford Bronco, there was a huge ice storm while I was at work. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was also the day after I had the truck serviced and I forgot to replace my collection of cassettes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It took nearly FOUR HOURS to cover the 14 miles to get home!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The only tape I had in the car was <i>The Best of Bert and Ernie</i> which I heard MANY times on the drive. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By the time I reached home, I had lost most of my sanity, but had Ernie's voice down cold from singing along with him at the top of my lungs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was proven the next day when sledding with the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/10/dungeons-and-dragons-memories-meet-party.html" target="_blank">neighborhood kids</a>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I broke into "Rubber Duckie" and was told by James, "Cut that out! It's too good, i</span><span style="font-family: arial;">t's creepy.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">" </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He also told me I slowed down the sled because I was "a load." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Charming child.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Sadly, and bizarrely, I have yet to get Bert's right.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Taking Ernie's as a base, Kermit was similar, but with more exasperation and less mischievousness. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My Frog was a far less stressed, less managerial and less organized version of Kermit.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Everyone else's speech patterns and tones came from the mass of voices I can call up at random.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Explanation and origin- Going from being a weird kid who did a lot of mimicking and role playing, to refining the ability in a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/10/e-dorm-memories-insane-songs-for-insane.html" target="_blank">college radio show</a> means I have MANY silly voices to choose from.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Toad is my grouchy old man voice.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Explanation and origin- It was basically my regular voice but a little slower, a little deeper and a little more gravelly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Or, in the present, my actual voice.</span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-80762906470298453272024-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:002024-03-04T19:16:50.542-08:00Washington DC Day 7- May 20, 2023<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;">Excessive Elephants</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJGCAkVGQxku1CWKiTNAdMjWgrOG-j_8H1rVBUxCtHdTWgZffvSFBT5gD_HUlm813eng1VjXlu77CWhZ3e5yqWBtxCnZ9rqVDPoDnYm9r_0G3PRSQaKZk5pDp4-157ZtPgk99vrC7yGaA33w1fg-nC4fZtYge2UzI4XqPcnYgDlz1ev7pc2hM4sUInfgJ/s4032/national%20zoo%20map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJGCAkVGQxku1CWKiTNAdMjWgrOG-j_8H1rVBUxCtHdTWgZffvSFBT5gD_HUlm813eng1VjXlu77CWhZ3e5yqWBtxCnZ9rqVDPoDnYm9r_0G3PRSQaKZk5pDp4-157ZtPgk99vrC7yGaA33w1fg-nC4fZtYge2UzI4XqPcnYgDlz1ev7pc2hM4sUInfgJ/w300-h400/national%20zoo%20map.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>Because our final day was a Saturday,
breakfast stayed open an hour later. We slept in a little bit more and went
down expecting massive weekend crowds. There were none.<br />Sadly, there were also no bananas. <a href="https://youtu.be/wtiCO_7__5Q?si=6KrQyLR3uxV6g5B7" target="_blank">Cue song</a>.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Any excuse to press that <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/11/e-dorm-memories-you-never-know-what.html" target="_blank">button</a> is a good one.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Tom, the Latin server who helped Rosa
find her way through gluten free selections all week was there again to assist
her. There was also another guy who sounded like he smoked at least twelve
packs a day that complimented my sneakers.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We went back to the room to rest a bit
before our last adventure, and then checked out. Down in the lobby, we
witnessed some more staff conflict. The desk clerk pointed out a valet was just
standing outside doing nothing. When we went out to where our car was to be delivered,
we heard her and the janitor giving each other grief for varied reasons.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback: We ended every family trip
by stopping at the zoo on the drive home. It seemed to be the logical way to go
this time.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On this day that we decided go to the
National Zoo, we learned following my parent’s lead of stopping there on the
drive back was the proper choice. The other option would have been to visit it
another day and do local sightseeing with our luggage in “storage” at the
hotel before driving home.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>On the way out we saw the belongings of
others that (unlike the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/07/disney-world-2022-day-10-august-11.html" target="_blank">Disney</a> method of luggage storage, which involved a room
full of locked cages and redemption tags) were stored in this hotel’s method-</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">which
involved “a pile in the lobby.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We drove out of DC proper and up the hills
towards the National Zoo. As expected, we passed a great many embassies,
including Peru. I’m not sure if the Navicomputer was trying to get back into
the groove of driving after a week of walking directions, the zoo was oddly
located, driving in DC is a general nightmare or some combination of the three.
We took a large number of tiny back roads and right before we saw the zoo sign,
I was convinced we were hopelessly lost. We were then directed past a seemingly
never-ending cascade of parking lot entrances until we were allowed to enter
one of them.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We knew we reached the right place.<br />Well... obviously because of the signs.<br />But also, because it smelled like a zoo.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We reviewed the map (Spoilers- it was
useless.) and chose a course of action to loop through the exhibits, hitting likely
lunch locations when needed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9gteYHlmDZVUIt4IAFuEbDHJFFmUNSP6_vWEsPno5qoMrFcnoprdxIDYQpw9IAEhr94FqdqxjZB_22JLY-PZOUFyyTJz_MdeANICT7C3e3QkaI0ryt8DiZSnnoHxSED5lCa7mkT-7foaw5JNgND1wDvyIUcQKPpgLIhRGCUOD9p2faRhLYG2ghqC3vcI/s4032/llamas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9gteYHlmDZVUIt4IAFuEbDHJFFmUNSP6_vWEsPno5qoMrFcnoprdxIDYQpw9IAEhr94FqdqxjZB_22JLY-PZOUFyyTJz_MdeANICT7C3e3QkaI0ryt8DiZSnnoHxSED5lCa7mkT-7foaw5JNgND1wDvyIUcQKPpgLIhRGCUOD9p2faRhLYG2ghqC3vcI/w400-h300/llamas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We started out with the “Kids Farm”
section, with Anabelle getting excited about a petting zoo experience.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>(Spoilers- It was indeed a farm, but
there was no petting… alas.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kEjVBRPtaF0X-Fx4fMICgeMfx1ztc4jQ7mPvJcP8ZmdiLpnqKPmGTTdamW7jfudW5tlrrJ8BIH8jWIy1y8UHbQyCQt3CpW2lbl3_v5k2MqW4vnVFukiLB3UcdS_b8EYQkSto7dbCLNykCTBFe-EuPipqS4Ths0ZcjkRaQhgQJuDrKO5cO8dbYwc4s8x-/s4032/birthday%20chicken.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kEjVBRPtaF0X-Fx4fMICgeMfx1ztc4jQ7mPvJcP8ZmdiLpnqKPmGTTdamW7jfudW5tlrrJ8BIH8jWIy1y8UHbQyCQt3CpW2lbl3_v5k2MqW4vnVFukiLB3UcdS_b8EYQkSto7dbCLNykCTBFe-EuPipqS4Ths0ZcjkRaQhgQJuDrKO5cO8dbYwc4s8x-/w400-h300/birthday%20chicken.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We saw a few farm animals, and the “highlight”
was a chicken celebrating its birthday. Undeterred (yet) by this indication
that we were in no way in our beloved <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/01/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures_30.html" target="_blank">Bronx</a> or <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/10/denver-2022-day-9-may-12-ugly-monkey.html" target="_blank">Denver</a> Zoos, we continued on.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>It looked like we were passing behind a
building, but the road led directly to the entrance of the Amazonia exhibit.
The first few rooms had large tanks, making us think it was a mini-aquarium.<br /> <o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_c-c0UpGDogWzuoJh8MKdhACWOOaEB4c5mRuHc3NZV_UB-E1ZiPY1QaTNIw__weqSXAShGVGnFyT9VmSomTqJ7D8TfroiPcXa4D8Gcu3VNGX0tcrKeJ-HGmXymS9H6EYk_iQDTDErn4Vs-w4gSZ0IsphSd1X3arcoB2ptCdAl_Efnj8opyWE5klNDRAu/s4032/amazon%20fish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_c-c0UpGDogWzuoJh8MKdhACWOOaEB4c5mRuHc3NZV_UB-E1ZiPY1QaTNIw__weqSXAShGVGnFyT9VmSomTqJ7D8TfroiPcXa4D8Gcu3VNGX0tcrKeJ-HGmXymS9H6EYk_iQDTDErn4Vs-w4gSZ0IsphSd1X3arcoB2ptCdAl_Efnj8opyWE5klNDRAu/w400-h300/amazon%20fish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>(Spoilers- It was…sort of.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrJx3CWTrka1YUC7iiVMFj6GLrSIP52BCtjsPWWZEGrZw2VVY4GzwbzNYAZ-X_E0xZcoqzZH-7u1LRN4jKG7P2KkUNQW90ZpkNIBUGn0Q5pk1O0rCLMRSSCNiPOEcdh8N4U_dv3p6xDFauMPTP9xy7nLmZarxKblJyIzAeej5r9GQPOTdjtiiXIR0tUtN/s4032/tropical%20fish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrJx3CWTrka1YUC7iiVMFj6GLrSIP52BCtjsPWWZEGrZw2VVY4GzwbzNYAZ-X_E0xZcoqzZH-7u1LRN4jKG7P2KkUNQW90ZpkNIBUGn0Q5pk1O0rCLMRSSCNiPOEcdh8N4U_dv3p6xDFauMPTP9xy7nLmZarxKblJyIzAeej5r9GQPOTdjtiiXIR0tUtN/w400-h300/tropical%20fish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Most of the building had rooms with home
sized aquarium tanks filled with mostly home style tropical fish. There was an
electric eel we caught a keeper talk for. I learned a couple of things I didn’t
know.<br />A) The eels can release their charge in
small bursts to stun prey, or all at once to defend themselves.<br />B) Electric eels are air breathers, due
to living in such brackish waters.<br />C) Anabelle does not care at all about
electric eels or anything else in the tanks, and went to watch a video about
birds.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkHt4bv2XyFtN4AbbTCjdT12gbGV8tLE_oJ4fzfwtMsfXm7qpK1lXVuVkjRldxmoGA_t-tpZPVMo_Gduk1gL0_Q5oyE_sxWT8PvNCnX3AAp62jMpSMcpYaYq3VYeQ5eHSidm6S18B3Ya6fMTWcFdk3W8ng6u-kkkTWuLxMZqT3t2Y8awzakCoTO7vDezD/s4032/moonbill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkHt4bv2XyFtN4AbbTCjdT12gbGV8tLE_oJ4fzfwtMsfXm7qpK1lXVuVkjRldxmoGA_t-tpZPVMo_Gduk1gL0_Q5oyE_sxWT8PvNCnX3AAp62jMpSMcpYaYq3VYeQ5eHSidm6S18B3Ya6fMTWcFdk3W8ng6u-kkkTWuLxMZqT3t2Y8awzakCoTO7vDezD/w400-h300/moonbill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were “pond” sections, mostly above
the large tanks we had seen downstairs. There a spoonbill presented his back
end to me. A “moonbill” if you will. They were building a nest, which was nifty
to see.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFP13beMyoY_VZpCRjF1DWapLYWzxcjwWkFCmH6GvYSPyi_Gxcd1_w2qrWx9d-4CsW0FOknH2qzds0_v0998RvN42oNX_oBY3KiGihvbL4jvMV8UsBRJxODy_LxIEEAU9KNrys6zpssg2_f958nJKeho23YexaqLLNuXbW2N6KmqaXJBwfKjdZy72oslNT/s4032/cuy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFP13beMyoY_VZpCRjF1DWapLYWzxcjwWkFCmH6GvYSPyi_Gxcd1_w2qrWx9d-4CsW0FOknH2qzds0_v0998RvN42oNX_oBY3KiGihvbL4jvMV8UsBRJxODy_LxIEEAU9KNrys6zpssg2_f958nJKeho23YexaqLLNuXbW2N6KmqaXJBwfKjdZy72oslNT/w400-h300/cuy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A hay thatched set up had a large group
of Guinea pigs. “Yum, Cuy!” said Rosa.<br />Anabelle and I hurried her out of there
before she tried to figure out if they were gluten free.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The last room was “The<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/06/up-lake-animals-part-1.html" target="_blank"> Frog</a> Zone.”<br />“I’ll be over here by the coral,” said I.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3V4Tlg3YJmPDcmLS9G-qpO3cDNKbWV0Xg2QTqQoeUK9Rka7HjrefmwNctwSGlALHe490Y4Aft3fEja-M9hC6htpAab4tEedsvhAW46zEIQfGrfCipvHi5co1tMpuOqYQg4QND19mDGHBXXABAEe0uPOc-s2BFOk7ho49bkOCSB31uXorWljXgDl0UP61T/s4032/andean%20bear.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3V4Tlg3YJmPDcmLS9G-qpO3cDNKbWV0Xg2QTqQoeUK9Rka7HjrefmwNctwSGlALHe490Y4Aft3fEja-M9hC6htpAab4tEedsvhAW46zEIQfGrfCipvHi5co1tMpuOqYQg4QND19mDGHBXXABAEe0uPOc-s2BFOk7ho49bkOCSB31uXorWljXgDl0UP61T/w400-h300/andean%20bear.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Finished with the building, the South
American theme continued with a spectacled or Andean bear exhibit, thrilling
Anabelle. Her variable scale of animal preference that led her to proclaim
herself a “bear enthusiast” in <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/09/denver-2022-day-2-may-5-ugly-monkeys.html" target="_blank">Colorado</a> last year had blossomed and grown into
a full-blown bear obsession. The spectacled bear stared at her for a while,
making a great moment. A bit later we realized the next exhibit had two cubs up
in a tree with the mama on the ground providing other great moments.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbcM7KthM2PzEUK6lZP60X0QG-nDeXrYK9Yr-WCWITTi6jr4ij-ZbDSlakTzEzRFGdAXOv4I604VdetMHVw_bEKahJ7-UC54m1rHz50gJcObraM4CuHvraLWYcKF51O5Le72aW03lR6PostQk6JOUe7SDnHbdNcgzjzqfFmKGwE61Ay2K7_V6lLi9E9Z9/s4032/andean%20bear%20cub.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbcM7KthM2PzEUK6lZP60X0QG-nDeXrYK9Yr-WCWITTi6jr4ij-ZbDSlakTzEzRFGdAXOv4I604VdetMHVw_bEKahJ7-UC54m1rHz50gJcObraM4CuHvraLWYcKF51O5Le72aW03lR6PostQk6JOUe7SDnHbdNcgzjzqfFmKGwE61Ay2K7_V6lLi9E9Z9/w400-h300/andean%20bear%20cub.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Anabelle fulfilled her needed bear
quota…for now, and we continued through some twisty uphill paths to North
American animals.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWEETWfvA8AuLzQ3oEAXI2Kn7ZP5URWaBxo97huTfr_Knoydj1a2MYt4Rq2MvG3fNBuLOc7CE47QlE9nL4tjZls23MdGMx0rEJ0eYCNWAjds5JV0GYdkI-8Du1lbV6L3KDAB53ZGsZoXIxOdDBqi5b0iaO6qLGcFzvg28j00BrmOU-SJDVbpuDz3H7z1G/s4032/sea%20lion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWEETWfvA8AuLzQ3oEAXI2Kn7ZP5URWaBxo97huTfr_Knoydj1a2MYt4Rq2MvG3fNBuLOc7CE47QlE9nL4tjZls23MdGMx0rEJ0eYCNWAjds5JV0GYdkI-8Du1lbV6L3KDAB53ZGsZoXIxOdDBqi5b0iaO6qLGcFzvg28j00BrmOU-SJDVbpuDz3H7z1G/w400-h300/sea%20lion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In the underwater viewing area for the
sea lion, we learned that it’s training stick must have had a green end. This
is because a kid with a soda bottle with a bright green cap was waving it
around and the sea lion followed him all over the place. That kid got one of
the best zoo days ever.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Up on the top of the tanks we
continued our tiring climb after walking all over DC for a week. There was a grey
seal laying out and sunning itself. Rosa quickly declared, “I want to do that.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There were signs for several animals,
which we didn’t see as we ascended yet another twisty path. I thought the owl and
eagle were impressive looking. The long week and her bear encounter led
Anabelle to reply with, “yawn.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv91MazRHoTJIMTZByBIDpn-cWSToKTRBcnZHSI_kctSVdv4SCpfnK5QZ2eK2B-yjMnlc3910SITkviVu9aQG38EC00sUUI25X8RBBE21DMlifYSUbAa2BSeQ9XIw9YLCb9vxSG4x3vijZKjm2DIz7fFHxujIU0kRekbhR3Pccvhlg7eNrauylVkexpl88/s4032/beaver.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv91MazRHoTJIMTZByBIDpn-cWSToKTRBcnZHSI_kctSVdv4SCpfnK5QZ2eK2B-yjMnlc3910SITkviVu9aQG38EC00sUUI25X8RBBE21DMlifYSUbAa2BSeQ9XIw9YLCb9vxSG4x3vijZKjm2DIz7fFHxujIU0kRekbhR3Pccvhlg7eNrauylVkexpl88/w400-h300/beaver.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As we got higher, we could finally see
some animals below us.<br /> Beaver!!!<br />Ravens!!!<br />Otter!!!!<br />There was much cheering.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOTt9Fsg68Pq2HjlUhI531R4tD5b2B8_UfhSj88tgqHA6JQ4OU0dtRVnQ-7elpykA7OsmpHP5MvKJ1eqdJ3SEXlV09TSBepu2WDgoYVquY2dCx4vh8QoZvpfaBaXWTig3yKanhtnf9XrXpxV87RaMAnUYNfUBOAs9ciO1dw-k8FAiBpg1BDykcz0H_rJy/s4032/raven.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOTt9Fsg68Pq2HjlUhI531R4tD5b2B8_UfhSj88tgqHA6JQ4OU0dtRVnQ-7elpykA7OsmpHP5MvKJ1eqdJ3SEXlV09TSBepu2WDgoYVquY2dCx4vh8QoZvpfaBaXWTig3yKanhtnf9XrXpxV87RaMAnUYNfUBOAs9ciO1dw-k8FAiBpg1BDykcz0H_rJy/w400-h300/raven.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>We came out in no way near where we
expected to. This was because we were following the map. It took a while to
figure out the map was much more of a suggestion of how things were laid out, and
not a technical drawing.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback: When we were kids there
were two moments that led a stranger to laugh so hard, they almost fell into
the elephant enclosure.<br />A) A breeze blew right at Kim from the
elephants while she was enjoying a frozen snack and she shouted, “MMMM! S***
flavored snow cone!”<br />B) This zoo then had a mix of African
and Asian elephants. As the same smart-ass kid who could identify a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-5-may-18-2023.html" target="_blank">zeuglodon</a>
across the room and knew the difference between mammoth and mastodon teeth, I
was explaining the visible differences between elephant types. Mom asked,
“Which ones do we have at home?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
answer.<br />“We don’t have any at home, we live in
New Jersey…</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*pause while stranger next to us spits snack food into enclosure*<br />But the Bronx Zoo has Asian.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-PgGJQ4wc9xj4J1tDF0Q9EeLslOgJmdq7QIfrG84L6lUW8I7TQwEUTgjP9hRO8rCMWPWIk8RfiOwMF0HkkNS8odF156fz95Jm2CQtc8zmw0QjTVdXI1TTytl1WFnk0bGW55uNWSRAkEm6tlkKZI6iYkjoxQfFDBrYJ6OebDwKrZmxITfWPrGbJZ4sqB8/s4032/elephant.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-PgGJQ4wc9xj4J1tDF0Q9EeLslOgJmdq7QIfrG84L6lUW8I7TQwEUTgjP9hRO8rCMWPWIk8RfiOwMF0HkkNS8odF156fz95Jm2CQtc8zmw0QjTVdXI1TTytl1WFnk0bGW55uNWSRAkEm6tlkKZI6iYkjoxQfFDBrYJ6OebDwKrZmxITfWPrGbJZ4sqB8/w400-h300/elephant.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The National Zoo only has Asian
elephants now. They are in an enormous enclosure that acts as the central focal
point of the zoo.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyJlr7Zy5pLYV7qndzWOJzsLIaIqxH0kBjczStvp5XMdfnB9R2q5l2zYYxEFFV-RYhbpcTM4u82X8dq12VozeHb8Lq_WvLv5CGyMJZSuZw86sUfwPCITos7Q7i0R-BafDKiXJh1QFq8J0tRZ3YoozuFbTFbVxBUA0lu0nGLqeWvqP6TYijKJr0DJmitMW/s4032/gibbon%20moment.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyJlr7Zy5pLYV7qndzWOJzsLIaIqxH0kBjczStvp5XMdfnB9R2q5l2zYYxEFFV-RYhbpcTM4u82X8dq12VozeHb8Lq_WvLv5CGyMJZSuZw86sUfwPCITos7Q7i0R-BafDKiXJh1QFq8J0tRZ3YoozuFbTFbVxBUA0lu0nGLqeWvqP6TYijKJr0DJmitMW/w300-h400/gibbon%20moment.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Nearby was the gibbon enclosure.
Anabelle’s favorite primate! (Doesn’t everyone have one? And why not?) She
spent a while basking in the lesser ape’s glory. When she was done, I asked if
she enjoyed her gibbon moment. Her answer, “It peed.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QFOwVJNdoHgwMhXgUue_NhC_Y0VhrOEu_1OwvR6wG37jomAhB010zyC9NXEK50PvN7GV-F1OZRTZ3aaQSekIa2bgHDmaiGEvM6hDB1dJ-k1vf5wZS3LOCAjWhY3xBeWCxc_L4IhG4lp8QZ4IjM1MJ9-d1CCmOs1yG-DMTUdTrKwIWNaM08Pyp4RAqbfK/s2896/old%20triceratops.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1897" data-original-width="2896" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QFOwVJNdoHgwMhXgUue_NhC_Y0VhrOEu_1OwvR6wG37jomAhB010zyC9NXEK50PvN7GV-F1OZRTZ3aaQSekIa2bgHDmaiGEvM6hDB1dJ-k1vf5wZS3LOCAjWhY3xBeWCxc_L4IhG4lp8QZ4IjM1MJ9-d1CCmOs1yG-DMTUdTrKwIWNaM08Pyp4RAqbfK/w400-h263/old%20triceratops.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>DC Flashback: There used to be a full-sized
plastic triceratops outside the Smithsonian <a href="*pause while stranger next to us spits snack food into enclosure* But the Bronx Zoo has Asian.”" target="_blank">Natural History Museum</a>. I have
climbed on it many times in my youth, and one year we used the photo
for our Christmas card. I kept thinking something was missing when we passed by
that museum, but I couldn’t remember what.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LSOXkrpm-R5Ky4ByLVGydt9PPmprOZGya-7CCCPaGP9emoBWrXhGPc_EQekHiEuGK_wCPC6DhELmfj4PLVbbRyX7Sk9Aw3gshKDlfmtJGPRnNtKA8N1BErv57f3yk84g2XBQEo36cLxAP_M3FWEkRLL3vLb6Ua9C84TBSQyuRUGPYoF1yQ4uVK3_MsZa/s4032/triceratops%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LSOXkrpm-R5Ky4ByLVGydt9PPmprOZGya-7CCCPaGP9emoBWrXhGPc_EQekHiEuGK_wCPC6DhELmfj4PLVbbRyX7Sk9Aw3gshKDlfmtJGPRnNtKA8N1BErv57f3yk84g2XBQEo36cLxAP_M3FWEkRLL3vLb6Ua9C84TBSQyuRUGPYoF1yQ4uVK3_MsZa/w400-h300/triceratops%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In the center of the area we were in,
under a tree on the side of the path was the triceratops! It had been
repainted, used in a movie at some point, and moved to the zoo in 1994. No
climbing on it was allowed anymore.<br /> Alas.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I spent as long as I usually do complaining
when seeing a triceratops mounted this way. Its back legs were straight, and
its front legs were splayed. (The <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">AMNH</a> skeleton is still mounted this way as
well, as anyone who has accompanied me there will know.) This was a
“compromise” between people who insisted the lizard like pose was correct for
the extinct reptiles and everyone else pointing out the body structure and
tracks indicated their legs were straight. The “compromise” creates an animal
with two different leg postures, which has NO OTHER INSTANCES IN NATURE!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Never compromise with stupid people.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>“Oh… the pain! *dramatic swoon* I must tell my daughter
about this for twenty minutes every time I am reminded of it.” - Anabelle<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>With some vague hints from the map, we
found a big cat based grill location for lunch. The line was huge but went
relatively fast. It was only the order line, though. Then we stood in the mob
awaiting food. This was one of many signs that this zoo had issues with understanding
how to move people, as the zoo itself wasn’t that crowded. Rosa ordered grilled
not fried chicken to get as gluten free as possible. I ordered grilled not
fried chicken to get as cardiac friendly as possible. We were both given fried
chicken.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The very overworked and understaffed
woman working the counter had our deepest sympathies. She eventually got our correct
orders from the back.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHXLX9LgtWN7FF6sjXTFbVZLmcZty5fgtvQ9a2GjRZFEwa_7IY_NCwMSwmP4Wj8VGeWDs3_kM_J8qy9tjpzfTg9h8ZVSGo7uIZ1ZtpIyJNzczHVIzap1rmcXKxkbdcCB_8mRwmL8a1gUGOYqnkCS4cko3NZYzToixCybdKPDDr6UU47G5tlWOjfK5cIaz/s4032/reptile%20house%20stegosaurus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHXLX9LgtWN7FF6sjXTFbVZLmcZty5fgtvQ9a2GjRZFEwa_7IY_NCwMSwmP4Wj8VGeWDs3_kM_J8qy9tjpzfTg9h8ZVSGo7uIZ1ZtpIyJNzczHVIzap1rmcXKxkbdcCB_8mRwmL8a1gUGOYqnkCS4cko3NZYzToixCybdKPDDr6UU47G5tlWOjfK5cIaz/w400-h300/reptile%20house%20stegosaurus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>More crowd issues reared their heads in
this area. There was a huge line to get into the reptile house, therefore we
skipped it. Anabelle did take the time to point to the painting of a
stegosaurus over the door and ask if that was like the one I rode to school.<br /> Charming.<br />There was an alligator in the pool
outside the reptile house. A little girl saw it move as her family was heading
to the line and yelled, “OK, I’m out!”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistliUy-Q1rHOLIMEEyr6SguZg1vcYFOLSmE9eAV0SPrfEQzNecKws8YnWtQ_ZUi5_BurV7tJfdNaWOxakCmuZS53Q3iXs4l8q6Lh-RxGfjXfSAXAl4lBuRAguGFwNF9xZ3hX335FgCToOXyFagljZ-TalfhD-GEoSzjJFUweDp261BcsEQJjwuG2HbWaU/s4032/aligator.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistliUy-Q1rHOLIMEEyr6SguZg1vcYFOLSmE9eAV0SPrfEQzNecKws8YnWtQ_ZUi5_BurV7tJfdNaWOxakCmuZS53Q3iXs4l8q6Lh-RxGfjXfSAXAl4lBuRAguGFwNF9xZ3hX335FgCToOXyFagljZ-TalfhD-GEoSzjJFUweDp261BcsEQJjwuG2HbWaU/w400-h300/aligator.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>The big cat area (house?) had all kinds
of construction around it, and another long line. We skipped that one too.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback: Didn’t the Washington Zoo
used to have white tigers? Maybe we shouldn’t have skipped that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*Does quick online search* Not anymore. No
harm, no foul.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtpXya9-vPRHKjBpCUC7e4CJNrdTzLgWBlWw8i1lTaP2D5fEdt6XGz70ew6jETXkZZk8_zzUjOk6g1jXHmqBpP47IdYM7GAgrKsfyaRYnhok0GAeSOTX4o9zaCEp5oIIrmS6WGffIA1oVoBb79mxF4tSEm9i1LF69BdpvCBCtdbGLAS96A6AnrE3xJspp/s4032/orangutang%20passage%20ropes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtpXya9-vPRHKjBpCUC7e4CJNrdTzLgWBlWw8i1lTaP2D5fEdt6XGz70ew6jETXkZZk8_zzUjOk6g1jXHmqBpP47IdYM7GAgrKsfyaRYnhok0GAeSOTX4o9zaCEp5oIIrmS6WGffIA1oVoBb79mxF4tSEm9i1LF69BdpvCBCtdbGLAS96A6AnrE3xJspp/w400-h300/orangutang%20passage%20ropes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The ape house also had an insane line.
We did get to see the overhang where orangutans can brachiate over the crowds when travelling between inside and
outside enclosures. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(And presumably drop bodily fluids on them.) </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly (or perhaps luckily) they were not in use.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>Instead, we went on the Claws and Paws
trail. We learned the bobcat is the smallest lynx. No one else cares, but since
Anabelle has made fun of me for years when she called something a bobcat on a
nature show when I called it a lynx and she was right, I felt some vindication.<br />(Not enough to balance out the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-5-may-18-2023.html" target="_blank">mammoth</a>
karma, but some.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2_pIY-mX3sTONIf8tf1ap77SKuu2GcmybImtVWr2ZG0GHLH0xwnOl6Cd3dPoymsNW9Fz_U24p-jnUqtw2qrdRO72oWyJ6Mn3NUM33SFeD6fF5X2Ska72GkPYRCtIkWhc_wxYV2vkWCwdjBQ-kmOwb_ooNLMdnKSzCO_jZF5e1VSI4c2JpueMz98qCMvF/s4032/binturong.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2_pIY-mX3sTONIf8tf1ap77SKuu2GcmybImtVWr2ZG0GHLH0xwnOl6Cd3dPoymsNW9Fz_U24p-jnUqtw2qrdRO72oWyJ6Mn3NUM33SFeD6fF5X2Ska72GkPYRCtIkWhc_wxYV2vkWCwdjBQ-kmOwb_ooNLMdnKSzCO_jZF5e1VSI4c2JpueMz98qCMvF/w400-h300/binturong.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Keepers were feeding Hank the binturong.
He smelled like buttered popcorn, which we knew from our <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/01/denver-2019-day-5-nil-sine-teporis.html" target="_blank">Denver Aquarium </a>bear
cat encounter. However, it was cool to experience in “the wild.” We chatted
with the keeper for a bit, who seemed happy to meet some binturong fans.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle wanted some Dippin’ Dots.
Whenever we passed them for most of her life, I would indicate how gross they were. This is because
they had that chalk like, dry taste of astronaut ice cream. Anabelle let me
taste hers, which were tiny little balls of regular ice cream and soooo tasty.<br />I have no idea what I tasted that I
thought was Dippin’ Dots.<br />(Spoilers- No one cares.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We found a lemur cage which was fun. For
reasons we’re not sure of, there was also a boatload of turtles in with them.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Our travels were delayed by non-map
related reasons for a while. We had difficulty throwing away the Dippin’ Dots
bowl. Turns out the garbage can was a “push.” How about that?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Ready to see the highlight of this zoo,
we began a trek on the Panda Trail.<br /> We found the huge elephant enclosure
again. This was the first sighting of Anabelle’s latest catch phrase, “Boo Hiss.”
Originally it was for anything she didn’t like, but it has since evolved into
anything she doesn’t like and disagrees with me on.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZpusDGpuN20zR6aIVeC2X9a9DUYHKnUtx0X_2YlCcOqHKYVYuFRTFwGHDeQzmtEFpkW5iODWApuKGNWJuv5RQdBjFseLTVMFCGA9J2MSNqzBZNYbuRXIBbP3l8nDv-HgwHkvWt-RVC0swfj1kDGzXQU7jzm14XxL2KP-89b4OWAENF7dX3C4xpIY7qSU/s4032/red%20panda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZpusDGpuN20zR6aIVeC2X9a9DUYHKnUtx0X_2YlCcOqHKYVYuFRTFwGHDeQzmtEFpkW5iODWApuKGNWJuv5RQdBjFseLTVMFCGA9J2MSNqzBZNYbuRXIBbP3l8nDv-HgwHkvWt-RVC0swfj1kDGzXQU7jzm14XxL2KP-89b4OWAENF7dX3C4xpIY7qSU/w400-h300/red%20panda.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We finally found the right way to go, by
ignoring the map. The red panda kindly decided to exit its air conditioning and
make a quick appearance while we waited to be let into the giant panda exhibit
area.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>This is how I know the other animal
house lines were due to poor planning. For the most popular exhibit of this
zoo, where they expected large crowds, entry was controlled, yet quick and easy.<br /><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQygTTpYuQ7TKNrXdOMAlorrCtFPKTI5akeFnNZ0kxEF84YcmwtI42qooHpXoUsCiZkOlgJ-KaMe8LpE1TfUU786gE07dWVe7R7Fizm0EXr9_poRP0UHM1TeZjNYd9-tahZrl_k-ur26TSLW-cTBKLOS4giNRer0oEzK_x_CC-5uQcZzvtQ3V2WTbNmGzf/s4032/giant%20panda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQygTTpYuQ7TKNrXdOMAlorrCtFPKTI5akeFnNZ0kxEF84YcmwtI42qooHpXoUsCiZkOlgJ-KaMe8LpE1TfUU786gE07dWVe7R7Fizm0EXr9_poRP0UHM1TeZjNYd9-tahZrl_k-ur26TSLW-cTBKLOS4giNRer0oEzK_x_CC-5uQcZzvtQ3V2WTbNmGzf/w400-h300/giant%20panda.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>They had three pandas, but we only saw
two out in their enclosures. Anabelle was thrilled to see them, but sad because
she wanted to see all of them. Luckily a “panda-cam” filled the gap adequately.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBD50_BTvM4y9n6LeV090zQbOQyxtAXDVCU6R8Z_ozUk7FPkwJU4rH7-SxQ36Z9eL41ikKWOzNN0nC5DpE2Ht_c9LJq-jWWiov_2uRmgkmCNafdYYdk6IafcdnARPlCqJK6ih_6L8Af15D4yBRmsVZbpQBM9nF9ZdrYUvBWHfFKeZsYm5pxUyV7g_eXrO/s4032/other%20giant%20panda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBD50_BTvM4y9n6LeV090zQbOQyxtAXDVCU6R8Z_ozUk7FPkwJU4rH7-SxQ36Z9eL41ikKWOzNN0nC5DpE2Ht_c9LJq-jWWiov_2uRmgkmCNafdYYdk6IafcdnARPlCqJK6ih_6L8Af15D4yBRmsVZbpQBM9nF9ZdrYUvBWHfFKeZsYm5pxUyV7g_eXrO/w400-h300/other%20giant%20panda.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>They sat in their areas eating bamboo
continuously…’cause that’s what they do.<br />Nothing is going to have an active
lifestyle eating bamboo. It grows everywhere but has the nutritional value of
sand, minus the minerals.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6OcBTh1Ty3JTH03E4KsHw8syY95oLDPcsNO_JvI9ssAlGyTRsKWw1aP0bKpG24yjFSWluq0vZ5FiE62gEW7RUfl9JH7e58cFpe1ZZ7noOasrK-93MtJRv3zF9jlLiRU-RO2PvIeEOGdSwn7UGXTSxfOewmQlgBv0H5qFHJcLG0iUOxxT8zWi2PfFd2tj/s4032/panda%20cam.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6OcBTh1Ty3JTH03E4KsHw8syY95oLDPcsNO_JvI9ssAlGyTRsKWw1aP0bKpG24yjFSWluq0vZ5FiE62gEW7RUfl9JH7e58cFpe1ZZ7noOasrK-93MtJRv3zF9jlLiRU-RO2PvIeEOGdSwn7UGXTSxfOewmQlgBv0H5qFHJcLG0iUOxxT8zWi2PfFd2tj/w400-h300/panda%20cam.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>Coming out of the panda area we found
the elephants…again. Anabelle went into a full-on rant about why their area is
so big, and how come every path has to run alongside of the elephants.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis74vwoZfTmlhM6etWuB5PgcY2CXtwzFygUp7tN6i04CZNihl1UMKg8o5phzzRj39NCHA-sFrfAI8A7duL6FeSmkC1Z5CE7xOK7UvsHsuwZlMKClhrEG24wGF7Me48-7BIz1M85T33iLOFd55Bq3JfGSWQ8XRBsPCg7nOu-ktbE-EwBNNhQ-RVkbj7ptBb/s4032/panda%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis74vwoZfTmlhM6etWuB5PgcY2CXtwzFygUp7tN6i04CZNihl1UMKg8o5phzzRj39NCHA-sFrfAI8A7duL6FeSmkC1Z5CE7xOK7UvsHsuwZlMKClhrEG24wGF7Me48-7BIz1M85T33iLOFd55Bq3JfGSWQ8XRBsPCg7nOu-ktbE-EwBNNhQ-RVkbj7ptBb/w400-h300/panda%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>Again, it had been a long week.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We stopped in the panda gift shop to get
the last souvenirs. The line stretched the length of the store. When we got on
it, the cashier said,<br /> “uuuuuuuuuuh. The system has to reboot,
it should be fine in ten…<br />Or fifteen minutes.”<br />We left, figuring surely, we’d have more
luck in another store.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>(Spoilers- HA HA!)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Up at the top end of the zoo was a
carnivore section. There were multiple small cats sleeping in trees.<br />“Yawn…yawn.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis32t_9d9qN_ac6vysUlIHCCQ8fwERfNy-M6TPfLEqnKjV4ySskZAy3XWaKy8Nj0yA9Qy1B7BTRcoYf8coDtSr-5FnzFIsxIaIX6TTzNyadtS7dquBu8Rp5CjjXp88guaTESo5VxvRefnocT3P43C83F7rLrsQ0P6CvKWQn1gMkJNS2F-pyo2mJp7prWKa/s4032/sloth%20bear.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis32t_9d9qN_ac6vysUlIHCCQ8fwERfNy-M6TPfLEqnKjV4ySskZAy3XWaKy8Nj0yA9Qy1B7BTRcoYf8coDtSr-5FnzFIsxIaIX6TTzNyadtS7dquBu8Rp5CjjXp88guaTESo5VxvRefnocT3P43C83F7rLrsQ0P6CvKWQn1gMkJNS2F-pyo2mJp7prWKa/w400-h300/sloth%20bear.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was also a sloth bear. Anabelle’s
bear obsession went into overdrive. In fairness, those floppy eared things are
adorable. The “live action” <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/04/no-need-to-get-mad-baby-trust-in-me-it.html" target="_blank">Jungle Book</a> </i>really should have used one for
both cuteness and accuracy reasons.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHYMAU_KoqEV1fYrpQ1zi6ZqU9tcD0wP-2yNxDrI0p7_ZGXsOFNGwpkMjjehIVkfpxSaxH1QDnVXz8jJ21Rfj5UIGXK05b-kxvWZRzD-feA1Z4DJTc5Yvshg0hcXKeWdm4dI59BOcQ-bNEorD_zZiqhRxSyIvg-zFN7vpDkOJKxeXlkpr36i_TEksLNRf/s4032/sloth%20bear%20close.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHYMAU_KoqEV1fYrpQ1zi6ZqU9tcD0wP-2yNxDrI0p7_ZGXsOFNGwpkMjjehIVkfpxSaxH1QDnVXz8jJ21Rfj5UIGXK05b-kxvWZRzD-feA1Z4DJTc5Yvshg0hcXKeWdm4dI59BOcQ-bNEorD_zZiqhRxSyIvg-zFN7vpDkOJKxeXlkpr36i_TEksLNRf/w400-h300/sloth%20bear%20close.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>As we were about to leave, a second one
came out. Anabelle shrieked, “I’m going back!!!”<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIuYNqZXlaTc_NvVcCAhAH2r6T4ez7T3wkhQnpMRJ2TXl2qWV6D4qBCoAyZ-lVCL_WlIp0CEUVrK2xOxzB3E7UVEb0lMG6hKO3wlnnAkfAoTBP0A-BQagS1OvTjnhgjexlEjkybZ4ufeMbHZ1A5bVdaps8IfMMyih48V9zUexGV7Ll9nBAIsdA59d7R7u/s4032/sloth%20bear%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIuYNqZXlaTc_NvVcCAhAH2r6T4ez7T3wkhQnpMRJ2TXl2qWV6D4qBCoAyZ-lVCL_WlIp0CEUVrK2xOxzB3E7UVEb0lMG6hKO3wlnnAkfAoTBP0A-BQagS1OvTjnhgjexlEjkybZ4ufeMbHZ1A5bVdaps8IfMMyih48V9zUexGV7Ll9nBAIsdA59d7R7u/w400-h300/sloth%20bear%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>While Rosa and I were watching Anabelle have
bear delight moments, another set of zoo guests passed by with the following
exchange.<br />“It looks like a bear.”<br />“That’s what it is.”<br />“I like it.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As they got closer, the smell of local
herbs in use was powerful enough to threaten my ability to drive home safely,
explaining the conversation.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The newer bear was bigger, slower, and
completely done with his smaller but more energetic living area partner,
indicating he was likely older as well.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle was completely done with the
couple that walked by and called them “black bears.” She let loose another rant
about people not reading that made me proud.<br />That’s my girl.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the way down we found a cheetah. I
thought it was hiding behind the log in the shade. After my family explained it to me six different
ways I realized, it was the log in the shade.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7k3pAllRb7aeC2wuBjxveki7bxGF76cLyLVO80f2jAUR2x-puIvP-CbGTWowU4-s0ZdmgAOwePliNbEzBPajYkMnbVqT9aTFWljatdts7riAnZoGWX6ApJNNhRgHWI6EKBnYkPXxLYrnptn3ptJ34YeRV2zIbMbdRWdRgb7d2EOJx1X6tZSJiOaoLKNQE/s4032/cheetah%20that%20was%20the%20log.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7k3pAllRb7aeC2wuBjxveki7bxGF76cLyLVO80f2jAUR2x-puIvP-CbGTWowU4-s0ZdmgAOwePliNbEzBPajYkMnbVqT9aTFWljatdts7riAnZoGWX6ApJNNhRgHWI6EKBnYkPXxLYrnptn3ptJ34YeRV2zIbMbdRWdRgb7d2EOJx1X6tZSJiOaoLKNQE/w400-h300/cheetah%20that%20was%20the%20log.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>It was a very “hot and tired” week.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We found another gift shop, picked out
something for Dave and selected a collection of panda things for Morgan that they
had a deal listed multiple places in the store- including the checkout desk.
The guy ringing us up didn’t come up with that value.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The woman next to him rang up someone
else with the same items with no issue.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In a happier zoo, the woman would have
taken care of us, and life would have proceeded.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>(Spoilers- It was not a happier zoo.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>No, Captain Cash Register had to try
seventeen times, ignore Rosa’s suggestion (that we think the woman did) to ring
up only some of the items, call for a manager a bunch of times (who never came)
and blankly stare at us a while. When we finally decided to give up, he went in the back room yet again to
figure out how to delete the sale from the register.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The woman rang us up in about ten
seconds while he was gone, and we left.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle had been despondently waiting
outside but did find a “fancy” bottle of water in a machine. This was good as
it not only provided a distraction but also remembering where the machine was
provided me hydration before I turned to a pile of dust.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We had planned on heading home but
didn’t want to end on that note.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Coming around a turn we found…<br /> The elephants again.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle said, “I’m drawing a line here-
NO MORE ELEPHANTS!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hXlAjMSziIhL_v2RYGQbgkw-HjiTMxx2uhX6JknDDjonUKP5_7hqN1U_hEYNnMbwpHujLvcrtHYZ8K-zxu2ZX6__g17ke2mEo5bL6-hHQiqvmVlN1Qzo9PKrPxxR2rxH39pQSQVg8YWN77-yxlGNpJDLnyaCjS-G2j0nbnf15fJ4XUbtsKzPL8k9dU6h/s4032/wild%20horse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hXlAjMSziIhL_v2RYGQbgkw-HjiTMxx2uhX6JknDDjonUKP5_7hqN1U_hEYNnMbwpHujLvcrtHYZ8K-zxu2ZX6__g17ke2mEo5bL6-hHQiqvmVlN1Qzo9PKrPxxR2rxH39pQSQVg8YWN77-yxlGNpJDLnyaCjS-G2j0nbnf15fJ4XUbtsKzPL8k9dU6h/w400-h300/wild%20horse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We did see the Mongolian wild horse
exhibit with horses in it this time, as opposed to the last time we passed
their area and I forgot to mention them not being there. That means we’ve seen
them in all three of the major US zoos we’ve been to together.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There were signs literally all over the
zoo advertising sloths and wallabies in the small mammal house. Therefore, we
decided to brave that particular long line to see them.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>It really was just poor crowd
management. The zoo itself wasn’t crowded, and the building could have handled
far more people than were in it.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6QBjtLS_9dsWN9rjULxKYq1D4htY1kVDsVFGTWsk9E3wYIx-3IssD6Gv2dL_y8006vk4JThbLOnxw_jSXRz1NBYt-9sPHH6QqewinMvpv_GVFIbiideapLvZZOOGGtYyJvUyPn0Vtoqw0q3noameKkg7tCmYv2xpL0ywAJtUF-ce4vOax9-pFHt7uREh/s4032/monkey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6QBjtLS_9dsWN9rjULxKYq1D4htY1kVDsVFGTWsk9E3wYIx-3IssD6Gv2dL_y8006vk4JThbLOnxw_jSXRz1NBYt-9sPHH6QqewinMvpv_GVFIbiideapLvZZOOGGtYyJvUyPn0Vtoqw0q3noameKkg7tCmYv2xpL0ywAJtUF-ce4vOax9-pFHt7uREh/w400-h300/monkey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>A monkey mooned me in the first room. No
surprises so far.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4XpNA41f-9vkdtMLXdhpdj6C2HR4P6DKz2Z84zeYK9pqri9gi9fCdt_myDO4DW2aOLLn_mDb3cY3mAu5nHwSAfzwVevjdiUyzv9a4ZHMHmttzMzCabXjdXMBLcY84hQhdsgAFMgRitIXYGSFbJ66IGc5xRZislA7jogy00B81W39HRYUFExGACGQ6s_L/s4032/othe%20rmonkey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4XpNA41f-9vkdtMLXdhpdj6C2HR4P6DKz2Z84zeYK9pqri9gi9fCdt_myDO4DW2aOLLn_mDb3cY3mAu5nHwSAfzwVevjdiUyzv9a4ZHMHmttzMzCabXjdXMBLcY84hQhdsgAFMgRitIXYGSFbJ66IGc5xRZislA7jogy00B81W39HRYUFExGACGQ6s_L/w400-h300/othe%20rmonkey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>The prehensile tailed porcupine was
pretty nifty, and we saw a bettong and some other cool animals, but the
constant let downs were wearing on Anabelle.<br /> <o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP10iwgOxUjkhTsCDkKF67B51h-RWIGob3OI7pQ-dhXK6El9J8J7j77hyphenhyphenNvpzVbPddGNDBCXKuxFJ_oQ8K2iJAp2skjUaxgKqZZTbnHGM9fnkDuka7T8ee872cFfYWMJ6g_7c2CL1vhqLKSRG1ERjmwg-9E4gzB2-HOMkWAN36xuD-xI74lZ85WMCKoQij/s4032/prehensile%20tail%20porcupine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP10iwgOxUjkhTsCDkKF67B51h-RWIGob3OI7pQ-dhXK6El9J8J7j77hyphenhyphenNvpzVbPddGNDBCXKuxFJ_oQ8K2iJAp2skjUaxgKqZZTbnHGM9fnkDuka7T8ee872cFfYWMJ6g_7c2CL1vhqLKSRG1ERjmwg-9E4gzB2-HOMkWAN36xuD-xI74lZ85WMCKoQij/w400-h300/prehensile%20tail%20porcupine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>“It’s been disappointment after
disappointment here. We’ll probably see an elephant next.”<br />In the next little glass cage were rock
hyraxes. They are overstuffed gerbil looking things whose closest biological relative is…<br />The elephant.<br />“Hey! You were right!” I yelled.<br />She was not pleased<br />“Boo Hiss.”</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5zkcYGPgXjAJcf3W9aLxYnseHehGvnTOe0ng4FaCjVR215IyLBoW9M1o-q8HoHEeXVG82aPcPqeMoqGxCuj9OBf4b5rI5ik2a7ib8dzT_D8Uv7T3nQ6Yl5V_ZV2IGJ2G26bFylLA4w90YfrUYSaCmeCCxOEofINaKtvPlNH_NqldDU-4-nfiq9QlZH-4/s4032/hyrax.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5zkcYGPgXjAJcf3W9aLxYnseHehGvnTOe0ng4FaCjVR215IyLBoW9M1o-q8HoHEeXVG82aPcPqeMoqGxCuj9OBf4b5rI5ik2a7ib8dzT_D8Uv7T3nQ6Yl5V_ZV2IGJ2G26bFylLA4w90YfrUYSaCmeCCxOEofINaKtvPlNH_NqldDU-4-nfiq9QlZH-4/w400-h300/hyrax.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There were too many sand cats, but they were soooooo cuuuute, making it OK.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXfJdG2uchXANc6GXPn3hTJzzEmUXbPP26fwILlWg-oYynMnKjaGipkIEcgUgJN_aeJGhl2yb0TdoF1GG72xXAP-7YmewP4FgYREd3MDf2YHAu5PaiIadkWE0DAl7TZXIKC8S4dTI7nC1VZILB1QGgbacrr9o9X_SoO7UwiBV5zZMh-OYK9uhRtmYeAfU/s4032/cute%20cat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXfJdG2uchXANc6GXPn3hTJzzEmUXbPP26fwILlWg-oYynMnKjaGipkIEcgUgJN_aeJGhl2yb0TdoF1GG72xXAP-7YmewP4FgYREd3MDf2YHAu5PaiIadkWE0DAl7TZXIKC8S4dTI7nC1VZILB1QGgbacrr9o9X_SoO7UwiBV5zZMh-OYK9uhRtmYeAfU/w400-h300/cute%20cat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>We spent a little while watching the
mole rat parade, and another batch of lemurs.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUHi7YqhJOpaHq9-G_JSsXpulRQTtYYahVWcbcYX5k8j61ZgUsa2AIrcniG-kwRgQyww5wOt6t1tG4tD4uI2By39d7TmpZORtcSELN8SVxAKeZf2B_M75R1Q2GUlmpqjwVNguoa227l1f1t20Xwz0v833QWAzoVNEJmqYivLwJayLjQWBvuCCsoyi39dm/s4032/screaming%20hairy%20armadillo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUHi7YqhJOpaHq9-G_JSsXpulRQTtYYahVWcbcYX5k8j61ZgUsa2AIrcniG-kwRgQyww5wOt6t1tG4tD4uI2By39d7TmpZORtcSELN8SVxAKeZf2B_M75R1Q2GUlmpqjwVNguoa227l1f1t20Xwz0v833QWAzoVNEJmqYivLwJayLjQWBvuCCsoyi39dm/w400-h300/screaming%20hairy%20armadillo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The screaming hairy armadillo had the
best name in the zoo and was a cutie as well.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39A1LDVkOdVggUSy8Y0Isyt0y-yd3tzY0ff5eEWUCaqM5TyOW94loPSmR1gerdDR1qAUkxJ1wHtEDEkxl7blbKojV6dQ2VEBE8X8S0zUKXJAQZHcbsN8BcynptQNu6mk6tm7pur-pEWIIHUBtFhzW4MWZfA8yTPDWAq8Qr4EWhiv4mS1M3TZDuvxQ2Pc1/s4032/golden%20lion%20tamarin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39A1LDVkOdVggUSy8Y0Isyt0y-yd3tzY0ff5eEWUCaqM5TyOW94loPSmR1gerdDR1qAUkxJ1wHtEDEkxl7blbKojV6dQ2VEBE8X8S0zUKXJAQZHcbsN8BcynptQNu6mk6tm7pur-pEWIIHUBtFhzW4MWZfA8yTPDWAq8Qr4EWhiv4mS1M3TZDuvxQ2Pc1/s320/golden%20lion%20tamarin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A couple more rooms gave us additional monkey butts, some meerkats, and an anteater in an “alternate font” than we were used to.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZQCno2iAPYNaPrqY-lH6SBMAjt5DkolaVer7CpH9yRM22x9P4T5W53ZSt-g1YUlvgF5Jc2IDRHdg6ww0POdieNDGWK-2FvSZZ1Fw_-Ew_BUN5ns1ZKqq1WSPrk6Sv9L-hhl07tRuGLn2aQc1rubon5PzcnWFok_k6-Ys6Q8X7zHbhcjcDsYF_Vdv93Em/s4032/meerkat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZQCno2iAPYNaPrqY-lH6SBMAjt5DkolaVer7CpH9yRM22x9P4T5W53ZSt-g1YUlvgF5Jc2IDRHdg6ww0POdieNDGWK-2FvSZZ1Fw_-Ew_BUN5ns1ZKqq1WSPrk6Sv9L-hhl07tRuGLn2aQc1rubon5PzcnWFok_k6-Ys6Q8X7zHbhcjcDsYF_Vdv93Em/s320/meerkat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></o:p><br />Anabelle was delighted to see a slow
loris before we exited. As we walked out, we made a set of Instant Zoo Friends
while joining another family complaining that we had now exited without seeing
a single sloth or wallaby.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As the afternoon humidity increased,
Rosa pointed out the false mammal advertising was acceptable because the small
mammal house was air conditioned, and she would have happily gone back into the
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">Hirschhorn</a> to avoid the heat.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle had another gibbon moment, this
one “pee free” while we figured out what to do.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Since we were part way there, we decided
to try to overcome some of Anabelle’s disappointment by returning to the sloth
bears.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the way we finally found the new bird
house the maps were useless in indicating the route to.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>It was across the elephant bridge.<br /> “Boo Hiss.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh672-b_49IiksOQnWlcEgCMp94qViHJP5YSIx_lP33qovzgfVnNFerjjo9ZCI0aO-mtKG8_wOj-eV8-pTORHUEya3TrOygP5C9pckQP8L6V9P8J5TXj01sgi5q_-_QqNU56K0BR4bIddZ1cuUNomkGDcrrhxdlbFyNrD9nfjVvv7odpfCwfZF0g0yYJOSm/s4032/bird%20house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh672-b_49IiksOQnWlcEgCMp94qViHJP5YSIx_lP33qovzgfVnNFerjjo9ZCI0aO-mtKG8_wOj-eV8-pTORHUEya3TrOygP5C9pckQP8L6V9P8J5TXj01sgi5q_-_QqNU56K0BR4bIddZ1cuUNomkGDcrrhxdlbFyNrD9nfjVvv7odpfCwfZF0g0yYJOSm/w400-h300/bird%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were signs all over the place
about how amazing and new it was. The entire large entry areas contained pictures of
birds. Then there was a little shore section with dancing horseshoe crabs.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Mostly it had, “More ducks than anywhere
in North America.”<br />Anabelle’s response- “I love ducks, but
this is depressing.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The seabird section had three ducks and
a bufflehead, which Anabelle was quick to point out,<br />“Also a duck.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then there was a room with songbirds in
it and steps that went up…<br />To a locked door.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>And that was it.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle returned, yet again, to full on
rant mode as the lack of flamingos (featured on the signs) meant more false
advertising. She exclaimed, “This is the most unenthused I’ve ever been in a
zoo!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zydXuK3URQ-1qCUFuyzAzWhq6FBWRcdzTdtXiUGx0NplqKUe_P3PmmsZDSS3JerCHjKmVnt9nIUmEvnu0bDGE5aCxD5dRc-j9GZRxDhfWURYgoSzceQzzeQsGzxxhc5QHY-EZD6XrYVmeiGTKWi6s9NN64ZJ5j9VWB-R_Gk3SaM_POmGJTo6OcVEWnAd/s4032/flamingoes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zydXuK3URQ-1qCUFuyzAzWhq6FBWRcdzTdtXiUGx0NplqKUe_P3PmmsZDSS3JerCHjKmVnt9nIUmEvnu0bDGE5aCxD5dRc-j9GZRxDhfWURYgoSzceQzzeQsGzxxhc5QHY-EZD6XrYVmeiGTKWi6s9NN64ZJ5j9VWB-R_Gk3SaM_POmGJTo6OcVEWnAd/w400-h300/flamingoes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We took the long route to the sloth
bears around the back of the bird house and did find the flamingoes near some
empty cages.<o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAvVcxVnEIIdH9tO3tjKMGijUh6ZhhdVZYZX5ut0l0TkKAXjxY6UoEn4NCs1rgw0q72Xxt5lil6UB1FLceAN3WDNOIZGNTDTAoJxijxros0KNPjNTHFarjO4u3SAXFzGO59vw8WhmdTET7BmMUCF0iTE1EocuMP30ReBO3VUHY7Xgr8BbVrz5UiVpCwLe/s4032/bustard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAvVcxVnEIIdH9tO3tjKMGijUh6ZhhdVZYZX5ut0l0TkKAXjxY6UoEn4NCs1rgw0q72Xxt5lil6UB1FLceAN3WDNOIZGNTDTAoJxijxros0KNPjNTHFarjO4u3SAXFzGO59vw8WhmdTET7BmMUCF0iTE1EocuMP30ReBO3VUHY7Xgr8BbVrz5UiVpCwLe/w400-h300/bustard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>And a bustard, some cranes, and “two-o,
buo.”<br /> (My multilingual owl pun was not
appreciated.<br />“Boo Hiss.”)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0v8QQSRWSRe1lcy2ibiSitjbzIEZjH7Co3zP9AhMAfmF6GJgXF2HjH_fbUpzpsKgzGeVc3LtzDYJ_9QpBjeCjQ_Tk184rGIv2VUftl1pNYTSDKjKVlaAIWOiOnwIe62QOSnTB8XVN-WuYSNHGSM-V_Sbc6ZJRSB7yu0vzga2RDwVZe-min4g-cgPzOnMX/s4032/sloth%20bear%20return.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0v8QQSRWSRe1lcy2ibiSitjbzIEZjH7Co3zP9AhMAfmF6GJgXF2HjH_fbUpzpsKgzGeVc3LtzDYJ_9QpBjeCjQ_Tk184rGIv2VUftl1pNYTSDKjKVlaAIWOiOnwIe62QOSnTB8XVN-WuYSNHGSM-V_Sbc6ZJRSB7yu0vzga2RDwVZe-min4g-cgPzOnMX/w400-h300/sloth%20bear%20return.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We got back to the sloth bears and
happiness returned. Both bears stood up impressively while we watched. Overall,
there was much ursine frolicking from the pair… </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and Anabelle.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XEk2E1jo25z0c6u4v9ZIEPDx52L-E5BVDLOQXgqsyLiQL-xrOWe_l4aF_yKrC7m9sMK_yqeDC3ieX0np4Hf3xJNEDyIJ38XNVpVCNok_KAY_VeOdWtbWWCFPDZpMogUA5rUq13oQmWCB3trSmZtYaykpNWWzUsrTIWDwdrwjwMoT48EfP5P2Fxm6sYsq/s4032/lose%20sloth%20bear%20return.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XEk2E1jo25z0c6u4v9ZIEPDx52L-E5BVDLOQXgqsyLiQL-xrOWe_l4aF_yKrC7m9sMK_yqeDC3ieX0np4Hf3xJNEDyIJ38XNVpVCNok_KAY_VeOdWtbWWCFPDZpMogUA5rUq13oQmWCB3trSmZtYaykpNWWzUsrTIWDwdrwjwMoT48EfP5P2Fxm6sYsq/w400-h300/lose%20sloth%20bear%20return.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>I almost made the whole vacation with my
hamstrings intact, but that last walk up the big hill to the bears popped the
right one. We were pretty much done walking anyway.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We crossed the whole north to south path
of the zoo to get back to the car. On the way we had a brief reunion with the weed-soaked
guy from our first time by the sloth bears.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle and Rosa cut the heat a little
bit by passing under one of the many “misty things” the zoo provided for
comfort.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>During the section of the zoo we passed
by the most frequently, I noticed beehive sculptures for the first time. I
didn’t see them every other time.<br /> Because I’m a buffoon.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle’s overall review “The Zoo Stunk.<br />But it was a fun stink.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There was a tiny amount of raindrops
that fell on us on the way out as we got in the car to drive home. This was not
worth the gigantic amount of worry the weather forecast indicating it was going
to rain on our entire zoo day led to. In fact, I was thrilled I could use my
sunglasses on this day<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In a bit of sunglass/ weather karma:<br />Rosa and I went to the </span><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/01/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures_30.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">Bronx</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Zoo, just
the two of us, a few months later. We had a wonderful morning together. An
enormous thunder, hail and rainstorm hit us in the afternoon as we were
leaving. During the ensuing chaos, I dropped my sunglasses in the parking lot
getting into the car without noticing.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1ImqXxZDZvi9sGgchSNden6WHIIVeBDw5s-Qa48roCJnDcpmx8km-XUiKF9VBhvhkT7UHOoUl_lJbpNhp2P2RH3mQ9WsNEZW0VnR6Z4rHelkye5UOu_AUZTugCo5M_8dH6oyvsKaWghuHRFzjo0QV9puIf5sk83VWVxaLeBLvcgymNAjp1jT5BpYDDOg/s4032/delaware%20rest%20stop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1ImqXxZDZvi9sGgchSNden6WHIIVeBDw5s-Qa48roCJnDcpmx8km-XUiKF9VBhvhkT7UHOoUl_lJbpNhp2P2RH3mQ9WsNEZW0VnR6Z4rHelkye5UOu_AUZTugCo5M_8dH6oyvsKaWghuHRFzjo0QV9puIf5sk83VWVxaLeBLvcgymNAjp1jT5BpYDDOg/w400-h300/delaware%20rest%20stop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We had one last presidential moment. We
stopped at the Joe Biden welcome rest stop during the six feet our path took us
through Delaware. Anabelle looked him up to find out why it was named after
him, since he was born in Pennsylvania.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Turns out he lives in Delaware when he’s
not in the White House. Did I mention we were tired?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>With all the weird shirts and shoes I
wear generating odd statements from people, I had a new encounter. Some kids
walked into the rest stop, and one said, “I like your shorts,” as he passed.<br /> The shorts were normal cut, black…and that
is all.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There was no food we liked, and I
certainly didn’t want to pump my own gas. I grabbed some Chex Mix to replace
the power bar that melted while we were in the zoo and Anabelle had a cheese
stick.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>She spent the whole time up to there and
then on the way to the first New Jersey rest stop in a self-debate about which
Washington DC pictures should go in her Instagram post. Ah, the burdens of Generation
Z.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We got to the New Jersey rest stop just
as Nathan’s closed and Starbucks didn’t have Anabelle’s favorite sandwich.
Burger King has ceased having grilled chicken along with every other fast-food
place, because Chick Fil A’s influence on other fast-food joints, much like their policies, suck.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>This is where Rosa packing her own
gluten free snacks came in handy.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Her remembering there was now an
Impossible Whopper saved both Anabelle and me. We shared a small onion rings
with our burgers. It was Anabelle’s belief that the “Zesty” sauce made the rest
of the ride “Zesty.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Being excited from the trip and too
tired to sleep may have had an effect as well. Everyone was awake and extra
goofy on the way home. There was an occasional “Boo Hiss” whenever my music
came on the radio.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>An example of “zestiness”- A prolonged
discussion about the “Hole in the Bucket” song. I maintained that in every
version, Henry is told to use “a straw” to plug the hole. Believing it to be a
reed or some such, I had always been puzzled on how something with a hole in it
could plug the hole. Anabelle maintained that “use-a straw” is how it goes, the
extra syllable added to keep the meter, and Liza is suggesting wadding a bunch of straw in the hole. I maintained that the only time they
have that extra “a” is for straw and it is consistent throughout the song.
Anabelle maintained that I am a fool.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>And so forth.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I have a newfound respect for Dad
pulling off this trip many times with at least two insane children in the car
and not having a constant infusion of Mountain Dew to keep him awake.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The sky opened up and it poured just as
we got the car in the garage. Nice!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The house was a tad on the frozen side,
however. Since it was practically summer, we foolishly left the thermostat set
to cool instead of heat. But the climate is fine, really.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRUsJrC8r2767p8IK078AG0NXCSYV6tButcgzgjQ6sqAk32BkQupiInbyYRVZwCQlBLV7dgC-ufB_rdGSma_3jgc6jxpwTadpcc8-aNKoxTBbyHYSgvsGtQJeT0Sc5S-LVjRL9bjZd-McJJmg3fEmVcb_KRP6hs9nPSYUGpfRd01GxAa2kYsGVssedqWi/s4032/smothsonian%20reference%20quarter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRUsJrC8r2767p8IK078AG0NXCSYV6tButcgzgjQ6sqAk32BkQupiInbyYRVZwCQlBLV7dgC-ufB_rdGSma_3jgc6jxpwTadpcc8-aNKoxTBbyHYSgvsGtQJeT0Sc5S-LVjRL9bjZd-McJJmg3fEmVcb_KRP6hs9nPSYUGpfRd01GxAa2kYsGVssedqWi/w400-h300/smothsonian%20reference%20quarter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As I emptied my pockets a fun coincidence
in the change from the Dippin’ Dots appeared. One coin was a 2023 quarter with
a new image of George Washington, and the back had Bessie Coleman, an African
American Aviator we saw an exhibit on in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-2-may-15-2023.html" target="_blank">Air and Space Museum.</a><br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The coincidences continued as I did some
social media checks before turning in.<br />Our trip ended on the eleventh
anniversary of Anabelle’s appearance as Abigail Adams in her school “wax
museum.”</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinl2HHpVrc07FXz2EXAnbGTwzrUsmoXf_N50DIlQYjB-HGttkEiQoLWkuHnUW7EJ3DCYA7YjDLvkw5K8FH5XybaJcieI9kQDvngz8_S7CUczxpU4nhp69xgCK5U77YZL2pS33vCbA5WMjH76FlzCHAaI4hiB3Feu0Ik54RC44NrXxAaqdzTphwBUURgVTd/s1334/betsy%20ross%20project.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinl2HHpVrc07FXz2EXAnbGTwzrUsmoXf_N50DIlQYjB-HGttkEiQoLWkuHnUW7EJ3DCYA7YjDLvkw5K8FH5XybaJcieI9kQDvngz8_S7CUczxpU4nhp69xgCK5U77YZL2pS33vCbA5WMjH76FlzCHAaI4hiB3Feu0Ik54RC44NrXxAaqdzTphwBUURgVTd/w225-h400/betsy%20ross%20project.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Or this would have been a good coincidence, if I paid attention to what I was talking about. It was actually the anniversary of her Betsy Ross project, which would have made more sense to happen on our<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/08/philadelphia-2021-day-2b.html" target="_blank"> Philadelphia trip</a>... oh well.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Sleep came instantly.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>17901 steps<br />6.8 miles<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>Total 134,344 steps 55.2 miles.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That means we averaged 7.9 miles a day in a city where we literally walked to, through and around every location we went to except for the short drive to the zoo.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet in <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/walt-disney-world-2022-august-2-11.html" target="_blank">Disney World</a>, where transportation took us to and from the parks every day, and much of our time in the parks involved sitting for rides and shows, we average 8.3 miles per day.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We have a special kind of magic with Disney.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">32773 words, <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/07/is-it-possible-we-do-too-much.html" target="_blank">right between</a> the <i>Time Machine </i>and <i>The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We are clearly not "take time off and relax" type of people.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-10532623979402253302024-02-29T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-29T11:00:00.126-08:00Half Way Across The Spider-Verse<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwvHUBiHvHSlMa7n1vlpJiRejmG5AiYYZHiwkJNsc3KvmNfBNsU1K4HJ6iInc2vGPPgRnOIOLT4Nq3kOL0P2g6MMYAWgnB1ERygaOJ4rsfZQFOqrohDMH9whv9F-UkTxUSxMdHUmmkTqnsXYXv73t0giPYG_RYk1YuM5L5QLAm6tfcxkI3IKZk-6rKqjh/s2048/across%20the%20spider%20verse%20poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwvHUBiHvHSlMa7n1vlpJiRejmG5AiYYZHiwkJNsc3KvmNfBNsU1K4HJ6iInc2vGPPgRnOIOLT4Nq3kOL0P2g6MMYAWgnB1ERygaOJ4rsfZQFOqrohDMH9whv9F-UkTxUSxMdHUmmkTqnsXYXv73t0giPYG_RYk1YuM5L5QLAm6tfcxkI3IKZk-6rKqjh/w400-h225/across%20the%20spider%20verse%20poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Whoah, over thirteen years of blogging and this is the only post that landed on a Leap Day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One would think it would be something more exciting than a late movie review.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One would, in that case, clearly not know me very well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Across the Spider-Verse </i>follows in the footsteps,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or web-steps?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or web swinging path?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However it moves, it follows the story, tone and style of the excellent<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/01/getting-into-into-spider-verse.html" target="_blank"> <i>Into the Spider-Verse </i></a>film.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The cool part of any of the Spider-Verse stories- whether they be movies, TV or comics, is the collection of different versions of Spider-Men (Spider-Mans? , Spider-Folks I guess, there's many a Spider-Woman in the mix starting back in 1977) showcased. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first movie had a fantastic cast and character set, which this film ignores half of. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However it makes up for that issue in two ways.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first way is delving deeper into the story lines of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. That poster is awesome, but misleading. This film is as much Gwen's journey as is is Miles's. The movie highlights their interactions with their supporting cast (specifically their families), and allows time for character history plus growth and development. We also learn how Peter B. Parker has built his life back up since we last saw him, continues to be an effective if unconventional mentor and is on the road to becoming the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/07/bad-geek-confessions-spider-man.html" target="_blank">MC2</a> version. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The second way is going where the comic book Spider-Verse stories have thrived- by throwing in a ridiculously massive number of Spider-People (and a fair amount of Spider-Things), referencing all manner of the character's appearances in multiple forms of media There's also a truck load of goofy ideas no one's ever seen before. This film continues the trend of the original using unique art styles for each Spider-Totem. (I think that's the proper designation. I've been reading the source comics lately.) With the MASSIVE increase of characters shown, it gives the film a wild look that is extremely effective.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>There are new main characters. Spider-Man 2099 as the only Spidey who "isn't funny" brings great intensity. The new take on Spider-Woman as his top agent is all business, but it looks like she has a deeper and more compassionate side. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Pavitr Prabhakar, a fresh take on the Spider-Man of "India," was a fun addition who used a Diabolo for his webbing in a variety of wild ways. The Diabolo defied most laws of physics, just like any good comic book character should. Spider-Punk was an amazing, funny, positive, anti-authoritarian influence.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The gags and references came at high speed from every direction. Some were fresh and strange, some were the oddest ideas from the comics (the sentient Spider-Mobile - Peter Parked Car [hee hee], the Tyrannosaur) some were live action references, and some poked fun at the history of comics and other media. (Nineties comics have always deserved to be poked.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Am I going to be greedy and ask for a highlight on <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/07/bad-geek-confessions-spider-man.html" target="_blank">"Mayday" Parker </a>in the next round? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You bet.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Spot is the great use of a previously goofy bad guy developing into a huge nightmare of a foe, but, as in many good stories, there seems to be more villainy afoot elsewhere than meets the eye..</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At it's core, the film is about the same things the best Spider-Man stories are: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What having the great responsibility that must also come with great power means and how that effects their lives, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">but also how there is some relief based on support by friends and family.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the negative side, as more and more of the main filmmaking population is my age, they do the same thing when making a sequel. They decide "This will be my <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/02/re-re-rere-re-re-watching-star-wars.html" target="_blank">Empire Strikes Back.</a>" </i>Then they make a film that ends in the middle of the narrative. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Look, I get it. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Empire </i>was awesome, and was most of our introduction to that kind of world building, dark storytelling. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it had a satisfying ending. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, the good guys lost, and we knew more was coming.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it had a clear stopping point. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Rebel heroes were defeated, but the main characters learned new things, escaped and were at a safe location to regroup. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The good homages to it understood that. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Just because the Avengers lost, it doesn't mean <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2018/05/avengers-infinity-whoah.html" target="_blank">Infinity War</a></i> didn't have an ending.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This film could have ended in the same way with a little tweaking, instead of once again having me spend the last fifteen minutes thinking, "How will they resolve all of this?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Until I transitioned into, "</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh... They won't." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At least they realized </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Empire </i><span style="font-family: arial;">ended with hope, and tossed in a scene to make the end more than just a cliffhanger. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Don't get me wrong, it was an Amazing (ha!) ride, and I will happily watch this one and "Beyond the Spider-Verse" or whatever the next one will be called back to back multiple times. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But I do wish creators would concentrate more on telling the story they're currently on, rather than placing extensive focus on the franchise.</span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-89826785461621512132024-02-26T11:00:00.002-08:002024-03-04T09:23:05.362-08:00Washington DC Day 6- May 19, 2023<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;">Dazzling Ducks</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbxK6NIxPOUDURcMMv_EvpJf6JJlmM4as1a7sZ5PEcQfCewAxid3jk7HqPfKRc2_6kitRpVrNH1MO2-VAUhuviPGrzZ8vyc3GWF2_UH9KBkrXfHqCFGqvNFlARb_LbkgHYG7TExM1uRVfnviTXO0PbT9juVF3uA9rf25Ed7Qfd9oC4cJfknAARi16vv_w/s4032/wwii%20memorail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbxK6NIxPOUDURcMMv_EvpJf6JJlmM4as1a7sZ5PEcQfCewAxid3jk7HqPfKRc2_6kitRpVrNH1MO2-VAUhuviPGrzZ8vyc3GWF2_UH9KBkrXfHqCFGqvNFlARb_LbkgHYG7TExM1uRVfnviTXO0PbT9juVF3uA9rf25Ed7Qfd9oC4cJfknAARi16vv_w/w400-h300/wwii%20memorail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>Rosa and I started off with the usual breakfast
tag teaming. The elevator opening on the way down revealed a welcome desk on the
third floor. It was for a cross species asthma conference.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Nothing to worry about here.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The staff were super enthusiastic about plate
removal, requiring Rosa and I to guard each other’s stuff warily when the other
went for food…<br />Or when we would glance away from our dish for a moment.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Back up in the room it was time for the
required nap and television time, the History channel was on. The
sensationalist crap on screen illustrated how far the network had fallen when
compared to all the clips from its early years we saw in various museums and
the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">Archives</a>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>For our “Monuments Day” we walked
straight south all the way to Anabelle’s beloved Washington Monument for the
first time since the day we arrived, passing through the pedestrian area close
to the White House. In view of the Presidential Mansion, Anabelle performed the
required tap steps for her club’s ritual. (They were “spanks.”)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58PM95saB9qwGBHEgmsOIKAkr4oejT4ss5bCV5xZdkxqYqd9M71NlAsbZr0PEPFrMZtQOSJyQTUOm3SADTUbPAvM3Oo4F2hEnB4B4UE64IKRwsFH5rgkfHi6QuAsJnb0e6IV1JW1tTBS8FgkaJsEXkh_Z3VFho5oZacfLS8-Grly3VfamsOBFwx7RNgVT/s4032/jackson%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58PM95saB9qwGBHEgmsOIKAkr4oejT4ss5bCV5xZdkxqYqd9M71NlAsbZr0PEPFrMZtQOSJyQTUOm3SADTUbPAvM3Oo4F2hEnB4B4UE64IKRwsFH5rgkfHi6QuAsJnb0e6IV1JW1tTBS8FgkaJsEXkh_Z3VFho5oZacfLS8-Grly3VfamsOBFwx7RNgVT/w400-h300/jackson%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On the far side of the building was an
impressively large sign on the barricade fence highlighting Indigenous Peoples' Rights. This was
directly in front of the lawn with the huge Andrew Jackson statue.<br /> They might want to work on that
placement.<br />Or maybe that was the point they were
shooting for?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8P6wL9kZijSe09U_rHVKP8UT1URitE594eCsvQDia-QmP6HSM_vsP6XqnXq842fXxGz6sQWTRq0zKK1IDIutGLbzp2rMDaZaQWjaW2xbuqEMAwrLoLX9hFPt68e6ATtsZ32YE9xrmqYKmg2EEhrVW9kAaOm8yV5nIHvNrJFgGgdCos6T8vFCMAThNDcca/s4032/white%20house%20entry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8P6wL9kZijSe09U_rHVKP8UT1URitE594eCsvQDia-QmP6HSM_vsP6XqnXq842fXxGz6sQWTRq0zKK1IDIutGLbzp2rMDaZaQWjaW2xbuqEMAwrLoLX9hFPt68e6ATtsZ32YE9xrmqYKmg2EEhrVW9kAaOm8yV5nIHvNrJFgGgdCos6T8vFCMAThNDcca/w400-h300/white%20house%20entry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Rosa zoomed in to take photos of the people
at the White House door…<br />In case we found out they were important
later.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The White House is always smaller than I
expect.<br /> This is possibly due to how massive the
Capitol is, or simply because I am a buffoon.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On our way down the road, we passed an
ice cream truck playing “La Cucaracha” at ear splitting volumes. It propelled
Anabelle and Rosa to dance their way past as it was far too early for ice cream.<br /><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5rrvR10dd0rJptR8eE9E6NMTcBLODOvGfnhQMCJLiT3QlslOytYlSOSoRPfu0Yf0RK1drG3DZHf92nlF7272Gd5X334mgDlOfaEX2ag12ffFZ4bLb6UhTJTCFk6g326kPA8xqko5vmCup729-jMzZlEQXqouHK9QkGYuDid99_qYgp_MoQKStSmhKwTQ/s4032/cool%20building.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5rrvR10dd0rJptR8eE9E6NMTcBLODOvGfnhQMCJLiT3QlslOytYlSOSoRPfu0Yf0RK1drG3DZHf92nlF7272Gd5X334mgDlOfaEX2ag12ffFZ4bLb6UhTJTCFk6g326kPA8xqko5vmCup729-jMzZlEQXqouHK9QkGYuDid99_qYgp_MoQKStSmhKwTQ/w400-h300/cool%20building.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>We continued heading toward the
Washington Monument, much to Anabelle’s delight. Then we turned right and
accidentally visited a historic site, because that happens easily in Washington
DC.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRCGpnZLyDdeo0TmpVhUcG3GQOuOQ_b9DisWXv1JGw6A_zH74yddoJ0Rlmk-N01V04k4jhl_29IDrta-ev-bNKyhwZauQBYVlXzHu3gFiw6zE5RGWFd0nXGukWAWnAQCGdKo4ZScN8qiTYyNBHgHMTHqjbO8ztfZ2vEfZXuZXxY0O8RtKIxh5S0kYbgYU/s4032/gathouse%20map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRCGpnZLyDdeo0TmpVhUcG3GQOuOQ_b9DisWXv1JGw6A_zH74yddoJ0Rlmk-N01V04k4jhl_29IDrta-ev-bNKyhwZauQBYVlXzHu3gFiw6zE5RGWFd0nXGukWAWnAQCGdKo4ZScN8qiTYyNBHgHMTHqjbO8ztfZ2vEfZXuZXxY0O8RtKIxh5S0kYbgYU/w400-h300/gathouse%20map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This followed spotting some people coming
out of a little, non-descript, stone building. Stepping inside, we learned it was
a Lock Keeper's house. Washington had been built at its location due to water
access, and there used to be a series of canals through the area. Most of the
ground the main memorials were built on had been reclaimed from the bay. Nifty!<br />Plus, there were STAMPS! Woo!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp1dW30QwCLSaWfuEjjGX-oXio8E2rFxArTtEyU6tiG_BQxWwYEiBKws9RJuIvkTycka1AMrQP0aFAuxjdxBGwBOBiseyOTtOWQFxR_UNbAToKGhyV1su9YBEj0I4keYqRr_XbrqY6M-dLYUV06Y7nOLMjDX-x0fWnpi9BHKdBEZbL7MFhYdtERTrXfHF/s4032/wwii%20memorial%20sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp1dW30QwCLSaWfuEjjGX-oXio8E2rFxArTtEyU6tiG_BQxWwYEiBKws9RJuIvkTycka1AMrQP0aFAuxjdxBGwBOBiseyOTtOWQFxR_UNbAToKGhyV1su9YBEj0I4keYqRr_XbrqY6M-dLYUV06Y7nOLMjDX-x0fWnpi9BHKdBEZbL7MFhYdtERTrXfHF/w400-h300/wwii%20memorial%20sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We started out our planned visits at the
World War II memorial. In recognition of the allied forces putting their feet
in the fountains of Europe on VE Day, which I’m sure the Europeans were
thrilled about, the National Park Service encouraged visitors to do that here
as a tribute. Rosa and Anabelle did. I have enough itchy feet issues in my life
to try that before a long day of walking in high tops.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij30113D5G8Ymz0LrTfeGojwDgX-1TtQry_1XJ9-DTPubKTbU96Zs2iK0Ik6FZ8lqDZRiLV_-yrTv0c3zmejUdOb7RQV45j-zGRrnDzJODMOVdTU8megBRm2xQ9ON38zexiHm-N4ESVI434FuzYfBYY8R_pJ_XnrgZY8wJwjbKNmgZPIIcYQ6QEEO1eCh9/s4032/ladies%20with%20wwii%20feet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij30113D5G8Ymz0LrTfeGojwDgX-1TtQry_1XJ9-DTPubKTbU96Zs2iK0Ik6FZ8lqDZRiLV_-yrTv0c3zmejUdOb7RQV45j-zGRrnDzJODMOVdTU8megBRm2xQ9ON38zexiHm-N4ESVI434FuzYfBYY8R_pJ_XnrgZY8wJwjbKNmgZPIIcYQ6QEEO1eCh9/w400-h300/ladies%20with%20wwii%20feet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvc3Xj9Pzq4R3g6TTiG7gyqKOT9tnR4D1IBhquj3q7wUD3kZr8G-48WQiRb_4aBlctyXFS0YINrFQj58H_JGtBPZ53uCxZg_131m6LcGXbT4eakGEICohC8SJ3f2IPE53TIk6jcHc31xfq6r1KFNOCyMFZ3A1oF1OvkwDMULIrJQg8aV7CUHQdjM6wFQs/s4032/wii%20fountains.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvc3Xj9Pzq4R3g6TTiG7gyqKOT9tnR4D1IBhquj3q7wUD3kZr8G-48WQiRb_4aBlctyXFS0YINrFQj58H_JGtBPZ53uCxZg_131m6LcGXbT4eakGEICohC8SJ3f2IPE53TIk6jcHc31xfq6r1KFNOCyMFZ3A1oF1OvkwDMULIrJQg8aV7CUHQdjM6wFQs/w400-h300/wii%20fountains.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWn7RrmrfsxmKn4nCGMFz6q-M1Y4AJyMTv6j17CpXvncuE6r30BbORdO57u5rGE0iaqnDimSTgVwkPGOqmAiurRz33XK5QRDB6KMnJIc8oZ-egXvGzo3FxaEgAIcg5h2f6xjQMFRKF7Sm_ZQPXD0wpR5BcUMgLCxN0ok1nJXWtJ3oEEtl8axUQEHiWMxH/s4032/dday%20section.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWn7RrmrfsxmKn4nCGMFz6q-M1Y4AJyMTv6j17CpXvncuE6r30BbORdO57u5rGE0iaqnDimSTgVwkPGOqmAiurRz33XK5QRDB6KMnJIc8oZ-egXvGzo3FxaEgAIcg5h2f6xjQMFRKF7Sm_ZQPXD0wpR5BcUMgLCxN0ok1nJXWtJ3oEEtl8axUQEHiWMxH/w400-h300/dday%20section.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxETyyoGHZOB1cvzNMbz3psS5DcyByHlu18xmf-gLqzAG8Wa6fpqMGSo5Nm_90t08Whp3noeCiw5JVre1UhGI7eMGi_p10r-RHH2DVvfXN9RYsZCbyXjK78CcBIfBXmIc671fJ_gEHYkssetphc15ZeOcxR7FXTjD21NADGzT5Q3uQXUtVnDDrantnOEY6/s4032/other%20wwii%20fountains.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxETyyoGHZOB1cvzNMbz3psS5DcyByHlu18xmf-gLqzAG8Wa6fpqMGSo5Nm_90t08Whp3noeCiw5JVre1UhGI7eMGi_p10r-RHH2DVvfXN9RYsZCbyXjK78CcBIfBXmIc671fJ_gEHYkssetphc15ZeOcxR7FXTjD21NADGzT5Q3uQXUtVnDDrantnOEY6/w400-h300/other%20wwii%20fountains.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWHmU0IyKeK5o8F72Xffdtdwt6N73d9RWN8wXi0z89m9gYCCvFg4bV25p_407APp7Vy24GqGsXXgASce3eVgaqRkt5KKp62XQeZ5g0WASNp24C7i_zCtapZzuXE4zzNUW4bUN5KCOrDdT-Au1Q163KJPpwNJTo52aNSSzNs-q1vTZR5BA56j87ee6DQ-x/s4032/wwii%20atlantic%20tower.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWHmU0IyKeK5o8F72Xffdtdwt6N73d9RWN8wXi0z89m9gYCCvFg4bV25p_407APp7Vy24GqGsXXgASce3eVgaqRkt5KKp62XQeZ5g0WASNp24C7i_zCtapZzuXE4zzNUW4bUN5KCOrDdT-Au1Q163KJPpwNJTo52aNSSzNs-q1vTZR5BA56j87ee6DQ-x/w400-h300/wwii%20atlantic%20tower.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJCRoQz4EHmpZq7FMir2b4LCEVg09Q-pFF2WgdMox7qTapLlT94RZk5aM_DQClgC35_mK9S8vCFh56r7DdVfDUVZR3DKHmc6LQ1o6PIrRyLylTdPnA7gNt-FtIW07iOOl2ozKAgQthgESWa4KNCYyKAyRgRm3NtnEvSss2HSfOWHrwdHHogBuswfmpi38/s4032/main%20wwii%20fountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJCRoQz4EHmpZq7FMir2b4LCEVg09Q-pFF2WgdMox7qTapLlT94RZk5aM_DQClgC35_mK9S8vCFh56r7DdVfDUVZR3DKHmc6LQ1o6PIrRyLylTdPnA7gNt-FtIW07iOOl2ozKAgQthgESWa4KNCYyKAyRgRm3NtnEvSss2HSfOWHrwdHHogBuswfmpi38/w400-h300/main%20wwii%20fountain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The Memorial did an excellent job of
conveying the enormity of that war. Quotes from various leaders were
everywhere, along with references to all the states, territories and countries
that were involved. Unlike the Korea and Vietnam memorials which listed all the
names of those lost, The World War II Memorial had a wall full of gold stars.
Each star represented a hundred dead. It was an all around a sobering and relevant
site.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMSSrKGiBPsFLjwH__BZUBSgrt-nVd6hRz6PAb2ZlEVPDlkypZY3f5gk52R8nF8T1Ss3m7_sQ8SMswVPN_pL56euUSL30pFS3OLYU6LfojXSiloYX2LVdpV54Rj1h6xwr2_sLKLAG6yDgGX2pSLKKUPZmj34LSzymJouR4bw90QkhAV6HxpMIP5MDG15j/s4032/wwii%20memorial%20stars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMSSrKGiBPsFLjwH__BZUBSgrt-nVd6hRz6PAb2ZlEVPDlkypZY3f5gk52R8nF8T1Ss3m7_sQ8SMswVPN_pL56euUSL30pFS3OLYU6LfojXSiloYX2LVdpV54Rj1h6xwr2_sLKLAG6yDgGX2pSLKKUPZmj34LSzymJouR4bw90QkhAV6HxpMIP5MDG15j/w400-h300/wwii%20memorial%20stars.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Facing the Lincoln Memorial, we went to
the right side of the Reflecting Pool. Anabelle noted unenthusiastically, “The
Reflecting Pool is brown.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pointed out
it reflects far better at night.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback- The revelations about the
Reflecting Pool were all new to Anabelle…<br />Because it had been completely empty and
reflectless for her Eighth Grade Trip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCksLjlblc1EoUN2FJUUQ3ejqiCy60JFs65P97G7nI0hmoNCX2RJs1sNS5yMe2M4TuuaVPqMEFA_3chDNA7_GNbcGbsL_5TlPDimyZ9FF7CO2DTm2l6h1TVfiCHikMJtNbkyrpyJgputZbuztgTRs608IUaVS2P8KYfJbBZNOp_6XMcF_L9PObc6h1HVy9/s4032/wii%20medalion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCksLjlblc1EoUN2FJUUQ3ejqiCy60JFs65P97G7nI0hmoNCX2RJs1sNS5yMe2M4TuuaVPqMEFA_3chDNA7_GNbcGbsL_5TlPDimyZ9FF7CO2DTm2l6h1TVfiCHikMJtNbkyrpyJgputZbuztgTRs608IUaVS2P8KYfJbBZNOp_6XMcF_L9PObc6h1HVy9/w400-h300/wii%20medalion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>We found a small circular area overlooking
the World War II memorial. Appropriately it commemorated the “Prayer for the
Nation” Roosevelt read before D-Day.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulgpckFZtYK_m1t2kWca89DmJJiRqXRL9267kGPUb5ARw4guFmO82dhefzhQixxRLcu9ECwWJit4QI6rLK-Y_mS1r2hUIAstpjlTArnLpsyp0IfZ3aVw5xCdltOeaquSg6s746qnow64TrNQOl642Rk_FxCS3nGqYMLSFslIDT73EwIhueJM5XKx4rBGu/s4032/wwii%20prayer%20spot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulgpckFZtYK_m1t2kWca89DmJJiRqXRL9267kGPUb5ARw4guFmO82dhefzhQixxRLcu9ECwWJit4QI6rLK-Y_mS1r2hUIAstpjlTArnLpsyp0IfZ3aVw5xCdltOeaquSg6s746qnow64TrNQOl642Rk_FxCS3nGqYMLSFslIDT73EwIhueJM5XKx4rBGu/w400-h300/wwii%20prayer%20spot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>We were walking through Constitution
Park to see something else we learned about from <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Mr. History,</a> Declaration Island. I
cannot stress how much the next sentence is an understatement:<br />THERE WERE SO MANY DUCKS!<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQihyevpddxqZc-uosKS4GCusZtaorb-oZbNWBa2jK3R3zTa8btk-elaux7AY89B2najSKuU8lahkVtsWT7hjpHWdPxRPLM7FXPJAloV9mCJug-ph-0f-GbjW6nPo0wNDrCvUdXv4axIfqG-TM2B7brdocu3JfLENTh8lWlmyEGzmBvnf7oe17zPHEtxik/s4032/washington%20monument%20ducks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQihyevpddxqZc-uosKS4GCusZtaorb-oZbNWBa2jK3R3zTa8btk-elaux7AY89B2najSKuU8lahkVtsWT7hjpHWdPxRPLM7FXPJAloV9mCJug-ph-0f-GbjW6nPo0wNDrCvUdXv4axIfqG-TM2B7brdocu3JfLENTh8lWlmyEGzmBvnf7oe17zPHEtxik/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20ducks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </o:p>It was borderline Hitchcockian.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the island were tombstone looking
things with all the signers of the Declaration of Independence, sorted by state.<br />
The idea was to honor the notion that if
the American Revolution went sideways, those people would have all been killed.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK53kGdKWRx_SDFK7OuHrGWQ6oGHLPsQ99XEVuuBS_cnJtukPeQwILpZpj4ipQHiR7NPH3TIQGHEAL_DpVTvLqpP7hyEDypdx4sw7UEA3YFXdREz48eD9ovEZDZ4QJcbl4zfebP-djRu1an0SXhGN6V9Rpq59Bdx8lg1bLNlKKD1af0fZp50jy96ASeYp3/s4032/franklin%20declaration.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK53kGdKWRx_SDFK7OuHrGWQ6oGHLPsQ99XEVuuBS_cnJtukPeQwILpZpj4ipQHiR7NPH3TIQGHEAL_DpVTvLqpP7hyEDypdx4sw7UEA3YFXdREz48eD9ovEZDZ4QJcbl4zfebP-djRu1an0SXhGN6V9Rpq59Bdx8lg1bLNlKKD1af0fZp50jy96ASeYp3/w400-h300/franklin%20declaration.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE57CHBYQ5Bzap14MegXZRTtPcgRdQxHIxcU2AyxisFYjIHz_8HfwssTN4rSR6LN34Z0tqQQNwVY0B7dKUqqS71YI44Tuhhh9or58ZKRfZqUFsxjNK9XvXaDSUMEQGdghoCtNsc9UFS7qPRhSpdOqeqIHtljGZGSSH4oDZdHtxmRswGoyxmCZfeF9Jr_OM/s4032/virginia%20signers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE57CHBYQ5Bzap14MegXZRTtPcgRdQxHIxcU2AyxisFYjIHz_8HfwssTN4rSR6LN34Z0tqQQNwVY0B7dKUqqS71YI44Tuhhh9or58ZKRfZqUFsxjNK9XvXaDSUMEQGdghoCtNsc9UFS7qPRhSpdOqeqIHtljGZGSSH4oDZdHtxmRswGoyxmCZfeF9Jr_OM/w400-h300/virginia%20signers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYw3tyYR-iT1FPPVgLWgIplydO96olSBwKGGZex1vSjB1fMuCbPAUh0NMnRMDSb1knF-2gmazMFog5nLXUTuHoft4LmHWd4A0NIFf7UvHf0CAYqTIUE4RuQr-xriZVrJzdMpgKMXTGKL-MrPcl89PF7OJ2qHkh8Fw5xYDW4Yc9kXbpwMAtplwmHq9xU36/s4032/nj%20declaration%20signers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYw3tyYR-iT1FPPVgLWgIplydO96olSBwKGGZex1vSjB1fMuCbPAUh0NMnRMDSb1knF-2gmazMFog5nLXUTuHoft4LmHWd4A0NIFf7UvHf0CAYqTIUE4RuQr-xriZVrJzdMpgKMXTGKL-MrPcl89PF7OJ2qHkh8Fw5xYDW4Yc9kXbpwMAtplwmHq9xU36/w400-h300/nj%20declaration%20signers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>As we continued our walk, in the marshy
area by the island we saw many of the red winged blackbirds we encounter just
about everywhere we vacation.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am aware how little anyone else cares.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We also encountered a new bit of the
natural world:<br />A blue jay eating a Cheez It.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT2Bwt9WEn18sbIC2KIz1PXP1B7OvvSL3cxBSlAdp5zOBu_X0KtDnctb0EmWtYaipMZ2spui2ja8IG2oK870JaDEdW5GsKCfZfo_Zpf_jpnuQbhfPtXqbP5gH4SK7qDbl4Gzj20rBuOdQ5i_6X9T8iB7bjnBbfqgZ1LFSetYaJh8o3qhTTTH0ki-JNgBk/s4032/vientam%20womens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT2Bwt9WEn18sbIC2KIz1PXP1B7OvvSL3cxBSlAdp5zOBu_X0KtDnctb0EmWtYaipMZ2spui2ja8IG2oK870JaDEdW5GsKCfZfo_Zpf_jpnuQbhfPtXqbP5gH4SK7qDbl4Gzj20rBuOdQ5i_6X9T8iB7bjnBbfqgZ1LFSetYaJh8o3qhTTTH0ki-JNgBk/w400-h300/vientam%20womens.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="I am aware how little anyone else cares." target="_blank">Mr. History’</a>s lessons continued to guide
our way. Before we reached the Vietnam Memorial proper, we detoured into the
little grove to find the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. We did agree with him that
it had to be a tribute to the <i>Pieta</i>, and it was incredibly moving. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbinLPkoz-1GFwgxDCBZ3itrD781pZ47xTeYUOpQJd0PMh-PWJb5l3dYnroEYg5P4VqwXKawI5JfTSO94EUcOHunOrYItBcZMf9HNzEuaqoaQ-V5ZoRs42B4_uiKToJZOnqQtRAzouBImo_qx1r3mnCLE8iWZBwbvldI11wGwMf5PDf4eY_GQpY9iaVBaJ/s4032/back%20of%20vietnam%20womens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbinLPkoz-1GFwgxDCBZ3itrD781pZ47xTeYUOpQJd0PMh-PWJb5l3dYnroEYg5P4VqwXKawI5JfTSO94EUcOHunOrYItBcZMf9HNzEuaqoaQ-V5ZoRs42B4_uiKToJZOnqQtRAzouBImo_qx1r3mnCLE8iWZBwbvldI11wGwMf5PDf4eY_GQpY9iaVBaJ/w400-h300/back%20of%20vietnam%20womens.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It
was also covered with Scrunchies for reasons that neither we, nor Mr. History
had any idea about. It is unlikely there is any connection
to the same phenomenon occurring at the top of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/06/disney-world-2022-day-6-august-7-soup.html" target="_blank">Expedition Everest</a> roller
coaster, but weirder things have been linked in our lives.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlIzD6AL5cfvMaDYaIbL-HIrJyNxrF69mkzstUtzfpnpW6M23e74ypezFP9dDfYJa93M4py-5tvsfCbVDiAKJGWkJMd1bzEuPQEVmdW9vJJMDfEF-jbI-C2g3ih7qnBKQtM8AaxVN1n2FSWncxQA8GpQyDesd8A3_0Qhe6An37PwlHxNxsbMpffdhygRh/s4032/vientam%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlIzD6AL5cfvMaDYaIbL-HIrJyNxrF69mkzstUtzfpnpW6M23e74ypezFP9dDfYJa93M4py-5tvsfCbVDiAKJGWkJMd1bzEuPQEVmdW9vJJMDfEF-jbI-C2g3ih7qnBKQtM8AaxVN1n2FSWncxQA8GpQyDesd8A3_0Qhe6An37PwlHxNxsbMpffdhygRh/w400-h300/vientam%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A little further brought us to the main
Vietnam Memorial, and it definitely does work better in daylight. With full
visibility it was clear that the three men in the statue are looking sadly down
at the wall itself. Vietnam was recent enough that Veterans are still truly
part of the Memorial. We saw a man with a long pointer solemnly reaching up to
identify the name of his best friend’s brother.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSePUnlt-cqCqm5cLnDYRhOi2JgDU2MdbtCmwPj_nkUzFsATbEw9WdbdWhzlfzEDfvm9Y4ya8eWWnnDDnqjLK_KhToFijOClYwJ-7Re_Rwyab1qWbH8LHGkA9rq1-19nMwheI_vgt-XRhJVSsBB2acGCXbA4UY-U4EgdGanf_xtOAFymbRVzn7a_OUdU3/s4032/vietnam%20vet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSePUnlt-cqCqm5cLnDYRhOi2JgDU2MdbtCmwPj_nkUzFsATbEw9WdbdWhzlfzEDfvm9Y4ya8eWWnnDDnqjLK_KhToFijOClYwJ-7Re_Rwyab1qWbH8LHGkA9rq1-19nMwheI_vgt-XRhJVSsBB2acGCXbA4UY-U4EgdGanf_xtOAFymbRVzn7a_OUdU3/w400-h300/vietnam%20vet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Throughout our walks I was getting texts
detailing the latest disaster at work and asking me questions. However, my
surroundings gave me the perspective needed to know I truly had nothing to
complain about.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ymMkDoE89ElBNs2uw8qsmV9upx3kpeqVtkCdehuz9x3tiMpf6z16iAXyfHZv0QNsaVphwIwhSs8zsqJJ71a51Vhg61hbYBziXHsX9joE0EYASYqy0zdBhfxry6gVJyuxSIFTUGspf6t1ZSefbKLrZyo4ixWIAAYvGMxBPbOhtS65G9KmXPQVGSlGj336/s4032/einstein%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ymMkDoE89ElBNs2uw8qsmV9upx3kpeqVtkCdehuz9x3tiMpf6z16iAXyfHZv0QNsaVphwIwhSs8zsqJJ71a51Vhg61hbYBziXHsX9joE0EYASYqy0zdBhfxry6gVJyuxSIFTUGspf6t1ZSefbKLrZyo4ixWIAAYvGMxBPbOhtS65G9KmXPQVGSlGj336/w400-h300/einstein%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Before going to the Lincoln Memorial, we
made stops behind it. First, on the side we were on, we crossed the street to
find the Einstein Statue. His nose was extra shiny because students rub it
before exams for luck.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBaiUlY8IsU90ogZQ7hCUw7QVNwcVvMJLLjsQ7LasRGOABgsUtVHyCjJyvymB9f1jEeZ8Zl6UnqLL0UNTlFE0-MXSUq_2jfWw67JPFBJdbAGZiCgp7ZXeqm4-kAY0vZgdgOtLbxhFRSqHGx4ovPh75Xyg6UBkOOONmd_2Tu4NHcvjC9-kEL1SYE6aoIsA/s4032/einstein%20face.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBaiUlY8IsU90ogZQ7hCUw7QVNwcVvMJLLjsQ7LasRGOABgsUtVHyCjJyvymB9f1jEeZ8Zl6UnqLL0UNTlFE0-MXSUq_2jfWw67JPFBJdbAGZiCgp7ZXeqm4-kAY0vZgdgOtLbxhFRSqHGx4ovPh75Xyg6UBkOOONmd_2Tu4NHcvjC9-kEL1SYE6aoIsA/w400-h300/einstein%20face.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>I’m sure Professor Einstein would be
honored to know his likeness is used as yet another excuse to believe in
superstition and not to study.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>One element not mentioned about the luck
of Einstein’s nose, is that it is upon a metal statue. Due to the sun shining
on that nose, and indeed the rest of him, he gets dangerously hot. Anabelle
took some mighty uncomfortable photographs before relaying this information to us
and forcing a change in strategy.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Behind the Lincoln Memorial my family
determined it was now the proper time for ice cream. Rosa had a strawberry bar
while Anabelle enjoyed a King Kone.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FEDzoGg9lXot864oB0hGTAXI-fddIeQGC1fHlRBV8NVEHatHambVMn89hpTWa1_bLl-eL345kmKGC8G5Wiokq44_wGkkqYGVQ-7yee6Fn0-nZrfphQ3dGT3ntsIv_akNGNP9c7sKKxYGd3XnREZYYFuteRcqHhRnxzMtRMqlMDa0zP019Yzpr_ewno4d/s4032/roadside%20statues.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FEDzoGg9lXot864oB0hGTAXI-fddIeQGC1fHlRBV8NVEHatHambVMn89hpTWa1_bLl-eL345kmKGC8G5Wiokq44_wGkkqYGVQ-7yee6Fn0-nZrfphQ3dGT3ntsIv_akNGNP9c7sKKxYGd3XnREZYYFuteRcqHhRnxzMtRMqlMDa0zP019Yzpr_ewno4d/w400-h300/roadside%20statues.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We saw some statues on the side of the
road and walked over toward what we believed was the Watergate Hotel. It turned
out we misunderstood <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Mr. History</a>, the Navicomputer, each other, and geography
in general.<br /> We walked a lot and were tired.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>I also have no idea what the statues
were of. As usual, my documentation skills were a wonder. (As in, “I wonder
what that thing we saw was?”)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>What we were heading toward was
Watergate Steps, allowing a view of the river, which we could already see from
where we stood. The Watergate Hotel itself was stupid far across said river.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrS4Ot_nEu711JZ_NnLm9pA0EhXgFpNDKyIJRo7aJExfZs6QZ7lSTOYc1GPmdnCjmvhJuPpbtkRGq8qpdKNcGw5iw95cnJRLfLNIrmSXzFdxiSSpLkIJTI-pWwLI2B4APoA2HpgF2v31e6Rf96du2fBZw0UFeeKC2jIoQV4Moa9vgp3wZMPoV5myeHAOt/s4032/washington%20monument%20reflecting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrS4Ot_nEu711JZ_NnLm9pA0EhXgFpNDKyIJRo7aJExfZs6QZ7lSTOYc1GPmdnCjmvhJuPpbtkRGq8qpdKNcGw5iw95cnJRLfLNIrmSXzFdxiSSpLkIJTI-pWwLI2B4APoA2HpgF2v31e6Rf96du2fBZw0UFeeKC2jIoQV4Moa9vgp3wZMPoV5myeHAOt/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20reflecting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Instead, we doubled back to my favorite, the Lincoln Memorial. It is always bigger than I remember. This lends more credence to the previously mentioned “buffoon” theory.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Hey, the states are in order of joining the Union around the top edge, not random.<br />Buffoon.<o:p><br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPH5iPs_3RElmj_CWIs0CSK4PbUfIYD-OAe6B3Xc8dl9XzEhATTBpzUJmtP2o9Y9ehdJ5BJoPBI3De5ZZK1NqR6gleOTXscM7lVI1eGy5b8X-NWp1cLxO_VNo5K40ecOzoyCB_upIVRahAw77FXyMt8LYUrC_oREO5F6cXzPbN5TxbCZjhRIpyd-vaZ0x/s4032/lincoln%20memorial%20top.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPH5iPs_3RElmj_CWIs0CSK4PbUfIYD-OAe6B3Xc8dl9XzEhATTBpzUJmtP2o9Y9ehdJ5BJoPBI3De5ZZK1NqR6gleOTXscM7lVI1eGy5b8X-NWp1cLxO_VNo5K40ecOzoyCB_upIVRahAw77FXyMt8LYUrC_oREO5F6cXzPbN5TxbCZjhRIpyd-vaZ0x/w400-h300/lincoln%20memorial%20top.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From in front of the memorial, Rosa got
her own finger on top of the Washington Monument picture. Yes, Anabelle took
it.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa’s knee surgery was still recent
enough that going up a bunch of steps was unpleasant. Therefore, we went into
the ground level secret entrance and bathrooms.<br />Hey! There’s an exhibit in there!<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>That was neat, and educational.<br />(An apt description for the whole city.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4x4pFkFGuNXWRHiUL2V5-nXTcDOYE1BYaGN8ORYrs3tTaXyXlFNN1ggHVTWXui7tT2YBrdUv7qGwU_q2P3P7zdM8aHYfcxcFq_p4NP-qcXcsOdL1VmK09YEIb9aodA5Ow-maPIkC9r8WXH4ViLLF7y6gZrMWAoV9p7d7nXQ437wKh1MQo8fUarxTjOsv/s4032/lincoln%20in%20day.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4x4pFkFGuNXWRHiUL2V5-nXTcDOYE1BYaGN8ORYrs3tTaXyXlFNN1ggHVTWXui7tT2YBrdUv7qGwU_q2P3P7zdM8aHYfcxcFq_p4NP-qcXcsOdL1VmK09YEIb9aodA5Ow-maPIkC9r8WXH4ViLLF7y6gZrMWAoV9p7d7nXQ437wKh1MQo8fUarxTjOsv/w400-h300/lincoln%20in%20day.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Upstairs we read the Gettysburg Address
and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Speech. Though the statue is more impressive at
night, light and timing removed the option of reading on our <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Mr. History</a> visit.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJAtDQHNEu0R7h7C9mX7oyi7yVQhz3X4RMqwHcP48xW6jVWG-T6dR7dYLYlKL8fLwI7sktO_eYdtN7xxZ8XeAShpA1TAUNs562LSEm1pMbXpTXLkAJBpoLEu7Kxu48nq6ZzklSDZozyZWE3RnNp2iGF6ZaN9cMokBNVab-r_3N2bAHdIESksVt9BD0gOr/s4032/cond%20innaugural%20address.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJAtDQHNEu0R7h7C9mX7oyi7yVQhz3X4RMqwHcP48xW6jVWG-T6dR7dYLYlKL8fLwI7sktO_eYdtN7xxZ8XeAShpA1TAUNs562LSEm1pMbXpTXLkAJBpoLEu7Kxu48nq6ZzklSDZozyZWE3RnNp2iGF6ZaN9cMokBNVab-r_3N2bAHdIESksVt9BD0gOr/w400-h300/cond%20innaugural%20address.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoPihzRNsSiFuKbyCicIjTPk-vS8PS5IgRMZwik6VPR0SOxRKdkG0ZSUjUvniAqi6ulfsa52cliHM4M1jR8P8hEaRaN-1pNJ0u6Fjw4MY_QBMta58HeCY_6N3Lj1y8Ka7piqLl623UoBB6FGjMmYwz-tL8R7bhbiC7NiujFEu9klFuSq0TQ2JxNgk0M4H/s4032/gettysburgh%20address.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoPihzRNsSiFuKbyCicIjTPk-vS8PS5IgRMZwik6VPR0SOxRKdkG0ZSUjUvniAqi6ulfsa52cliHM4M1jR8P8hEaRaN-1pNJ0u6Fjw4MY_QBMta58HeCY_6N3Lj1y8Ka7piqLl623UoBB6FGjMmYwz-tL8R7bhbiC7NiujFEu9klFuSq0TQ2JxNgk0M4H/w400-h300/gettysburgh%20address.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>Off to the side, was a tiny dark
bookstore. Rosa continued her proximity interest in history by looking for
copies of various documents. I got my Mom a Lincoln Memorial magnet, so
wherever she goes, it can always be “Just over there.”<br />I am hilarious.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa looked down the lengthy series of
steps and insisted there should be a slide to go down. Then she saw the sloping
marble on the side of the steps and said,<br />“I found the slide! Weeeeeee!”</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqhQgT2Ji6U_3M-pEUWKdkA5XMsEqJFmIdtYJjsD9OAaNTf8d2Ji7PKRjTfBtBfTnFJxslbK2OE-R0Jm92IEulbar7va71ngwmZvBowxyU6tFYlbuFyPmSv1o3Y2hm97N6y-UcY4EDd92uTyJOWEotGjGkxEzrZYZ4MwT_clUzld74Nx5Evgf2KLTmtC8/s4032/lincoln%20memorial%20slide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqhQgT2Ji6U_3M-pEUWKdkA5XMsEqJFmIdtYJjsD9OAaNTf8d2Ji7PKRjTfBtBfTnFJxslbK2OE-R0Jm92IEulbar7va71ngwmZvBowxyU6tFYlbuFyPmSv1o3Y2hm97N6y-UcY4EDd92uTyJOWEotGjGkxEzrZYZ4MwT_clUzld74Nx5Evgf2KLTmtC8/w400-h300/lincoln%20memorial%20slide.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Rosa is also hilarious.<br /><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p>DC Flashback- When relating this story, we learned Morgan slid down this marble structure when the rest of the family visited. Because they're hilarious too.</o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is as good a point as any to
indicate that, because it was May, we couldn’t take three steps near any of the
big attractions without the risk of tripping over someone taking Cap and Gown
Graduation photos.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5qNFM58cAv_XsijOhVU-Y0H1bBoIbIDbf6iAjUWIscH6OIR7f7YvRUSbrUt4BP31RsnfBoQYDh9H_Mtw4djb5fEjlW1EwoRzR5r2Rb9_7ZMg2I_AcK8_skSoLPlH_Ll-IaxhbCYaFkknzdOPqtb0PM7PdzLxEbljkMHmw4z7Pgqn-TEexRd77m5Mxuwo/s3088/kisses%20for%20abe%20lincoln%20day.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5qNFM58cAv_XsijOhVU-Y0H1bBoIbIDbf6iAjUWIscH6OIR7f7YvRUSbrUt4BP31RsnfBoQYDh9H_Mtw4djb5fEjlW1EwoRzR5r2Rb9_7ZMg2I_AcK8_skSoLPlH_Ll-IaxhbCYaFkknzdOPqtb0PM7PdzLxEbljkMHmw4z7Pgqn-TEexRd77m5Mxuwo/w300-h400/kisses%20for%20abe%20lincoln%20day.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Anabelle learned “Kisses for Abe Lincoln”
photos are much harder to get in the daylight, but eventually succeeded, to
finish her series.<br />Anabelle completes our hilarious trio.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gYRBGsuKW-ZEFlZV1PdBrwAZXcdsscdfDnebBYpXi1joHea-94IHSsg26b-rbpSl7wkzgFaQIHQsAgU_rIz5dtMzbHl8GU99qKlvcGiO6LAvjjxH2A0DRcudYRxcjNBy9Mp80lHm1qFEiv6D9FhwyKrhcu3kbnsuv76_ZlnVfO-HItCudp9ziSChu88x/s4032/I%20have%20a%20dream%20day.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gYRBGsuKW-ZEFlZV1PdBrwAZXcdsscdfDnebBYpXi1joHea-94IHSsg26b-rbpSl7wkzgFaQIHQsAgU_rIz5dtMzbHl8GU99qKlvcGiO6LAvjjxH2A0DRcudYRxcjNBy9Mp80lHm1qFEiv6D9FhwyKrhcu3kbnsuv76_ZlnVfO-HItCudp9ziSChu88x/w400-h300/I%20have%20a%20dream%20day.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On our way down the stairs, we got a
better look at the marker commemorating where Martin Luther King made his
speech. Whatever mysterious stain was on it in the evening had been cleaned up.<br />Hooray!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>At the bottom of the steps, I took one
last close up look at the Lincoln Memorial…<br />And realized, it’s a temple.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUlNZXlo6tvZxOK4IwJVcyHIfKhl-Dl26sncw8bZZZY9OFMi98Al3BDc689BDeYrMmPvNQuB2MDNBIoeN6v2zCCpJHt2xBSDWal7FX8H9DeOQxZXJhkNKUC6nwu6LguQGYXuazle-3Xb1RbgARlmSTJ3WdMZZcnvIG7kIVy338y9C60dqW4JCjo2VCJ7u/s4032/lincoln%20from%20afar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUlNZXlo6tvZxOK4IwJVcyHIfKhl-Dl26sncw8bZZZY9OFMi98Al3BDc689BDeYrMmPvNQuB2MDNBIoeN6v2zCCpJHt2xBSDWal7FX8H9DeOQxZXJhkNKUC6nwu6LguQGYXuazle-3Xb1RbgARlmSTJ3WdMZZcnvIG7kIVy338y9C60dqW4JCjo2VCJ7u/w400-h300/lincoln%20from%20afar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Much like the folks who commissioned and
created the <i><a href="DC Flashback- When relating this story, we learned Morgan slid down this marble structure when the rest of the family visited. Because they're hilarious too." target="_blank">Apotheosis of George Washington</a></i> painting in the Capitol
Dome, I don’t think those who made this really understood the man they were
honoring.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>With all of our wandering, we really
needed lunch. This was a problem as the far side of the Lincoln Memorial was
fairly desolate when it came to food options. The stand on the opposite side
of the Memorial didn’t tempt us, leading us to the southern end. (That’s the
left when facing it, for my compass challenged wife.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Near the stand, we saw a lame duck. This
had nothing to do with election timing in the capital city of our country. It
was a female mallard with a limp. We threw her a couple extra French fries out
of pity. Given this is where she lived, those are most likely the main part of
her natural diet.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4f0OvxV1let-OPhs7j283Nyk9i-wHirmznCdZbnaAiIxC0r_SHdiThbehwpG325W6UoqD6nsY1NO9t1jDK3WtcBBLS238Z7LgnLJu40IkxExppH4Y051Mg4XYk84gFvapEBj0P8ZM8pEtcr7k-WcWehOWVFjNK-cSbjUwok2ymvc_En3OLseWCKAonzY/s4032/lame%20duck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4f0OvxV1let-OPhs7j283Nyk9i-wHirmznCdZbnaAiIxC0r_SHdiThbehwpG325W6UoqD6nsY1NO9t1jDK3WtcBBLS238Z7LgnLJu40IkxExppH4Y051Mg4XYk84gFvapEBj0P8ZM8pEtcr7k-WcWehOWVFjNK-cSbjUwok2ymvc_En3OLseWCKAonzY/w400-h300/lame%20duck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa had some gluten free leftovers with
her or got a salad. The upcoming iced tea fiasco ruined my concentration. Anabelle
was happy with the prepackaged breakfast sandwich. I should have joined her. This
is where I finally figured out that, while I like Impossible Burgers, I’m not a
huge fan of generic Veggie Burgers. This is because the latter tends to be a
bunch of grains and vegetables mashed into a general patty shape and then
fried.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Due to limited selections, exhaustion,
and general confusion, I ordered Anabelle’s iced tea… with no ice.<br />Then I had to get another cup of ice for
her.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXUcP2uuetr9Tt3UbkfNL0tueehFW0Az9tr5qYVbIXG_90sh6vJ-v9u9WtpqSJ2EKoyGH58Eh1Em-KhdL8DQt8gmWAfp3K76UyqzrqwwXwXWNbTiUOeF7Y9qkHN1Y3efR-Sx58oAkBq-z5B5wLDNVGuv2wsDNscInWP7KL6Iebn2g6tmt0fQJ0QKZTBQj/s1170/meme%20of%20my%20ice%20dumbness.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1170" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXUcP2uuetr9Tt3UbkfNL0tueehFW0Az9tr5qYVbIXG_90sh6vJ-v9u9WtpqSJ2EKoyGH58Eh1Em-KhdL8DQt8gmWAfp3K76UyqzrqwwXwXWNbTiUOeF7Y9qkHN1Y3efR-Sx58oAkBq-z5B5wLDNVGuv2wsDNscInWP7KL6Iebn2g6tmt0fQJ0QKZTBQj/w400-h254/meme%20of%20my%20ice%20dumbness.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>This led to much ragging on my state of
mind, spillage, and her creating a meme to commemorate another example of my
buffoonery.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtE1_YkX3ym0OvJqKS5dhJ9vgOi_EqIdy7FAq-L_k_zPN9TUftHJd7D-XErprtwH7Fz9I-PdCVtWMNXaDHNSLyvk2fOd82_K-9UCKkTbXnO50DFTlDL15V1JuzZe_0q2bnlPnWMsIhyphenhyphenbtD77KRurJK6hhe1nn8JLiH-eU21N-euOymP5R27IWIlVEC9pM/s4032/back%20to%20washington%20monument.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtE1_YkX3ym0OvJqKS5dhJ9vgOi_EqIdy7FAq-L_k_zPN9TUftHJd7D-XErprtwH7Fz9I-PdCVtWMNXaDHNSLyvk2fOd82_K-9UCKkTbXnO50DFTlDL15V1JuzZe_0q2bnlPnWMsIhyphenhyphenbtD77KRurJK6hhe1nn8JLiH-eU21N-euOymP5R27IWIlVEC9pM/w400-h300/back%20to%20washington%20monument.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We walked back to where the memorials were
but on the other side of the Reflecting Pool. Rosa took many photos while
walking and Anabelle and I worked diligently to keep her from wandering into
the pool.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa noticed the back of my neck was a
dazzling shade of bright pink.<br />Rosa- “Did you put sunscreen on?”<br />Me- “No.”<br />Rosa- “Why?”<br />Me- “You never asked if I put sunscreen
on.”<br />Did I mention we walked a lot?<br />And that I am a buffoon?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On our way to the Korea Memorial, we
were attacked by a bird.<br /> I have no idea what this means, but who
am I to doubt my notes?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfCkrSWoBA2gk7PxBOvrn65mVLFi0uMCU8Q_gkM9cKVwTDGwjgdqmM4UimMZumBt4IbrSOzSgHMKUIxxJqeBXtVbRcW1ZtVwTLBLC-5XfIfamasihrQGBwte7Js7wwjD71Trjupq5lhqFU-GRGtrSVV1O5GkuUlmVsyEUk7yHdujlzHqxEqBApNlgFXEK/s4032/korea%20memorail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfCkrSWoBA2gk7PxBOvrn65mVLFi0uMCU8Q_gkM9cKVwTDGwjgdqmM4UimMZumBt4IbrSOzSgHMKUIxxJqeBXtVbRcW1ZtVwTLBLC-5XfIfamasihrQGBwte7Js7wwjD71Trjupq5lhqFU-GRGtrSVV1O5GkuUlmVsyEUk7yHdujlzHqxEqBApNlgFXEK/w400-h300/korea%20memorail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The names on the “tables” of the Korean
War Memorial were not only sorted by branch of the service, but by rank. It was
a stark demonstration of the astronomical difference between how many of the
lowest level soldiers were killed compared to those giving the orders.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLNaPlNd5HS8iGFQLHGQ9DQZ1f5mE-pNtZQqqedEonoMvCDFaDjj3lpTQhm2gzoXIm0aUPa2yJ_VzuOUi_RDs6m1a1_hI2Z0zqh4AmG7XdNC2u2ZNAhw3c-wVsDVJctaLvUiVMXZonXFA6zLImiA-gjijSkbjNsJpNQ3rNlbMU1oqCBAtD_GcPR8fX8Ha/s4032/full%20korea%20memorial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLNaPlNd5HS8iGFQLHGQ9DQZ1f5mE-pNtZQqqedEonoMvCDFaDjj3lpTQhm2gzoXIm0aUPa2yJ_VzuOUi_RDs6m1a1_hI2Z0zqh4AmG7XdNC2u2ZNAhw3c-wVsDVJctaLvUiVMXZonXFA6zLImiA-gjijSkbjNsJpNQ3rNlbMU1oqCBAtD_GcPR8fX8Ha/w400-h300/full%20korea%20memorial.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>Back on the path around the Reflecting
Pool I had been thinking that it didn’t feel like there was as many steps as I
remembered for the Lincoln Memorial. Then I turned around.<br />Oh.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmTa7-yhGUicym8-1kgL4T1uJ2Bhx9ZA6XDzVdi5sIY5rh0hs_pvLMMLsphowR32taWwCNYqkeGjAVN-VdYn8JNgyfjVVmR6t4E3yc2SRt-mM722AJOGgu1FL8jINgh3Yi3v9IovFbKlZ4hyphenhyphenKOWI4qGErRAwCOgGHoqYQeV47lMyeBa2pR0gQ5kQ4gAEp/s4032/lincoln%20memorial%20steps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmTa7-yhGUicym8-1kgL4T1uJ2Bhx9ZA6XDzVdi5sIY5rh0hs_pvLMMLsphowR32taWwCNYqkeGjAVN-VdYn8JNgyfjVVmR6t4E3yc2SRt-mM722AJOGgu1FL8jINgh3Yi3v9IovFbKlZ4hyphenhyphenKOWI4qGErRAwCOgGHoqYQeV47lMyeBa2pR0gQ5kQ4gAEp/w400-h300/lincoln%20memorial%20steps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Because we took the side access, we
didn’t take the steps that go ALL THE WAY down to the Reflecting Pool.<br />Buffoon.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Reflecting on the pool we were right
next to…it was nasty.<br />Any still body of water that shallow is
going to be. Being next to it made it more obvious that it was built for
reflecting at night.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa was impressed when the Jefferson
Memorial peeked through the trees.<br /> “We walked East Jeezus over there?!?!”<br />What I found more impressive was we had
walked far further this day and she made no comment about that.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The World War II memorial was hugely
impressive and had water. After the hike we looked around it once more, and
then ALL put our feet in.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX8nWsoFxRR14-RZUjVhLS6kJGAWOAXQV_AHFWxQTZqATjI1HYAEq0o06qQ4ydG1XjcUG830cMciKKuGcl5IFrb07jcXAleY0zxVjGJv0xtuzWL03RT_FADitALx4m15LEFzoujY-axtknEJUO7bwVHitAhhvNYjrDuv9zZwfIlUaretjoqLkdu8XF4pE/s4032/everyones%20feet%20in%20pool.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX8nWsoFxRR14-RZUjVhLS6kJGAWOAXQV_AHFWxQTZqATjI1HYAEq0o06qQ4ydG1XjcUG830cMciKKuGcl5IFrb07jcXAleY0zxVjGJv0xtuzWL03RT_FADitALx4m15LEFzoujY-axtknEJUO7bwVHitAhhvNYjrDuv9zZwfIlUaretjoqLkdu8XF4pE/w400-h300/everyones%20feet%20in%20pool.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Then we had yet another duck moment.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A mated pair of mallards was swimming
along the edge of the pool. We figured when they got to us, they would simply swim
further out.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>(Spoilers- They did not.)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLHKwnV8dK-3yQ2NUyrnRDwkGgB5eiyoJ0pQmI7qZLQRARnS4B26LaWWP9sCMPhRqTSymM_K_7u6SGDXTaA8H_hOF0oU90OWSERBJpPT_YEyHkftfq1b8CNKPDQWKI5yjzIblAoStzdroDlfwBz9-_NbJOCgCrnYB0c0X6zk0vgM1GnAP8nCzyLeR6Qx2/s4032/duck%20attack.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLHKwnV8dK-3yQ2NUyrnRDwkGgB5eiyoJ0pQmI7qZLQRARnS4B26LaWWP9sCMPhRqTSymM_K_7u6SGDXTaA8H_hOF0oU90OWSERBJpPT_YEyHkftfq1b8CNKPDQWKI5yjzIblAoStzdroDlfwBz9-_NbJOCgCrnYB0c0X6zk0vgM1GnAP8nCzyLeR6Qx2/w400-h300/duck%20attack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Instead, they swam directly at us. We
recoiled a bit, awkwardly, until they continued on their way after asserting dominance. Over at the
corner of the pool, there was a group of children. One child had food. Another next
to him grabbed one of the ducks and lifted it out of the water. The ducks then
had an existential crisis trying to figure out if they should stay close to the
food, or away from the grabber.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>By this point we had dried our feet and
walked over to the building with the kiosks to look up relatives “on
site.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span>It was closed.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUFcqfs-HMWKuzbTvbdp7D8ro2Pps-KDXDOwGO9EPAu1PMgS4DweUeg7S6Yw-uQn5d4LGCEU1-HUOHoqqH96uDjXf-2niJtSqvrDmMeVKXk3XLkr8OHxLOGVDVKN3f5NkYvyZpqaq53cAPvEdJAN62EQZF3dv1JjnI-s4nYqTDN9gHUcUXLHc2aXJLbJi/s4032/to%20end%20tyranny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUFcqfs-HMWKuzbTvbdp7D8ro2Pps-KDXDOwGO9EPAu1PMgS4DweUeg7S6Yw-uQn5d4LGCEU1-HUOHoqqH96uDjXf-2niJtSqvrDmMeVKXk3XLkr8OHxLOGVDVKN3f5NkYvyZpqaq53cAPvEdJAN62EQZF3dv1JjnI-s4nYqTDN9gHUcUXLHc2aXJLbJi/w400-h300/to%20end%20tyranny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /></o:p>We resolved to look them up online
again, and I remembered only four months later. Not bad for a buffoon like me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We did a last walk around and found the “Kilroy
Was Here” graffiti added as another tribute to true events of the war.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyOjwDsfoDG9z9XYHYdQ3uR4WupacCQKgYZYlOBeb8mIH2CDUeZKNndY1nfXjVyvYF_LlKKfZT-fMkwO0upXPFOM0HKyaI4MvDfbEWBUlY708lyWLAk3Pql53UN1J4r0kMsQ9JTNr1k4cyNO9v2j5qnWdKyynHsVxY565ILRq0OJuYeXN_589TNLkUrW-/s4032/white%20house%20far.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyOjwDsfoDG9z9XYHYdQ3uR4WupacCQKgYZYlOBeb8mIH2CDUeZKNndY1nfXjVyvYF_LlKKfZT-fMkwO0upXPFOM0HKyaI4MvDfbEWBUlY708lyWLAk3Pql53UN1J4r0kMsQ9JTNr1k4cyNO9v2j5qnWdKyynHsVxY565ILRq0OJuYeXN_589TNLkUrW-/w400-h300/white%20house%20far.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Anabelle basked in the proximity to the
Washington Monument as we walked towards it. She also blocked her mother’s view
of the Capitol whenever she could, because driving parents crazy is a hobby all
kids share.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNiCfbzReb1zwLF1ZuD6uqdy4OSoo2M9CaJwuXV55mwW325zQvChOS4RdhwKrAvYTPymnkYck1I7Y0o3vsk-Epkq_yoB-guj0StKO7L4FkY5UdkahZV2xbxozbSC1nRTi2qkKR_FXbeAOXz-tfiDR5-JLVxbkhAG7gB_gs3Yc5zvL2qgpljl2dIi2oEeE/s4032/washington%20monument%20near.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNiCfbzReb1zwLF1ZuD6uqdy4OSoo2M9CaJwuXV55mwW325zQvChOS4RdhwKrAvYTPymnkYck1I7Y0o3vsk-Epkq_yoB-guj0StKO7L4FkY5UdkahZV2xbxozbSC1nRTi2qkKR_FXbeAOXz-tfiDR5-JLVxbkhAG7gB_gs3Yc5zvL2qgpljl2dIi2oEeE/w300-h400/washington%20monument%20near.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />Once the basking was complete, we walked
down the little hill <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-1-may-14-2023.html" target="_blank">again</a>, and hopped the rail, to gain access to the
Washington Monument gift shop.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa got her very own little Capitol.<br />Woo!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Not content with walking about two miles
through various monuments, we crossed over into the National Mall side and kept strolling.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle had already said her goodbyes
to <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-5-may-18-2023.html" target="_blank">Rosita </a>and the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">Hirschhorn </a>exhibits we’d visited. Therefore, spurred on by
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Mr. History</a> describing the famous Japanese print of <i>The Wave</i>, we walked
most of the way down the Mall once more to the Freer Gallery of Asian Art.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRFXp8r5o06kceTphrvBmmctROkoso4Y6_j2Tux2IQn7bY8saVPF7jNg5MhDDihCySfv0RK9gmoxJ_C8-jqEgI1eUBu5HTqVM-ESK8ak6FqQNzjgnrKKGWifPbgGxSn6xnc6iR-dWspnTkwqmFT-oRxWNXEFCmg85IhYdA70eK5pGdMMrt23YjFKZfyXs/s4032/asian%20art%20smithsonian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRFXp8r5o06kceTphrvBmmctROkoso4Y6_j2Tux2IQn7bY8saVPF7jNg5MhDDihCySfv0RK9gmoxJ_C8-jqEgI1eUBu5HTqVM-ESK8ak6FqQNzjgnrKKGWifPbgGxSn6xnc6iR-dWspnTkwqmFT-oRxWNXEFCmg85IhYdA70eK5pGdMMrt23YjFKZfyXs/w400-h300/asian%20art%20smithsonian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Remember when I said I noticed <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Mr.History</a> described all the cool <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-2-may-15-2023.html" target="_blank">Air and Space</a> stuff that wasn’t currently on
exhibit?<br />(Spoilers- I should have remembered too.)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhAwLK2_Eo8aMOC53T4iKgxTC6qMQ2OdiMMuO0bvdOeo8-pQj1umwCB285WJkNCqyGZf9fudy5n09kSyGq1vL1wG0Ur4NLZXdHI3TVORLi07xpuoc7s6ai8Is3l2-ZSCW_DDSbqU5K6pyq_FihmrK42bFTE1q72XwM4_FjHknSNNRD5QssCdk36JacLuE/s4032/asian%20screen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhAwLK2_Eo8aMOC53T4iKgxTC6qMQ2OdiMMuO0bvdOeo8-pQj1umwCB285WJkNCqyGZf9fudy5n09kSyGq1vL1wG0Ur4NLZXdHI3TVORLi07xpuoc7s6ai8Is3l2-ZSCW_DDSbqU5K6pyq_FihmrK42bFTE1q72XwM4_FjHknSNNRD5QssCdk36JacLuE/w400-h300/asian%20screen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was an oddly shaped museum with an inner and outer square, and we knew there would be back tracking. We passed through a China section with Anabelle telling us, “Don’t look at this stuff,” as she navigated the route featuring a return through that room. A large part of the collection was American art that looked Asian.<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3-xK7dV8U2QYwxlDhFzd0AFJs0NC6cr8hYIoxPsVeYNoJLlykDpKZa1ML5hTAQhdxztzS0Y4k6WzYtZc1KQ3j9NiCl1ePh9YPY_u4PB2TZlyezvs6hw5lR6EvcMoQu_yyLv80klLzgM6QGgQI5LnkfjCDLVEBUOx7wIV-wzKXMApmQT1TGQ8chFXUjYU/s4032/american%20art%20that%20looks%20asian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3-xK7dV8U2QYwxlDhFzd0AFJs0NC6cr8hYIoxPsVeYNoJLlykDpKZa1ML5hTAQhdxztzS0Y4k6WzYtZc1KQ3j9NiCl1ePh9YPY_u4PB2TZlyezvs6hw5lR6EvcMoQu_yyLv80klLzgM6QGgQI5LnkfjCDLVEBUOx7wIV-wzKXMApmQT1TGQ8chFXUjYU/w400-h300/american%20art%20that%20looks%20asian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>If you squinted a lot.<br />And really believed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMaJXzsPZ8Z3Dmv8LWh9u0zjNkNL5KXl7Yo0h9R44_Nivk0qOuKYtz9k1JXY6Sz4CMZs3Nt8hyphenhyphenhsmRW3hp3eyQH-EPThJZi0FW54q9CUpTGPX-iGYO1f6LK6FsXbAOQYnBwX4WytBS2lcfRNvYst-Yq3gZqnBen6LgQ0SusT_-nPsvP1loGpvJ346RbPw/s4032/teddy%20roosevelt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMaJXzsPZ8Z3Dmv8LWh9u0zjNkNL5KXl7Yo0h9R44_Nivk0qOuKYtz9k1JXY6Sz4CMZs3Nt8hyphenhyphenhsmRW3hp3eyQH-EPThJZi0FW54q9CUpTGPX-iGYO1f6LK6FsXbAOQYnBwX4WytBS2lcfRNvYst-Yq3gZqnBen6LgQ0SusT_-nPsvP1loGpvJ346RbPw/w400-h300/teddy%20roosevelt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was also some Teddy Roosevelt
stuff, because<br />“He’s everywhere.” – Anabelle.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Yes, we were dehydrated, exhausted, over
walked, and in an art museum in the late afternoon.<br />Just another day in Washington.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We learned the exhibit with <i>The Wave</i>
in it had closed a while ago.<br />Poo.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtZyJZyUKWJXZw67dL79tvQXI3zYjxk6g7qejw0OZO24suVR_u-SRFPOoo5-RyEsWxbw5F1b1kRBYbIYdaz8r_CSHah1uI-eUewgzrKHbg13ag8YgEGnhiU08bGr9OQnnaP7CCYn255QRGXe_Dyye3quhWRZcVehxaT4dt0wur6IrcZoap2AvCnKvzUvY/s4032/egyptian%20stuff.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtZyJZyUKWJXZw67dL79tvQXI3zYjxk6g7qejw0OZO24suVR_u-SRFPOoo5-RyEsWxbw5F1b1kRBYbIYdaz8r_CSHah1uI-eUewgzrKHbg13ag8YgEGnhiU08bGr9OQnnaP7CCYn255QRGXe_Dyye3quhWRZcVehxaT4dt0wur6IrcZoap2AvCnKvzUvY/w400-h300/egyptian%20stuff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Anabelle dubbed the small Egyptian
section boring because there was no William. (The blue hippo that is the mascot
of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-through.html" target="_blank">MET</a>.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>This museum connected underground to the
“Sackler Gallery of Other Asian Art that Wasn’t in the Freer Plus Some Weird
Modern Stuff.”<br />Again, I’m paraphrasing.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We saw a display made by someone who doesn’t
know how to make a cow.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3IwQ4EPrHwvAviNsjF29ay5_u8ljtggi5DeWs4C_vgrQdZUkJftjmh68rSKsfd4apAJPtGmLMA-paRW-BYBeXJVLVGonahC3pQK4FUlJQaIWFm9z3gHxpCtmCXbsCTcQleNNM5si7UNYzXezpUWaWA9VssK6o0L6FvmwAQ7cnXWkmOVv7K54QEpNTU2c/s4032/rainbow%20art%20thing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3IwQ4EPrHwvAviNsjF29ay5_u8ljtggi5DeWs4C_vgrQdZUkJftjmh68rSKsfd4apAJPtGmLMA-paRW-BYBeXJVLVGonahC3pQK4FUlJQaIWFm9z3gHxpCtmCXbsCTcQleNNM5si7UNYzXezpUWaWA9VssK6o0L6FvmwAQ7cnXWkmOVv7K54QEpNTU2c/s320/rainbow%20art%20thing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There was also Ay O’s “Happy Rainbow Hell.” It was kind of a multicolored, acid trip version of an infra-red camera. There were a bunch of brightly colored stills and an interactive part that was a lot of fun. The photos with (highly distorted) images of naked people had to be cut up into puzzle like sections to make it safely out of China. Can we please all agree to stop voting for those spouting authoritarian, overly puritan believes before they wreck everything?<br />Thank you.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN3TB7AxDPx041R6yi0rbktPQ2OgefTEKogNmdVMm6DeT5EJmvhlAFyVlU_KhIB8_NRM2BhLStVyMwKZWp9EhDo1nlSOS4stiu3dF_Lk9jjSMGCGN0rUslSydHA_fL57NGrq9Frw9HkAyFY7ZrpZd-cYOLgt8x0gFK9Mc3BYjvG1BvRCF4pvv6EYDGtuv/s4032/interactive%20rainbow%20art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN3TB7AxDPx041R6yi0rbktPQ2OgefTEKogNmdVMm6DeT5EJmvhlAFyVlU_KhIB8_NRM2BhLStVyMwKZWp9EhDo1nlSOS4stiu3dF_Lk9jjSMGCGN0rUslSydHA_fL57NGrq9Frw9HkAyFY7ZrpZd-cYOLgt8x0gFK9Mc3BYjvG1BvRCF4pvv6EYDGtuv/w400-h300/interactive%20rainbow%20art.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nearby was a couple of “blind boxes” we
stuck our hands into. There were feathers, or air blasts, or something in them.
It was Anabelle’s favorite part. Meanwhile, I was standing there having anxiety
attacks remembering the Gom Jabbar trial from <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/02/bad-geek-confessions-dune.html" target="_blank">Dune</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQfJWtgZ5KryeuEh9dH6UvlmPj2Np8Y81w6OHRE433dEfXueu59RhmmoXz4nI5Rj7KuATZmnmE4-rh97m13nFNojyVKQs7bLPd1yuWtK9m5WKodk-zuGWFOX1BOLu5BixBbZJH0B4R6tD2bD2fI-GVss0fETpVs55vb-i1_BCAdGd7qHUwDwOcBRP0s_w/s4032/dune%20feely%20box.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQfJWtgZ5KryeuEh9dH6UvlmPj2Np8Y81w6OHRE433dEfXueu59RhmmoXz4nI5Rj7KuATZmnmE4-rh97m13nFNojyVKQs7bLPd1yuWtK9m5WKodk-zuGWFOX1BOLu5BixBbZJH0B4R6tD2bD2fI-GVss0fETpVs55vb-i1_BCAdGd7qHUwDwOcBRP0s_w/w400-h300/dune%20feely%20box.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i>There was something else in that room
that prompted Anabelle to state, “It’s a bong.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As the evidence shows, it was a highly
cultural afternoon.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Knowing the rest of my extended family well, we
decided this would be the perfect place to get souvenirs for most of them, as
there was no chance they would have visited this museum.<br /> We were right!<br />Anabelle also scored a pair of fancy,
origami crane looking earrings.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As the museum threw us out, we noticed
merchandise from <i>The Wave</i> still available.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We reached the end of operating hours
with some disappointment in an art museum.<br />Again, again, again.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The little map stand informed us if we passed
around the Smithsonian Castle there was a fountain.<br />As it turned out, we had seen it on the
way in, but since there was no water in it, we didn’t recognize its
fountainness.<br />Alas.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa got some more pictures of, and with,
the Butt of Freedom again as she fawned over her beloved Capitol building one
last time. Anabelle and I sat in the mall to order our dinner from Chopt. I had
learned my lesson from the hotel food fiasco the other night.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We picked up our order. Food in hand, we
stopped in Wawa to grab some PowerAde for my dehydrated carcass and chips as a
side for all of us.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A possibly homeless, but very cordial,
individual appointed himself as door man and was excessively friendly to all
who entered or left. It was well worth the tip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the way back home, a young couple
with several suitcases asked if we knew where the Metro station was. Between
the two of them and the three of us, every map available, including digital and
paper, indicated it was exactly on that corner.<br />However, none of us could find any
evidence of it, and we had to leave them to their own devices in more ways than
one.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa and Anabelle had decided to stop at
a place nearby called “Potbelly” for shakes. At first, I was upset that I was
settling for Chopt since it sounded like a barbeque place. After seeing the
menu, I realized that this time I had made the right decision.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Potbelly was out of Oreo shakes but the
two women thought the strawberry ones were excellent, and the chocolate one I
had made a fine dessert.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Back at the hotel, the lobby tables
where the theoretical restaurant existed served our purposes for dinner. Rosa
went up to the room to grab the rest of her Mushroom burger from the night
before.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkYZtTdU5cCzGyZlhmrnzfnXX2emZB8KFFWvRtsYwuL4_sZfb2jwcaik2iCbGPb2B9UUEGGP8CFSm7vTYJYIHJX7TJ94DYa7zrJeiobK80FXblvxpA1X_6m_6wQms0i-zyp0PM8y_zq8nOUYjE_pehlSMpoxvYNePDGcylRi9dxv6qYAThIYZN1q-hXc8/s4032/chopt%20dinner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkYZtTdU5cCzGyZlhmrnzfnXX2emZB8KFFWvRtsYwuL4_sZfb2jwcaik2iCbGPb2B9UUEGGP8CFSm7vTYJYIHJX7TJ94DYa7zrJeiobK80FXblvxpA1X_6m_6wQms0i-zyp0PM8y_zq8nOUYjE_pehlSMpoxvYNePDGcylRi9dxv6qYAThIYZN1q-hXc8/w400-h300/chopt%20dinner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />While she did, I downed most of the
PowerAde bottle instantaneously.<br />Anabelle mocked me, pointing out that
even when thirsty, she drinks (and milkshakes more so) like she’s savoring a canteen in a desert,
while I guzzle fluids like a caveman.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In another display of our exhaustion
clouding our observation skills, Anabelle was stunned that Rosa’s burger was
made of meat. She figured “mushroom burger” was not, “A burger with mushrooms”
but in fact “a burger made out of mushrooms.” I’m not sure they can do that
yet.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Back at the room there was much packing
and washing up. Anabelle looked up other Yayoi Kusama exhibits and found out
there was one in Manhattan. That led to an Anabelle and Mami day in New York,
which in turn led to her and I seeing <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-little-hop-of-showers.html" target="_blank">Little Shop of Horrors</a>.<br /><o:p></o:p></i><o:p> <br /></o:p>When done, Anabelle was playing with
“Abigail Addams the Second,” the googly eyed rock she got from the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">Art Vending Machine.</a> She described it as, “Five dollars well spent.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the television was the San Diego Zoo
show, and more <i>Say Yes to the Dress. </i>Anabelle theorized about Washington
DC wedding locations. First, she thought the Hirschhorn would be the best idea
for a ceremony. This was followed by her definitive pick:<br />“No… In front of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">Giant Blue Chicken</a>.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I read many comic books while they went
through these exercises. Then Anabelle asked for more Washington DC trivia.
Many of the questions were based on things we had learned that very day. She
did not know the answers because, as I long suspected, “I don’t listen to you.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Sleep came quickly and with the dryness
of the room really hitting, I was informed my snoring sounded, “Like the lawn
mower, but with less swearing."<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>20225 steps<br />7.9 miles</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/03/washington-dc-day-7-may-20-2023.html" target="_blank">Click here for the next day</a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-65246684056289782082024-02-22T08:22:00.000-08:002024-02-22T08:22:00.132-08:00What If... Marvel Made the Second Season Even More Engaging!?<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtf1jcns_KshhB8I11kp33RwJDKrI0oiXedyBQARARCFV0HhGQZPOAGiYbNU6UKxNdFythsBP8Tsttr2FxgXq7K4PMGKIY2Jou1Wu_hqmeuuUY103EmapNKGDSYDFrW3O-bKklkHmefRh6NO5JNFh-dSIPperGvLKiQogs3tGnr6JgzNkBM4SgYqSzIr7/s352/what%20if%20season2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="352" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtf1jcns_KshhB8I11kp33RwJDKrI0oiXedyBQARARCFV0HhGQZPOAGiYbNU6UKxNdFythsBP8Tsttr2FxgXq7K4PMGKIY2Jou1Wu_hqmeuuUY103EmapNKGDSYDFrW3O-bKklkHmefRh6NO5JNFh-dSIPperGvLKiQogs3tGnr6JgzNkBM4SgYqSzIr7/w400-h300/what%20if%20season2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The new season of <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/11/what-if-mcu-kept-getting-more-and-more.html" target="_blank">What If</a>? </i>was loads of fun. It embraced the wild and free sense of the best of the original comics, more than the dark, downer endings that many of the modern runs have taken. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's amazing how many performers came back to voice their characters, in starring roles and brief cameos alike. I think only Tony, Steve, and Natasha from the heroic leads and Odin, Nova Prime and Wen-Wu from others aren't performed by their original actors. Clearly, fun was had. Jeffrey Wright continues to be perfectly outstanding as The Watcher.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I probably would have watched it much sooner if they gave the episodes different, and more accurate names. Here then, are a few of my suggestions. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Possibly acting as mini reviews, </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or possibly not. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They were all a hoot, that's all that's really needed to be stated).</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside- It is 100% true that there should have been more seasons of Agent Carter and Hayley Atwell is positive of this. Her devotion to any possible universe's version of this character may even surpass Harrison Ford's bond with<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/07/dialing-to-destiny-once-more.html" target="_blank"> Indiana Jones</a>.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">"What If... Nebula Joined the Nova
Corps?"</span></b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if we made a space Private Eye noir story?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Karen Gillian wanted to play Nebula as a good aligned lead, but just as tough and hard as she was in the early Guardians films?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Marvel knew about <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-legally-real-captain-marvel.html" target="_blank">Captain Marvel</a>, </i>that takes place before <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/08/who-needs-icons-when-youve-got-talking.html" target="_blank">Guardians</a>, </i>when they made that movie?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">"What If... Peter Quill Attacked
Earth's Mightiest Heroes?"</span></b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if all the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2018/07/astonishing-and-wondrous.html" target="_blank">older actors</a> who played former MCU heroes wanted to play them in their prime?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if the MCU started in the Eighties with all the same actors?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Kurt Russell wasn't finished having over the top fun playing <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/welcome-to-frickin-guardians-of-galaxy.html" target="_blank">Ego</a>?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">"What If... Happy Hogan Saved
Christmas?"</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if the MCU gang wanted to make a <i>Die Hard </i>parody?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if the actors who played the goofiest non-leading Marvel characters wanted to have some fun together?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if the joyous whimsy of a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/some-special-doctor-who-specials.html" target="_blank">Doctor Who Christmas</a> Special infected the MCU?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">"What If... Iron Man Crashed Into
the Grandmaster?"</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Marvel did a hybrid of Mad Max and the Wacky Races?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/11/marvel-cinematic-catch-up.html" target="_blank">Jeff </a><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/11/marvel-catch-up-again-more-thor-and.html" target="_blank">Goldblum</a> wanted to spend more time at his Jeff Golblummiest?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if Iron Man didn't make it back out of the portal in <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/05/and-there-came-day-day-unlike-any-other.html" target="_blank">Avengers</a>?</i></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Aside- Why didn't they call it that? Seriously, this one was a no brainer.)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">"What If... Captain Carter Fought
the HYDRA Stomper?"</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/04/captain-america-ii-winner-soldier.html" target="_blank">Hydra</a> was stopped during WWII, and the <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/07/summer-marvel-no-spoilers.html" target="_blank">Black</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/07/marvel-summer-spoilers.html">Widow</a> </i>villains took over?</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if Hayley Atwell was determined to tell as many Peggy stories in any universe as possible? (This could be for half the episodes in both seasons. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having said that...)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if <i>What If </i>chose a main character?</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">"What If... Kahhori Reshaped the
World?"</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Marvel wanted to tell an original story but couldn't stop tying everything to Infinity Stones?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if writers focused so much on accurate history, mythology and culture of the Mohawk tribe, they ignored large chunks of other history and geography, and still got the point across?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Native Americans had top tier super powers and handed the colonialists'</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> butts to them on a platter? </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">"What If... Hela Found the Ten
Rings?"</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Cate Blanchette had so much fun as <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/11/marvel-catch-up-again-more-thor-and.html" target="_blank">Hela</a> she wanted to play her as a protagonist?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if Hela followed Thor's <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/05/thor-thoughts-movie-mjolnir-musings.html" target="_blank">first movie</a> redemptive story arc?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if any other part of the MCU acknowledged the existence of <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/12/late-to-shang-chi-party.html" target="_blank">Shang Chi</a>?</i></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-weight: bold;">"What If... The Avengers Assembled
in 1602?"</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if the MCU used the name of an awesome<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-textbook-case-of-how-to-do-great.html" target="_blank"> Neil </a><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/08/good-omens-two-good-too.html" target="_blank">Gaiman </a>story and ignored the rest?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if John Favreau and Mark Ruffalo wanted to try to out hammy each other with faux Shakespearian dialogue?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">What if the Avengers were Robin Hood and his Merry Men?</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">("Rogers Hood?!?!" I blew half my dinner out my nose.)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">"What If... Strange Supreme
Intervened?"</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if the MCU was incapable of making an anthology without trying to tie it all together?</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/12/masters-of-movie-arts.html" target="_blank">Benedict</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/06/mad-at-all-multiverses.html" target="_blank">Cumberbatch </a>had WAY too much fun playing a villain and wanted to do it again?</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if they wanted to show the insane crazy powerful levels of every MCU artifact item combined?</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These were way more fun than the first season. Those were good, but I did not find myself bugging my family, </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Hey WHAT IF? you decided you DID want to watch these episodes and I saw them again with you?"</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-73915552242017304962024-02-19T11:00:00.007-08:002024-03-04T09:23:34.665-08:00Washington DC Day 5- May 18, 2023<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Zestful Zeuglodon</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6RszkbAUMGtReBvGUsRs5Zpma84PeoSkDoPsy6tFfm1zRnVCA1UYQtHGO5H6z921ZiBA3uAqViPMg2f2MAPttgtAqjpF1IJVdtkWwnNonZUMEmWjcpgcu9AuceR-XlyYNJNmo8YBqJUK3ISJ3OWqZqD0nARQWm-o9X4v9rLJOpltnLhMVMG9fWfVkX3h/s4032/mayor%20barry%20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6RszkbAUMGtReBvGUsRs5Zpma84PeoSkDoPsy6tFfm1zRnVCA1UYQtHGO5H6z921ZiBA3uAqViPMg2f2MAPttgtAqjpF1IJVdtkWwnNonZUMEmWjcpgcu9AuceR-XlyYNJNmo8YBqJUK3ISJ3OWqZqD0nARQWm-o9X4v9rLJOpltnLhMVMG9fWfVkX3h/w400-h300/mayor%20barry%20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>The hotel told us this was a mid-week repeat
of the special Mother’s Day breakfast we’d missed the day of arrival.
Consistent with the accuracy of the other information we received about food in
this hotel, the meal was the same as it was every other morning.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>After Rosa and I ate, I got to quote one
of my favorite people, and a member of the holy trinity of fictional straight
men, Bert from Sesame Street.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>“It’s time for the most exciting part of
my day… time for my nap!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Once we were all awake and fed, this day
had its proper beginning with our second visit to the Hirschhorn Museum. “For
that guy on <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">the bus</a>,” restated Anabelle.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We followed what was now our usual route
by the World War One memorial onto Pennsylvania Avenue. General Pershing was
now a close personal friend. Most of the walk involved a conversation with
Anabelle about what drew her to the nonrepresentational art. We didn’t reach
much of a conclusion, but “I like it,” is always the best reason for anyone to
view any art.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Supporting Rosa’s irrational attraction
to the building, we paused to say, “Hey there!” to the Capitol as we crossed
the mall.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle’s own irrational attraction
required an about face to wave at the Monument in the other direction as well.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Passing the meatballs/alien eggs/ blueberries/
Mummenschanz we entered the large cylinder once <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">again</a>, and after a time (or a
few times since my confirmation email vanished) we were allowed into the Kusama
special exhibit.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The line to enter had the life story of
the artist on the walls. She spent much of her life having hallucinations,
mostly of patterns, which inspired a great deal of her art.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdzqw_69CB55Kd8ozOQ-6bm600lWgRQF_yJkxfUs2eaFkkuj0miqCe7twoP9259L9mQUuehSirzqltE1ZpXFQNRVHjZ5CdcnviG-hszbwqwWo7zTmfqAAzIAafM4vDHPMMnSNxKx2mhQ8TKrThGfSQzCTyaDfmZLS6_iU1QSoJ85YQ6C2FDzAe1wDCbEm/s4032/kusama%20pumpkin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdzqw_69CB55Kd8ozOQ-6bm600lWgRQF_yJkxfUs2eaFkkuj0miqCe7twoP9259L9mQUuehSirzqltE1ZpXFQNRVHjZ5CdcnviG-hszbwqwWo7zTmfqAAzIAafM4vDHPMMnSNxKx2mhQ8TKrThGfSQzCTyaDfmZLS6_iU1QSoJ85YQ6C2FDzAe1wDCbEm/w400-h300/kusama%20pumpkin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The first room had one thing she’s known
for, giant sculptures of oddly shaped, spotted pumpkins. It was overwhelming
and weird but in a cool way. The information in the waiting area talked about
how she would look at a pumpkin for as long as a month to get inspiration.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback:<br />Once again, not DC. In sixth grade we
had a mold growing contest in science class. Everyone else had slightly green
pieces of bread or fruit. The day it was announced, we were just about to throw
out our large Halloween pumpkin at home. Instead, we saved it in a garbage bag
until the judging in December. In a month it hadn’t quite mutated into the
horrifying, black furred with a white stripe, foul smelling and oozing
monstrosity that earned me undisputed first place. (To quote the teacher, “Does
anyone have ANYTHING they think could compete with <i>THIS?</i> Didn’t think
so, Jeff here’s your quarter for ice cream.”) However, I am quite sure by the
point of a month, continued inhalation would have led to hallucinations.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The other type of art Kusama is well
known for, and the reason for limiting the number of people to enter the
exhibit, were Infinity Rooms, created by using a Hall of Mirrors type set up.
The first was a “stand in” the second a “walk through.” Besides being dangerous
to the exhibit, having too many people inside would ruin the effect.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The stand in room was…<br />um…<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-0_pRmiRIzS_x5dBglodISrxtzhBIhkz9tEbNHegIfhdhdibVzz0PMweEemde8Alsjd3BV1Nt3xLCndEzBsXkWmJlNhycqJMvnZlUWnIMtuz0jQm3WmIlg0mftYLDKfSIQItkoB02nk9GH3WzavVXO9aoQknlxzoz4eAf7Mlh9iUw2DHlG4k-OK8nWGf/s4032/field%20of%20bang%20stick%20infinity%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-0_pRmiRIzS_x5dBglodISrxtzhBIhkz9tEbNHegIfhdhdibVzz0PMweEemde8Alsjd3BV1Nt3xLCndEzBsXkWmJlNhycqJMvnZlUWnIMtuz0jQm3WmIlg0mftYLDKfSIQItkoB02nk9GH3WzavVXO9aoQknlxzoz4eAf7Mlh9iUw2DHlG4k-OK8nWGf/w400-h300/field%20of%20bang%20stick%20infinity%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A field of spotted basketball fan bang
sticks.<br />It was more impressive than it sounds, I
just don’t know how else to describe the white with red spots inflatable
thingies that went off into an artificially generated infinite horizon.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On our way to the second art piece, Rosa
peeked in and said, “Jesus.” That prompted another woman on line to laugh, and
Anabelle to decide even though this one allowed three guests at a time compared
to the bang stick room’s two, she would rather experience it on her own. Because
she didn’t want to go in “with Philistines.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpyrOpB2KBoJ-7SzIGhoo873QWDKhjlEAwzXGCtad5R0wuwDPEP3PFRQAUkpkJuj1i91vbl71Sq9FPycLHOXrL_uk50cteypiEZ_ILgbAZGGaTR7MNsZMhrZqLlQSrRKy9fIvpc1itnI0NjRXS18fFcrDh51dl7Vb18gypEKQIUr9DNuwndDl8OzWXKer/s4032/colored%20ball%20infinity%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpyrOpB2KBoJ-7SzIGhoo873QWDKhjlEAwzXGCtad5R0wuwDPEP3PFRQAUkpkJuj1i91vbl71Sq9FPycLHOXrL_uk50cteypiEZ_ILgbAZGGaTR7MNsZMhrZqLlQSrRKy9fIvpc1itnI0NjRXS18fFcrDh51dl7Vb18gypEKQIUr9DNuwndDl8OzWXKer/w400-h300/colored%20ball%20infinity%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This mirror room was called “My Heart is
Dancing In The Universe.” That was on the poster Anabelle bought. I do not know
the name of the bang stick room. This second one had a path through it with
several right angles. Mounted all over the mirrored walls were various spheres
with lights that changed color.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>After passing through the “Infinite
Disco of the Damned” we regrouped.<br />Honestly, they were both really wild.
However, its far more fun to get some revenge for all the times she picks on me
and make fun of Anabelle’s taste with these descriptions.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahkfwcaxp01Kj1EECGU-OdFgXW2U-ToD7DwR_Petwr9kDzEpMGxeeN55Xfb6A-YC8xb018AKdzRYDzZlpAc07GkxtlqJMObh53lcwIkcO3q-3hPmU2eYPZgMTe2MpF0o8acp-_6EE_C9IWIhgxGQ2GN6tWmJ-6qOYn0eEt7w4J6OWsqlqjQWNppSJYy4c/s4032/3d%20printed%20demon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahkfwcaxp01Kj1EECGU-OdFgXW2U-ToD7DwR_Petwr9kDzEpMGxeeN55Xfb6A-YC8xb018AKdzRYDzZlpAc07GkxtlqJMObh53lcwIkcO3q-3hPmU2eYPZgMTe2MpF0o8acp-_6EE_C9IWIhgxGQ2GN6tWmJ-6qOYn0eEt7w4J6OWsqlqjQWNppSJYy4c/w400-h300/3d%20printed%20demon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was one other item in that section
by a different artist that won a reality show. It was a multi angle view 3D
printed demon thing. Again, something much niftier looking than my ability to
describe…<br />Like most non-representational art.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KsLQ_0Pfy4mXTXJX7UOYc_DhmkWa-v3e6U9V-RMQS1Q_NWgn0U4LFXbboWTDwDmvRUEp0BjYFZvgnBA7w-A1tWyzgK8cNjK-qDf2qIKVnZhWaO9IjtiL6ZYxITCRCoFGB2U9t_tEBwrBxUly2O5O0WhyQRpvG94iRAb-pHmZIzfPdAnod7frlC5DdH8W/s4032/capitol%20from%20mall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KsLQ_0Pfy4mXTXJX7UOYc_DhmkWa-v3e6U9V-RMQS1Q_NWgn0U4LFXbboWTDwDmvRUEp0BjYFZvgnBA7w-A1tWyzgK8cNjK-qDf2qIKVnZhWaO9IjtiL6ZYxITCRCoFGB2U9t_tEBwrBxUly2O5O0WhyQRpvG94iRAb-pHmZIzfPdAnod7frlC5DdH8W/w400-h300/capitol%20from%20mall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtsRnqApGi5nxhWABpAhMI5XyPjn0oZ6w1XbSXWph_HQkbJHKcWv14nUriM-vNVHmfLu1pUDWgALwLppQaX2G5HIhpvpE94z8MmkK9CFpRA4KpqDMH_znza97T3F3ZGR0gKVmja4PdU5b1UUF2ZI8iqgg-cZtGci5p9vaHsU7kVtMmrLcrEocs4MdLnvS/s4032/wahsington%20monument%20from%20mall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtsRnqApGi5nxhWABpAhMI5XyPjn0oZ6w1XbSXWph_HQkbJHKcWv14nUriM-vNVHmfLu1pUDWgALwLppQaX2G5HIhpvpE94z8MmkK9CFpRA4KpqDMH_znza97T3F3ZGR0gKVmja4PdU5b1UUF2ZI8iqgg-cZtGci5p9vaHsU7kVtMmrLcrEocs4MdLnvS/w400-h300/wahsington%20monument%20from%20mall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Crossing the mall again and giving quick
recognition to the obsession inspiring objects at either end, we went to the
first “Gridded” museum of the day, the Natural History Museum.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoKFGelyi66_OrQLWNc_593fpHMa4DmZVFUq_AmtlWaaXNdx1_vZ3ffRlKd5EOFz-Z0jcApQkZSwBpvOwfLUDG2LvIGvGlV7PcdrmbMxutc-HYL30yXnmWGMFAYVtbGLks2gzukG8k_j_OYVuvqZN3sD9sMntamB8jRyVxpBXxvMMDzN-01NjRtDJ-z-H/s4032/triceratops%20skull.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoKFGelyi66_OrQLWNc_593fpHMa4DmZVFUq_AmtlWaaXNdx1_vZ3ffRlKd5EOFz-Z0jcApQkZSwBpvOwfLUDG2LvIGvGlV7PcdrmbMxutc-HYL30yXnmWGMFAYVtbGLks2gzukG8k_j_OYVuvqZN3sD9sMntamB8jRyVxpBXxvMMDzN-01NjRtDJ-z-H/w400-h300/triceratops%20skull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Passing the Triceratops skull outside, I
was excited, as always by my favorite, but I felt like something was forgotten.
It would take a couple days to figure out why. (Yes, <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/03/washington-dc-day-7-may-20-2023.html" target="_blank">more foreshadowing.</a> Neat,
huh?)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The guard noticed our dinosaur shirts as
we entered… because Gridding matters.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilruLw2BmrLPsUsYhyphenhyphenfQjl36CKsDKBqAHbh4POfMlQO22dtdgFu96CQx3m3XrD-gYtDAVQL7-W7NQAJQqd4fIUySeIAu8rMtkMRm2BGDiWTki3XxHtmr_Ok8YemTXRoVZLUzqoLo2yWnSANTcKgV_3UFsRDd2BNcsr-0oQOhOiGuVXlKZTLCFIyzVc2VK9/s4032/ankylosaur.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilruLw2BmrLPsUsYhyphenhyphenfQjl36CKsDKBqAHbh4POfMlQO22dtdgFu96CQx3m3XrD-gYtDAVQL7-W7NQAJQqd4fIUySeIAu8rMtkMRm2BGDiWTki3XxHtmr_Ok8YemTXRoVZLUzqoLo2yWnSANTcKgV_3UFsRDd2BNcsr-0oQOhOiGuVXlKZTLCFIyzVc2VK9/w400-h300/ankylosaur.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Anabelle took on map duty, plotting our
course through the museum that would start in the prehistoric section and
finish with a grand finale in the “room of shiny things.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaGi5QqjRNOHxif7OqjRsXTEPOW2ENA6Ffnv7cZuiNCjJ-0I2vw4ZWZ5_CtSwBjMsrEMYlfrbFmQP3cQNhfeYwyDR_M-X5Y3TLZuIyw0j_9S9tHpiuYoSyzWH3XXboXaENVr36av-EaTj1ptlkVcrARJGAwERjKW3kxng4OMw3xsUZIIy2gFvu8_ryyAr/s4032/pteranodon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaGi5QqjRNOHxif7OqjRsXTEPOW2ENA6Ffnv7cZuiNCjJ-0I2vw4ZWZ5_CtSwBjMsrEMYlfrbFmQP3cQNhfeYwyDR_M-X5Y3TLZuIyw0j_9S9tHpiuYoSyzWH3XXboXaENVr36av-EaTj1ptlkVcrARJGAwERjKW3kxng4OMw3xsUZIIy2gFvu8_ryyAr/w400-h300/pteranodon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Rosa and I had recently watched <i>Prehistoric
Planet </i>and all of the <i>Walking With </i>series. (Including “Dinosaurs,”
“The Unluckiest Allosaurus” “Big Ugly Prehistoric Mammals” and “Weird Crap From
Before the Dinosaurs.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
paraphrasing.) This allowed me to point out stuff we had seen, which she had
mostly forgotten about. At least she humors me.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0IdsLTPfa9g-qBtqfqSZWIfag4rQG7ssOTcrsZBctp2ry1e9cnwW96-qD4kE1eqHmQOMK8YrYcANr97A8YyOWYhMgiw_1BubVRtSgfw396CveHYp3xKoiMUXWGtQfKDILoqc_Z6SLidgEA2YG8gyKQZOWCs-Qf3VPN3dxWWmpMCz-7YmGLoPi_osIikm/s4032/diplodocus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0IdsLTPfa9g-qBtqfqSZWIfag4rQG7ssOTcrsZBctp2ry1e9cnwW96-qD4kE1eqHmQOMK8YrYcANr97A8YyOWYhMgiw_1BubVRtSgfw396CveHYp3xKoiMUXWGtQfKDILoqc_Z6SLidgEA2YG8gyKQZOWCs-Qf3VPN3dxWWmpMCz-7YmGLoPi_osIikm/w400-h300/diplodocus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Like <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/10/denver-2022-day-7-may-10-ugly-monkey.html" target="_blank">Denver,</a> seeing a diplodocus was always welcome, as there are none in our home <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">museum</a>.<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bXCep2pFAc9cAa4Qy4PZTWuMQh6Phl8yhuuiPjznCYr01ZtGM56kW2i1Re8LUqxMamNx9r4Nwp7wxjhyphenhyphenPh2NNqWNDp2_QfvT0AJ0l2WqGE78vPmjItT0qp1qdy5wI1mPOh74ix7FJD6v7PpgDS1eTzqQleyWWIvfi1dYEIrbj6F8erdvaBUvaGvXskT8/s4032/sauropod.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bXCep2pFAc9cAa4Qy4PZTWuMQh6Phl8yhuuiPjznCYr01ZtGM56kW2i1Re8LUqxMamNx9r4Nwp7wxjhyphenhyphenPh2NNqWNDp2_QfvT0AJ0l2WqGE78vPmjItT0qp1qdy5wI1mPOh74ix7FJD6v7PpgDS1eTzqQleyWWIvfi1dYEIrbj6F8erdvaBUvaGvXskT8/w400-h300/sauropod.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We don't have a camarasaur in New York either.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HjOVT542-KTNhBoLSLHLbHjdkMf9Opz29BraCmx9eoObPiVuznV9c1nPxGzWkdqpgEAeezFqMf2z1rKlF_v9LMbLves5i9tJl3UbTCXnQJzAKWDAejMiUznAeu81og_AJqQacZoL2bfCDqSWVmFeoEFG2uF3Zw9EIGs5tsnorN7wofffVdJkrl8yCPPk/s4032/allosaur%20on%20nest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HjOVT542-KTNhBoLSLHLbHjdkMf9Opz29BraCmx9eoObPiVuznV9c1nPxGzWkdqpgEAeezFqMf2z1rKlF_v9LMbLves5i9tJl3UbTCXnQJzAKWDAejMiUznAeu81og_AJqQacZoL2bfCDqSWVmFeoEFG2uF3Zw9EIGs5tsnorN7wofffVdJkrl8yCPPk/w400-h300/allosaur%20on%20nest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The dinosaurs have all been remounted since
I’d last seen them, and the Allosaurs suffered the most loss of ferocity in the
intervening decades. One was posed sitting peacefully on a nest while the other
was on its back after being smacked by the “thagomizer” of a Stegosaurus.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOFJxLWzLjnoQ_qeEEr5k769TLWVFcrLKsHKEw886gRCJaQivKjndEJdJ1lXpJnqWdyiJqCvk-X5coyLJiJIkNy6HSJ6S1anuhWzUIUJ4Dm0p8Yk-Y1zWz2VFqmzE5V-coud0uuo6KVpTjssLu0y2wWUSVSG-IFFdr7VAocklnYXseyEY6HpW13Tp7XBP/s4032/stegosaur%20killing%20allosaur.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOFJxLWzLjnoQ_qeEEr5k769TLWVFcrLKsHKEw886gRCJaQivKjndEJdJ1lXpJnqWdyiJqCvk-X5coyLJiJIkNy6HSJ6S1anuhWzUIUJ4Dm0p8Yk-Y1zWz2VFqmzE5V-coud0uuo6KVpTjssLu0y2wWUSVSG-IFFdr7VAocklnYXseyEY6HpW13Tp7XBP/w400-h300/stegosaur%20killing%20allosaur.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </o:p>No, Anabelle, it is not the one I rode
to school.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgc-K6X4aaM1CBqQzZU56Z5bXVeuh24IGRqvcDfJJFB7ZviSRUrBJxfsJWpT5DTQns6gqHYS76AK7N4tvsvoOoSGxGQmom3_LXxSCI0j_B4JTQyJg3xpfwZAH5mBO82_XncsZ8UeAjTEqzgNSYyjM2wgmHNGL08bMS0dzn-4Te5boVuyCsAxp6uiUSIZT/s4032/tyrannosaur%20eating%20triceratops.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgc-K6X4aaM1CBqQzZU56Z5bXVeuh24IGRqvcDfJJFB7ZviSRUrBJxfsJWpT5DTQns6gqHYS76AK7N4tvsvoOoSGxGQmom3_LXxSCI0j_B4JTQyJg3xpfwZAH5mBO82_XncsZ8UeAjTEqzgNSYyjM2wgmHNGL08bMS0dzn-4Te5boVuyCsAxp6uiUSIZT/w400-h300/tyrannosaur%20eating%20triceratops.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Tyrannosaur did get a violence
upgrade, however. The King of the Tyrant Lizards was posed <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/09/denver-2022-day-4-may-7-ugly-monkeys.html" target="_blank">accurately </a>tearing
the head from a Triceratops to get at the huge neck muscles.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">DC Flashback-<br />Dad, as always entertaining in museums, posed for a picture with his head in the (skull only) mount of a Tyrannosaurus's mouth on one of our last family visits to the Smithsonian.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eyb4QH_g_madEc2wA4t-oA761izdO8M0MU86S-U5s-XJG09b5lpNFFiZ3D-FSzJq2AJz6bfuRHVGRVYQw8lWISYILbY-R28B2HepnfpjEckC2CO-GHYPbCLfFqzoxJCVbaIZDyi2clRWo-gPiSpbivulmcPnqM_1Y2JbN7EkiwxF7X699szmUfjN-uBh/s3540/dad%20tyrannosaur.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2367" data-original-width="3540" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eyb4QH_g_madEc2wA4t-oA761izdO8M0MU86S-U5s-XJG09b5lpNFFiZ3D-FSzJq2AJz6bfuRHVGRVYQw8lWISYILbY-R28B2HepnfpjEckC2CO-GHYPbCLfFqzoxJCVbaIZDyi2clRWo-gPiSpbivulmcPnqM_1Y2JbN7EkiwxF7X699szmUfjN-uBh/w400-h268/dad%20tyrannosaur.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>We shared looking at one exhibit with a
family that had a small boy inquiring about what the bones were. The concept
that he had them inside his body threw him into a state of panic which led his
mother to decide, “We’ll unpack this later.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7M9a5GhcFFM5nxv5i_kiUat7wHGc5bt2UM2zjcOGUVxJ1gO9rWiw52C_u4o_HjVX4O-hOH2j8ceEaHO7xGRCq-UG4l9y3yLbRJLYVl5ZVY9aM61I_TNW1NyX1bUFU3Esjyd9jew31VKnMr09oagNlKTvPFIWQIZN3RjE8fTmN1m7QeprSWM_WB_rjEgh/s4032/ground%20sloth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7M9a5GhcFFM5nxv5i_kiUat7wHGc5bt2UM2zjcOGUVxJ1gO9rWiw52C_u4o_HjVX4O-hOH2j8ceEaHO7xGRCq-UG4l9y3yLbRJLYVl5ZVY9aM61I_TNW1NyX1bUFU3Esjyd9jew31VKnMr09oagNlKTvPFIWQIZN3RjE8fTmN1m7QeprSWM_WB_rjEgh/w400-h300/ground%20sloth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In the prehistoric mammal room was a
ground sloth far larger than the variety we have in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">AMNH</a> back home.
Considering the idea of that one is terrifying; this one was a straight out
abomination. I was still referencing the <i>Walking With </i>series, but
Anabelle felt the need to correct me by the glyptodonts and refer to them as
the villains from an <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/07/disney-world-2022-day-10-august-11.html" target="_blank">Ice Age</a> </i>film. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-UylAbwAdhlYlZb6XNv9-HOOsNdMAiTlc7L7aRpBygyhRGJKdqfoMaeNkm7cIzBtsbd0u_7yxG-SIHCjf0PY6k5pLqXxPelBAMrW9gE1DXlvCjWeOEN-af3ZpOY_LSfh4GArPQvDjvQaoGfndJQXYYYOxzAhUqDRynGX7lT5MytkZF-vslYw1dbqxe6i/s4032/glyptodont.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-UylAbwAdhlYlZb6XNv9-HOOsNdMAiTlc7L7aRpBygyhRGJKdqfoMaeNkm7cIzBtsbd0u_7yxG-SIHCjf0PY6k5pLqXxPelBAMrW9gE1DXlvCjWeOEN-af3ZpOY_LSfh4GArPQvDjvQaoGfndJQXYYYOxzAhUqDRynGX7lT5MytkZF-vslYw1dbqxe6i/w400-h300/glyptodont.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Clearly, I still have some work to
do. A young couple walked by as we were at the exhibit and the woman made the
same comment about the glyptodonts.<br /> “We had an <i>Ice Age </i>moment.”-
Anabelle<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback- As a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/09/jeffs-books-to-open-your-mind-dinosaur.html" target="_blank">geeky dinosaur kid</a>, I
was able to identify the difference between a mammoth and a mastodon by their
teeth from halfway across the room. When we got next to the exhibit, they had a
tooth display showing what I had just told my parents. My excitement at proving
them wrong got some laughs from a guy near us.<br /><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgNkL_KTT4SDPc-CZDQs6Re48ikqCFxDMBxSgz8o9DHImY4S9qxY8ET0gB3z8jSQep8SyAbEg_gsttdpv8s2pUbRcpMv7yLXevSc1r5x-fW5XzbzKOr0tnYSGawrBlRXVV4uX122hF7dzdt2rUCLaaEyS4zMnoYpzi2aDCzTyh4QqBWGz9s6s15QdjcZM/s4032/mammoth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgNkL_KTT4SDPc-CZDQs6Re48ikqCFxDMBxSgz8o9DHImY4S9qxY8ET0gB3z8jSQep8SyAbEg_gsttdpv8s2pUbRcpMv7yLXevSc1r5x-fW5XzbzKOr0tnYSGawrBlRXVV4uX122hF7dzdt2rUCLaaEyS4zMnoYpzi2aDCzTyh4QqBWGz9s6s15QdjcZM/w400-h300/mammoth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>As we approached the prehistoric
elephant skeleton, Anabelle called it a mammoth. I was explaining about the
teeth difference and how we couldn’t tell what it was until we got closer, because
I don’t see as well as I did when I was a smart little kid.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Of course, it was a mammoth, prompting
Anabelle to delight in the fact that she was right, much like I did as a kid,
but with far less documentation behind it…<br />But that made her laugh at me more.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then the “annoy Daddy” portion of the
museum continued as she insisted on calling the megaloceros a “moose,” in spite
of the fact that she knows full well what it is.<br />Harumph.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy_egieqb907QOc-GnA_GC6IQduneqYqWSf8P4lEtcqfvRZokvEhdM9o9ae2x7SEfF73rANpF52K25RjXaWmupeqpLac6upohH-bphPcS7Ind98TNfiFHy0JdnuzdUROYw7Dj9AsNK3VsX6IJwZrXedKferMrEuMzlIXswKJoiG-lUS-VTJjvgDN3v74_/s4032/ceolacanth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy_egieqb907QOc-GnA_GC6IQduneqYqWSf8P4lEtcqfvRZokvEhdM9o9ae2x7SEfF73rANpF52K25RjXaWmupeqpLac6upohH-bphPcS7Ind98TNfiFHy0JdnuzdUROYw7Dj9AsNK3VsX6IJwZrXedKferMrEuMzlIXswKJoiG-lUS-VTJjvgDN3v74_/w400-h300/ceolacanth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We retraced our steps through the fossil
exhibits in reverse, because not all museums can be set up as well as the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">New York</a> ones. Whipping quickly through the “African Voices” section we entered the
fish and other ocean stuff exhibit.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jzj7cArLZGI9LGFV0E1A5H9BLONyzyMmacc2hyphenhyphen7iz4lMRDjZrCpFgAEGj33m7Ft60320ZAS45fu99l3woegso9gjGVFFNFsSb3LBqafbDIQwoGijSoqq3CU3YziG0OLezES2bB5T3nfpH7X5BL5gTCSu2eNEJ-Uds59hvxV11ce6hhBT3CZxDfJfRwk9/s4032/wright%20wale.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jzj7cArLZGI9LGFV0E1A5H9BLONyzyMmacc2hyphenhyphen7iz4lMRDjZrCpFgAEGj33m7Ft60320ZAS45fu99l3woegso9gjGVFFNFsSb3LBqafbDIQwoGijSoqq3CU3YziG0OLezES2bB5T3nfpH7X5BL5gTCSu2eNEJ-Uds59hvxV11ce6hhBT3CZxDfJfRwk9/w400-h300/wright%20wale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Again, comparisons with New York museums
are rough. There wasn’t room for a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">blue whale</a> like we were used to, and instead
there was a right whale. It was still impressive, because “WHALE!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC flashback- As a geeky <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/09/jeffs-books-to-open-your-mind-dinosaur.html" target="_blank">dinosaur kid,</a> I
read every single paleontology book in the school library. One was oversized
and had full page pictures with single page descriptions that ended with which
museums in the US had each fossil animal. The enormous prehistoric whale, the
zeuglodon, was listed as only being in the Smithsonian in DC. Me pointing this
out was the initiating factor that started my folks planning our first visit to
the nation’s capital. The first time we were in this museum, I spotted it from
across the fossil exhibit and was yelling about how it was the zeuglodon. When
we walked up, Mom started to tell me I was mistaken this time, because the
plaque read, “basilosaurus.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I proudly
read further on the plaque where it said, “Also known as the zeuglodon!”
leading yet another stranger to laugh at our family.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We had passed through the entire
prehistory section of the museum…twice.<br /> There was no zeuglodon.<br /> I was crushed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>However, hanging on the ceiling, near
the right whale model and with several other large skeletons was the
basilosaurus!<br /> I cheered, “It’s the zeuglodon!!!!”<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_GA-eIAAdkEZWTpJpcMzG2Q86dcgjt9PUefb8OBiqaXFjPXG0-StKGxXEwF5GPWaBEz5Gv_QYv3LFpe5hjAU0HIulvuljnBhyphenhyphenYineBrQKbUkAL0lIFDcm3ZZNxRYE0OTo4DPchGpNqTyphzdKlsfcJaHFQglbN2pzd_eT_jqrEwdKUQeOb2vBVsk_x-2/s4032/zugelodon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_GA-eIAAdkEZWTpJpcMzG2Q86dcgjt9PUefb8OBiqaXFjPXG0-StKGxXEwF5GPWaBEz5Gv_QYv3LFpe5hjAU0HIulvuljnBhyphenhyphenYineBrQKbUkAL0lIFDcm3ZZNxRYE0OTo4DPchGpNqTyphzdKlsfcJaHFQglbN2pzd_eT_jqrEwdKUQeOb2vBVsk_x-2/w400-h300/zugelodon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>My family did not care.<br />Being smart in a museum gets way more
praise when you’re a kid.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I noticed another difference between the
Smithsonian and the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">AMNH</a> in this section. The Smithsonian is much more an “old
school” type museum. Instead of beautifully constructed environments to display
models of sea life ecosystems, there were a huge amount of…<br />well…<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMurBcbz-3r28u72cHQTJ6WmeHy1Q4vy7Gof_1fOiSUEw6v5uEdplEf7WGiUwyk7hWL7N4r0MzpFwWozpfuY83m2AYPsF33aZym99YsSL2GuKQMSH3_rTGH3smX9bjNG0QuFuggLH1gTjBovmdXJIovojlX79k5j2Ckmxs8Gtfo3T3hgX-g0uuz1TI7U05/s4032/pickled%20fish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMurBcbz-3r28u72cHQTJ6WmeHy1Q4vy7Gof_1fOiSUEw6v5uEdplEf7WGiUwyk7hWL7N4r0MzpFwWozpfuY83m2AYPsF33aZym99YsSL2GuKQMSH3_rTGH3smX9bjNG0QuFuggLH1gTjBovmdXJIovojlX79k5j2Ckmxs8Gtfo3T3hgX-g0uuz1TI7U05/w300-h400/pickled%20fish.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>pickled fish would be the best way to
describe them.<br />It created much less of an “high end
educational experience” feel and a lot more of a “high school biology class
storeroom” atmosphere.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We were hungry and were following
Anabelle’s plan to go to the cafeteria through the fish. There was a set of
giant megalodon jaws in a case on the floor. Rosa asked about them, I reminded
her of the ones on the ceiling in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">AMNH</a>.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqiRv3XnkusdNGG44r-kNnIEIBpgVwOhAnqZObLnYVnFw27oaLIyHOFbGvsZrRH38ErmGUujZaG1Kc1hdjApBwjiX31SiJfIuuf874cV-PG3T5oxce2g5DoA2kPxwtD2n2j_e4X7Xmp44KwZHlOEIqdfQCPYfpM3fc6cj2xD4SxHIoXkhiNs_fFPMVPh5/s4032/megalodon%20jaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqiRv3XnkusdNGG44r-kNnIEIBpgVwOhAnqZObLnYVnFw27oaLIyHOFbGvsZrRH38ErmGUujZaG1Kc1hdjApBwjiX31SiJfIuuf874cV-PG3T5oxce2g5DoA2kPxwtD2n2j_e4X7Xmp44KwZHlOEIqdfQCPYfpM3fc6cj2xD4SxHIoXkhiNs_fFPMVPh5/w400-h300/megalodon%20jaw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>At this point I launched into a dramatic
description, containing much extreme arm waving, as we left the exhibit:<br /> “Imagine a great white shark, but the
size of that whale, just a massive predatory…<br />AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!<br />Never mind, just look behind you.”<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdw8eX2umzuYnnLhlyCZcrL4DM8pk3nEkReI1eGVzFloAs7GlHyxa8qFbtwmK7NftSbLiJYrvUodZPk10f2FBSGWA-WTKMRXQN9IU5pvAG1Um3vkxfJFaYBwD_7EqSix30r9PIRVznD5HaSDlsIjJst9PQSpEI1eT89uciZmlXw5RTxSEX6ndu1tMl9ri/s4032/megalodon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdw8eX2umzuYnnLhlyCZcrL4DM8pk3nEkReI1eGVzFloAs7GlHyxa8qFbtwmK7NftSbLiJYrvUodZPk10f2FBSGWA-WTKMRXQN9IU5pvAG1Um3vkxfJFaYBwD_7EqSix30r9PIRVznD5HaSDlsIjJst9PQSpEI1eT89uciZmlXw5RTxSEX6ndu1tMl9ri/w400-h300/megalodon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>Hanging over the cafeteria was a terrifyingly
accurate, full sized megalodon.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[Later edit, some recent <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/was-megalodon-slimmer-than-previously-thought-180983628/" target="_blank">planetological discoveries </a>indicate that the Megalodon may not have had a great white like body shape, but rather more like a mako shark. That means they were lighter, but also faster and longer.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We nosed around the café near the giant
shark. Rosa’s usual line of inquiry led us to the larger cafeteria we could see
one floor down. That place had excellent quality Mexican selections, and a
helpful manager who walked Rosa through the options. The tacos were gluten
free. It was a pleasant change of pace where all of us could have decent lunch
at the same time.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We went back up under the megalodon.
(WOOOOOOO!!!!) Then we passed through the ocean room again, stopping, of course,
under the zeuglodon for a bit. (WOOOOOOOOOO!!!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br />
</span>Yes, I have a thing for giant extinct
sea life. So what?<o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepxw7GO1fUEvqV0N2we84OgnR20QuEw8r24_8dNwB9x8YvJ0g_MwGvmVhmc1pnLD7xiqG7BHz-oR7SPZon7AQJGgvf2QjTatg8S2Jkmh1VBU8naTVGX2HyQxgrTNFVr6odaXb-R7qaaE9iBgtPD576oFW4WWfUgeBl4JHQFbz2EWn3XnzrBXwzdljuTLm/s4032/octopus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepxw7GO1fUEvqV0N2we84OgnR20QuEw8r24_8dNwB9x8YvJ0g_MwGvmVhmc1pnLD7xiqG7BHz-oR7SPZon7AQJGgvf2QjTatg8S2Jkmh1VBU8naTVGX2HyQxgrTNFVr6odaXb-R7qaaE9iBgtPD576oFW4WWfUgeBl4JHQFbz2EWn3XnzrBXwzdljuTLm/w400-h300/octopus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Anabelle pointed out the pickled
“giantish squid” was another area where our <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">New York Museum</a> bias was causing us
troubles.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBGLmJTr1_47KtIGsExR-BBlASY3aQjPLNeYd4vlAdv3b7B3WYKQIsRIJ-CNTsNA8hYUaQZ8cEM_tiOOAEQgW1WUuKkajHBrjEemVMsK3LCCOXMm42Z3MC5FJcdmVE8uTJngdq_vzHzCtSDQNKUq9x4kPd2EYdf3mNqBoDe1NSUv0mSfkWD-Yxx4Wz413/s4032/human%20origins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBGLmJTr1_47KtIGsExR-BBlASY3aQjPLNeYd4vlAdv3b7B3WYKQIsRIJ-CNTsNA8hYUaQZ8cEM_tiOOAEQgW1WUuKkajHBrjEemVMsK3LCCOXMm42Z3MC5FJcdmVE8uTJngdq_vzHzCtSDQNKUq9x4kPd2EYdf3mNqBoDe1NSUv0mSfkWD-Yxx4Wz413/w400-h300/human%20origins.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Halls of Human origins always give
Anabelle the Heebie Jeebies, therefore we staggered some rest room breaks to
allow Rosa and I to see what we wanted while Anabelle headed towards the mammals’
room.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>There was something about bananas here.
Museums are very dense and hard to constantly keep track of, even with notes. I
may have lost a good monkey joke in the mix.<br /><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSK6WPQITlAkxz_5wpSmFSvud1oLyUYJ6TyrbAwW270FW0Ju5tUZ65-8-SJ9hzj-0MSicX9vHbjAGv37jTT0X5JAxk0cegY7fJwnqqALkeOZ25dSqaPHJrPaYe0e6nll0iyh3kFeEpXT66bMCqCS7rgkHLEZSPBV2pCRap7tT6mPJqmUaCEHvfcV_a8kA3/s4032/hippo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSK6WPQITlAkxz_5wpSmFSvud1oLyUYJ6TyrbAwW270FW0Ju5tUZ65-8-SJ9hzj-0MSicX9vHbjAGv37jTT0X5JAxk0cegY7fJwnqqALkeOZ25dSqaPHJrPaYe0e6nll0iyh3kFeEpXT66bMCqCS7rgkHLEZSPBV2pCRap7tT6mPJqmUaCEHvfcV_a8kA3/w400-h300/hippo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-oY3xfXo54R-snU3f7pzBzeWmMhYWP_DvSDS4rvto6qt6HpolExZNduQC1xMsg6AC7m01yzX6mKe5e6IBjwupn9wY_WH9YIlIxZX5pyN9LSv_l6lYVuSrmupODdH1Da_6_U11s6bIwauc71u41Xi-VHH-TuMvI_PUGuTssC1UmXUUc-zjDlMsy3FA7DK/s4032/african%20animals.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-oY3xfXo54R-snU3f7pzBzeWmMhYWP_DvSDS4rvto6qt6HpolExZNduQC1xMsg6AC7m01yzX6mKe5e6IBjwupn9wY_WH9YIlIxZX5pyN9LSv_l6lYVuSrmupODdH1Da_6_U11s6bIwauc71u41Xi-VHH-TuMvI_PUGuTssC1UmXUUc-zjDlMsy3FA7DK/w400-h300/african%20animals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">AMNH</a> comparisons continued as the
mammals had changed from my childhood visits and were now grouped by
environments, not species. However, they weren’t in dioramas, just kinda
standing around. This pushed Anabelle into needing a trip to the New York
Museum before she went back to college.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRkbuUv6quEoxD1IUNXeCpPtCjGHR1lxEn6chbGgSedu_AoNuqwlIve6p3aTs0zgx4niA-c54-zLjdGp4OHCrubB3ep6wJDqYo_keZ5cp7XkphbP6ccos5x_iW47giAXR6OTP7Al46x6j5MYq-C9ogS07i36GQpclqYgytgTg-XjJHR9tQClnLUQV2i8O/s4032/creepy%20dinosaur%20toys.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRkbuUv6quEoxD1IUNXeCpPtCjGHR1lxEn6chbGgSedu_AoNuqwlIve6p3aTs0zgx4niA-c54-zLjdGp4OHCrubB3ep6wJDqYo_keZ5cp7XkphbP6ccos5x_iW47giAXR6OTP7Al46x6j5MYq-C9ogS07i36GQpclqYgytgTg-XjJHR9tQClnLUQV2i8O/w400-h300/creepy%20dinosaur%20toys.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was a dinosaur themed gift shop with
some horrifying looking plush creatures we didn’t spend too much time in before
heading upstairs.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHj_OcZ78nzCl9perlDnhMfPUh5twIGSLP8GlYhz5PaOrh03_6Xg35uqi_rb0Nd93A7qxdDMnyN1iPFbZHW9CdfJ-TVf1xNTyBgAoeYD19Kod1G_0GS_c7Rhvoz7c7gk4e9QXm4t17jvQWl4aAaOEUBXHu0hyphenhyphenhTwrd7k5bekwpHs2DykxFlh_i5ZOpqAj/s4032/elephant%20from%20upstairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHj_OcZ78nzCl9perlDnhMfPUh5twIGSLP8GlYhz5PaOrh03_6Xg35uqi_rb0Nd93A7qxdDMnyN1iPFbZHW9CdfJ-TVf1xNTyBgAoeYD19Kod1G_0GS_c7Rhvoz7c7gk4e9QXm4t17jvQWl4aAaOEUBXHu0hyphenhyphenhTwrd7k5bekwpHs2DykxFlh_i5ZOpqAj/w400-h300/elephant%20from%20upstairs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Yes, Anabelle the central display was
only one African elephant, not a whole herd like <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">New York</a> has. However, it is
the “mascot” of the museum, impressively mounted, and there was a nice
“elephant evolution” display overlooking it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTHDWX5-LsEVZYBcB95Rb-I4dGDVkZSPmAhFS4ChEWOTrRVycf1PsqYizi25r0gJ1wGjP13-qpzy_0aRIP6Li6OtIViBHVdJLuNXQD4rfyFsG3UoMlonoDS75ZSy16VijbXUJDn4g68H13e3rB2EmrLY-wkBvzjMUuFrssvxy7GUffCJHJsoq7UPRuQGQ/s4032/elephantolution.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTHDWX5-LsEVZYBcB95Rb-I4dGDVkZSPmAhFS4ChEWOTrRVycf1PsqYizi25r0gJ1wGjP13-qpzy_0aRIP6Li6OtIViBHVdJLuNXQD4rfyFsG3UoMlonoDS75ZSy16VijbXUJDn4g68H13e3rB2EmrLY-wkBvzjMUuFrssvxy7GUffCJHJsoq7UPRuQGQ/w400-h300/elephantolution.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>New York Museum bias continues to
be a horrifyingly real thing.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The first exhibit we did on this floor
was the bones.<br />BONES!!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1unfsVof-ttHf3XUbCNljZMnpyba_ft_cZXIpbjBB4SnoFZ1Seea5RaXLLJS8px4p4TPGAtRWmtAfHeUj1w6OGi591kjPiHoXbyFHpe0J38BSQCLB4gtrStoRAmXVdDRSaaLEXE3J4rq6wzQ6D9KYxaGxuPv7IWAVieGFc2o6Y5cdwl3FQ_hB6eOYHUd/s4032/skeleton%20hall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1unfsVof-ttHf3XUbCNljZMnpyba_ft_cZXIpbjBB4SnoFZ1Seea5RaXLLJS8px4p4TPGAtRWmtAfHeUj1w6OGi591kjPiHoXbyFHpe0J38BSQCLB4gtrStoRAmXVdDRSaaLEXE3J4rq6wzQ6D9KYxaGxuPv7IWAVieGFc2o6Y5cdwl3FQ_hB6eOYHUd/w400-h300/skeleton%20hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>BOOOOOOOOOONESS!!!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Yeah, it was a huge collection of animal
skeletons, not posed in dynamic ways, just kinda hanging there.<br />*shudder*<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLUhd-xc1zH-mTGZbItZVmLn18BBrNwFFLz7UtnfobYl9pd73PBNCzFXWYuv7-niLDZ-UFQmfbLnXPJePydrWeZTVLvryCcwuJCijxRV5OLAE36rRvNukXQoiuDeEL9-tBXg_0sXOxvN9QkoyxF3xy66FpTHfUrlEkyM1fEeTGUmiwQ9jyMWcFdn6IDOS/s4032/mummy%20stuff.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLUhd-xc1zH-mTGZbItZVmLn18BBrNwFFLz7UtnfobYl9pd73PBNCzFXWYuv7-niLDZ-UFQmfbLnXPJePydrWeZTVLvryCcwuJCijxRV5OLAE36rRvNukXQoiuDeEL9-tBXg_0sXOxvN9QkoyxF3xy66FpTHfUrlEkyM1fEeTGUmiwQ9jyMWcFdn6IDOS/w400-h300/mummy%20stuff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The great museum debate continued.
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/11/denver-colorado-summer-2011-day-3.html" target="_blank">Denver</a> and the Smithsonian put their Ancient Egypt section in the Natural
History Museum. <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">New York</a> properly places them in the<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/04/jeffs-cultural-hintsart-stuff-part-one.html" target="_blank"> Art Museum</a>…unless one
believes mummification is part of the natural order of things.<br /> Then again, the “Historical Art”
sections of non-MET museums are on the low side.<br /> Is my New York Museum bias showing yet
again?<br /> Apologies…its hard.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Next door we found the Insect Zoo!<br />Sponsored by Orkin.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLaNhTtodD-3zr80J-agSS_cV7mjX9f5VGXa0waZ26zGrYP1ATU0oPilYhrzDwp92hRZE6qSOzpMqFrVPc8Qpyll8k7KU7QO_HKc7KbIKOZbKI857LehLHHacZv7NddG_oGfF_fQ9hEpdam7J4gqPoufR7eaC0NoY7zjNoqqmasja8Nmn-08ga75eqEhV/s4032/orkin%20insect%20zoo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLaNhTtodD-3zr80J-agSS_cV7mjX9f5VGXa0waZ26zGrYP1ATU0oPilYhrzDwp92hRZE6qSOzpMqFrVPc8Qpyll8k7KU7QO_HKc7KbIKOZbKI857LehLHHacZv7NddG_oGfF_fQ9hEpdam7J4gqPoufR7eaC0NoY7zjNoqqmasja8Nmn-08ga75eqEhV/w400-h300/orkin%20insect%20zoo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>That seemed…<br />Very wrong.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE6gffJW_P-GGUaY0QfV7GineAbHldXSwsHM74Daoa8jpX1zGgEPfve25xugD-kGeYNL3TwdvTmEt_ukkR9-_PpJg8q0Q-u4JJFWNkSzFVRuP4mUlwSsCmqO2DrZDKLXQ3Mkro93f_p-QoAREStuRZgTqh3iqlphggdsQb6DsPVu_vUtgJvEUvCT2cus1/s4032/tarantula.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE6gffJW_P-GGUaY0QfV7GineAbHldXSwsHM74Daoa8jpX1zGgEPfve25xugD-kGeYNL3TwdvTmEt_ukkR9-_PpJg8q0Q-u4JJFWNkSzFVRuP4mUlwSsCmqO2DrZDKLXQ3Mkro93f_p-QoAREStuRZgTqh3iqlphggdsQb6DsPVu_vUtgJvEUvCT2cus1/w400-h300/tarantula.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were a bunch of captivating, bug
filled displays. Much to Anabelle’s chagrin, NONE of the ants were on exhibit.
There was curator running a handling display. Hissing cockroaches are very commonplace,
at least in the weird life I’ve lived. The giant caterpillar looked way too
squishy, even for me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Therefore, I held an ENORMOUS
grasshopper. Rosa and Anabelle both flung gallons of Purell my way afterwards.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfq2R0JhE-gXZXew5xcPq0ENh3Abur7yTEV46OkEV9JrCMciqeG0OHoyfcuIONUW7CjfGA5XvNNuvOHVk1V_EPc2SzJ3F3CqUpKmyTs5kUPQ9QSREE9XEsVzR7lir5mb1WxksAD1xppLk2yaheewQx9ABjsx8_AIUoGujcREpZEuOaTo4-PNRsqulS-_7W/s3024/me%20holding%20big%20bug.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2151" data-original-width="3024" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfq2R0JhE-gXZXew5xcPq0ENh3Abur7yTEV46OkEV9JrCMciqeG0OHoyfcuIONUW7CjfGA5XvNNuvOHVk1V_EPc2SzJ3F3CqUpKmyTs5kUPQ9QSREE9XEsVzR7lir5mb1WxksAD1xppLk2yaheewQx9ABjsx8_AIUoGujcREpZEuOaTo4-PNRsqulS-_7W/w400-h285/me%20holding%20big%20bug.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>We had reached the “Rocks and Shiny
Things” section, the grand finale of our exploration of natural history.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesPlZ22XX7R9MtlnkHAgXrzPPriqiTAOGFYP4wTJ7yHEK69krmRFYTHq2jKKGsYGoFaH34aZPfavy9u2P8lbphqC_JXFxlS-KUBjL65E5REC80-GZ4nb2BzyjnUwhAsQKvdhR9noU9QmRfWpMtQLizZtv0RriVGUVSZAK832mHwnSO-vU9t1F7MO8ZtXF/s4032/touching%20mars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesPlZ22XX7R9MtlnkHAgXrzPPriqiTAOGFYP4wTJ7yHEK69krmRFYTHq2jKKGsYGoFaH34aZPfavy9u2P8lbphqC_JXFxlS-KUBjL65E5REC80-GZ4nb2BzyjnUwhAsQKvdhR9noU9QmRfWpMtQLizZtv0RriVGUVSZAK832mHwnSO-vU9t1F7MO8ZtXF/w400-h300/touching%20mars.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I touched a piece of Mars!<br /> Woooo!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then I spent the rest of the exhibit
following Anabelle around saying, “OOOH! Another rock!”<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aMJpp8wNzkJr296a-5aqtFLwe_AKOi-LX0K_o6MCEUADMIsASVU3QAZG3h9vt9QyXbLZbPvGXcCijtXRYSVL5wOOQ7ZF8NqDFiuAFE2APCY_wx4GMeWljfWEgV7vE093qgSuB1GNSTGgIkdWg6r9zPb0tehVbkUbhVzuUqh-T4coz8tMxkYjuzuGS0Uo/s4032/glowing%20rocks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aMJpp8wNzkJr296a-5aqtFLwe_AKOi-LX0K_o6MCEUADMIsASVU3QAZG3h9vt9QyXbLZbPvGXcCijtXRYSVL5wOOQ7ZF8NqDFiuAFE2APCY_wx4GMeWljfWEgV7vE093qgSuB1GNSTGgIkdWg6r9zPb0tehVbkUbhVzuUqh-T4coz8tMxkYjuzuGS0Uo/w400-h300/glowing%20rocks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Anabelle was in chemistry heaven. She
saw her favorite beaker!<br />Yes, she has a favorite beaker…chemistry
major, whatcha gonna do?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Along those lines, she loved seeing
magnesium sulfate and was overly excited about the diffraction test display.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>I noticed that if you ignore the signs,
it’s nearly impossible to tell if you’re in a geology or modern art exhibit.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlbX0PwtksiT_Gt0tdnDxo5U62BJLRcmzYv9J4xkVlMU1ETRMJ52EJMJIgtGlGIsozKbj-sSnpVWnbQmgRkf5jMh3FIUoNkvrea0r1smRDa9v2twSSJtit7mm2uYq0W8b2MKuArOEgjkHuGGvIR5Yu-uWPUH7eNzsj0sJTCppxDpjjOqrYKYBFM352drl/s4032/lava%20lamp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlbX0PwtksiT_Gt0tdnDxo5U62BJLRcmzYv9J4xkVlMU1ETRMJ52EJMJIgtGlGIsozKbj-sSnpVWnbQmgRkf5jMh3FIUoNkvrea0r1smRDa9v2twSSJtit7mm2uYq0W8b2MKuArOEgjkHuGGvIR5Yu-uWPUH7eNzsj0sJTCppxDpjjOqrYKYBFM352drl/w400-h300/lava%20lamp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I also learned how a lava lamp works,
which was really cool.<br /> It’s not like I ever thought about it
before, but it was still cool.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In the Gift Shop dedicated to these
areas I bought a pack of gem post cards that I thought would be fun to send to people
when we got home. (As I, yet again, forgot stamps and addresses.) Come to think
of it… I have no idea where in hell those postcards are. Maybe our friends and
family will get them, someday.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then we entered the “Not as nice as <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">New York </a>but still pretty swanky shiny things collection.”<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocWXqJCOCDoMttfOzokBFuDntSTuY1kmNWS_rfoQIjxoBYJQVuDKMZPIbMx-vsD0COz_UIKqVA1w2YburCa5bQxMdMSAGdQs3r30BqQ7wGLWNdMkojL0W8DDeYFCQCfy8OrtRjb40WPz4tenS6qoiDcscRa0T17Ttf9BIkxw8YrxYuxLO2prMdbx51N-U/s4032/shiny%20things.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocWXqJCOCDoMttfOzokBFuDntSTuY1kmNWS_rfoQIjxoBYJQVuDKMZPIbMx-vsD0COz_UIKqVA1w2YburCa5bQxMdMSAGdQs3r30BqQ7wGLWNdMkojL0W8DDeYFCQCfy8OrtRjb40WPz4tenS6qoiDcscRa0T17Ttf9BIkxw8YrxYuxLO2prMdbx51N-U/w400-h300/shiny%20things.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>DC Flashback- When Jesse came with us on
a Washington DC trip, the alarm went off when we were in the room with the Hope
Diamond!<br /> EXCITING!<br />Nothing happened and it was probably
just someone leaning on a case, but still…<br />EXCITING!<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <br /> </span><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1uZKiA3d7eb2mGJKj1FJYHA4sbVWdQJMfmZA0uWdo3g5b378T8Rhxnl75Csn__kfCfkSkZaRv9ZVqreNwZCl4r_QJ6KOGXnL7JMOgjd-QW2tZqFCN4n1kbauUOkDeKdRUMhBGmanDa2zCawMNOsNNQGloFFMk2Jk69-iwwyq8QC_thS_ZmS6iBI19vqG/s4032/fancy%20ruby%20near%20hope%20diamond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1uZKiA3d7eb2mGJKj1FJYHA4sbVWdQJMfmZA0uWdo3g5b378T8Rhxnl75Csn__kfCfkSkZaRv9ZVqreNwZCl4r_QJ6KOGXnL7JMOgjd-QW2tZqFCN4n1kbauUOkDeKdRUMhBGmanDa2zCawMNOsNNQGloFFMk2Jk69-iwwyq8QC_thS_ZmS6iBI19vqG/w400-h300/fancy%20ruby%20near%20hope%20diamond.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I felt bad for the Whitney Flame Topaz.
It’s a gorgeous red crystal, one of the finest Imperial Topaz gems in the
world…<br />Yet, everyone ignores it because it’s in
the same room with the Hope Diamond.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>After years of her Grandmother talking
about how much she loved the famous blue gem, and seeing the perfectly
photographed image of it on a magnet on our fridge supplied by her Grandmother,
Anabelle got to see the Hope Diamond in person…<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxio4DsqOjVfQ8M9-DYhryUTF9kqkMRv5iJ8xJ3wmy6Dv-95yvVI4ErQ9om2x9uHCmbdoF1ZSrOvNZiRoB1OIgkL6HtbW2JsfaPCqyWejk3wJ9FO3BBx2qYLP9sMhtJgeuwewJR3eBxlEUsE3UOQ2t4TwcijLEqCWqKit-IYjreqVqUn3Oti8OeqbxnI6r/s4032/hope%20diamond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxio4DsqOjVfQ8M9-DYhryUTF9kqkMRv5iJ8xJ3wmy6Dv-95yvVI4ErQ9om2x9uHCmbdoF1ZSrOvNZiRoB1OIgkL6HtbW2JsfaPCqyWejk3wJ9FO3BBx2qYLP9sMhtJgeuwewJR3eBxlEUsE3UOQ2t4TwcijLEqCWqKit-IYjreqVqUn3Oti8OeqbxnI6r/w400-h300/hope%20diamond.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></o:p>She was underwhelmed, stating she
expected it to be much shinier and it was kind of dull looking in the case.<br />“Oooh, look at this dusty rock.” -
Anabelle<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Good luck impressing her with and
engagement ring.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Having completed Anabelle’s route, we
continued to the plan for the day going one museum closer to the hotel and
returning to complete the sections we skipped in the American History Museum.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We started out with the Star Spangled
Banner, the flag that inspired the writing of the national anthem during the
War of 1812.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>It was in the dark.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback- When we visited as kids,
the flag hung out in the open on a wall and looked much more impressive.
However, light and exposure was causing all kinds of damage. Therefore, it was
now hidden in a dark room which had other effects on the museum.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurkxIsatNGZ7VHT6GKnnXMZhODqXMxbclRkJxHWTQngBijODz84OvyQtU9c06TF2nzGVzPJRIysuceDrNPDnYsggdqTHr20VdHh3tERBYy77p_ClxpsId1UMmBYjlyLI3AtrCK6-Zir_Ftps7xnV-givXFAQ3n9oTAZeyOG49t6ZNwCzeOVmvevmFjwr4/s4032/no%20focault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurkxIsatNGZ7VHT6GKnnXMZhODqXMxbclRkJxHWTQngBijODz84OvyQtU9c06TF2nzGVzPJRIysuceDrNPDnYsggdqTHr20VdHh3tERBYy77p_ClxpsId1UMmBYjlyLI3AtrCK6-Zir_Ftps7xnV-givXFAQ3n9oTAZeyOG49t6ZNwCzeOVmvevmFjwr4/w400-h300/no%20focault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Looking over the balcony at the circular
marks on the floor I realized that building protection for the flag removed the
Foucault Pendulum (back in 1998) we used to spend long times watching process around. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Alas.<br />Double Alas, because Kim told me this,
and I forgot, meaning I got disappointed twice.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We went through the voting history
section on the second floor. Considering how much the National Archives and
government funded world’s largest museum spent on voting rights you’d think everyone
in that government should be pushing to make voting as easy as possible for
everyone, no?<br /> And yet…<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNkRquLg6I1AYiBcGfjOjf_wKBnvteg6wryTm1ECo-IQdUZTXP7tEqY1uyEjXYaAUb_cWArYMgUX4rSitaEhbmQy5d8pqNxGuI-1zhrYmXrTLa0ttsJw8xb12LPEho132A63UvfSKpDoPaP2pNrtu_GJ_QPnSoIAMviyiqVFVFhEq7XiXTU9cKmTDKgL6/s4032/military%20history.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNkRquLg6I1AYiBcGfjOjf_wKBnvteg6wryTm1ECo-IQdUZTXP7tEqY1uyEjXYaAUb_cWArYMgUX4rSitaEhbmQy5d8pqNxGuI-1zhrYmXrTLa0ttsJw8xb12LPEho132A63UvfSKpDoPaP2pNrtu_GJ_QPnSoIAMviyiqVFVFhEq7XiXTU9cKmTDKgL6/w400-h300/military%20history.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The other big section of the floor was
about American Military History. This is an area I have done a great deal of
reading about and have had interest in from my nerdly youth. It is difficult to
go into details about it, as Anabelle walked close by me the whole time saying,
“YAWN…yawn yawn.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rosa, meanwhile, navigated
the confusingly laid out section at warp speed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXoprbpVmXjJc5_aIKR_o2LsJs-BsvLqpa3sQn1AolGcVDv-NowFAWoLigOEGiL8GiBrToHLCE6f65pYfpvOs268LmxoQBP45tLSUlAgU72Fpewg4nxw5-1GrJEU7W-LzQ70DL6muaJmttxhru16SM0p152rF3wdpR6lB0ix1TREqZbIaln8C8yIEBcOR/s4032/anabelle%20lifting%20bucket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXoprbpVmXjJc5_aIKR_o2LsJs-BsvLqpa3sQn1AolGcVDv-NowFAWoLigOEGiL8GiBrToHLCE6f65pYfpvOs268LmxoQBP45tLSUlAgU72Fpewg4nxw5-1GrJEU7W-LzQ70DL6muaJmttxhru16SM0p152rF3wdpR6lB0ix1TREqZbIaln8C8yIEBcOR/w400-h300/anabelle%20lifting%20bucket.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was a display about the home front
where they had a mockup of a two-and-a-half-gallon water bucket to be carried
from the well. Water is about nine pounds a gallon and some football looking
Eighth Grade trip guys were challenging each other to lift it two handed.
Anabelle, having experience carrying gallons <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/06/up-links.html" target="_blank">Up the Lake</a>, hoisted it easily
with one hand, making them all look silly.<br />That’s my girl.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLvKUW-TGNskyOHImFFvXjaYcSGj6fjGkj23nGIGMH9HHJsbaTQi2tNHdY2kzU1vRU-5HSdlSSldGF1BDEpBC2m8il3BFprDZlEHCgJwlTQuKcORxUXEBicbdYRDwjDPq-NCaMvwuuKRGvoVgcitpH-tmF2H5_FDJ4o5CqKl4V6xxiKY5MqU7Wifj6U9d/s4032/sitting%20with%20rosita.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLvKUW-TGNskyOHImFFvXjaYcSGj6fjGkj23nGIGMH9HHJsbaTQi2tNHdY2kzU1vRU-5HSdlSSldGF1BDEpBC2m8il3BFprDZlEHCgJwlTQuKcORxUXEBicbdYRDwjDPq-NCaMvwuuKRGvoVgcitpH-tmF2H5_FDJ4o5CqKl4V6xxiKY5MqU7Wifj6U9d/w400-h300/sitting%20with%20rosita.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Since this was our last visit to this
museum, we returned to the third-floor entertainment section for a stretch. It
was a great recharge moment for us, and Anabelle basked in the glory of Rosita
for close to a half hour. We discussed dating when the Elmo on display came
from by his eye position.<br />We really are Muppet nerds.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0a0aI8N8a1k7fmWkknpu78pYee_MBpKZMT2C3otuqTQwT14X2rdAM8OE8BXAThgED63B4jHAMvUvIcldJ3OEA8qxplLGdCH2mLF-eGLHxl6cnxR4E6ILgPW4hI_icwcchbJlegIikPAEu6Qo-JXhIxR7o9U34rMJSMPeV07PT0yBNCrhwEUTp34KWmcf/s4032/oscar%20the%20grouch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0a0aI8N8a1k7fmWkknpu78pYee_MBpKZMT2C3otuqTQwT14X2rdAM8OE8BXAThgED63B4jHAMvUvIcldJ3OEA8qxplLGdCH2mLF-eGLHxl6cnxR4E6ILgPW4hI_icwcchbJlegIikPAEu6Qo-JXhIxR7o9U34rMJSMPeV07PT0yBNCrhwEUTp34KWmcf/w400-h300/oscar%20the%20grouch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>We looked around at other stuff a bit
but mostly got some much needed sitting down time. There was a screen there
highlighting various important scenes from Children’s television over the
years. Mr. Rogers’s overwhelming strength through calmness in his <a href="https://youtu.be/-C5PMPIdG_Y?si=vk5aDtHMQRoiJa3p" target="_blank">speech to congress</a> has always been inspiring.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>And forty years later I still cried like
an infant over <a href="https://youtu.be/gxlj4Tk83xQ?si=wz7bWH9dWfdEfxh7" target="_blank">Mr. Hooper</a>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>After we were thrown out of yet another museum as it closed around us,
Anabelle wanted a coconut snow cone. We passed by the huge line of trucks,
checking all their listings. One attendant was offended we didn’t order from
him and yelled at us angrily, “All the trucks the same!”<br />Great attitude for drumming up business
there.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle calmly kept going on, stating
without looking at him, “Sir…You do not have coconut.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>She did find one a couple of trucks down
and enjoyed a big, wet coconut snow cone. In the spirit of sharing experiences,
I had a root beer float as we continued our walk across the sunblasted mall in
the opposite direction from which we had originally intended.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa continued in her unhealthy obsession
with the Capitol, and we hadn’t done pictures on the Mall facing side.
Therefore, instead of heading back to the hotel from one of the closest museums
to it, we walked the entire length of the Mall down to the home of the
Legislative Branch.<br /> That was in case anyone wants to give me
a hard time about the root beer float.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While we walked, we talked about
favorite experiences. Anabelle declared the Hirschhorn was her favorite place.
She also made the point to state the Military History section was extremely
boring, while patting me on the head and saying,<br />“pat pat pat.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Over at the Capitol there were ducks in
the large pool. We had many duck encounters on this trip. I don’t think anyone
cares.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxBMoWH55cqqmTxpatK8FjcWslb7ww7oNfkb36uTYFMO3uJ56EGF92suwxFqsNHTK1LDQe1TisLIq2INOFGmvT8KIKXG73IsvkqjbTSo50yU5BVLxAy7i_38l6T49aG0mL0d6ou3shFw6GzsWxukf8oAtx0i5dw-F31f84fPjha-uAnZOfuQtn_mwMDZF/s4032/capitol%20duck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxBMoWH55cqqmTxpatK8FjcWslb7ww7oNfkb36uTYFMO3uJ56EGF92suwxFqsNHTK1LDQe1TisLIq2INOFGmvT8KIKXG73IsvkqjbTSo50yU5BVLxAy7i_38l6T49aG0mL0d6ou3shFw6GzsWxukf8oAtx0i5dw-F31f84fPjha-uAnZOfuQtn_mwMDZF/w400-h300/capitol%20duck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>Some guys were taking pictures of each
other falling off a concrete pylon. This was likely not their goal, but that was
what happened.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1hzUS-qnPjKT186Qibkp6atCjFZpDmIFPtpVXBINeBRZlINAe94QM8HGgD1R1ms9XT5iq7yNAg1ECGeosWugC4lh32s-zDnuIJVGOn2AgZzLaTieVa6RM4W44-zqoL6AkAy1MC5tpv63vYivkt9qio6GlqL9tY7g65P9xho5N9AuipXtQ_QrY4Oz-4U0/s4032/jump%20out%20and%20see%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1hzUS-qnPjKT186Qibkp6atCjFZpDmIFPtpVXBINeBRZlINAe94QM8HGgD1R1ms9XT5iq7yNAg1ECGeosWugC4lh32s-zDnuIJVGOn2AgZzLaTieVa6RM4W44-zqoL6AkAy1MC5tpv63vYivkt9qio6GlqL9tY7g65P9xho5N9AuipXtQ_QrY4Oz-4U0/w400-h300/jump%20out%20and%20see%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Rosa finally got her photo of the “I Wish
I Took a Picture of That When We Came Here Can I Get Out of the Bus” statue. No,
ironically, we did not find out who it was a statue of.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21njR0ylo5aBccanqCgoOSnd1uOkLv74b2N5bAVAnmjJE6mMt1_iJoVQHd9PoqEORy9gotNnx0BmiT6jTM-FWnMMM8XWlX3RFq-GIwnHjoiZz7ZhiRCjCoACFUx4s1cUOr1aTyRo-_rTOXcfsBzYU8XCd5w2VZS3o6XUtOiHhgb4zsrVRaP_hIRUlitmO/s4032/capitol%20construction.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21njR0ylo5aBccanqCgoOSnd1uOkLv74b2N5bAVAnmjJE6mMt1_iJoVQHd9PoqEORy9gotNnx0BmiT6jTM-FWnMMM8XWlX3RFq-GIwnHjoiZz7ZhiRCjCoACFUx4s1cUOr1aTyRo-_rTOXcfsBzYU8XCd5w2VZS3o6XUtOiHhgb4zsrVRaP_hIRUlitmO/w400-h300/capitol%20construction.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Because of construction or getting ready
for the Memorial Day events there were huge rows of Voting Booths, as Mr.
History called them. (Port a Pottys)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As we walked up the Capitol steps, I
found a Chick Tract on the ground. I hadn’t seen one of them in the wild for
years. Coincidentally, the last one was in the Human Origins Hall of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures.html" target="_blank">AMNH</a>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gMFY80vDYq9Yxd5c54jTc-1xCjQdvxzsRUF9xSBI-X57VHrTB1-161-TWLBKv6G15XPmn1P910hxSCrcHK-UQm8NnIX1UaWCn11I5isvQ3ZuU9WIFb6AxCYgyLZusd0ccqZ5ra1XuGE1ScbTxdHYbsgc-iIVEWBV6VV0r5XhvWk3V-CxLOGeIhLjt5hX/s4032/finger%20on%20monument.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gMFY80vDYq9Yxd5c54jTc-1xCjQdvxzsRUF9xSBI-X57VHrTB1-161-TWLBKv6G15XPmn1P910hxSCrcHK-UQm8NnIX1UaWCn11I5isvQ3ZuU9WIFb6AxCYgyLZusd0ccqZ5ra1XuGE1ScbTxdHYbsgc-iIVEWBV6VV0r5XhvWk3V-CxLOGeIhLjt5hX/w300-h400/finger%20on%20monument.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Anabelle wanted the classic photo of her
finger atop her beloved Washington Monument. Naturally, I completely failed to
take it. Rosa, of course, got it immediately.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyWyJ327CHQjZkUF8wRD_uirg-w-C1D_EK5RyG5ea_k_IAJ1GPBLsT9TzxiGzJJj4c7UtIyWdtMfvtbctaBKpXGMlLg-IGKSB6hOpXsiMk4izlGe43bVpxjPCucaI4-W5C_wWnQzJ1SaNczIJpMfpeVaw4PnMHQMfxh-cFeV7FoSmB5Jv_6ba7cdhHb0j/s4032/butt%20of%20freedom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyWyJ327CHQjZkUF8wRD_uirg-w-C1D_EK5RyG5ea_k_IAJ1GPBLsT9TzxiGzJJj4c7UtIyWdtMfvtbctaBKpXGMlLg-IGKSB6hOpXsiMk4izlGe43bVpxjPCucaI4-W5C_wWnQzJ1SaNczIJpMfpeVaw4PnMHQMfxh-cFeV7FoSmB5Jv_6ba7cdhHb0j/w400-h300/butt%20of%20freedom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I thought it was a nice touch that they
flew the POW flag along with the American flag right on the Capitol building.
We took many photos on the reverse side of the Capitol building. That meant we
got multiple images of “The Butt of Freedom” atop the dome as the statue is
facing the other way.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVITz1a6Guhcbi4C8I_WScjhnEgH0ddkj30N5_OYU9T-huOhKjxt7QLm_YzCRMW7w9KEvK3Nqdwe4ZBmLC268FQtj41OJFB5JQRI4xR6d4FYIyxkQtzYQiXR9pLck548iMs7v5jH_EffXeEqdkgaoQDHAY_85tD8ZXHcbL7VZwggq_OSlE-ZMJtusfSABa/s4032/anabelle%20by%20captiol%20pose.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVITz1a6Guhcbi4C8I_WScjhnEgH0ddkj30N5_OYU9T-huOhKjxt7QLm_YzCRMW7w9KEvK3Nqdwe4ZBmLC268FQtj41OJFB5JQRI4xR6d4FYIyxkQtzYQiXR9pLck548iMs7v5jH_EffXeEqdkgaoQDHAY_85tD8ZXHcbL7VZwggq_OSlE-ZMJtusfSABa/w400-h300/anabelle%20by%20captiol%20pose.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Anabelle tried to get several selfies
for various social media reasons and almost fell over like those guys on the pylon, leading Rosa’s
photographic skills to be called on once more.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cVdpPXYg3iyk0YotlKS_K63GbN-cYT6y_WKxD8KGkoRvLyzqM9TW2dMrY_xm4ZlCG80soLGGe7Yuzb7urnGjEjqB3S856xBUOAxVvyFlMCc_L18hAz6OeFYwB-0IV_iDH_QjVw2phe3fSqZ0fKJsupyfnUP__LtCq9Jx4pUuKNvUn8S8qnWQNu0LmN0c/s4032/grant%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cVdpPXYg3iyk0YotlKS_K63GbN-cYT6y_WKxD8KGkoRvLyzqM9TW2dMrY_xm4ZlCG80soLGGe7Yuzb7urnGjEjqB3S856xBUOAxVvyFlMCc_L18hAz6OeFYwB-0IV_iDH_QjVw2phe3fSqZ0fKJsupyfnUP__LtCq9Jx4pUuKNvUn8S8qnWQNu0LmN0c/w400-h300/grant%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>The Grant Memorial was truly impressive
up close, one of many reasons this extra walk was worth it. There was taped
marks on the floor which we determined were placed there to illustrate the best
place to photograph the Grant Memorial.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PwGqN9G-x2Q5OA-Lxp5QADWGKuW3kO6lbMxMmeP6rJdFh5xMNi-frumS2EaufA5xl-nroZ7TJn_ELO9WchxQkYROuBf7Y1EhE1ZnZM5_1EIIfcyhiG6eBgzqhtCm84WAv6BGV65b6nJuoG61blIPUE1eAmt9UlCApLelF2IunYjIukj6biFCsN1SWKAb/s4032/grant%20statue%20corner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PwGqN9G-x2Q5OA-Lxp5QADWGKuW3kO6lbMxMmeP6rJdFh5xMNi-frumS2EaufA5xl-nroZ7TJn_ELO9WchxQkYROuBf7Y1EhE1ZnZM5_1EIIfcyhiG6eBgzqhtCm84WAv6BGV65b6nJuoG61blIPUE1eAmt9UlCApLelF2IunYjIukj6biFCsN1SWKAb/w400-h300/grant%20statue%20corner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxauZDUvQbD99UkntVArQKmn0Lu5h4KFlzCsHF1PAliCmYpZqum6lPcNPtMA8l7DGBuHb3Zb_b17eDetxR3qo6qw0Dos6DsB-G83mqzTVTfdY8ZyaqOcyho1AJJC5M-OjmIONbpbAELqukLB2fNkL3P3E4QwI9e5TNuvLfTJ4I8-iinyhEzKAW8yu4P_S/s4032/grant%20close%20up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxauZDUvQbD99UkntVArQKmn0Lu5h4KFlzCsHF1PAliCmYpZqum6lPcNPtMA8l7DGBuHb3Zb_b17eDetxR3qo6qw0Dos6DsB-G83mqzTVTfdY8ZyaqOcyho1AJJC5M-OjmIONbpbAELqukLB2fNkL3P3E4QwI9e5TNuvLfTJ4I8-iinyhEzKAW8yu4P_S/w400-h300/grant%20close%20up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the lions on the corner of the
plaza holding the main Grant statue appeared to have caught the Golden Snitch.
As always, I am very educational to have around.<o:p> </o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Hey, that pool in front of the Capitol
had a Duck Ramp!</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgvWhVDRPiO3ArxMr1VGp4ssvoaFWRK1PBlOoQzhYUw95X0dJlzWyCvsTuSJcsA3AuiOoKsETPUELIvrW73SmGE8U_jfBh86m_0BHQb2SXLY34HVkQQu7IMuxu8fKKDfS5zUNysODz9IT7e6H-Ihhs_TE4JTfyLvoJg46W66egyS4G_fWHp4CFWfGeGnV/s4032/duck%20ramp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgvWhVDRPiO3ArxMr1VGp4ssvoaFWRK1PBlOoQzhYUw95X0dJlzWyCvsTuSJcsA3AuiOoKsETPUELIvrW73SmGE8U_jfBh86m_0BHQb2SXLY34HVkQQu7IMuxu8fKKDfS5zUNysODz9IT7e6H-Ihhs_TE4JTfyLvoJg46W66egyS4G_fWHp4CFWfGeGnV/w400-h300/duck%20ramp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">And it was labeled, “Duck Ramp” so the ducks
knew it was for them. How nice!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF4hUuT9_gEpgywxGapsVIZlU_0V-ZCENq3TR3rUloLuV_W4lCNK2aduQ7kbyJzmY15ghDNDyUb4WUtJNwNlnQ04w9y0ILLuoYwUMnroc3znOFI5Cz3297ILxCL3gFp7mLAaq-Q0vkf-M4lqQrYc1RkIFTI22lGTftCw-NAZwPHsQNKr7quCvCkacSLjq/s4032/pictures%20by%20capitol.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF4hUuT9_gEpgywxGapsVIZlU_0V-ZCENq3TR3rUloLuV_W4lCNK2aduQ7kbyJzmY15ghDNDyUb4WUtJNwNlnQ04w9y0ILLuoYwUMnroc3znOFI5Cz3297ILxCL3gFp7mLAaq-Q0vkf-M4lqQrYc1RkIFTI22lGTftCw-NAZwPHsQNKr7quCvCkacSLjq/w400-h300/pictures%20by%20capitol.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FrhBJ20i0uFj4nVNWLNCrXKvAWaHha8jp7a0UuDjXCY_J46yBXXDY4efSfA5tv-znoJPMp57JwY95ZpIfYmxpTCOjXQVV8Me6bfjd9fl72u7pUDXuZKsnmOCbScdJc5Uea8iQtCLnXdAxFgTXp-1ZxokFw8_Prf7DZizDc3nfBCc4jAGgOc9AmHcBGJW/s4032/washington%20monument%20distance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FrhBJ20i0uFj4nVNWLNCrXKvAWaHha8jp7a0UuDjXCY_J46yBXXDY4efSfA5tv-znoJPMp57JwY95ZpIfYmxpTCOjXQVV8Me6bfjd9fl72u7pUDXuZKsnmOCbScdJc5Uea8iQtCLnXdAxFgTXp-1ZxokFw8_Prf7DZizDc3nfBCc4jAGgOc9AmHcBGJW/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20distance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Once again, we finished the day as far
from our hotel as humanly possible given what we wanted to see in this city.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmA7nufM3iHJrSMDP8kt4dazs75bKXpI_dtScbnMESurlhX2cmLrH-tA_r_ciQvOMyT7k-TIoRElpEHO5r6A7FTIpZj_qpgdynkb3Dekx2UPNJgkWHgMdHhIDYAiWoTCssf511NAaLdXuaGtdkpUZtkaYebxhvGAVS2y_xhaRuJpBGjxlQOdw8FBdn5b7/s4032/blue%20chicken%20from%20afar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmA7nufM3iHJrSMDP8kt4dazs75bKXpI_dtScbnMESurlhX2cmLrH-tA_r_ciQvOMyT7k-TIoRElpEHO5r6A7FTIpZj_qpgdynkb3Dekx2UPNJgkWHgMdHhIDYAiWoTCssf511NAaLdXuaGtdkpUZtkaYebxhvGAVS2y_xhaRuJpBGjxlQOdw8FBdn5b7/w400-h300/blue%20chicken%20from%20afar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On the way back we stopped to take in
some sights. Like the giant blue chicken on top of the National Gallery!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLZgb6GxtIR9_WsBHqGEz7lNK_A8hfdsssDM2hMfGHgyLnByGFClwH-gxjP6sZbV94jbaA8e1LCS7FozcfG45ykbkYBdozDJ9figcmvfCagbTMbf_yfKSSdEhO_LGe3oy01djU4ZSmJOM7NEgiUiqwrCA3D6Ige2NPAu9ryF5QWC15EKAbtZIlVDdlf-B/s4032/gettysburgh%20general.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLZgb6GxtIR9_WsBHqGEz7lNK_A8hfdsssDM2hMfGHgyLnByGFClwH-gxjP6sZbV94jbaA8e1LCS7FozcfG45ykbkYBdozDJ9figcmvfCagbTMbf_yfKSSdEhO_LGe3oy01djU4ZSmJOM7NEgiUiqwrCA3D6Ige2NPAu9ryF5QWC15EKAbtZIlVDdlf-B/w400-h300/gettysburgh%20general.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was also a statue of George Mead near
the Capitol we’d passed a couple times before. He led the Union soldiers at
Gettysburg, hence his prominent location. It’s almost like those who were
critical to defeating the group of rebellious states that tried to leave the
Union so they could continue to have slavery were really important.<br />How about that?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We passed a huge revival tent with a
performer on stage singing their heart out…<br />And no one at all in the seats.<br />“A” for effort though.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoh5OddmCrfPH7tPNCNK5MFfD7E8f8M_hPTaZcDD9q6u-sChsaAnwZSKzXEHnflZOku69vEuwR1ZKzUeBrl3q7_mnkdiXeBUvt_dajv4-iDoOzn_B4Een_oHfXGZ0IAzY6B3efNvPHVDXBo2uxl4PbEDi1LYsTlM7VKOgMMbHBzzvaW_nQ8R0NnySMW_yc/s4032/mellon%20fountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoh5OddmCrfPH7tPNCNK5MFfD7E8f8M_hPTaZcDD9q6u-sChsaAnwZSKzXEHnflZOku69vEuwR1ZKzUeBrl3q7_mnkdiXeBUvt_dajv4-iDoOzn_B4Een_oHfXGZ0IAzY6B3efNvPHVDXBo2uxl4PbEDi1LYsTlM7VKOgMMbHBzzvaW_nQ8R0NnySMW_yc/w300-h400/mellon%20fountain.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>This passage allowed us to learn things
about stuff we’d seen multiple times. A closer examination of the Mellon Fountain
revealed it had Zodiac signs all around it. Naturally, Anabelle had to move to
be in front of Libra for her pictures.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLaJHvQWg95O75neXHzELRObb2mbr6kBsmcm4IM4qOYNCICLhvZtRD3mxuBB0AahQkZl3HZiW89zGp5p9G2PB1e9CzfrI7sCq0mfKipgxAnnAPRGX9KvCI9VaL-i-7Tvr-XgbaF1vlTCT5zWnWM140CmqvPY19izPEb44f1jnpRsLlhV_2r_6-p4lGJb_/s4032/back%20of%20archives.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLaJHvQWg95O75neXHzELRObb2mbr6kBsmcm4IM4qOYNCICLhvZtRD3mxuBB0AahQkZl3HZiW89zGp5p9G2PB1e9CzfrI7sCq0mfKipgxAnnAPRGX9KvCI9VaL-i-7Tvr-XgbaF1vlTCT5zWnWM140CmqvPY19izPEb44f1jnpRsLlhV_2r_6-p4lGJb_/w400-h300/back%20of%20archives.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We got a better look at the impressive
statues on the back of the Archives Building as well. There is so much amazing
stuff in this city it would be easy to get jaded, but we allowed ourselves to
be awed as much as possible by the workmanship everywhere.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bFJ3SLw526rgbuSKnfdlZaTPSYgqfca0bKTd077asNrY604mHBFYiz18qJVIcrGaGXB2wO5DCeqAtb8iW33k5XUx8e3jZvpVADaL9ZxktahRCAi0rUMtflCbDGAu08VhAsKBlXiIrlCQHlRaafNVXmrh53Z7SF7XEi0YAwT9hLuBIijDuAaUHuyZTTxy/s4032/back%20door%20of%20archives.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bFJ3SLw526rgbuSKnfdlZaTPSYgqfca0bKTd077asNrY604mHBFYiz18qJVIcrGaGXB2wO5DCeqAtb8iW33k5XUx8e3jZvpVADaL9ZxktahRCAi0rUMtflCbDGAu08VhAsKBlXiIrlCQHlRaafNVXmrh53Z7SF7XEi0YAwT9hLuBIijDuAaUHuyZTTxy/w400-h300/back%20door%20of%20archives.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>I had forgotten I already reviewed the
Desk Sized FDR Rock memorial. This was excellent as I missed the incredibly
important fact that the conversation about the having a memorial of that size
was between President Roosevelt and his friend, Supreme Court Associate Justice
FELIX FRANKFURTER! My life was excessively enriched by learning this fact.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lADblOBeWy4PC_KYvHn8SFmfLhAsI7yzsdIPWA01W1YoTTcQ9YAtz0z4ws78-gsPNPITnxV9uFU00k7JoF3HPwNPyvKB1s1m42DNXpSiyVyD8JGUghus8OFLljfhkdS9XNS-g_O0xa4qpJ6iNHsaNs2Fxann3USXqXCqvONyKlnwrYxbB4x83opAJR7b/s4032/frankfurter%20plaque.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lADblOBeWy4PC_KYvHn8SFmfLhAsI7yzsdIPWA01W1YoTTcQ9YAtz0z4ws78-gsPNPITnxV9uFU00k7JoF3HPwNPyvKB1s1m42DNXpSiyVyD8JGUghus8OFLljfhkdS9XNS-g_O0xa4qpJ6iNHsaNs2Fxann3USXqXCqvONyKlnwrYxbB4x83opAJR7b/w400-h300/frankfurter%20plaque.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>After both starting and ending what was
to be a “more restful” day much further from home base than originally
intended, we decided this was our fancy night. Given nether my wife or daughter
were impressed by the menus or prices of the multiple steak and seafood houses
near the hotel, we decided to return to the Cheesecake Factory.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Naturally, we walked back the wrong way
and missed the restaurant. That was fine as we had to “fancy up.” Rosa and
Anabelle got into their dresses and went for full makeup.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Being me- fancy meant long pants and
another World War II Hawaiian shirt.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle had a Marylin Monroe moment
walking over a sidewalk grate, but luckily, she is wise enough to wear shorts
under her dresses.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Weirdly, as Mother’s Day had us seated immediately,
there was a twenty-minute wait. My guess is mid-week staffing was far below
holiday weekends.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle enjoyed her taquitos and Rosa
had a <s>burned to a crisp</s> well done mushroom burger. After reading all
those steakhouse menus, I declared it time for my patented vacation “rare as you can
legally make it” order of a ribeye.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The weirdly named “Flying Dog Snake Dog”
local beer went nicely with it as my vacation beer. I am thrilled the waiter
asked if I wanted another one. I didn’t want more, but I had completely forgotten what it
was called and used his request as an opportunity to write it down.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Unlike most meals for the past ten to
fifteen years, instead of Disney World trivia, Anabelle asked for Washington
trivia. This continued back to the hotel. There we cleaned up and continued our
trend by watching the Grammar section of School House Rock before passing into
unconsciousness.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>21246 steps<br />8.6 miles</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-6-may-19-2023.html" target="_blank">Click here for the next day</a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-41656714198961121952024-02-15T02:00:00.000-08:002024-02-15T02:10:02.744-08:00Moving Under New Leadership<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieossuKveFzf5rtgHHYIg_L9ht6-FEqHxFEGDXTzoT0byccqCublgBJK6_MB96D4oXMsZCpOK54PknNYHReyyhjL6etr_QRrMPCbZkxGjZ0jhlVf5CLeYaxhKDXLhUDZmX9NGq9Z_9uq1eU2oumlTlglfG8LSEJOkyzwhB3l1Zwxf0Fl2qwViDjpvWxaRJ/s4032/2024%20movng%20flowers%20and%20card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieossuKveFzf5rtgHHYIg_L9ht6-FEqHxFEGDXTzoT0byccqCublgBJK6_MB96D4oXMsZCpOK54PknNYHReyyhjL6etr_QRrMPCbZkxGjZ0jhlVf5CLeYaxhKDXLhUDZmX9NGq9Z_9uq1eU2oumlTlglfG8LSEJOkyzwhB3l1Zwxf0Fl2qwViDjpvWxaRJ/w400-h300/2024%20movng%20flowers%20and%20card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is normally<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/02/moving-in-new-family-directions.html" target="_blank"> the</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/04/moving-in-strange-ways.html" target="_blank">time</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/02/moving-out.html" target="_blank">of </a><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/02/insert-moving-pun-here.html" target="_blank">year</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/01/keep-moving-keep-moving-keep.html" target="_blank">where</a> I <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/02/moving-right-along.html" target="_blank">say</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2018/02/moving-up-level.html" target="_blank">nice</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/01/still-very-moving.html" target="_blank">things </a><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-company-that-is-moving-in-many-ways.html" target="_blank">about</a> Miss Chris.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This will not change as she continues to teach, choreograph, and help out in moving the <a href="https://www.danceworksdenville.com/moving-company" target="_blank">Moving Company </a>through various twists and turns towards the future in her role as <a href="https://www.danceworksdenville.com/" target="_blank">Danceworks</a> Founder.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, I need to add another main name (and some helpers) to the "say nice things about" list as Miss Angelica has taken over ownership of the studio. The immediate addition to the list is because she will continue the philosophy of valuing artisticness and community over competition that Danceworks has had all along. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These values are obvious in the continuation of the Moving Company. That feature to bring the joy of dance performances to those who can't get out on their own remaining as a part of the school was not a given for anyone taking over Danceworks, as it involves a<b> trainload </b>of additional work, planning, time and favor hunting. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll repeat myself and say I've always held those who can make a living at their passion in a state of impressed awe.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those who can do that and bring joy and happiness to others while they live their dreams get bonus awe. From my location wedged in next to, or behind the dancers, I can see the positive effect they have in the thrilled faces of their audiences.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The season went went very well. The Dancers were their usual amazing selves, adapting to insanely shaped (both in ground area and ceiling height) performing locations, without majorly taking out each other, randomly placed furniture or low hanging light fixtures. The variety of flooring between:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">carpets that prevented any sliding of the feet </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">ice rink like tiles was in full force as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The performers all looked extra joyous in the public finale show (combined with the local Girl Scout troupe to bring in donations for the food pantry) when they finally had a show on an actual, normally dimensioned stage.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The senior dance made me weep every time, which it does every year. However, since my niece Aurora was in it this time it was worse. She made a farewell painting to celebrate this year, decorating it (again, as she did for an earlier celebration) with shiny bits that fell off the costumes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is how dancers mark territory.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX7ycH1OXMsj1NYVs1NGinmQO4UXXh3AwQMthzxd9AsXJ06DW2NNEGwxmnG1exKJhtwxc8MyDyxpl4fLYUP_TEc31yIwIv7pA4bRmhgYZ_VG2VH4h_zhpgOisbKCFMWlbNjMDKOs6RBMi9IhU6dUQWDxpPd8F5cSwi2eoyrZyYPqAsSlOYKxIM2NXQ74v/s4032/aurora%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX7ycH1OXMsj1NYVs1NGinmQO4UXXh3AwQMthzxd9AsXJ06DW2NNEGwxmnG1exKJhtwxc8MyDyxpl4fLYUP_TEc31yIwIv7pA4bRmhgYZ_VG2VH4h_zhpgOisbKCFMWlbNjMDKOs6RBMi9IhU6dUQWDxpPd8F5cSwi2eoyrZyYPqAsSlOYKxIM2NXQ74v/w400-h300/aurora%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside 1- I will NEVER forgive the losers in charge at the time for how badly Covid was handled, ensuring there was no moving company well into the following year. The Senior Dance with Anabelle and Kate would have been EPIC. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My nephew Morgan remains the only male dancer in the troupe, and is doing fine. He also scored another "only' by being the only dancer, relative or otherwise, who acknowledged me on the occasions the "stage" was so strangely shaped that when the dancers run off to the side, they ended up squeezing into the area I was stuffed into and staring at me. Usually we ignore each other, and I try to avoid eye contact to prevent laughing. However, Morgan pulled up, grinned and quietly said, "Hi, Uncle Jeff!" before bounding back into the routine. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Besides the philosophy remaining the same, the support network needed has not changed. Miss Chris was along to lend her experience at the shows. The "backstage volunteer moms" were also critical. Kim, Raquel and Maryanne kept the dancers ready and emotionally capable of dealing with the insanely restrictive performing areas they were provided with. As befitting her new role, Miss Angelica's family has joined in the road crew. Her Dad was at shows, helping with transportation, set up and anything else that was needed. Her fiancée also similarly lent a hand. Daniel is a good guy, who would immediately come over to me whenever he saw me lifting something heavy. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was both sweet (his behavior) ...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and very sad (that I must appear increasingly decrepit to young people.) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Daniel is bound to be known as "Mr. Angelica" fairly soon. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There's really no avoiding that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside 2- Mr. Carl came to see the final show and appeared LUDICROUSLY happy with retirement.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With new ownership came new technology. Considering I have had many years of training using the little Pink iPod with a single button, (which is sadly too old to be supported, much like me) this was a bit of a switch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside 3- (Bordering on grumpy old man rant) I do not understand how the younger generations, who have lived their ENTIRE LIVES with wireless, electric powered equipment that has a majority of their being tied to it, can be as nonchalant as they are travelling about with a only sliver of charge on them. I've only experienced this having these things since... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">oh lets be generous and call it early middle age. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If my charge is below 50% I start to stress out, and if I know it's needed for something specific that "panic line" is up around 75%.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpxhFHaCAnwpzqpOxLKpVKSEcL_LrZwT-JkUm_O2WHLazy26veH9Lpy4VqqRM8sCy3qbwW6uLePmxQQ9f1qMykJ6Nl7vy-CR50t7WjDnF-Fszl4sKXdVeGNaa30X11qgDMDzGymXs4BP7v-Z_7cWiEkkvhF8bCPbX0VRZ11WSQnvTHjwT00LkoXmrAxj9/s4032/computer%20playlist.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpxhFHaCAnwpzqpOxLKpVKSEcL_LrZwT-JkUm_O2WHLazy26veH9Lpy4VqqRM8sCy3qbwW6uLePmxQQ9f1qMykJ6Nl7vy-CR50t7WjDnF-Fszl4sKXdVeGNaa30X11qgDMDzGymXs4BP7v-Z_7cWiEkkvhF8bCPbX0VRZ11WSQnvTHjwT00LkoXmrAxj9/w400-h300/computer%20playlist.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Instead of my little pink friend, plugged into the small but potent Bose speaker, the music was contained on a laptop, with new, wireless speaker options like normal people use... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">so I'm told. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Needless to say, I screwed up the music more times this year than I did in my inaugural year. Honestly, I probably screwed up the music more times this year than every other year combined. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is yet another testament to the professionalism of the Danceworks students that they continued their performance cleanly and calmly, with no indication that their tunes were being controlled by a fumble fingered, easily distracted, baboon.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, being very familiar with my own babooness I tried to limit my button pushing, usually isolating the errors to the very start of a number, or between numbers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In my (weak) defense, going from a single button to an entire keyboard was rough. Keyboards have many more than one buttons. This is especially true as I only needed seven of those keyboard buttons, but accidentally hitting ANY other one could stop the music. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Additionally, for those who have forgotten the Count's lessons on <i>Sesame Street, </i>seven is still significantly larger than one.) Also the various connections, wired and wireless to the speakers all caused different effects, as Miss Angelica tried to find the best combination for the show. I learned in the middle of one outing (but luckily not during a dance) that the Bluetooth for the microphone speaker would outrank the wired connection to the on loan Bose speaker and move the music from facing the audience and dancers to directly under my chair. I also learned how high I can still <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/12/return-to-king.html" target="_blank">jump</a> from a sitting position that day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5AAtMw7XyzWUnPaRMsD_0qLXk7heSYcU_o5qv-nDKHSA9BW7XDTfj1EPCnE0ocYEZ91IZ_4IYb5p98uVRtODAo77cq_DdGOWKbOIJUFlutSec3oGbNsdiDO6DJng7BfipmCVXPfvzvvFU0-EvHyYW4zMbtBjBe9cF92vVnD7R8yotaFuXlNuol6TLtsC/s4032/big%20honkin%20speaker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5AAtMw7XyzWUnPaRMsD_0qLXk7heSYcU_o5qv-nDKHSA9BW7XDTfj1EPCnE0ocYEZ91IZ_4IYb5p98uVRtODAo77cq_DdGOWKbOIJUFlutSec3oGbNsdiDO6DJng7BfipmCVXPfvzvvFU0-EvHyYW4zMbtBjBe9cF92vVnD7R8yotaFuXlNuol6TLtsC/w400-h300/big%20honkin%20speaker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Miss Angelica showed up with a MASSIVE new speaker for the on stage, public finale show, which will be a welcome addition to the larger venues and outdoor performances in the years to come. The volume adjustments for that one seemed to be non-linear, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">eventually.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There will be an eventually, because Danceworks, with its philosophy of art over competition, and the Moving Company are both in good hands, and will continue bringing the joy of dance to those who can't go out to performances into an impressive looking future.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The company's bonds with each other were in full force as displayed at the end of year party, with all the dancers cheering each other on and shouting helpful hints as they tried each other's dances.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Several teachers leapt into the tap dance as well!) To show the bond extends beyond the performers, Raquel copied her daughter's finale move by epically rolling across Kim's back. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Miss Angelica stood in the "Miss Chris" spot, running the music as they both went through the motions of most dances, sometimes to demonstrate it to those trying to perform for their friends, and sometimes just from the sheer joy of passing their talents and passions to the new generation.</span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-21306803471674977902024-02-12T11:00:00.009-08:002024-02-19T11:13:27.679-08:00Washington DC Day 4- May 17, 2023<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mesmerizing Modern Art</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8dBN5MbVmnDooYrHC1S8DyDucNik2399e2pvm4_JKKQ4ZuaBUIaI1QOfZTmvyRpQJdDZ88cLa1SQWIuS7Y_rcdLeGYWyMr2hJToqWomhfj_ASyQjRYAVkK7axAQ_yyHJ4S9mW3h5E5UugT2W0DZ8H1unLXQKt4IhqTCKJjbB-yNQZTvUI0jR1DAb62oy/s4032/hirschhorn%20museum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8dBN5MbVmnDooYrHC1S8DyDucNik2399e2pvm4_JKKQ4ZuaBUIaI1QOfZTmvyRpQJdDZ88cLa1SQWIuS7Y_rcdLeGYWyMr2hJToqWomhfj_ASyQjRYAVkK7axAQ_yyHJ4S9mW3h5E5UugT2W0DZ8H1unLXQKt4IhqTCKJjbB-yNQZTvUI0jR1DAb62oy/w400-h300/hirschhorn%20museum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>Aside- I spelled "mannequin" wrong every time in the story of <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-2-may-15-2023.html" target="_blank">day two</a>. I thought it looked wrong, but, apparently, "manakin" is a type of bird the spell checker knew and I didn't. However, Anabelle thought it was hilarious and forbid me from changing it.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our trend of breakfast and back to bed
maintained the energy levels needed for the trip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>True to form, and Disney practices, we
continued using a well-worn paper map (with Joaquín location) to find our way
around. However, we did rely on the Navicomputer to give us general directional
input after starting off toward the wrong compass point <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">yesterday</a> morning.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>With a bit more understanding of the
local geography, we walked the way we intended to on the first day but missed.
This put us behind the White House for a better look at it, and then right near
the side of the Treasury building that doesn’t have the Alexander Hamilton
statue in front of it. Instead, there is a statue of Albert…something. The
fence is blocking it in the picture, and I certainly do not have the energy or
desire to look it up.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8FjosFWtk7EycXv4AC495f0iWyQeclI29F9hyphenhyphen2H3eBAAuZpl6QElQh_PvdjtiK9TE3O8v9iuq_6U5kQwHfL63b1MFd3WnMvWxj3hcv2zKlMLWfcmkCwZSGDZkeS3Urcci8R4kmX6ilWD67g4gnFYjZ6QAzyb_LMCwLq6yrYErYbIhPpFIjfnUoKhZq4g/s4032/ben%20franklin%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8FjosFWtk7EycXv4AC495f0iWyQeclI29F9hyphenhyphen2H3eBAAuZpl6QElQh_PvdjtiK9TE3O8v9iuq_6U5kQwHfL63b1MFd3WnMvWxj3hcv2zKlMLWfcmkCwZSGDZkeS3Urcci8R4kmX6ilWD67g4gnFYjZ6QAzyb_LMCwLq6yrYErYbIhPpFIjfnUoKhZq4g/w400-h300/ben%20franklin%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We were getting sick of the “American
Brutal” (which anywhere else in the world would just be called “ugly”) FBI
building as we passed it nearly every day using Pennsylvania Avenue. A
combination of finally reading signs (and remembering what Mr. History said) explained
why there was a Ben Franklin statue outside the Waldorf Astoria. It was the old
Post Office building. It was nice that they left Franklin’s statue there since
most of his work as a founding father was in Philadelphia, and he had minimal
representation in the nation’s capital.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Due to a pathological need to Grid our
vacation adventures, we were able to skip the line going into the National
Archive and use our FastPass for the Constitution.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Contrary to the Capitol, everything we
read about not allowing photos at all in this building was completely accurate.<br />
<o:p> <br /></o:p>We went through the multiple other
exhibit sections before heading to the “main room.” I have no idea what the
exhibits are actually called, but since no one will be able to take a picture
and prove me wrong, these names will have to do.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The History of Rights exhibit had the
original Magna Carta, written (under duress) by King John. (Yes, the Robin Hood
one, hence the “under duress.” Richard the Lionheart got himself perished
stomping on a revolt in France after returning from the Crusades, meaning John eventually
became king anyway. Sorry Robin.) I thought it was odd that this document from
1215 looked in better shape than the U.S. Documents from the late 1700’s and
early 1800’s. Points to British paper and ink, I guess.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The other interesting thing about all
the documentation detailing the history of the rights delineated in the
Constitution being applied to “everyone” is all the information shown about
those protesting and complaining against certain people gaining those rights.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>It was the EXACT SAME arguments used
today to try to restrict people’s rights.<br />They were accused of leading to:<br />Socialism,<br />Attacks on Family Values,<br />And a loss of Women’s identity.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Yes, women having less rights was (and
still is) pointed out as a key part of their identity, and important to family
values.<br />One would think this horse hockey would
fall out of style, or at least women would rise up as one and murder all of the
men for constantly trying to pull crap like this and get rid of the excuse that
way.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The history bug bit Rosa again in the
Archives. While normally she’s fairly speedy about passing through museums, in
here she read almost every section, and was talking about finding books about several
topics.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle learned this stuff in school,
showing an advance from when I was in class. I read a stupidly wide variety of
topics, and Rosa had to study for her citizenship test, but a lot of this was
new to both my wife and I. Honestly, there’s also a lot of inspiration being “In
the Room Where it Happens” so to speak, that led us all wanting to get some
history books.<br />(“Who’s us?” – Anabelle)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Given the nature of the main items in
the building, most of the exhibits were based around the increasing of rights
and inclusivity. Two other sections looked at it via different lenses. There
was an entire section of documents and memorabilia related to sports and the
integration and allowability of expression in them.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The section that really caught Rosa’s
interest, (which again, thanks to improvements in education, at least in our
and other parts of the country, Anabelle had already learned the details about)
was the history of immigration. Since it was the Archives, not only was it the
history of immigrants integrating and building sections of the country (along
with resistance to that), but there was also the evolution of the documentation
used to follow and monitor that immigration.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The documentation extended into a
section on presidential history with varied letters and other documents from
leaders past. To keep things interesting, there were interactive games showing
how the Archives functioned as an important repository of official
documentation of all types, what it was used for, how it was stored and how it was
accessed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I forget which section it was, but they
even had a comic book there to highlight the Wertham fueled assault on that
media as part of the McCarthyism attacks on rights from the Fifties. The comic was a reproduction, not an original, and it was from the wrong era.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Still... points for trying.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>After spending quite a while going
through the immersive and detailed exhibits, we circled back to the main
rotunda room housing the “Big Three” of United States of America Documents.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The room was laid out in a clear way for
those who wanted to see the documents and all the associated information. (That
is, most of the visitors.)<br /> Start on the left,<br /> work your way around the room,<br /> see all the information presented in the
cases before the documents,<br />see the Documents,<br />then see all the information in the cases after the
documents.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A majority of guests were doing that.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The guard, however, was yelling to
everyone entering the room:<br />“There’s no line! You can go wherever
you want. There’s no line!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>This meant the minority of rude people
who thought they were more important than everyone else would come towards
whatever display they wanted to see and push their way through the people who
had been patiently experiencing the entire room.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>For a change, I did leave a “how could
we improve your experience” comment when I got the email.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>It was a slightly more polite and well
justified version of:<br />“THERE DEFINITLEY WAS A $&#%ING
LINE!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anyway.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> The information about the documents was
kinda more impressive than the documents themselves, as after sitting there for
as long as they have, they were mostly blank. Still, it was inspiring being in
their presence, knowing this country was founded on freedoms and inclusion. It
gives one hope that may continue.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While we were waiting to see the
documents, a “that gives me less hope for the future” <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-guys-are-stupid.html" target="_blank">Guys are Stupid</a> moment
was occurring. Yet another group of Eighth Grade class trip boys were there.
The bigger ones were goading the smallest one of the group to move toward
Anabelle and started to push him. Rosa shot them a look that made even the
largest members of the gang look like they peed their pants, and that bit of
interaction ended.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Due to accidentally referencing a sign
that was covering a different hallway to other guests, we assured ourselves of
some Private Potty Moments before hitting the National Archives gift shop.
Rosa, spurred on by historical proximity, got a book with the documents we’d
seen and information about them. We bought Anabelle a pair of Abigail Adams
socks. They thrilled her. This had nothing to do with historical proximity.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Lunch was needed, which always puts all
three of us in a festive mood. Comparing the “gluten free” ratings online with
the “people in the restaurants who have any idea what gluten is, and how it
relates to their food” was problematic in general. With all of us hungry and
losing our phone signals it got worse.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>After looking up a few things judged too
far or too weird, we tried the Café in the sculpture garden we passed through
the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-2-may-15-2023.html" target="_blank">other day</a>. Anabelle was excited by the quiche on the menu.<br /> (Or as excited as anyone can be about
quiche…which for her is a considerable amount.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa started, as usual, with asking the
staff about gluten free options. They said they didn’t have any. Further
inspection on all three of our parts indicated they clearly did not know what
gluten was. Rosa found an online review listing options, I remembered seeing a
good online review when I was hunting places, and Anabelle saw the clearly
labeled “flour free cake.”<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>There were multiple prepackaged salads
with no croutons or any other possible contamination items. This is why we stay
on property for <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/walt-disney-world-2022-august-2-11.html" target="_blank">Disney</a>, it’s not just the place, it’s the amazing amount of
training all the cast members get about a huge variety of topics to make the
guest’s lives easier.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle got her quiche, Rosa had her
salad, and I had a Hawaiian chicken sandwich in time to defuse the day’s
tension before it reached damaging levels.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We had cancelled the Library of Congress
visit to get more museum time. With a crossing of the Mall, we entered the
Hirschhorn Museum.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback:<br />I have been to the Hirschhorn exactly
once. When we brought Jesse with us on a High School trip to Washington, he
found a brochure on appreciating modern art, and led us there. Brochure or no,
my father was in no way going to appreciate the most Avant Garde of the
non-representational art. Dad’s running commentary was hilarious, and I really
wish Anabelle could have had her experience enhanced by that kind of visit. I
did my best.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9imIw0AQuvq5FFayFaIlOKyXoBveWa5bLDwI0emRM_duLr7rvWBzmRyd2vM1uFZJB0evdcDOuB9DYTIgsdpdkAuG3HYtftGDdmp1m6ffkHYaOK9Bs9NlM4RiT-2uwY2Sy12QA5sX-Y3q7SlS4IYxQXYigNm-ZMvjbtNQtu8lHL5BhyphenhyphenPUBBcWWvKa_vAa/s4032/hirschhorn%20egg%20meatballs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9imIw0AQuvq5FFayFaIlOKyXoBveWa5bLDwI0emRM_duLr7rvWBzmRyd2vM1uFZJB0evdcDOuB9DYTIgsdpdkAuG3HYtftGDdmp1m6ffkHYaOK9Bs9NlM4RiT-2uwY2Sy12QA5sX-Y3q7SlS4IYxQXYigNm-ZMvjbtNQtu8lHL5BhyphenhyphenPUBBcWWvKa_vAa/w400-h300/hirschhorn%20egg%20meatballs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On the way in, the first
non-representational art greeted us as we tried to decide if it looked more
like a blueberry or Pac Man.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynEJgP8LUdIZhyHxOjiw2fDfS9GTFMsM8vKcKNeVmw7hdtONYM-Bt4mbBM6cg4P0OKKAQ9W19HH1hkhPoj5aS63yd9qx9qYkbJJRgEgB5vZejl_FXdAbsQ388u9vtGHUuiRmMv575vTuCUhb9ohK454kW8b4m-Mv-f930jMCA-4MxVaE9NTV6SI6EwJZu/s4032/belief%20and%20doubt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynEJgP8LUdIZhyHxOjiw2fDfS9GTFMsM8vKcKNeVmw7hdtONYM-Bt4mbBM6cg4P0OKKAQ9W19HH1hkhPoj5aS63yd9qx9qYkbJJRgEgB5vZejl_FXdAbsQ388u9vtGHUuiRmMv575vTuCUhb9ohK454kW8b4m-Mv-f930jMCA-4MxVaE9NTV6SI6EwJZu/w400-h300/belief%20and%20doubt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Hirschhorn focuses on VERY
contemporary art. Downstairs had the walls and floor covered in various
statements and slogans in huge letters colored red, white, and black about
belief and doubt. (This one I took the time to look up the correct title. It is
called <i>Belief + Doubt. </i>Nice prioritization there, Jeff.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfAr0LaS98NjSZBgftHwT7JJq4vZkUCxklQ7Jy2XgL231kaU3VGrMJHd9wuZHP1_6aWqyoWyH8olPyT4u0HVFsxa1rVOw98qJ91D5JGZ2WExywnT8Sow3mJnw8_vFP0HOtifCVQZiD5N_t1q05VguBY22yjVGcDeg8KMjv5Svx-ft9_jHnyNFi6YqDUOK/s4032/empty%20gallons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfAr0LaS98NjSZBgftHwT7JJq4vZkUCxklQ7Jy2XgL231kaU3VGrMJHd9wuZHP1_6aWqyoWyH8olPyT4u0HVFsxa1rVOw98qJ91D5JGZ2WExywnT8Sow3mJnw8_vFP0HOtifCVQZiD5N_t1q05VguBY22yjVGcDeg8KMjv5Svx-ft9_jHnyNFi6YqDUOK/w400-h300/empty%20gallons.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Moving up into the cylindrical building,
the first room we passed into had a myriad of five-gallon containers glued to
the ceiling. It looked like gravity reversed after Joe LaStarza filled his
water at the shed<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/06/up-links.html" target="_blank"> Up the Lake</a>. At the end of the gallon topped hallway was a
movie…<br />Which we did not care about.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15_jOnhR5KssUZc8Hhk7BQWvL-v1-_tHkdiuyOpM2mDn1kgondtbH9li2yOQfnpJ8yTkECP7Vtdxof2yf0HTw5AzYJYYIkEO8YBa5TWaDRbTWA5zLBqVMnV4wJp2JJGD3O9ZQIzWneaxtLVJHmfBlAbD3-4xLbdhhdaiz1mOcF2-H55PCCmoV7-Z6MFMW/s4032/raven%20and%20quotes%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15_jOnhR5KssUZc8Hhk7BQWvL-v1-_tHkdiuyOpM2mDn1kgondtbH9li2yOQfnpJ8yTkECP7Vtdxof2yf0HTw5AzYJYYIkEO8YBa5TWaDRbTWA5zLBqVMnV4wJp2JJGD3O9ZQIzWneaxtLVJHmfBlAbD3-4xLbdhhdaiz1mOcF2-H55PCCmoV7-Z6MFMW/w400-h300/raven%20and%20quotes%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The next room was extremely cool. It had
white writing and drawings - stream of consciousness style - all over the black walls
and floor. There were also a couple of random sculptures, such as a yellow
canoe and a giant black raven. The random quotes were interesting and thought
provoking in many cases, and the overall effect of the room itself was kind of
overwhelming, but in a good way.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We also saw an exhibit of photos cataloguing
a great deal about Chinese culture through one guy and his family.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The next section we passed was the
“Guerrilla Girls,” a group of anonymous women artists (rightly) fighting for
greater representation in the art world. Hey, I’m going to be a fan of any
group that wears gorilla masks. One damning sign pointed out less than 5% of
the modern artists showcased in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/04/jeffs-cultural-hintsart-stuff-part-one.html" target="_blank">MET</a> are women…but 85% of the nudes in the
museum are women. Turns out even classy and awesome organizations have “old
boys’ clubs.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqIEWuGepCx-wf7_x5-ccniHtZ-ieZyH9NApl3q5ZVccwTimMF4xE3ph3eJZX1ehqKYyL9j9JuzR9q9Pgg4I_bw8wbbdTv8arZedPfvCJqPzwEgis-9VNAUFZiTyApH7wMveKetl8SWbJd42HSAqPdVwZ6tfYNZRzd9mtirWnv6fGuDMEO-a9hDb_Sw4n/s4032/stocking%20art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqIEWuGepCx-wf7_x5-ccniHtZ-ieZyH9NApl3q5ZVccwTimMF4xE3ph3eJZX1ehqKYyL9j9JuzR9q9Pgg4I_bw8wbbdTv8arZedPfvCJqPzwEgis-9VNAUFZiTyApH7wMveKetl8SWbJd42HSAqPdVwZ6tfYNZRzd9mtirWnv6fGuDMEO-a9hDb_Sw4n/w400-h300/stocking%20art.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As will happen with all contemporary
non-representational art, it varied. Some of the art was literally dirt, or
bunch of nylon stockings stretched into an odd shape. Then there was stuff like
the captivating abstract painting called…<br />“Boob Wheel.”<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNZtf1l7XJmKTi9LhdnHipCNL77t0CwgY2RukGpkxqM70P-dOYuS4qRVqgqdTTPQVL0M3BtNH0C-Bd7BXHm4QW2I_apJb8i5vGTPu_1SuaqzNmT9tHIQihu8qK1JEAeGKPbKJJHBf9OK-g_2XIX-hR0_wGtdPkh-nTDRUigYRqLllxfziRD4qkqGn9vfI/s4032/boob%20wheel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNZtf1l7XJmKTi9LhdnHipCNL77t0CwgY2RukGpkxqM70P-dOYuS4qRVqgqdTTPQVL0M3BtNH0C-Bd7BXHm4QW2I_apJb8i5vGTPu_1SuaqzNmT9tHIQihu8qK1JEAeGKPbKJJHBf9OK-g_2XIX-hR0_wGtdPkh-nTDRUigYRqLllxfziRD4qkqGn9vfI/w400-h300/boob%20wheel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Well, I won’t forget that one.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKvTHpSr8aIBMKTRc3ao0GW9-rRlgNaDOlE4GwQs1FRt1mgJwid8h4YVF5RUrAYLFWm2UGNZWLsvP73xWsUTNg4nVt3m1bqKRjHl01fONX8neq3n_rS-Kbf9R8k7HIUDdA30TbXDdDCBHoFCzwunYQp-Nnp_yen8h6n5lfMOFLglRrxGFQwSLZBw04nj4/s4032/picketts%20charhe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKvTHpSr8aIBMKTRc3ao0GW9-rRlgNaDOlE4GwQs1FRt1mgJwid8h4YVF5RUrAYLFWm2UGNZWLsvP73xWsUTNg4nVt3m1bqKRjHl01fONX8neq3n_rS-Kbf9R8k7HIUDdA30TbXDdDCBHoFCzwunYQp-Nnp_yen8h6n5lfMOFLglRrxGFQwSLZBw04nj4/w400-h300/picketts%20charhe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On the wall curving around the entire
outer hallway was “Picket's Charge” a…painting,<br />I think?<br />It was made out of cloth that varied
between abstract, visible images, and what looked like a relief map.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Along with much of the stuff in this
museum I liked, it fell into the “weird but nifty” category.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Speaking of weird:<br />We encountered a woman there who asked
Rosa to take her picture. Though we live in the age of selfies, this in and of
itself was not the weird part.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The lady put on a brightly colored, flowered shower cap. She then regaled us with the tale of the “Sisterhood of
the Traveling Bathing Cap,” involving herself, her sister, and a male friend.
They would take pictures of it in various locations they travelled to. She
mentioned putting it on the shiny statue outside, thought she doubted she
should have. (Maybe we should have taken her picture on the bottom floor?)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>She then began standing in a series of
unusual and outlandish poses, while giving Rosa incredibly detailed
instructions of what to keep in shot and how to take the pictures.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>By the time she finished, I was
seriously considering the idea that she may have been an exhibit herself.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwA0pHhb0w_1XtarDd4-KBXEwKz1kgJKGx5M1w9RPHuylzMJWFYAa32xI0jjaKUWR7GBKfwFbQNPYOXw-Vjs7uFJyBDqHUwDBJQon08Ee3lpmewEaYpSMnkGRYx6ji5TFh4IjvSwDz9e6nkawCMwsUIE8fb-uuO-mK_AoQXMJ-SwZ98iwB0iWzdMkmRy2/s4032/cracked%20window.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwA0pHhb0w_1XtarDd4-KBXEwKz1kgJKGx5M1w9RPHuylzMJWFYAa32xI0jjaKUWR7GBKfwFbQNPYOXw-Vjs7uFJyBDqHUwDBJQon08Ee3lpmewEaYpSMnkGRYx6ji5TFh4IjvSwDz9e6nkawCMwsUIE8fb-uuO-mK_AoQXMJ-SwZ98iwB0iWzdMkmRy2/w400-h300/cracked%20window.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Back in the inner circle, we took in the
rest of the art, including what looked like a broken windowpane. After passing
the bowling ball hanging in a fishing net, we made our way downstairs.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYan_TckjXAy6d9o7PTzBIWL_c3UG_vr171-00mntCUezc_igY64ufd_zq-x2nUij4xhkFW_tFy4DlEXO9h-bM_shm958BNCNmVCxn_R6wHh8DYRsrR6usAxA3vcIq23YbuO1GB_ntb7-6eyhGUrIPZh4LgRulPs6CPM9aksh8Qtlka7LREvdZHqA-zaEI/s4032/hanging%20bowling%20ball.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYan_TckjXAy6d9o7PTzBIWL_c3UG_vr171-00mntCUezc_igY64ufd_zq-x2nUij4xhkFW_tFy4DlEXO9h-bM_shm958BNCNmVCxn_R6wHh8DYRsrR6usAxA3vcIq23YbuO1GB_ntb7-6eyhGUrIPZh4LgRulPs6CPM9aksh8Qtlka7LREvdZHqA-zaEI/w400-h300/hanging%20bowling%20ball.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Hey, experiments can’t all be successes…
or thought provoking.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Back in the lobby Rosa and Anabelle hit
the Cappuccino stand…and their machine was broken.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> There was a special exhibit by Yayoi Kusama
in the lower level. The whole museum still was free and didn’t require
reservations, but the low throughput required pre booked tickets to see the
special exhibit. Anabelle was familiar with her work and a fan. You could not
book it the same day, therefore Anabelle set it up for the next morning. Only
two tickets were allowed at a time, but with some multi phone fidgeting we set
it up for all of us.<br /> Rosa, who is much more a fan of
representational art than this museum, greeted the news with a very flat.<br />“oh…thank you.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle decided it was fantastic she
was coming to this museum twice…<br />“Once for my <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">sworn enemy.</a>”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the way out we discussed what the multiple
sculptures looked like again.<br />Along with the blueberry and Pac Man theories were:<br />A Hamburger,<br />A Xenomorph egg,<br />And the round puppets we saw
Mummenschanz use on the <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/05/of-marxes-and-muppets.html" target="_blank">Muppet</a> Show</i>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Crossing the Mall once again to the East
Building of the National Gallery allowed Anabelle to bask in the Washington
Monument again…<br />Rosa to bask in the Capitol again…<br />And both of them to indicate the Freedom
statue was mooning me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As we entered the modern section of the National
Gallery, the guard complimented my Gargoyle shirt since his wife was a fan of
the cartoon. Oddly, the same thing happened with a guard in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-through.html" target="_blank">MET</a> a few weeks
later when we visited the Van Gogh Cypress exhibit. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oddlier as the shirt
predates the series by a decade or so.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxW0HxeGhxAcf6gRTGcWX9o4TeeXIogYYXgkc7Urp8JWyc0hjYRgGwpoaPu3nhcBbZZUYO2RgaqF1afNRmkCkuZV5xd9uUYE2GsPiTfIYfg-_-uiiyL03A0nrLTeBc-rNOiqlocPsRFOqlUlM6ZfBMD7UJdkeigKiu4fAojMCaQzn4WsN7clBjff43ymG/s4032/is%20that%20art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxW0HxeGhxAcf6gRTGcWX9o4TeeXIogYYXgkc7Urp8JWyc0hjYRgGwpoaPu3nhcBbZZUYO2RgaqF1afNRmkCkuZV5xd9uUYE2GsPiTfIYfg-_-uiiyL03A0nrLTeBc-rNOiqlocPsRFOqlUlM6ZfBMD7UJdkeigKiu4fAojMCaQzn4WsN7clBjff43ymG/w400-h300/is%20that%20art.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The modern art building of the National
Gallery started off with a bang- highlighting the works of Matisse and Picasso.
A common question in modern exhibits happened when Rosa saw some rock piles
bisected by the windows in the lobby:<br />“Is that art?”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbRLZvwvgEVzsSO-HDlUjytP4_9PcryvOVyoG5bGgBpku9WkaXqUDJrAWAfnE15toKJigucbhD2yBA55-rL9h8bqddwP3Xw055pvkp49TMOqKF5SXrsWuM_phAEdFt4XnJbL0YmCJ9YT-wpgDvYXJQibcI95hBQJecOcuh_nhIjMuGC4c1m5FfbBM2Ji8/s4032/cezanne.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbRLZvwvgEVzsSO-HDlUjytP4_9PcryvOVyoG5bGgBpku9WkaXqUDJrAWAfnE15toKJigucbhD2yBA55-rL9h8bqddwP3Xw055pvkp49TMOqKF5SXrsWuM_phAEdFt4XnJbL0YmCJ9YT-wpgDvYXJQibcI95hBQJecOcuh_nhIjMuGC4c1m5FfbBM2Ji8/w400-h300/cezanne.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We took the weirdly shaped elevator to
another floor. (Is this art?) There were more works of the same artists,
leading Anabelle to remember a beloved children’s book <i>When Pigasso Met
Mootise.<br /><o:p></o:p></i><i><o:p> <br /></o:p></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-nLx9lOIYKjJX5voqDlllvDmgIWPDheUEWky6EKWiWfjGXGI46Wu9MrD0uYD-00VFAft7R7vekR3m_xFdNVyd3yV2yiSwb9DvOAxcltPn-WC6PhKPPE1bdHs8eoOmvKiEp_OwYCY6Hl0nBoyyh7L5t3PNpgpS6rQ1W9bwNfJtQelX8JtzciilMIBu1la/s4032/national%20gallery%20good%20art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-nLx9lOIYKjJX5voqDlllvDmgIWPDheUEWky6EKWiWfjGXGI46Wu9MrD0uYD-00VFAft7R7vekR3m_xFdNVyd3yV2yiSwb9DvOAxcltPn-WC6PhKPPE1bdHs8eoOmvKiEp_OwYCY6Hl0nBoyyh7L5t3PNpgpS6rQ1W9bwNfJtQelX8JtzciilMIBu1la/w400-h300/national%20gallery%20good%20art.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On this floor was a huge glass wall
facing directly at the West Gallery Building.<br /> I stated, “Oh look, you can wave to the
good art through the window here.”<br />Anabelle was not amused.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknbVa0DckWtDCm8-1NsJJhlWIWELsf_Ozs7rfC7ajAyMTrgu61zf4lRu2dyjDUdosEq81wj8lYJO_5bWo-G7XsfDNDflwHkxNQZGWguPq8mn9LLG-k1_NNrN6I4cDxp80U5aY9HHxhOcS59ArKCJsVOttQtkkFbXKw1j146923Y1AWxZW6taePiQd-aE_/s4032/red%20blue%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknbVa0DckWtDCm8-1NsJJhlWIWELsf_Ozs7rfC7ajAyMTrgu61zf4lRu2dyjDUdosEq81wj8lYJO_5bWo-G7XsfDNDflwHkxNQZGWguPq8mn9LLG-k1_NNrN6I4cDxp80U5aY9HHxhOcS59ArKCJsVOttQtkkFbXKw1j146923Y1AWxZW6taePiQd-aE_/w400-h300/red%20blue%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Higher up, the art got less
representational.<br />There was a square made entirely of
woven red glass beads.<br />It was called <i>Blue</i>.<br />I’m not sure if the name was part of its
artisticness.<br /> Anabelle thought the thread for the
weaving (that couldn’t be seen) may have been blue.<br />Rosa thought the glass steps were cool.
I don’t know if they were art as well, or that section was closed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Another guard in this highly
contemporary section liked Anabelle’s <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/07/mighty-catchy-stuff-transformers-movie.html" target="_blank">Optimus Prime</a> shirt. There’s something
about modern art guards and late twentieth century action cartoons.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The museum was structured kind of
strangely, and due to the wind on the roof required recrossing paths to get to
the two upper most rooms, even though there was roof access.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Again, with modern stuff it’s a mixed
bag. The highly impressive and surreal Magritte paintings were represented
well. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJfOVmLDyp2LOwom7JJOlOnz7etk7wefwrZ-c-bXu54mUYRNGM5tKw7RTl8Dh1SGjVfei9WwWQGESxSVEniLwT0GhKpsPoNX4hQXcH0n_CUr2POt8bpaaCWY8cm2Kk5rB0qggBPwnoL_WeMrPza4nrj0Zpiazrc61CSyrt8rN_oT58zP66RaEDinvufk_/s4032/magritte%20horse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJfOVmLDyp2LOwom7JJOlOnz7etk7wefwrZ-c-bXu54mUYRNGM5tKw7RTl8Dh1SGjVfei9WwWQGESxSVEniLwT0GhKpsPoNX4hQXcH0n_CUr2POt8bpaaCWY8cm2Kk5rB0qggBPwnoL_WeMrPza4nrj0Zpiazrc61CSyrt8rN_oT58zP66RaEDinvufk_/w400-h300/magritte%20horse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />There were also some Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Pollack paintings.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wwsm1SV_NroGXCPRS63FTsMCvw1PbBfTlLke4_s-10SXDup0YcmalD4VJilEsaDlYmuLwfLfkv3D_umr6SK02fuGy_ggVJ-aNyCyQNOp9h_QfG6VBzpBL3HPv3JaEwTVT1HDsquSlues1n5mKzJO767-Y17pyNe7cWbIY8snsX_d5GJXGX07IOIbCp55/s4032/warhol%20monroe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wwsm1SV_NroGXCPRS63FTsMCvw1PbBfTlLke4_s-10SXDup0YcmalD4VJilEsaDlYmuLwfLfkv3D_umr6SK02fuGy_ggVJ-aNyCyQNOp9h_QfG6VBzpBL3HPv3JaEwTVT1HDsquSlues1n5mKzJO767-Y17pyNe7cWbIY8snsX_d5GJXGX07IOIbCp55/w400-h300/warhol%20monroe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfH3XtoR95wyTvBA2iGxL81Gt6HRgN0v7jrYhrizEcPtSDuw46bYoSdr_4NrW2lQq-beKGO7_DR-G_jtacqPu69bu9eR5PqbH8bI9NXB7EMbaN1LZhkV5JEMgeKPtOg7pIYnTyj7rxS0K-M0EZBcoVU9_JkVM5nuxFrywBO9gVGjG_zfz-vHUWhVyKiKbK/s4032/pollack.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfH3XtoR95wyTvBA2iGxL81Gt6HRgN0v7jrYhrizEcPtSDuw46bYoSdr_4NrW2lQq-beKGO7_DR-G_jtacqPu69bu9eR5PqbH8bI9NXB7EMbaN1LZhkV5JEMgeKPtOg7pIYnTyj7rxS0K-M0EZBcoVU9_JkVM5nuxFrywBO9gVGjG_zfz-vHUWhVyKiKbK/w400-h300/pollack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Moving
further into abstraction was…<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHnOlDt3Mb1xR0ojtNXsS_jBFLfT494W2t94muxYvReDGNeNdhlKlSYTMhMWrG0QDsVN97bZHL5ji0SCFYR_jF2xzgd8PuVTCb8sSsga4VFpCvnhw5M3maPl0K48U4OrP9ALvrEiuHNCUZi3uqLkMxuQPhgLkqzW17jGgkM1qKoi1IeKkMdVkfn8WtGZ4/s4032/peeled%20paint.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHnOlDt3Mb1xR0ojtNXsS_jBFLfT494W2t94muxYvReDGNeNdhlKlSYTMhMWrG0QDsVN97bZHL5ji0SCFYR_jF2xzgd8PuVTCb8sSsga4VFpCvnhw5M3maPl0K48U4OrP9ALvrEiuHNCUZi3uqLkMxuQPhgLkqzW17jGgkM1qKoi1IeKkMdVkfn8WtGZ4/w400-h300/peeled%20paint.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>what looked like someone just peeled the
paint of the museum wall.<br /> Again, you can’t win ‘em all.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOj-yRXc8yrBAntHENBkUlEhyzoUwb6pRni1CyakItFJ0XMwPKigybumL-sqJ3ZA3NarEH7lV89cyFuakcSaCtkuVX4aYWLVFi2LxdgK3yRp38MqVggyGqRCBxBddmV6eY9WguWv0SXWO-jdLmjq05Aj_BcoBym3Ogqvsh0T2Jr5XPdmdrtgSOJUfAmeQ/s4032/black%20white%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOj-yRXc8yrBAntHENBkUlEhyzoUwb6pRni1CyakItFJ0XMwPKigybumL-sqJ3ZA3NarEH7lV89cyFuakcSaCtkuVX4aYWLVFi2LxdgK3yRp38MqVggyGqRCBxBddmV6eY9WguWv0SXWO-jdLmjq05Aj_BcoBym3Ogqvsh0T2Jr5XPdmdrtgSOJUfAmeQ/w400-h300/black%20white%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Case in point-<br />There was what looked like a close-up
view of a black and white cookie called “White Curve viii.”<br /> Y’know, if it took you eight tries to
paint a canvas half black and half white…<br />Maybe art ain’t your thing?<br /><o:p> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Mpsh_lacIRtQ19qPS0olx1YWUleV58ElVkN53kA5UvW0xp0nBiOj4kR0ouuxmG3sOd-HmeqhyphenhyphenZIFrXdiQz6DR-2u8rPrTNxqhkwGfuI49Ng2aIOjJ5S7X_D7gaTanizLso3diqUVMIYBBj1uP9iCixTZqV2OJAMfFQYbVUb2nl_J6s9GUzRwmJLzMY2Q/s4032/mondrian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Mpsh_lacIRtQ19qPS0olx1YWUleV58ElVkN53kA5UvW0xp0nBiOj4kR0ouuxmG3sOd-HmeqhyphenhyphenZIFrXdiQz6DR-2u8rPrTNxqhkwGfuI49Ng2aIOjJ5S7X_D7gaTanizLso3diqUVMIYBBj1uP9iCixTZqV2OJAMfFQYbVUb2nl_J6s9GUzRwmJLzMY2Q/w400-h300/mondrian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the room with a Mondrian was “Bird in
Space.” It was supposedly an abstract reduction to the essence of birdness. It
looked like a flat feather in marble. We saw a shiny metallic version when we
visited the MoMA later in the year. This is why we are members…</div></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-through.html" target="_blank">MET</a>.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[Later edit- We also saw a copy of "Bird" at the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/03/anabelle-and-daddy-ad-veeeeen-tures_20.html" target="_blank">MET</a> itself. Not only that, but Anabelle's favorite Matisse from the National Gallery, and some from the MOMA were on loan for a special exhibit. Not only only that but at the cypress special exhibit, "Starry Night" from the MET was there, on loan from the MOMA. No wonder we're members of the MET!]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0aZwNkvi-J5FBhyphenhyphen4eJzi-5jZTf4ua50Vo-Lrqvkhx5HRhstEWSZQciDEFKgguHA8DIZgSz_gyFRLo2aBaLGSOHUD1toZ3k9YFtBuTnvsvAWZN2CXv8MIunj_PfMPRNk5X5EBQN5mBoTAiCEzRy0DJgZKA0xjPg-ak5HYlWDz9B_mBJIWYqciLbnynbiR/s4032/giant%20calder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0aZwNkvi-J5FBhyphenhyphen4eJzi-5jZTf4ua50Vo-Lrqvkhx5HRhstEWSZQciDEFKgguHA8DIZgSz_gyFRLo2aBaLGSOHUD1toZ3k9YFtBuTnvsvAWZN2CXv8MIunj_PfMPRNk5X5EBQN5mBoTAiCEzRy0DJgZKA0xjPg-ak5HYlWDz9B_mBJIWYqciLbnynbiR/w400-h300/giant%20calder.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was a giant Calder mobile in the museum proper, and a bunch more in one of those isolated “tower rooms” off the roof. Those are basically a combination of art and engineering, meaning I’ve always been a fan.<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMqwAUWwhgFVeZO2nXd-ld0tBPD7WROO9ChWO7Vdg7bdAcM1Bo9CXSwmzy2KtaGGRalg_QR6brA4NK9gvUmmrAsRmZdL3UZr1AG5N-VooVssQ4HT_GnNzG9xzkavrVwm77C29HtyQnnNnFUbF8GGJdhwoZhxymn2rmOd19vie5O83YkSAdlOEPz3MlRsA/s4032/calder%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMqwAUWwhgFVeZO2nXd-ld0tBPD7WROO9ChWO7Vdg7bdAcM1Bo9CXSwmzy2KtaGGRalg_QR6brA4NK9gvUmmrAsRmZdL3UZr1AG5N-VooVssQ4HT_GnNzG9xzkavrVwm77C29HtyQnnNnFUbF8GGJdhwoZhxymn2rmOd19vie5O83YkSAdlOEPz3MlRsA/w400-h300/calder%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the roof itself was a couple of
letter sculptures and a GIANT BLUE CHICKEN representing pulling together
against Covid. I don’t understand why it represents that, but I also do not
care.<br /> The reason I do not care is, “GIANT BLUE
CHICKEN! WOO HOO!<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekzcDlLmv1XdHIqnMmhNlw29vK0_4JPqZzhfFvYOYHZL1jtmS2US9d4gYgAmnN2C0B-5Xk9wfD_nzn3bvUb-u2DgLnlwD53bGWmJkbkMUHh01bxT3Mdxm8y1QyEY1LfRW7RJXnGmXGSE_zxPybkdDniXQjNCK1F-VmxLz0l7OZKZdxHpoAyxx9oyI2550/s4032/big%20blue%20chicken.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekzcDlLmv1XdHIqnMmhNlw29vK0_4JPqZzhfFvYOYHZL1jtmS2US9d4gYgAmnN2C0B-5Xk9wfD_nzn3bvUb-u2DgLnlwD53bGWmJkbkMUHh01bxT3Mdxm8y1QyEY1LfRW7RJXnGmXGSE_zxPybkdDniXQjNCK1F-VmxLz0l7OZKZdxHpoAyxx9oyI2550/w400-h300/big%20blue%20chicken.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>What followed the chicken viewing was
some confused up and downs to reach the other “tower room.” To get there we had
to pass a plastic box that filled with condensate in the sun.<br />I really feel like I pursued the wrong
career sometimes.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRrM7NgOs1I2Ui-lUSWWfTpCzyJaluC9Sh_3WYgNXbDURlwhKJe-QfJrgQQVkhv6caC2dUophzM4Q2zUMP81wQIsB_tKbHgzg37IPTTpn69a1ppEuO_-_ChQw4SdynhLkJNbonDYXAFPHBSFJQNPuq5dlWXaBogaPXt08Xz_22tKco5dQQcqgFLmKQ6HU/s4032/stations%20of%20cross.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRrM7NgOs1I2Ui-lUSWWfTpCzyJaluC9Sh_3WYgNXbDURlwhKJe-QfJrgQQVkhv6caC2dUophzM4Q2zUMP81wQIsB_tKbHgzg37IPTTpn69a1ppEuO_-_ChQw4SdynhLkJNbonDYXAFPHBSFJQNPuq5dlWXaBogaPXt08Xz_22tKco5dQQcqgFLmKQ6HU/w400-h300/stations%20of%20cross.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In the first room of the other tower
were huge canvases with thin lines on them meant to be the Stations of the
Cross. I’d explain further but the labels were no help, and the book we got cataloguing National Gallery art works conveniently left that whole exhibit out.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPKhy7jtcGHQ0hDJUiC1TKkl3ePQa-Ers1b3V0DDR9gy6mvff1zmsgsk6PHxB7KdxyBFWiHJKtvD330nPhp1ah-RMKXKP_-76N49S-inybxACBv5V9GuNpFHKwg1UqiXhRgeW9_V3m3DEUT10SU2egQhKcknAqflNIboEAmOl9FWddn_WZKFUnDVT7cm7/s4032/rothkos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPKhy7jtcGHQ0hDJUiC1TKkl3ePQa-Ers1b3V0DDR9gy6mvff1zmsgsk6PHxB7KdxyBFWiHJKtvD330nPhp1ah-RMKXKP_-76N49S-inybxACBv5V9GuNpFHKwg1UqiXhRgeW9_V3m3DEUT10SU2egQhKcknAqflNIboEAmOl9FWddn_WZKFUnDVT7cm7/w400-h300/rothkos.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The next room was full of Rothko’s
though, which I have an appreciation for. Not in a way I can explain to anyone
else yet, but there’s a lot more going on there than colored rectangles…</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Trust
me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Due to most of the rest of my family
being much more toward Rosa’s mindset when it comes to non-representational
art…<br />(And probably fairly close to Anabelle’s
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Sworn Enemy</a> to be honest)<br /> they did little of today’s two museums
on their visit two years back.<br /> Therefore, Anabelle took fifty-five
pictures for Aurora.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImNSdNu2feMkAOoIK_izEJn2HmrQZYFtK3sR8sMQ5hJ6PmZRC6XW-c_2te-pFABOMwHY2eWOeGo0WcQg3O0gBo9h61GH6NYb1avBdvdFKfaOX6LbrmMTH4t2zijbxDtKkRmDF32C6lH-51PNNLTNxLBduqXdIstr6tfngEQxH1iDxKtcul1lOZhgGc-dj/s4032/shiny%20art%20connection%20hallway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImNSdNu2feMkAOoIK_izEJn2HmrQZYFtK3sR8sMQ5hJ6PmZRC6XW-c_2te-pFABOMwHY2eWOeGo0WcQg3O0gBo9h61GH6NYb1avBdvdFKfaOX6LbrmMTH4t2zijbxDtKkRmDF32C6lH-51PNNLTNxLBduqXdIstr6tfngEQxH1iDxKtcul1lOZhgGc-dj/w400-h300/shiny%20art%20connection%20hallway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We learned why we couldn’t find the café
between the East and West galleries we originally intended to eat in earlier in the afternoon. At first
Anabelle said it was in the museum with the good art. (We may be corrupting
her.) However, it was in the underground tunnel between the two, which we were
unaware existed. Sadly, after the broken cappuccino machine in the Hirschhorn,
we reached this café after it closed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We reached the end of operating hours
with some disappointment in an art museum.<br />Again, again.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Before going home, we stopped in the
American Art and Portrait Gallery once more. It was more or less on the way to
the hotel. Anabelle ran up to the Art Vending machine and this time chose a
googly eyed pet rock she named Abigail Adams the Second. She also wanted to see
the Georgia O’Keeffe flower picture again. She asked the guard for directions,
and he started, very hesitantly, referring to the “big, weird thing.” He was
visibly relieved when she recognized the post-apocalyptic <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-2-may-15-2023.html" target="_blank">Brooklyn painting</a> by
his description and after an error in elevator direction found it.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2v7sFyLrI3UgRgAkXYciDz0ckUJmjLKD90hzAW74RFa5H4EceCoTK_A1XfipR1UfTgVtAeRCGQSww6vPFDSuEB-fXOh1pLEBGvb07c5jyLJXPVtRVZ7p-6wLBMOZLJqJI8Yzs57z4MP1EDwp5fXeo1htea6nYrN6pyj9KWnXIGNqt0DN12EtElOpggQB/s4032/chuck%20jones%20bust.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2v7sFyLrI3UgRgAkXYciDz0ckUJmjLKD90hzAW74RFa5H4EceCoTK_A1XfipR1UfTgVtAeRCGQSww6vPFDSuEB-fXOh1pLEBGvb07c5jyLJXPVtRVZ7p-6wLBMOZLJqJI8Yzs57z4MP1EDwp5fXeo1htea6nYrN6pyj9KWnXIGNqt0DN12EtElOpggQB/w400-h300/chuck%20jones%20bust.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The top floor balcony part with
entertainment paintings was open. I climbed up and was impressed with the Chuck
Jones bust. Then I saw the guard rails were glass through metal that made them
look like they were far shorter than they were. This triggered my irrational
fear of heights.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback:<br />I first learned about this irrational
fear of heights in the Air and Space Museum when a show in a theater let us out
on the second floor with no warning. It’s been somewhat in control lately, so having
it flare up full force was a party.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I had little idea what I saw up there
until I got back down on stable ground and looked at the photos. I was glad the
sports side was closed after all. Turns out there is an acceptable reason for high-speed
photographic passes through an art museum after all.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqMlXmk60jAQjPhOL6wCc0gFM20ntcjP68msTTr360wHXByYkieMnmRK-46EeFpthN0V90eaE4AaqcHoJ6P6Cfwg9sGe3Zg-RWGTybovVoIbmK2EezZPv7ErN5rntgVjUEZSxU-LnKZtO6nNc0Z5wE8iUG2FVCjofVlipH-5C6UHXxO_lsTTo_XFTScaM/s4032/chinatown%20entrance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqMlXmk60jAQjPhOL6wCc0gFM20ntcjP68msTTr360wHXByYkieMnmRK-46EeFpthN0V90eaE4AaqcHoJ6P6Cfwg9sGe3Zg-RWGTybovVoIbmK2EezZPv7ErN5rntgVjUEZSxU-LnKZtO6nNc0Z5wE8iUG2FVCjofVlipH-5C6UHXxO_lsTTo_XFTScaM/w400-h300/chinatown%20entrance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Once more we needed dinner, The "Hip City
Veg" vegetarian place was a good bet for gluten free as well and Anabelle had heard
of it. I eat veggie burgers often enough now that those offerings wouldn’t be an
issue…unless they were.<br />It took until the end of this trip to
figure out when it was and wasn’t.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While on line I wondered aloud what
vegetarian substitute they used for the French fries and onion rings.<br />Take it, Anabelle-<br /> “You fool.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>After dinner, we checked out a place
that looked interesting closer to home called “Joe and the Juice.” They had no
gluten free options, even for milkshakes which sounded like a sanitary issue. As
Rosa was checking the menu, Anabelle ordered herself a Starbucks. I went to get
it while they went back to the room to clean up. On the way back, my sense of
direction jammed, and I had no idea where I was.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Note- The Starbucks was across the
street from the hotel. Perhaps we pushed ourselves a little too hard.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Worldwide staffing issues hit us in a
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/05/disney-world-2022-day-5-august-6-ratat.html" target="_blank">non-cheese</a> related way, and I had to grab some towels from the front desk on
the way in.<br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span>They started the shower parade while I
did a check in at work. Rosa watched a Zoo documentary while Anabelle checked
Instagram and I read old <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2018/06/some-smashing-comics-for-dealing-with.html" target="_blank">Hulk </a>Comics. (RAAAH!)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I kept reading while they joined up to
watch more <i>Say Yes to the Dress</i> episodes and then we all watched the Math School House
Rock episodes (to continue the trend) until we all passed out once again.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>18,020 steps.<br />8.3 miles</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-5-may-18-2023.html" target="_blank">Click here for the next day</a></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-26548649246539960862024-02-08T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-09T05:44:33.366-08:00A Mid-Dumber Night's Dream<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWZbU_xnLW9AIzC-JmB_Gn4C3Z0QltBYt4W94DkGHZaZLi7N9SQDSAdxurk52zyMixQ9-1Fo865j6NDUOCzQaEnYK8vI6uN6A38EAMVOUA4eDTryJkmVdTYJWOt0K8lIJ41ZpGDXJOfoyQ1F_472xO5mllGf8DROY9qOUAJXu-UPKYW6nWoralN5oMxJc/s960/hambugler%20circus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWZbU_xnLW9AIzC-JmB_Gn4C3Z0QltBYt4W94DkGHZaZLi7N9SQDSAdxurk52zyMixQ9-1Fo865j6NDUOCzQaEnYK8vI6uN6A38EAMVOUA4eDTryJkmVdTYJWOt0K8lIJ41ZpGDXJOfoyQ1F_472xO5mllGf8DROY9qOUAJXu-UPKYW6nWoralN5oMxJc/w400-h266/hambugler%20circus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />My mind <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/03/why-i-should-be-legally-barred-from.html" target="_blank">should</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/02/subliminal-film-crew-revenge.html" target="_blank">just</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/02/why-i-should-never-keep-dream-journal.html" target="_blank">let</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/10/why-i-dont-keep-dream-journal.html" target="_blank">me </a><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/09/why-i-didnt-keep-dream-journal.html" target="_blank">forget</a> my dreams. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It never goes well. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Do they sell brain leashes or something? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I would have preferred, off the shelf, standard script, regular, terrifying nightmare.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This was more of a "stress mare." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A highly vivid, deranged, lucid and realistic feeling "stress mare."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That looks to be the new normal for me. Two nights after this one was a far too life like dream of the entire house being filled with small pieces of broken glass we had to clean up a couple days before Christmas. Our home was far larger than usual, and one of the cleaning methods was this awful smelling gel that stuck horrendously to skin and clothing. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Again, not nightmare scary, but highly stressful. Unlike the one detailed below, there wasn't really a narrative to allow the stress to build to epic proportions, however. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The storyline stressmare began with our usual <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/walt-disney-world-2022-august-2-11.html" target="_blank">Disney World</a> attending family group going to a Circus. I have been to <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/03/i-miss-circus.html" target="_blank">large</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/11/juggling-club-brushes-with-fame.html" target="_blank">arena</a> circuses. They were miniscule compared to this monstrously large , stadium filling, spectacular.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Honestly, I should have realized this was a dream due to the fact that the kids willingly attended a circus. Considering I missed multiple violations of the laws of physics happening around me, that subtle hint eluding me isn't much of a stretch, I suppose.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We were seated way high up, in the nosebleed seats of one of the upper decks. A magician announced he was doing a trick. The next thing I knew, I was hanging in one of those "spider web," net like hammocks well above the rigging for the aerial acrobats. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The rest of my family were on platforms below me. A kid (likely supposed to be Morgan, but played by a dream stunt person who looked nothing like him for this dangerous bit) was facing the high wire. The ringmaster said the child would do a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/07/two-ungawas-way-up.html" target="_blank">Tarzan</a> swing out, in theory, to land on that wire. The problem is- he swung out at about a forty-five degree angle to the tightrope before letting go. I was already freaking out from being unstable at that height. Watching him begin to plummet on release added significantly to my condition. Then Morgan(?) vanished into thin air and appeared on the other platform. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ta Da!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not sure if the magic trick only made me think I was in the high hammock, or the way it moved when I tried to inch to the edge and get down made me pass out, and someone carried me back to my seat.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Either way, the next thing I knew we were all in our seats again. Since everyone was in a similar terrified condition, I'm pretty confident the "trick" was hypnotizing us...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The only other option is the dream world had mastered teleportation, which in hindsight may be equally likely. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whatever the cause, we decided to leave our really high seats, and go home if there were no lower options available. Luckily (and I use the term loosely) there were many open seats down at the lowest level where the nine of us and Mickey Mouse were guided in. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, we are such Disney people that costume character Mickey travels with us now.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mickey was guided into an earlier section of seats that we were where ALL of the costume characters, from a myriad of companies, were sitting. Mickey worked his way up to the top, passing characters from a myriad of franchises filling all the seats, and hugged Winnie the Pooh as he sat down. (It is possible that this was my sub conscious commenting on the loss of copyright issues... </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Or simply my</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> sub conscious missing hugs from Pooh and Mickey.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My family was incensed that Mickey left us flat to sit with his other costumed friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Which, I guess, is the natural reaction. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We sat in our own section, down at the end, for the big "dragon finale." The sky above was an amazing, unspoiled sea of stars. Even in the dream this seemed improbable given the amount of light pollution around stadiums and I was pondering if it was a projection. I couldn't ponder too long as the dragons began and our section, along with all the others, began moving freely, quickly and somewhat jerkily, around the stadium. We could easily see the fireworks and balloons launching from the dragons. There were also those foldable, paper, kids party centerpieces fired out, which we not only saw but caught as they stressfully shot toward us at unsafe speeds. What we couldn't see were the dragons. Our lower quality seats kept moving just as they came into view. At first I thought it was carnival trickery and there were no dragons, just the stuff they were shooting. However, some of the movements did quickly reveal the dragons, also revealing that we ended up in really crappy seats. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The movements continued as the circus finished and our individual seats separated, becoming dark ride vehicles. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well... more like "dark ride swings" because our legs hung freely in the air and the chairs were attached to a Peter Pan like track above. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, my fear of unsecured </span><span style="font-family: arial;">heights was thrown into overdrive for most of this adventure. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My theory about the projected star scape turned out to be true as the "ride" took us through ENORMOUS circus tents as part of the attraction. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Like, CRAZY ENORMOUS.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Like, the stadium was INSIDE the series of connected tents.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The design of the dark ride was awful. Not only was being uncomfortably wedged in while wobbling high in the air stressing me out, but my arms and legs kept banging into the props and settings of the attraction. The impacts were sometimes bending or knocking bits clean off, as I careened through the ride. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sections of the experience were "outside" (but still in the tent) and above various carnival rides and costumed characters. I fought my fear and tried to lean down and high five the old school, creepy looking Hamburglar, as he ascended a hill to his meet and greet location. (I missed and almost fell. AAAAH!) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, there was a mass of classic McDonaldland characters mixed in with the various other properties. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oddly, considering Anabelle and her cousins have been doing non stop inside jokes and suggestions that Veronica is Grimace for the past couple of years, AND Anabelle and I went on a pilgrimage to try his limited edition shake...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(It tasted purple) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The large purple one did not make an appearance. Perhaps they couldn't convince any dream extras to wear such an unwieldly costume.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The ride ended, bringing us all back down to earth. Once assembled the kids all RAN to be on the line to meet Hamburglar. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There were two stress inducing problems with this goal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first issue is that which characters were in the meeting locations changed every five minutes or less. The lines were significantly longer than that, preventing any prediction of which character could be met. Which group the character came from that would be at the end of the line couldn't even be known, as there was no theming. Remember, there was an entire arena section of the characters to choose from.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The second issue were the lines were all gigantic, and intertwined with each other, forming a singular mob of people. This meant there was no way to tell what line one was on. At the same time we realized the character where the kids were trying to go was a guy in a, extremely shoddy hot dog costume, we also realized we were really on line for an extremely lame merry go round featuring flat wooden swans rolling on a hay covered ground.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The kids didn't want to do either of those things, and rightly so. They all ran off to play hide and seek in an area with a bunch of wood cut out set ups and props in a nearby tent. (Or a nearby section of tent. It was hard to tell where one ended and another began, the folds really mixed together.) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Though I didn't notice it at the time, in retrospect, the area they ran to was like the Mickey Shorts room in MGM where the kids were excited for <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/05/disney-world-2022-day-3-august-4-holy.html" target="_blank">Potatoland</a>. No wonder they wanted to go there.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stress levels maximized, partially because we couldn't continuously see where all the kids went in the swirling mass of tent folds, (However they were all clearly in the Potatland section) but more so because all the other adults in my family were angry with me for taking everyone on the wrong line (which I did not) and therefore it was my fault the kids all ran off. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Looks like being the Where Will We Go Next Guy leaves some worry lines on my subconscious.) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is where I woke up, completely freaked out with my heart pounding only an hour or so after falling asleep. What started as a somewhat early night was turned into a very late one as I recovered.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hey, you only have to read about them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have to live in the head that writes and performs them!</span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-8447994741553142722024-02-05T09:30:00.000-08:002024-02-19T11:14:18.363-08:00Washington DC Day 3- May 16, 2023<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Loquacious Legislature</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kp46UW3Bad_N7qQyteew7Zt1jmUub2E9LoCkmyj09gYEkyrU2bmRIAdATBx0_-GuFt0psZb-czqfA4FXAEisoRz6MS7fLGShqDqbzgWjwJhpk9bCOrPvScVltHkfz9vSrAvjDqda_cbVlMIUGOqAaKmmUGd9igkZccNb72lTe_xrNmaQtJW4DkH9cCtY/s4032/front%20of%20the%20capitol.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kp46UW3Bad_N7qQyteew7Zt1jmUub2E9LoCkmyj09gYEkyrU2bmRIAdATBx0_-GuFt0psZb-czqfA4FXAEisoRz6MS7fLGShqDqbzgWjwJhpk9bCOrPvScVltHkfz9vSrAvjDqda_cbVlMIUGOqAaKmmUGd9igkZccNb72lTe_xrNmaQtJW4DkH9cCtY/w400-h300/front%20of%20the%20capitol.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>This morning we began to get into the
groove of things. Rosa and I went down to have breakfast together. As a
pleasant surprise there actually was oatmeal in the bin labeled “oatmeal.”
There was some turkey sausage too, which was a welcome addition for each of our
crappy genetics. We brought food up to Anabelle and both went back to bed for a
bit.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The three of us arose a bit later.
Anabelle ate, and we were ready for the tour of the home of the Legislative
Branch of our government. Feeling that, after two days, we had an understanding
of the lay of the land and our hotel’s relationship to it, we set off for the
Capitol Building.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>After walking three blocks in the wrong
direction, we adjusted course, and correctly set off for the Capitol Building.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA-tmGDHCKVJhn8Pd0kYbGV2aBj3tI8EAoHpZxUMt9JexNRXfVuGB9lXVF7bQESBsKGUveomQCacQQv0Ev6qjHw_Lt1oDLLCQTnm8Bkt68JxHctXOW1nC8OXpS_nGak6f0r9kK0Tuazba45jBmFkUhXPG-53D6XZ6FuftEcz04WPOmCoRNW6a4S90SfsR/s4032/navy%20memorial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA-tmGDHCKVJhn8Pd0kYbGV2aBj3tI8EAoHpZxUMt9JexNRXfVuGB9lXVF7bQESBsKGUveomQCacQQv0Ev6qjHw_Lt1oDLLCQTnm8Bkt68JxHctXOW1nC8OXpS_nGak6f0r9kK0Tuazba45jBmFkUhXPG-53D6XZ6FuftEcz04WPOmCoRNW6a4S90SfsR/w400-h300/navy%20memorial.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We angled onto Pennsylvania Avenue again
at the World War One Memorial and took that street all the way down this time.
We stopped for a quick look at the Navy Monument, which was more of a Plaza/
Water Park than a structure of any kind. Across the way was the Mellon Fountain.
It didn’t seem to have anything to do with melons, but that was a mystery for
another time.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtN4hmIW7w_jRAoxMfz0UIAWFBm5r8-P_swBL4WtAzpO273nPpC2kll0SpS4Ee5H2jXV9nynKjS1E6yiZi1kUOSVDwnl1gNVypF3ekdbvR3xZm_eoUu10gTuRw0mllAafbKHVtkm_2BKuBj2W8AVT2HgAmPUZ7c6a4V-uskq98PDK82Lo_WDI6CxvHhbFZ/s4032/canadian%20embassy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtN4hmIW7w_jRAoxMfz0UIAWFBm5r8-P_swBL4WtAzpO273nPpC2kll0SpS4Ee5H2jXV9nynKjS1E6yiZi1kUOSVDwnl1gNVypF3ekdbvR3xZm_eoUu10gTuRw0mllAafbKHVtkm_2BKuBj2W8AVT2HgAmPUZ7c6a4V-uskq98PDK82Lo_WDI6CxvHhbFZ/w400-h300/canadian%20embassy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Speaking of things we would learn about
later, we also passed the Canadian embassy, festooned with a great many of that
country’s flags. Sadly, there was no sign of a Circlevision movie. Maybe there
was a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/05/disney-world-2022-day-5-august-6-ratat.html" target="_blank">Food and Wine</a> festival here too?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2FTqm9tLjGFc0D72vp7sJAuUY1x-FfVfB4HJAh7GmC9PpH68OgJC6AQfXfBHjdS7Vvs0ueKYKqmjJA0ZDSfhSK-M9YpKdBc_ZYlnVSdp2SiyyROqIczCJj7Eq2RZDKaWdthhFIwZpueigO1_nN8pmOFNZo_Sn83tB3pLZoKWQvX7fZ2ZCsoyqVfZyOAp/s4032/capitol%20outside.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2FTqm9tLjGFc0D72vp7sJAuUY1x-FfVfB4HJAh7GmC9PpH68OgJC6AQfXfBHjdS7Vvs0ueKYKqmjJA0ZDSfhSK-M9YpKdBc_ZYlnVSdp2SiyyROqIczCJj7Eq2RZDKaWdthhFIwZpueigO1_nN8pmOFNZo_Sn83tB3pLZoKWQvX7fZ2ZCsoyqVfZyOAp/w400-h300/capitol%20outside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Capitol and its grounds were enormous,
and we had to walk all the way around them to reach the visitor’s entrance. As
we passed the giant President Grant statue from afar Anabelle regaled us with
tales of how he, and John Quincy Adams were known for skinny dipping in the
Capitol Pool and Potomac. Ah, the wonders of history.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We went through the heavy security and
into the statue filled lobby area that served as the visitor’s center. From
here I called Rolando, the congressional aide who arranged the tour. When he
asked me to describe what we were wearing, I listed Rosa’s shiny flower shirt,
Anabelle’s Sam Eagle “You are all weirdos” shirt, and my multi-colored shoes
and dragon and tiger shirt.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>“So…you’ll be easy to spot?” Was his
reply.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While waiting for him, we noticed a
tunnel to the Library of Congress with a QR code to schedule a visit at its
entrance. It would have been wonderful to know when we were setting up the trip
that these two were directly connected. We likely would have planned a pass
through on this day, and not a separate hike to “East Jezus Washington” on a
different day.<br />(Spoilers- that we ended up cancelling.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rolando found us with little effort as
predicted and gave us our tickets. We mentioned that everything that was sent
us as we booked today’s event indicated no photographs AT ALL were allowed in
the any part of the Capitol. This seemed to be contradicted by every human
being we saw in the building with us. Rolando had no idea why this was, and
pointed out that if the guide didn’t let us take pictures in the Rotunda, to
call him when the tour was done, and he’d bring us back in. Therefore, before
we began, we took a couple of photos of the statues in the area, including the
one of “Freedom” which was a duplicate of the one on the dome…but much easier
to see.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Before the tour was a history and
patriotism filled film. There were no animatronics or “<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/06/disney-world-2022-day-9-august-10-beer.html" target="_blank">Golden Dream</a>” song, but
it was effective and informative. (It is highly likely this one was more
informative due to the fact that we didn’t sleep through it.) Afterwards, we
were sorted into five groups. We were part of the “Everyone else not here for
their Middle School class trip.”<br /> This was definitely the group to be in.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Danny was our tour guide and he let us
know we were fortunate that it was early in the day. The reason for this is
between Two and Three in the afternoon, the batteries in the headsets he handed
out so we could hear him start to die. When he reached us, he complimented my four-color
Chuck Taylors leading Anabelle to look at me, shake her head, and proclaim:<br />“We can’t go anywhere with you.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSkOONLUrX5R5ulgFXOh7xYnfCtpDzxak4RPZJWLe4JNDTHA5IyPlmqvN0KGCMppccHTxXH9FaXxM8V7DXhMphQFOrVO1wJ-KpKiLkeiQaNxHn8Yw1psWJw3evXTIYtOYSz2kIkAF9_6HpJebyVyXYFqAFRmGfaTpN8oKO5It8pS1QiyV5Os5mCGcPZ0r/s4032/crypt%20jersey%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSkOONLUrX5R5ulgFXOh7xYnfCtpDzxak4RPZJWLe4JNDTHA5IyPlmqvN0KGCMppccHTxXH9FaXxM8V7DXhMphQFOrVO1wJ-KpKiLkeiQaNxHn8Yw1psWJw3evXTIYtOYSz2kIkAF9_6HpJebyVyXYFqAFRmGfaTpN8oKO5It8pS1QiyV5Os5mCGcPZ0r/w300-h400/crypt%20jersey%20statue.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The tour started down in the “Crypt.”
This was originally supposed to be over a tomb for George Washington. However,
the building wasn’t finished when George died, and Virginia was adamant his
remains remained with them. In fact, they were so adamant, they wrote a law
preventing his remains from being moved… ever.<br /> Therefore, the actual tomb is now used
for furniture storage, because in addition to being a symbol of Freedom and
Democracy, the Capitol is a MASSIVE office building, with all the space issues
one would expect. There was also a bunch more statues down there. Danny
explained that every state has two statues in the building. Originally, they
were all supposed to be in a single room.<br />However, that was:<br />A) Crowded.<br />B) A safety hazard<br />C) Insane.<br />Therefore, they were spread throughout
the building.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>In the center of the floor of that crypt
room was the keystone. Danny informed us it used to be mentioned as being good
luck to step on. After years of wear, it now formed a divot that was easy to
trip over, had sawhorses around it, and was mentioned as bad luck to step on.
Danny did point out that when his back was turned, he had no control over where
people were stepping.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The next stop was inside the Capitol
dome, which was not only impressive, but also a huge relief to see everything
intact and the building functioning normally after watching the disgustingness
of January 6th. The normality returned to such a level that a
confused guy delivering a large congressional bag of Qdoba food passed by our
little group.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgVeuI4Go7d6mVKNl95d2WrTjKC4_r2KjWm_AWtimqfwzYmXBRFYLjc3LgywkgJvYBsyP4fzwEuQ7nOzt1pHvAlh1w_bViL5a-5QEeStJ__uViIqkENiUvH3_CdOIuppIY2-16UfzX5YxGc3L-wuk5f4KPu3ckHdlvUn0pvpgltmXPrrzUn7Rdjo_4IEl/s4032/capitol%20dome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgVeuI4Go7d6mVKNl95d2WrTjKC4_r2KjWm_AWtimqfwzYmXBRFYLjc3LgywkgJvYBsyP4fzwEuQ7nOzt1pHvAlh1w_bViL5a-5QEeStJ__uViIqkENiUvH3_CdOIuppIY2-16UfzX5YxGc3L-wuk5f4KPu3ckHdlvUn0pvpgltmXPrrzUn7Rdjo_4IEl/w400-h300/capitol%20dome.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Danny let us know that the painting in
the top of the dome was called the <i>Apotheosis of George Washington. </i>Yes,
it literally is a painting of our first president being brought into the
heavens and attaining godhood. Danny also correctly pointed out, </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Washington
would have absolutely hated this.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NLMv3FGmJ_NjNLzKGYzZeOmrsc2mqu8EFJoyNxlg2NgFG-Bh2IyZSojTmYnoXjMDNuUwcSe6p2GoA73fydfygCCO0HvuRbTJEU3Fw4OkTut7cgr2PdeYfVPyy-ioBOpNQIAXhAOusMI40NvrvqY2wJ4vudwdO_tF0nAoau6TKMECueh2sYOli86lOC2s/s4032/Capitol%20rotunda%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NLMv3FGmJ_NjNLzKGYzZeOmrsc2mqu8EFJoyNxlg2NgFG-Bh2IyZSojTmYnoXjMDNuUwcSe6p2GoA73fydfygCCO0HvuRbTJEU3Fw4OkTut7cgr2PdeYfVPyy-ioBOpNQIAXhAOusMI40NvrvqY2wJ4vudwdO_tF0nAoau6TKMECueh2sYOli86lOC2s/w400-h300/Capitol%20rotunda%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Our guide pointed out the famous
paintings around the room, noted how most of them appear in school history
textbooks and asked if anything was noticed about them. One brave young lad
finally raised his hand,</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“They’re all only white people.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Bingo!</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Danny let us know that many states had swapped out some statues to get a bit more diversity in the headquarters of the “Great American Melting Pot” as well as other artistic decisions taking that important notion into account.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiml5lvyMUYOV23rMhwj2fPCFuUqWMpOM0ImG2GWx_tHgKvB3bq0RNVcW0_beMQU-WG-clQ7DrU2QbmlfeUZ9vCiWj1WD5YpnwN9JjmTxocZEpp9zp1K6yTBGZNF3pnuDMt5t0ur_qL43pzjdiQdxXqju_LWHxDHMVPRob09_w5C-Ti0eaQiiBVH7-kEXpJ/s4032/speaker%20office.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiml5lvyMUYOV23rMhwj2fPCFuUqWMpOM0ImG2GWx_tHgKvB3bq0RNVcW0_beMQU-WG-clQ7DrU2QbmlfeUZ9vCiWj1WD5YpnwN9JjmTxocZEpp9zp1K6yTBGZNF3pnuDMt5t0ur_qL43pzjdiQdxXqju_LWHxDHMVPRob09_w5C-Ti0eaQiiBVH7-kEXpJ/w400-h300/speaker%20office.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Exiting the dome, we passed the
Speaker’s office and entered what originally was where the House of
Representatives met. Following that time, this location gained its name of the
Statuary. Yes, this was the planned location of the “All of the Statues” room, until
good sense (or the ability to walk through it and also not having the floor
collapse) prevailed. There was still a quite a crowd in there. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogroCfBN6YOqfV4-qP3Qi45JxEKEs3usx5IpXOBq2EnvZsom4-1YGMS7et-5K7MD_zMCv-gDsEh30M8rlFHHhXISeUxnUYW4SyDekPNqvYndgw4hv0X_sO3R3508FdqLDGPeJnGdhTqjVkeqylA1JIsSB1ZbnhWgLCCRtfQ5VG41SWMrPp6T6_BO6LE0O/s4032/statuary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogroCfBN6YOqfV4-qP3Qi45JxEKEs3usx5IpXOBq2EnvZsom4-1YGMS7et-5K7MD_zMCv-gDsEh30M8rlFHHhXISeUxnUYW4SyDekPNqvYndgw4hv0X_sO3R3508FdqLDGPeJnGdhTqjVkeqylA1JIsSB1ZbnhWgLCCRtfQ5VG41SWMrPp6T6_BO6LE0O/w400-h300/statuary.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Anabelle let us
know that this was the room where Aaron Burr passed a law banning food because
he was mad at Thomas Jefferson constantly eating macaroni while working. Once
again, reality was weirder than any comment I could come up with.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDTw9JSv_8Q87cSbz3ZOk5I1e-XOb0Rnoy_Bz3qkKDz-imaJLjin33caJrleSEfF3oTB0QzbmKml4R1gbfVjTPocQsOkqOkqTjcpY3XFGEbRU7qzZQKTrgBkQem70jPWTeqEM174no2QQOarb-1Kib0ipLNA6IztTlwA1gPFXXxVRSzGwEeHPa0sclRWp/s4032/freedom%20statue%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDTw9JSv_8Q87cSbz3ZOk5I1e-XOb0Rnoy_Bz3qkKDz-imaJLjin33caJrleSEfF3oTB0QzbmKml4R1gbfVjTPocQsOkqOkqTjcpY3XFGEbRU7qzZQKTrgBkQem70jPWTeqEM174no2QQOarb-1Kib0ipLNA6IztTlwA1gPFXXxVRSzGwEeHPa0sclRWp/w400-h300/freedom%20statue%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Back where we started, Danny taught us a
bit about the Freedom statue. It originally was supposed to have “a Smurf hat.”
This was not an early licensing deal, but rather that hat was a symbol of freed
slaves from Ancient Rome. (Neo Classic sculptors never tired of the Greco-Roman
stuff.) Guess which states had a problem with that? (Here’s a hint, it’s the
ones that have people who want to fly the flag and build statues of the group
who went to war against this country to prevent anyone from being able to wear
those hats.) Therefore, the hat was changed to a bird sittin’ on her head. The
name of the original person who designed it was lost (actually thrown out) of
the writings in the Capitol because he tried to quit before it was done thanks
to the Civil War. It was finished by a freed slave who took over the project.<br /> Probably should have gone with the Smurf
Hat, eh?<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Notice how I have cleverly enticed
readers to research on their own by not adding any names of those responsible
for the Freedom Statue. To the untrained eye, this may look simply like me
being too lazy to look them up.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtF9fl8d5GGNoTa3aSebK88-53WPeT2Y6ecu7i2MOuLaOY_VLuMj630zH2l506xRjGz_NoP_W8jHO4My7qaW2oB_WkMJ3HTUsqUCWXiCjk3gG5tccyRQ1BBYXwPgRjzb6ch7n6KOhdTIxg_3c6p_7_PZi05-tEf0sOREcom44TrsQY9qX1gxk5JlEjZQD/s4032/freedom%20statue%20on%20dome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtF9fl8d5GGNoTa3aSebK88-53WPeT2Y6ecu7i2MOuLaOY_VLuMj630zH2l506xRjGz_NoP_W8jHO4My7qaW2oB_WkMJ3HTUsqUCWXiCjk3gG5tccyRQ1BBYXwPgRjzb6ch7n6KOhdTIxg_3c6p_7_PZi05-tEf0sOREcom44TrsQY9qX1gxk5JlEjZQD/w400-h300/freedom%20statue%20on%20dome.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Rolando came through for us big time,
not only getting us into a tour group without any middle schoolers, but also
getting us tickets to the House Gallery while it was in session. These were
listed as unavailable when we set everything up, and we hadn’t requested them.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback- I know on my Eighth Grade
trip we had a tour of the Capitol and maybe the White House. I know I did both
with my family on early trips. I also know my family and I are primarily museum
people and focused on the Smithsonian almost exclusively on the later trips.
Therefore, I have no memory of the government building tours of my youth to
make any comparisons.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>To go into the gallery, we had to leave
all bags, phones, and pretty much everything else behind in a security box.
There was even a second check right before we entered. This was where I forgot
I had a short phone charger cable in my pocket and needed a separate tiny
locker just for me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There were varying levels of interest in
our family. Rosa was mesmerized and thrilled to be where the government happens,
including when they went on recess. Throughout the whole visit, she was excitedly
taking everything in. This was one of many moments where being in Washington
generated a lot of interest in history and government.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Since there was a recess for a chunk of
the time we were there, and it was difficult to understand what was being said,
Anabelle was bored out of her mind most of the time.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>I was somewhere in the middle. Overall,
I thought it was interesting. There were a few lulls in the interestingness,
but they were worth if for what we saw.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>When we entered there was a short
debate. The representative on the left side of the Gallery was pointing out it
was disgusting that those across the aisle wanted to remove the Capitol Police
department from being honored in an upcoming ceremony specifically to honor police. This was
particularly true after the sacrifices they made to protect the people in the
chamber (which included the person he was debating with) on January 6<sup>th</sup>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then the person on the right spouted a
bunch of crime statistics that were not supported by any references, and none
of them were Washington DC.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In other words, both sides were not the
same.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>They voted.<br /> (I think on whether to have a vote on
the current state of the thing…it was hard to hear.)<br />The representative spouting unsupported
crime statistics voted “Yay,” while everyone else in the room voted,
“Nay.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two old ladies in the gallery
with us, who didn’t seem to understand how voting worked were incensed because,
“She said ‘yay’, so it should have passed.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Yes, worrying about our country is the
correct response.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While they were on recess, a woman in
the gallery with us clearly understood how almost everything worked in this
chamber. She was explaining things to someone she was with, and other folks
started asking her questions. I learned a great deal.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Another woman in the gallery who clearly
did not understand how a great many things worked asked her, “Is that the
original picture of George Washington?”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The knowledgeable woman was unable to
answer, because sometimes, there really are stupid questions. (Some probing
revealed the word “photo” was involved in the original question, and I gave up
listening after that.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A representative (??) Grandfather
brought his grandkids through the chamber for a tour and introduced them
around.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>While sitting there, I realized I was
wearing a Justice Society of America t-shirt… ironic considering they were fictionally disbanded in that very room by the House Unamerican Activities Committee.
Anabelle accurately maintained wearing her Sam The American Eagle Shirt in
there stating “You are all weirdos,” was appropriate on many levels.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We hung around a little longer to watch
some proceedings we couldn’t really hear. The main desk rose up which was
pretty cool. While a new vote went on electronically, there was a little table
with colored cards on it. We theorized they were for paper ballot voting.
However, we also veered into a discussion of what a credenza was, meaning our
relevant discussion was cut short.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>When we had enough democracy for the
day, we exited and collected our stuff. Rolando was coming down the stairs at
the same time, meaning we got to thank him again, and find out how he started
working with Representative Sherril, and for how long.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The gift shop made me sad. This country
has reached the point of such division that all the souvenir shirts, hats,
stickers…everything really, came in red or blue. There were no unified ones.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Instead of wandering back out into the Mall
within the depths of Crazy Hungryland, a rare burst of reason hit our family
and we ate in the Capitol Cafeteria. My roast beef sandwich and Anabelle’s
Black Bean burger kept us both on the sane side. Rosa got a tour by one of the
chefs and joined us in nourished sanity with gluten free pulled chicken and a
cute white chocolate Capitol dome filled with cream and berries.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>At a nearby table, four inhumanly skinny
women shared a salad. We endeavored to eat enough and then mentally project
some calories into them before they faded away.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle had a strawberry cupcake. She
tried to tear it in half and make a sandwich, “<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/02/yes-im-going-to-talk-about-kids-baking.html" target="_blank">Duff Style</a>.” Unfortunately, it
was filled with jam. The results were, and I quote, “A tragedy.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9dfE02urzntdSxd5u_AnBItZ5r5WAKgXm1asMddl5e_h0CFPwYeXuYXnKhwMKIRHlV1u54BZ0pL2Hzduf5epKPrAWMcaAQsax126FrMLmqGzvmqRi_CvmLOpvAZUF0F6jRLsymb05BdM-XRj-_Y6tBthQ_1TrafxO6knMEMYgrrLKbqts1ITLnad4zIi/s4032/Capitol%20enterance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9dfE02urzntdSxd5u_AnBItZ5r5WAKgXm1asMddl5e_h0CFPwYeXuYXnKhwMKIRHlV1u54BZ0pL2Hzduf5epKPrAWMcaAQsax126FrMLmqGzvmqRi_CvmLOpvAZUF0F6jRLsymb05BdM-XRj-_Y6tBthQ_1TrafxO6knMEMYgrrLKbqts1ITLnad4zIi/w400-h300/Capitol%20enterance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We emerged to the front of the Capitol
Building, which is not the side the Mall is on. This is not obvious since it is
a gazillion times easier to manage crowds on the Mall side, therefore that’s
where they do everything.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We found a stranger to take a photo of
all of us in front of the building. This woman was a hoot. She made various
jokes about unsavory activities and various drink concoctions with her friend.
When her friend mentioned getting a DUI, she took several steps away. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I cannot
associate with criminals.”<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>When we tried to leave, a woman on a
bike (with a bell on it, just like every other bike in our nation’s capital)
almost ran over Anabelle when she stopped at the cross walk for the red light. (The
bell was only used at what was almost the moment of impact.) Then she yelled at
Anabelle because she was far more hoot-less than the other woman we just met.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUrT-g0XUZyE_rpjFBrh6cCWrZJ_rEO89m0TYlBxGfo1OT-YnZNnUkx5Zfv5AcLVoKbrO16BPlAhI38FBiB4GlicVS8-eQZvorfbIZfxSFQ1VBO0sPGAY8K9adhyphenhyphen9-xtttGKXC7j8VQ94PdLqLg6KYa5XGMLDD4ssDCEGiimfsJeJCzAbCSPylyfwlnF7/s4032/library%20of%20congress.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUrT-g0XUZyE_rpjFBrh6cCWrZJ_rEO89m0TYlBxGfo1OT-YnZNnUkx5Zfv5AcLVoKbrO16BPlAhI38FBiB4GlicVS8-eQZvorfbIZfxSFQ1VBO0sPGAY8K9adhyphenhyphen9-xtttGKXC7j8VQ94PdLqLg6KYa5XGMLDD4ssDCEGiimfsJeJCzAbCSPylyfwlnF7/w400-h300/library%20of%20congress.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We waved at the Library of Congress,
already wondering if we would cancel our planned visit.<br />(Spoilers- We did.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpU7D1g9Lh_yWNsByZL0d5K965gD4l1r3cOqnAggg_riN8XiGGcmb5neZfG9Ghw0TdNyBIJqsIfmPIEEWVxswLvIaFfYNGaxNF04IRnI1LmlfouTzsc8psAsLUxoVryKbpTIJoPM8SS1X3OiAOX5l4WAEcT16tYwPdBpNwNQc-VHwxCrfDBlHfAk3T3e6/s4032/supreme%20court.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpU7D1g9Lh_yWNsByZL0d5K965gD4l1r3cOqnAggg_riN8XiGGcmb5neZfG9Ghw0TdNyBIJqsIfmPIEEWVxswLvIaFfYNGaxNF04IRnI1LmlfouTzsc8psAsLUxoVryKbpTIJoPM8SS1X3OiAOX5l4WAEcT16tYwPdBpNwNQc-VHwxCrfDBlHfAk3T3e6/w400-h300/supreme%20court.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Rosa walked up a few steps of the
Supreme Court because, “Hey! Supreme court!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then we headed back around the Capitol
and back into the Mall to find another museum. The original plan was to hit
part of the National Gallery and finish it another day. Our trend with Art
Museums continued, however.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI3MKoiVSpoEiLsUmC8gut2hev2dhbBI9Qh5X_V24ShobimHjmPedicN-vJTe95sFW-UD0U_kOEyioS_vLx3z3kll6iGZwPu15Mdd_CkeQwCGkTSqzz-9QSynuJZPnn0VJe_GUCi-jAR-PT898ZT5Wv1zg9mnkkYWQutLwdFk45nW_669nq1ZqewS9TJw/s4032/Abigail%20adams%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI3MKoiVSpoEiLsUmC8gut2hev2dhbBI9Qh5X_V24ShobimHjmPedicN-vJTe95sFW-UD0U_kOEyioS_vLx3z3kll6iGZwPu15Mdd_CkeQwCGkTSqzz-9QSynuJZPnn0VJe_GUCi-jAR-PT898ZT5Wv1zg9mnkkYWQutLwdFk45nW_669nq1ZqewS9TJw/w400-h300/Abigail%20adams%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Rosa and Anabelle love the decorative
furniture in the MET. We entered near that selection here and it worked as an
excellent starting point since there was an Abigail Adams portrait.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaLb1cHP4MYexPfandm6PYKgnkvlrB_vdVuMucB6viOpQ2JRQvfFb2QOL078s4GmyuvxzGjt3i0EzsWAf1O9_73mXzgRDjdhIrIeiolpRGfowXWs1Zo2MzKhRGSU5YIAvmOzXaI5kpfmd-AZMypc6TC5syZn3SczgQhpy50tUHL9EOtIwJntFFclTuUQn/s4032/cool%20lace%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaLb1cHP4MYexPfandm6PYKgnkvlrB_vdVuMucB6viOpQ2JRQvfFb2QOL078s4GmyuvxzGjt3i0EzsWAf1O9_73mXzgRDjdhIrIeiolpRGfowXWs1Zo2MzKhRGSU5YIAvmOzXaI5kpfmd-AZMypc6TC5syZn3SczgQhpy50tUHL9EOtIwJntFFclTuUQn/w400-h300/cool%20lace%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We briefly passed through the early
European Art Section in the other part of the floor we entered on.<br />Or as Anabelle referred to it, “The
Snoozefest Period.” Needless to say, we went upstairs fairly quickly.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6sG5sK8vrbqW1a6dF4rTF8D1upwee0ClP3UiRTmAKP3_dXdH2r2z79ele2neW6Bt6Ad5CjnX9NgzytlKkQw93UVkAXOzk0icwnUJKsg30MzBX7ISSsieWfa10ZsF8EcV9WXs5HkiYbEcI3LDzmYrVoZE09CN5MWEAuHc-gLuCv1oK8owX-ZjwmFSvuKc/s4032/niagara%20landscape.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6sG5sK8vrbqW1a6dF4rTF8D1upwee0ClP3UiRTmAKP3_dXdH2r2z79ele2neW6Bt6Ad5CjnX9NgzytlKkQw93UVkAXOzk0icwnUJKsg30MzBX7ISSsieWfa10ZsF8EcV9WXs5HkiYbEcI3LDzmYrVoZE09CN5MWEAuHc-gLuCv1oK8owX-ZjwmFSvuKc/w400-h300/niagara%20landscape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>In the later European art period, we
started with some fantastic paintings of arrangements. My favorite was “Still
Life With Dunkin’ Donuts.” This may have not been the actual title.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7T7f2_PHIcOkISWXkbPHTJ1Vm0qlnZytXutcPUH6plDTfBTMwEdDUnZRA7WhlgaocH3WkhsW__ew-I5v34LBJ6DqVFm4LMNqYiz088wve4GY196-GGEiNC71kNS-J4awcUqrWvtRktSXRikpg738iWGrwdLfbojgaWRMcbXH1sQF1FekhBvonE4KgvmY6/s4032/still%20life%20with%20donuts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7T7f2_PHIcOkISWXkbPHTJ1Vm0qlnZytXutcPUH6plDTfBTMwEdDUnZRA7WhlgaocH3WkhsW__ew-I5v34LBJ6DqVFm4LMNqYiz088wve4GY196-GGEiNC71kNS-J4awcUqrWvtRktSXRikpg738iWGrwdLfbojgaWRMcbXH1sQF1FekhBvonE4KgvmY6/w400-h300/still%20life%20with%20donuts.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2EL7PeAXKYvW3o5JEQok40P_F4Tygz7OAa6W6YIUFK3NHunbX0S63eZUm0xCJx21aFOMdLoenN2mZJUrChKGd2VLdUKofr85OCcoxNf2DAsL8hZ43pZMpopWz1FL0wr4PYvifj81pu2CcmQq1FUzgAJJ5mBUx8RbOHakreUsf7Okk_VfJTI5ZpT8yVv3/s4032/cool%20lighting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2EL7PeAXKYvW3o5JEQok40P_F4Tygz7OAa6W6YIUFK3NHunbX0S63eZUm0xCJx21aFOMdLoenN2mZJUrChKGd2VLdUKofr85OCcoxNf2DAsL8hZ43pZMpopWz1FL0wr4PYvifj81pu2CcmQq1FUzgAJJ5mBUx8RbOHakreUsf7Okk_VfJTI5ZpT8yVv3/w400-h300/cool%20lighting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The section contained many paintings
featuring death, beds, and grapes. (Once again, my stellar note taking is
evident.)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-lnHnyDI77F4y-SdYWALuOUcQ9ORQoC_xLsGYj6iWkC3fiXw2PIXsH2jask2isCpiVilgBV3MpRIf4UoTTrqy3Pd9s0tNfNT7PCzUpkh3xRkiJ_YoRkFaQtt0qS2gGEmsAink8ccQL-2vV6NKui-6oq7-1h6fdWwiyQrxgLIUitMqwogSa-aTGLx7RPb/s4032/feet%20running%20gag.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-lnHnyDI77F4y-SdYWALuOUcQ9ORQoC_xLsGYj6iWkC3fiXw2PIXsH2jask2isCpiVilgBV3MpRIf4UoTTrqy3Pd9s0tNfNT7PCzUpkh3xRkiJ_YoRkFaQtt0qS2gGEmsAink8ccQL-2vV6NKui-6oq7-1h6fdWwiyQrxgLIUitMqwogSa-aTGLx7RPb/w400-h300/feet%20running%20gag.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>The impressionists’ section is where our
family really thrives. Anabelle was thrilled walking into a Monet room and seeing
the Woman With A Parasol. (I am capitalizing instead of italicizing because I
am unsure if this is a title or description. As always, I am very informative.)
The mood shift was impressive:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxtJyBUtJaqRJZWftFKlowJsaILyO9NLdHaaAgM8-9kljIouEKv1Y8vB1zswkete2VPNlEHIUwNPiDvTVGBTaRwb3pGzF1tMqt2k_bzzejMDxPy-tiG-ag13EH6xDtUgA0RuAfyajcK_FnaRh8Yb8sLp78wXwiv27pLEMIajWQsYcYLbz8CJP-P7jeEHR/s4032/monet%20paintings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxtJyBUtJaqRJZWftFKlowJsaILyO9NLdHaaAgM8-9kljIouEKv1Y8vB1zswkete2VPNlEHIUwNPiDvTVGBTaRwb3pGzF1tMqt2k_bzzejMDxPy-tiG-ag13EH6xDtUgA0RuAfyajcK_FnaRh8Yb8sLp78wXwiv27pLEMIajWQsYcYLbz8CJP-P7jeEHR/w400-h300/monet%20paintings.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>“OOH! I love this painting”<br />*Looks two frames down*<br />“Oh look, another one of the freakin’
water lilies.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I was on the other side of the room by a
Cezanne painting of fruit singing “<a href="https://youtu.be/8rDcKIAXGRA?si=3Bz72OtgAjuPiCbz" target="_blank">The Father of Modern Cubism</a>” song. (I was
singing, not the fruit. It’s an art museum, not a <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/05/of-marxes-and-muppets.html" target="_blank">Muppet </a>sketch.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTkePKTDeFeC4KTsaFEzP06625a1pJ00und90yjKFzEhgYh9y7Rv3fyxgTT2_6o2Kqbk_2km5D3eT-YYq6n-8_QK7lqfyQ3zFQsxT8lD5nNSKl0NozrFzFYl9jvnf_cD_MCzIoWZZ9VCUhtYcXAjsFx8J48SA0z_8TmSxuXH9O9Dko4XZ9cVMHnELAMv-/s4032/van%20gogh%20close%20up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTkePKTDeFeC4KTsaFEzP06625a1pJ00und90yjKFzEhgYh9y7Rv3fyxgTT2_6o2Kqbk_2km5D3eT-YYq6n-8_QK7lqfyQ3zFQsxT8lD5nNSKl0NozrFzFYl9jvnf_cD_MCzIoWZZ9VCUhtYcXAjsFx8J48SA0z_8TmSxuXH9O9Dko4XZ9cVMHnELAMv-/w400-h300/van%20gogh%20close%20up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Nearby Rosa got excited with the Van
Goghs as there was the one of the house that was seen in the <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/11/doctor-is-in.html" target="_blank">Doctor Who</a> </i>episode.
His work is truly amazing, but you do have to take the time to look at it. It
is always frustrating to me watching people “buzz through” museums,
photographing paintings without stopping to really take them in. Sorry, speedy,
you’re not going to get the impact of Van Gogh’s amazing colors and brushwork
on the three-inch image you snapped while running through at a sprint.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKi29dkSlE7LWMlmu-EgekijNtXcCHcljQK6unSd2abT6QMFAKq5kqhsXufO9Memk9HKnjHsGH_gPEKI38ooj3iIYXwfRmkmfOCBONAVhkn1hWpwjjOX758tCwmPRM84SdVVjhydPDV37x7YQeKKXWleclXA2NRi1S9UEwLjDnivnwwpCALwDxn-TFtHu/s4032/woman%20painting%20gaugin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKi29dkSlE7LWMlmu-EgekijNtXcCHcljQK6unSd2abT6QMFAKq5kqhsXufO9Memk9HKnjHsGH_gPEKI38ooj3iIYXwfRmkmfOCBONAVhkn1hWpwjjOX758tCwmPRM84SdVVjhydPDV37x7YQeKKXWleclXA2NRi1S9UEwLjDnivnwwpCALwDxn-TFtHu/w400-h300/woman%20painting%20gaugin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A mystery was solved in this area, when
we saw someone using the easel in the room. We thought they were there just for
show. The woman doing an outstanding job copying a Gaugin corrected our foolish
thoughts.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZEJY8hEvd-8we3JflCsfutD-_dGRmWYp6URTqVy07Kd1Oporm2T_KKDD5I3wSpSAE4rISMWKDIbooX9eoXZj8qGPiioVrJ5cjaKBIq8MxNUIYstXmJScZRAM1gPzb1vJqExL70YnTBVWt-ah_Vvodls1akU1V-5dElilQ-AP9ntFJU_JrGIqsOY2nGxP/s4032/not%20salome%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZEJY8hEvd-8we3JflCsfutD-_dGRmWYp6URTqVy07Kd1Oporm2T_KKDD5I3wSpSAE4rISMWKDIbooX9eoXZj8qGPiioVrJ5cjaKBIq8MxNUIYstXmJScZRAM1gPzb1vJqExL70YnTBVWt-ah_Vvodls1akU1V-5dElilQ-AP9ntFJU_JrGIqsOY2nGxP/w400-h300/not%20salome%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was a painting that reminded me of
<i>Salome </i>that we always see, and Dad and I were impressed by, at the<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/04/jeffs-cultural-hintsart-stuff-part-one.html" target="_blank"> MET.</a> Thanks to a google image search I can safely say, I was totally wrong and the
two had nothing in common. I saw <i>Favorite of the Emir </i>by Jean-Joseph
Bendamin-Constant. <i>Salome</i> was painted by Henri Regnault. Hooray for
technology.<br />(Spoilers- No one else cares…<br />That’s probably not that big of a
spoiler.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnW8a0m8nBmTetXe7LEvifFFnFWFNr8eGSEK0d09IjJMd8U_RbBMsAa6uGF-bDEO-UHV9wcELIiOUZmhm_qd2DGqc6DV-3k2oYtCj6SMMpUzwmyhOCs98J6CRzsC_yRlRRIA1TfQKxZZw2Am7v9rVpIHgWfTG4FJ9yMVWz5NP5g_GG-S0VzJABRVJnNaV/s4032/nice%20landscape.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnW8a0m8nBmTetXe7LEvifFFnFWFNr8eGSEK0d09IjJMd8U_RbBMsAa6uGF-bDEO-UHV9wcELIiOUZmhm_qd2DGqc6DV-3k2oYtCj6SMMpUzwmyhOCs98J6CRzsC_yRlRRIA1TfQKxZZw2Am7v9rVpIHgWfTG4FJ9yMVWz5NP5g_GG-S0VzJABRVJnNaV/w400-h300/nice%20landscape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Speaking of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-through.html" target="_blank">MET,</a> one of the main
reasons we came to this gallery was to see the outstanding American art section
including an impressive series by Thomas “The Oxbow” Cole.<br /><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkyzw15-msENW19_NJZR1W5lKV_B24a659jlG7ngrG7zy7Fja-0Ib5h6zROHov4SSLG9h8uVikQqxp-D5XETsa2f_kaG-D5f8qPWJX5DllEJ9yh3mVB9y47LBDR5rtUPbfgssvUxGjJsbOQ-D8Kt2XTIPMMj0bvk9BZPYiqSUZEvU3XRpk3uHC07ckeLi/s4032/shark%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkyzw15-msENW19_NJZR1W5lKV_B24a659jlG7ngrG7zy7Fja-0Ib5h6zROHov4SSLG9h8uVikQqxp-D5XETsa2f_kaG-D5f8qPWJX5DllEJ9yh3mVB9y47LBDR5rtUPbfgssvUxGjJsbOQ-D8Kt2XTIPMMj0bvk9BZPYiqSUZEvU3XRpk3uHC07ckeLi/w400-h300/shark%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p>That whole wing was closed, with only a few samples in hallways.<br />Alas.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>After a quick stop in the gift shop, we
reached the end of operating hours with some disappointment in an art museum-
again.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr98hyphenhyphen1ig4ZApDvc8Z_Fu7KMh_PU6s3aVVa_KRSBcGpLskSASUIqFv5w_4-e0Qx9BNUeKg1-L__KkVsAoGbfmQrGENc_Co6znwrATd33hOCdn3jPCD03k7JMlQEDKFrI4h2xfE8lQ5_TkUpqHe_caP2TGmAZfk2IERoAj-DDZ6y7_Spy6GuJJmWDEznO3N/s4032/fdr%20block.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr98hyphenhyphen1ig4ZApDvc8Z_Fu7KMh_PU6s3aVVa_KRSBcGpLskSASUIqFv5w_4-e0Qx9BNUeKg1-L__KkVsAoGbfmQrGENc_Co6znwrATd33hOCdn3jPCD03k7JMlQEDKFrI4h2xfE8lQ5_TkUpqHe_caP2TGmAZfk2IERoAj-DDZ6y7_Spy6GuJJmWDEznO3N/w400-h300/fdr%20block.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Walking up to where we needed to catch
the bus (by Ford’s Theater and not a gazillion blocks East of the Capitol) we
passed the original FDR memorial. At one point during his presidency, he stated
that if a memorial was made to him, it must be only the size of “this desk.”
Therefore, before they built the really <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-1-may-14-2023.html" target="_blank">swanky one </a>over by the Tidal Basin, he
had a tombstone looking thing on a lawn.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80Y0VV-o284IGw2ibvjifO1ggoTRu07jJ12QnbL-0m8tlf90AtDi51tDixVAzk3ITR39o7ztBdW9s06mWhTcJE08T_ZXLV2oL6d8-1zALkGvcAh0KAI8mkfTpgNmVdGxvzbNjk04zf5erqJ88YnTHSK6J9B8EmH3MhQwGPABki01IQlwPlWmTht7NCI1E/s4032/abe%20lincoln%20died.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80Y0VV-o284IGw2ibvjifO1ggoTRu07jJ12QnbL-0m8tlf90AtDi51tDixVAzk3ITR39o7ztBdW9s06mWhTcJE08T_ZXLV2oL6d8-1zALkGvcAh0KAI8mkfTpgNmVdGxvzbNjk04zf5erqJ88YnTHSK6J9B8EmH3MhQwGPABki01IQlwPlWmTht7NCI1E/w400-h300/abe%20lincoln%20died.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We needed a place to eat. Right across
from the night tour pickup point (And Lincoln’s Waffle House, which was not in the running)
was a Hard Rock Café. Given <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/08/niagara-falls-2012-day-1.html" target="_blank">multiple</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/02/moving-in-new-family-directions.html" target="_blank">disasters</a> other times we visited this
chain, we figured, statistically, we were due for a good encounter.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>(Spoilers- We were not.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There was painfully loud, live, acoustic
music playing. When I pointed out he was playing good songs, we all had to
agree that we wished he weren’t. Research before entering indicated that they
had an extensive Gluten Free menu. What research did not indicate, was that
they cooked all the items on this menu where they cooked everything else.
Therefore, it was only “Gluten Sensitive” and not Free at all.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa got a milkshake instead. The
whipped cream, which she asked them to leave off, was broken. The milkshake
itself was chocolate milk with some lumps in it.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>It went back for a new one which was
relatively thin but mixed properly. The not asked for whipped cream was also
back but in better shape. Anabelle did admit her Macaroni and Cheese with
chicken was “fire.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My salmon was pretty
good too. The green beans had a really weird first bite flavor but then
stabilized.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>While having fun in here we decided to
cancel the Library of Congress visit to have more time in the “ugly art”
museums.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDIMuaCfBEupY6DXDaXsGC67W9jHzXnh1geSebAuFeDrwivq8GyYIkgSHXSnxw3GCIjuque4IiiYei2339tqLt9aRKQXkTl0ykkD9OOKjSE14HQ9FQVSmZ2a3qmDgwZaPgqPzzaI1Mynm002s4SIpl83XEynFcC-n6in-2rWupsmKtK9CeirjNQtR6WcE/s4032/elton%20john.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDIMuaCfBEupY6DXDaXsGC67W9jHzXnh1geSebAuFeDrwivq8GyYIkgSHXSnxw3GCIjuque4IiiYei2339tqLt9aRKQXkTl0ykkD9OOKjSE14HQ9FQVSmZ2a3qmDgwZaPgqPzzaI1Mynm002s4SIpl83XEynFcC-n6in-2rWupsmKtK9CeirjNQtR6WcE/w300-h400/elton%20john.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>There was some cool rock and roll memorabilia
there. (“Yawn” says Anabelle) We sat near Black Flag stuff, and there was an
Elton John costume on the way to the (not Elton) John.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnF3InRKVMrGO7iVIIVX08HRQ-geWbdGaOhU6yMuvrZ6n3l0yE35iUx0q9nzTUIgVbldHTwTqSMac7DKf4TRq2_646oKZkdRoaOKl0EmPMmPJI-ZY1Eb-Wr3RLWPiK_DEIPixUQ2Be1H4Dq4oQDCy9H5AoHTvovzWIycc3DZi7y2KCFR5IecPy1OOG4BY/s4032/shakira%20memoribilia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnF3InRKVMrGO7iVIIVX08HRQ-geWbdGaOhU6yMuvrZ6n3l0yE35iUx0q9nzTUIgVbldHTwTqSMac7DKf4TRq2_646oKZkdRoaOKl0EmPMmPJI-ZY1Eb-Wr3RLWPiK_DEIPixUQ2Be1H4Dq4oQDCy9H5AoHTvovzWIycc3DZi7y2KCFR5IecPy1OOG4BY/w400-h300/shakira%20memoribilia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Upstairs there was a Shakira thing and a
John Lee Hooker guitar that I couldn’t get near without standing on someone
else’s table. The stained-glass window of Chuck Berry, Elvis, and Jerry Lee
Lewis as the holy trinity of Rock N Roll was a nice touch.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAc8seTq8VRQ22vb5i4hyphenhyphennDY1m0un-DELscsJ76rjrp11FO2g7GEnARVyZuTYftIGymdY7c0ZL1E4Bih2aCaHxZI_jvYAcTO_cvsVWpfO5g-tIFrBHItKa4nnmaqKAstsPYgGHj0syaBHzmGPC7R0hCnJ6jnuIjY-L196X8bUZQt2nWLPF7KepIM-jlFZX/s4032/holy%20trinity%20of%20rock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAc8seTq8VRQ22vb5i4hyphenhyphennDY1m0un-DELscsJ76rjrp11FO2g7GEnARVyZuTYftIGymdY7c0ZL1E4Bih2aCaHxZI_jvYAcTO_cvsVWpfO5g-tIFrBHItKa4nnmaqKAstsPYgGHj0syaBHzmGPC7R0hCnJ6jnuIjY-L196X8bUZQt2nWLPF7KepIM-jlFZX/w400-h300/holy%20trinity%20of%20rock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We were early for the tour and hung
around in the cheesy souvenir shop for a while. The ticket told us to go up to
the desk, but not before a half hour prior to the tour.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Therefore, we were kind of upset when
they sent us outside to the long line that had already formed by the bus at
that point.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We did luck out, though, and got a
teacher with twenty years of experience for our driver. “Mr. History” was an
amazing guide. Embarrassingly, it took me two full days to figure out his voice
reminded me of Jean Shepard. At the start he mentioned we had left a little
early, giving us extra time at a few stops. I’m pretty sure we left on time,
and he was just giving us extra time, which added to his awesomeness.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We knew the National Gallery wasn’t part
of the Smithsonian but learned why. It was a gift from Andrew Mellon. Anabelle
pointed out that she thought the fountain was enough. To be honest, it was
pretty snazzy.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Mr. History was incredibly informative
and also entertaining. A list of other cool stuff we learned follows:<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There are 160 embassies in Washington
DC, Canada and Mexico are the only ones on Pennsylvania Avenue. However,
neither are the closest to the White House. In the spirit of “Keep your friends
close but your enemies closer” Russia has that location.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>He pointed out the Court that if we
understood its role we wouldn’t like, because it could grant the right to spy
on private citizens. Taking notes in a dark and moving bus is hard, I forget
the name.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQt-IK5ojfmGbpoJGSXLKPkdTYmNW8SfpDN1VxBaJGjH1iO1bf-8KpPblTgh6t1f-WiQNL9c_gCuww0BE1JmgGdVdVgkVKok79ZmyFbdsERCklwl4_7BDFn_q6WMrX41WNjTL4cn1Wsugo3kQ5zS0aEAsXihFI1dyCvht07KYIL7pg2SRAt1FkdcYe_i0/s4032/unknown%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQt-IK5ojfmGbpoJGSXLKPkdTYmNW8SfpDN1VxBaJGjH1iO1bf-8KpPblTgh6t1f-WiQNL9c_gCuww0BE1JmgGdVdVgkVKok79ZmyFbdsERCklwl4_7BDFn_q6WMrX41WNjTL4cn1Wsugo3kQ5zS0aEAsXihFI1dyCvht07KYIL7pg2SRAt1FkdcYe_i0/w400-h300/unknown%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Rosa noticed a statue by the Capitol we
didn’t see when we had walked there. She seriously contemplated leaping out for
a picture. Travelling with us is always fun.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The Capitol and White House are both
made of sandstone, chosen for the price and look at the time. This is why both
buildings need refurbishment so often, sandstone tends to erode.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On our way back around the mall we
passed the Voice of America radio station. Yes, our country has its own
propaganda broadcast to reach around the world.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Next to the Air and Space Museum Mr.
History was gushing about all of the amazing and historical items in there. The
fact that I remembered many from previous trips, but knew they were in closed
off sections when we went yesterday should have raised a flag about other
museum information we got on this tour.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As we passed the cylindrical structure
of the Hirschhorn Museum Mr. History asked if we knew what non-representational
art was. The man behind Anabelle, who would become her sworn enemy, said,
“Crap.” Anabelle shot him a look and his wife elbowed him and gave a more polite
answer. Mr. History gave a more accurate description followed by, “That
building is full of it.” He also mentioned spending “a week there one day,” and
Anabelle’s sworn enemy chimed in with “More like a year.” When he asked if
anyone planned to go there. Rosa and I raised our hands, but Anabelle yelled,
“YES!” She also took great satisfaction in overhearing her sworn enemy’s wife
talking like she was going to force him to visit there.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Every department of government we
passed, Mr. History gave us a description of what they did, and then cheered
for them and honked his horn. We learned the ugly architecture style of many of
those buildings was called, “American Brutal.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>As we passed the Eisenhower Memorial,
Mr. History gave us a detailed lesson about Ike being impressed by Germany’s
use of the autobahns as military supply lines, and how that inspired him to
create the Interstate Highway system.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We reached the Washington Monument while
he spoke about how it is the largest free-standing stone structure, and that it
was, “Only held together with spit… Let’s get out of here!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Before the stop near the FDR and
Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King memorials, he told us detailed and
impressive histories of both men. This included a spot-on impression of FDR
that came out of nowhere. Mr. History gave us the details behind the famous “I Have
A Dream” speech, including the fact that there is no pre-existing script for
it. What Dr. King had written down was starting to lose the audience, and a
poet (whose name I also forget) yelled to him to “Tell them about the dream!”
leading to the speech everyone knows. That unused, original script was given to
someone from <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/08/philadelphia-2021-day-2a.html" target="_blank">Villanova</a>. (V’s up! Or something.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcU5F6f3mF4bwPos295bQNcnbS-hUE3WtPr_nfXesnRSdJPlUTW_HPJXdBXdtrJrL5yFmBckZxg1vbkFKWLzCwt0gfdQX-ot0g9lYivcxEeQYMuZx4amgXjZqcHdGqmRdkg9b-b5wnC_FAyO70EgG02ubVfdlxnRXRWTLFn3SHTdJ3KqHuoE9DFNfAK7i/s4032/fdr%20close%20up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcU5F6f3mF4bwPos295bQNcnbS-hUE3WtPr_nfXesnRSdJPlUTW_HPJXdBXdtrJrL5yFmBckZxg1vbkFKWLzCwt0gfdQX-ot0g9lYivcxEeQYMuZx4amgXjZqcHdGqmRdkg9b-b5wnC_FAyO70EgG02ubVfdlxnRXRWTLFn3SHTdJ3KqHuoE9DFNfAK7i/w400-h300/fdr%20close%20up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>While these two memorials were
impressive at night, we were all extremely glad we hit them in the daytime on
our own. Besides the important fact that we had much more time to really take
them in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-1-may-14-2023.html" target="_blank">day we arrive</a>d, there was also the gnat problem. A swarm of small
flying insects filled the entire space of the FDR Memorial and threatened to
devour us completely.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the way to the next stop, Mr. History
gave us a huge amount of information about Abe Lincoln, including how the short
list of books he read over and over again as a child included the complete
works of Shakespeare. This led him, probably without knowing what it was
called, to write his speeches in Iambic Pentameter. We also learned about his
father leaving Abe and his sibling alone to walk a heck of a distance (multiple
states) to propose marriage to a woman he hadn’t seen in years after Abe’s
mother died. That stepmother was responsible for Lincoln’s education and making
him the man he became. When we got out of the bus at the Lincoln Memorial, I
pointed out to Mr. History that he reminded me of the amount of passion for the
material my favorite teachers always had, and that he must have had a positive
effect on many kids. Like all great teachers, he made us want to read more
about many of the topics he covered.<br />He thanked me, and said he liked my
Superhero shirt, adding that Lincoln and Reverend Doctor King were superheroes.<br />
Then Anabelle sighed and said, “We can’t
take you anywhere.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFofg_1TiFyj5QKpffds3GN0tBbUQkwknDnclyeKPjhEHtZdWgxmQipS_gwttfLsQ85tIm-UwQ2iE-LCUVg2oxaEEZ2SWkCXmNLgWHm4WK_Jn4-WpraUNsDcbPsoBjw8VQwOQncKr638Lq04sx7RNfUi4nhW9EJ31Qqe-NsR1xB0voJoCO4w-9Pw3-LUY2/s4032/korea%20at%20night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFofg_1TiFyj5QKpffds3GN0tBbUQkwknDnclyeKPjhEHtZdWgxmQipS_gwttfLsQ85tIm-UwQ2iE-LCUVg2oxaEEZ2SWkCXmNLgWHm4WK_Jn4-WpraUNsDcbPsoBjw8VQwOQncKr638Lq04sx7RNfUi4nhW9EJ31Qqe-NsR1xB0voJoCO4w-9Pw3-LUY2/w400-h300/korea%20at%20night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We started at the Korean War memorial
which is always hauntingly impressive at night. The Vietnam Memorial is much
harder to see in the dark. That was only one reason why we planned an on-foot
return to this area later in the week.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYk1P6aCLNRfYIG07fSlBByYV0UgieLFczwJAtzHa48yyrxSinKBaxBkZWMQqKXsCOu_rRqghsSqsz8FTSEz-Xbyt12n6qExuCIM_hTUl82L4TG3Kk4N04nVU87B-QxoDhlgzvZxgh6neJ960fEMJA_YIJFcFCFXoYpp35rsuX-1bOD3xhzibSqwnD4Uf/s4032/vietnam%20at%20night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYk1P6aCLNRfYIG07fSlBByYV0UgieLFczwJAtzHa48yyrxSinKBaxBkZWMQqKXsCOu_rRqghsSqsz8FTSEz-Xbyt12n6qExuCIM_hTUl82L4TG3Kk4N04nVU87B-QxoDhlgzvZxgh6neJ960fEMJA_YIJFcFCFXoYpp35rsuX-1bOD3xhzibSqwnD4Uf/w400-h300/vietnam%20at%20night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>On our way to the Lincoln Memorial, we
passed a saxophone player busking the area and playing “Careless Whisper.”
Anabelle danced along and pointed out, “The Lincoln Memorial Soundtrack is a
banger.” <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz3DZNtA3UcOXy_UUJRunK4XXfkT5HlxUQ4xbJTveZCFiQCfG2LuRVpGz_lp1NDIU1dN01FnVIdOroKhHhEl53CUix-KLO3gZygSccIH8RHcOH3vWhB_6EzTK4IrYGN1XHulOw70EMscChFkq013_pIEz4jtaOX9JKIvWx3YXWLzFXUFcoEPMHHput4kb/s4032/lincoln%20memorial%20at%20night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz3DZNtA3UcOXy_UUJRunK4XXfkT5HlxUQ4xbJTveZCFiQCfG2LuRVpGz_lp1NDIU1dN01FnVIdOroKhHhEl53CUix-KLO3gZygSccIH8RHcOH3vWhB_6EzTK4IrYGN1XHulOw70EMscChFkq013_pIEz4jtaOX9JKIvWx3YXWLzFXUFcoEPMHHput4kb/w400-h300/lincoln%20memorial%20at%20night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We climbed the steps to see the Lincoln Memorial at night. In the dark
we could just barely make out the marker for the location of the “I Have A Dream”
speech, and the unidentifiable stain on it. (Eeew.) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYYuR-MzP-Rwe2Y4K4hyphenhyphenZoL8AWsDocamPbolpqw_Rv9YqsEOz7uXgAZ3583A0jE81LnBRxl5IjRXmmWTN6biSg3NkWueabACsdSt4GunZtzLwUFJkEMVym_7UpuZa7HXRT5g1sO1OM2jp7IhWoQ_Swg2yDe4DgotqMOqCfPJX-otRiPW_4qBspK1OpIKQ/s4032/I%20have%20a%20dream%20spot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYYuR-MzP-Rwe2Y4K4hyphenhyphenZoL8AWsDocamPbolpqw_Rv9YqsEOz7uXgAZ3583A0jE81LnBRxl5IjRXmmWTN6biSg3NkWueabACsdSt4GunZtzLwUFJkEMVym_7UpuZa7HXRT5g1sO1OM2jp7IhWoQ_Swg2yDe4DgotqMOqCfPJX-otRiPW_4qBspK1OpIKQ/w400-h300/I%20have%20a%20dream%20spot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Seeing that structure at
night adds a more mythical appearance to it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eGCI5Q9fHQIGuU9yvfO_HVXGmCyKX9STtwReQleM2kmGDcmv4XOpR5YXd8xkmK6vc6J9SgFApZmDAe3r7AVdmAe_vYm4VG8CuM-shMwbkLRv1-JzgkkDk_1sau314elQ6ZoGbRPDPOotIibBfQCxj_ihxv8jWFtMh3gcS7TLKZCTotSLDG5YVg51FeyX/s4032/lincoln%20statue%20at%20night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eGCI5Q9fHQIGuU9yvfO_HVXGmCyKX9STtwReQleM2kmGDcmv4XOpR5YXd8xkmK6vc6J9SgFApZmDAe3r7AVdmAe_vYm4VG8CuM-shMwbkLRv1-JzgkkDk_1sau314elQ6ZoGbRPDPOotIibBfQCxj_ihxv8jWFtMh3gcS7TLKZCTotSLDG5YVg51FeyX/w400-h300/lincoln%20statue%20at%20night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>At least it did until Anabelle
took a selfie titled, “Kisses for Abe Lincoln.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNpF7eHxLFVfwg40knwSY32eYvmZhbxIZbS-zszs3L_9Qq-1MKOyvH9Ch6Q-5wqHX3U4Y1r-IxDqwSNvprUE7TPPvzLHDgdcYA5m_QCR1k72sMuz2m7vfApuT18n1oALas3CdcpOLuQH1MX41KXgHvNtjYoaOOBlGTIDXa6ew9gGVnZCgREil8XQjUd30/s3088/night%20kisses%20for%20abe%20lincoln.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNpF7eHxLFVfwg40knwSY32eYvmZhbxIZbS-zszs3L_9Qq-1MKOyvH9Ch6Q-5wqHX3U4Y1r-IxDqwSNvprUE7TPPvzLHDgdcYA5m_QCR1k72sMuz2m7vfApuT18n1oALas3CdcpOLuQH1MX41KXgHvNtjYoaOOBlGTIDXa6ew9gGVnZCgREil8XQjUd30/w300-h400/night%20kisses%20for%20abe%20lincoln.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Seeing Anabelle’s beloved Washington Monument lit up and highlighted in
the reflecting pool was also a bonus of an evening visit.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCzB4fXbcggM3BqdTdI_PSSEEvodFU8WZARxHTqWybnSyen5UwDqbLY11FAwGRsjQz76U6CyakQwlrawsM7RMFwbyNp-nLiNGQTlbv2BimyGzyy3AG81lYiFT2fl_wpEh2c3A_1fAdSPhnfphiNb2U0f828qhyTH_Kw9HX7q8BhldgjBBrKG1qA74BweS/s4032/washington%20monument%20at%20night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCzB4fXbcggM3BqdTdI_PSSEEvodFU8WZARxHTqWybnSyen5UwDqbLY11FAwGRsjQz76U6CyakQwlrawsM7RMFwbyNp-nLiNGQTlbv2BimyGzyy3AG81lYiFT2fl_wpEh2c3A_1fAdSPhnfphiNb2U0f828qhyTH_Kw9HX7q8BhldgjBBrKG1qA74BweS/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20at%20night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then it was time for a surprise. Kim’s
family had booked this tour because it was the only one that went to the Marine
Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima.) However, when I booked it, that stop had been
replaced with the World War II memorial. That’s next to the Washington Monument
and we knew we were passing it frequently. However, I remembered how impressive
everything looked at night, and really didn’t want to wander around in the
dark, meaning we booked it anyway. Not only did we get a fantastic tour guide,
but they reset the tour right before we got there, meaning we were all driven
over to Arlington, Virginia.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On this longer stretch in the bus, Mr.
History provided us with detailed information about World War Two in the
Pacific. This included a section about the brutal island warfare, and the edict
from Japan to cause as many casualties as possible which led to the US
development of the Atomic Bomb.<br /> “Of course, Dad answered ‘The Manhattan
Project’ when he asked. We really can’t take him anywhere.”- Anabelle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoI1U3cMomy_UJ21OK4YCO0v4rhs6DTGLRrQxvkWcaWoWw_sox72rhittqYO2mhC5yjZaDwAslRah_RJC5H4ICwV5sAFzM6Jy61idt1iyJOya64lQnVFciRQc44-C5MR_xtA_7sUbaq4uO1MvXe72QyAQPp9gqZ3KA6_icJHXbR4PpVtPHdb2PTt0k1qb/s4032/iwo%20jima%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoI1U3cMomy_UJ21OK4YCO0v4rhs6DTGLRrQxvkWcaWoWw_sox72rhittqYO2mhC5yjZaDwAslRah_RJC5H4ICwV5sAFzM6Jy61idt1iyJOya64lQnVFciRQc44-C5MR_xtA_7sUbaq4uO1MvXe72QyAQPp9gqZ3KA6_icJHXbR4PpVtPHdb2PTt0k1qb/w400-h300/iwo%20jima%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />He provided us so much detail about the
time, the battle, what led up to it, what the aftermath was and also
information about Robert E. Lee’s land used to build Arlington that he had to
drive around the statue multiple times.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>No one complained.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We took some time around the hugely
impressive statue to take it in before returning to the bus. There’s something
about that memorial that really carries the weight of what it represents.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOWMV9SaDqCnTaHT6Xdot_WPLAMzhxPVQy6x_Z9UBAMHJol2DuaEdretTEQePGxEgPWjzRZOPtSxRCG_6AWuwegLrO3v8TrXzMKWsA0o-1K3MlrqpqVa5-8wuFFgAQGVOwK9xcMkg6SDfK3jly6hbQ7LxP3EdJyhdK_mLznI03ozY8eXXUGdrEw3qketn/s4032/other%20side%20iwo%20jima.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOWMV9SaDqCnTaHT6Xdot_WPLAMzhxPVQy6x_Z9UBAMHJol2DuaEdretTEQePGxEgPWjzRZOPtSxRCG_6AWuwegLrO3v8TrXzMKWsA0o-1K3MlrqpqVa5-8wuFFgAQGVOwK9xcMkg6SDfK3jly6hbQ7LxP3EdJyhdK_mLznI03ozY8eXXUGdrEw3qketn/w400-h300/other%20side%20iwo%20jima.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />On the way back, the information flow
continued. Mr. History parked the bus on a bridge and pointed out landmarks of
DC that delineated the size of Iwo Jima, with the Washington Monument about the
height of Mount Suribachi. In that space, fifty thousand Americans and Japanese
were killed in a little over a month.<br />The scale of history is terrifying
sometimes.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahhIP2jkOScwiaTAP2K24051Hy6_qSGVn0jeMKVTSjUOUI5veb0nNOdhRNDLpHnm31WYvLMIGAUaWfzX48HIlXzVUK6oxrzTYEfHe0tamMrQtKcAO_Za0qGwFY9X7KAAbtVPZ9h_PABhRbZ5yYbOLSQd-4LPkpz7scX_HGH3Sk68JKlzuy81SWtet6OZF/s4032/washington%20as%20suribachi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahhIP2jkOScwiaTAP2K24051Hy6_qSGVn0jeMKVTSjUOUI5veb0nNOdhRNDLpHnm31WYvLMIGAUaWfzX48HIlXzVUK6oxrzTYEfHe0tamMrQtKcAO_Za0qGwFY9X7KAAbtVPZ9h_PABhRbZ5yYbOLSQd-4LPkpz7scX_HGH3Sk68JKlzuy81SWtet6OZF/w400-h300/washington%20as%20suribachi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></o:p>We could also see the Watergate hotel as
we crossed the Potomac.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HvM2xqWpYGAuuLWRKr9ktdO1plklQTk_Yu0XvwDBeoUa1KSnhhLlULm1JoH9FqPd3I8HrDcAUJhcdfVt4h-xObxroXxl0HBmkLllDq7LpbcG0Kv9NjIR2veBFL44pJVCt-MfWyUWdEM81cVcmKW3VK0GK-r4DY8DG-muTEywy-ACzRbZQWL4ExS0dxl5/s4032/blurry%20white%20house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HvM2xqWpYGAuuLWRKr9ktdO1plklQTk_Yu0XvwDBeoUa1KSnhhLlULm1JoH9FqPd3I8HrDcAUJhcdfVt4h-xObxroXxl0HBmkLllDq7LpbcG0Kv9NjIR2veBFL44pJVCt-MfWyUWdEM81cVcmKW3VK0GK-r4DY8DG-muTEywy-ACzRbZQWL4ExS0dxl5/w400-h300/blurry%20white%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>After a lifetime of hearing Tom Lehrer’s
“Send the Marines” song, I finally learned what OAS was. The Organization of
American States, the first ever group of nations, like the League of Nations or
UN (though the name changed a couple of times). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc62jpuInSLjC9hvRDqc7nah8u1F11Ujnwc56usrSw8eQfLdaAmt3QQzPbcBA4YOrCNAInG5MJ-9gaO7sPg3p1qCTeNNiQSS5Jpszt2o9w6lEUvFMuo-7bQcZrhNYA4JEvXlByLC0naQCZZbeio_t62lI-cYox_74fEdWSSeAfYc7PyeBHsijwuXw2TNu/s4032/oas%20building.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc62jpuInSLjC9hvRDqc7nah8u1F11Ujnwc56usrSw8eQfLdaAmt3QQzPbcBA4YOrCNAInG5MJ-9gaO7sPg3p1qCTeNNiQSS5Jpszt2o9w6lEUvFMuo-7bQcZrhNYA4JEvXlByLC0naQCZZbeio_t62lI-cYox_74fEdWSSeAfYc7PyeBHsijwuXw2TNu/w400-h300/oas%20building.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It’s made of North, Central and
South American countries. It turned out we walked by it the<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-1-may-14-2023.html" target="_blank"> first day</a> we were
here, which we didn’t figure out until we walked by it later on.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzsEPIkPn7ydzmmXze_78LRwGCDoO43N6fxduoI79TBDiQ8Bbv99Y9dk9OW6LNXFkCdNbfUrRh0-uTxzDR2MOwr8t8qjOca2p5H-mg7u_U-luhYsFd6KYZD2lwjRakMLDENIwfWKpQmzz99HqOA-i-IQ-RJO_Ay99xSCI-5KsknZtWLbwxeYMeGgPLdmD/s4032/willard%20hotel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzsEPIkPn7ydzmmXze_78LRwGCDoO43N6fxduoI79TBDiQ8Bbv99Y9dk9OW6LNXFkCdNbfUrRh0-uTxzDR2MOwr8t8qjOca2p5H-mg7u_U-luhYsFd6KYZD2lwjRakMLDENIwfWKpQmzz99HqOA-i-IQ-RJO_Ay99xSCI-5KsknZtWLbwxeYMeGgPLdmD/w400-h300/willard%20hotel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Watergate was in the distance, but we
also passed right next to the Willard Hotel, a location with a grander history.
Martin Luther King stayed there before his speech, and it went back to Grant
meeting with Lobbyists in the Lobby (hence the name) and Abe Lincoln meeting
with Julia Ward Howe who wrote “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Mr. History sang that one. Anabelle
joined in.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We thanked him extensively as we exited.
On the way home we passed Harry’s, a nifty looking bar and grill we probably
should have tried. This was both because of the menu and them having a Peruvian
flag flying outside.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Entertainment continued in our own
lobby. There was a clearly inebriated young woman, wobbling near a group of
paramedics and police officers along with the upstairs bartender, who looked
like he was standing at attention.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle’s “I’m in college” perspective
was that the woman had passed out drunk, they called the paramedics, and she
woke up mostly fine, but confused.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Back at the room we desperately needed
to shower off the three phased tourism day. While Rosa followed Anabelle’s
lead, and I confirmed we had everything we needed for the next day, Anabelle
was extremely helpful by standing near me and repeating. “Wooo, what stinks?”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Ooh, I lost a toenail! Clearly, we were
at or near <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/walt-disney-world-2022-august-2-11.html" target="_blank">Disney </a>levels of walking.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Following the previous night’s example,
we watched the Science entries of <i>School House Rock.<br /> </i><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa was the first to pass out this
evening, with the two of us not far behind.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>21500 steps<br /> 9.1 miles</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">Click here for the next day</a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-46817691892227895592024-02-01T09:30:00.000-08:002024-02-01T14:06:40.972-08:00Some Special Doctor Who Specials<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzPgsecZVh0YHbU0ftfVs3BN3c07cctWWtlHX4W4yIL2B2u-S0q3yLf2yKMQCykAclrTd2J1qZM4lZnHj-N9tgQQWMiAaHSN76OY2JBl9LkwcUQz7xUVv3Ht1UC3cLi5s7uEqG3RiIJc6ThUmhdyxaF8VBscr1OhIdSTiH9SzBKxcavFQKSg3pqCtfLg-/s1080/60th%20anniversaries.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1080" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzPgsecZVh0YHbU0ftfVs3BN3c07cctWWtlHX4W4yIL2B2u-S0q3yLf2yKMQCykAclrTd2J1qZM4lZnHj-N9tgQQWMiAaHSN76OY2JBl9LkwcUQz7xUVv3Ht1UC3cLi5s7uEqG3RiIJc6ThUmhdyxaF8VBscr1OhIdSTiH9SzBKxcavFQKSg3pqCtfLg-/w400-h390/60th%20anniversaries.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The thirteenth anniversary of this blog, (earlier this week but after the last post) will be a look at another anniversary. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Doctor Who! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(at the end of last year)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's as good an excuse as any for how late this is.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Sixtieth Anniversary, the return of Christmas Specials and a new Doctor!<br />What a time to be a Whovian!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A Whovian who has been a fan of the show for over <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/11/doctor-is-in.html" target="_blank">forty years.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ouch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Obviously I am very happy about the return of the old Logo shape.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some generalities to start with.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anabelle pointed out the importance of the return of Murray Gold. It's not that the in between composer wasn't good, but the episodes feel far more full with Gold's music. There weren't really any cues that stuck with us during Jodie's run and the lack of past musical references removed some of the feeling of continuity. The specials had new music, call backs to Gold's previous run, and musical references to occurrences of the Chibnall era when referenced. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was and am a big fan of <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/12/new-who-views-latest-season-what-flux.html" target="_blank">Jodie</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/11/new-who-views-jodies-term-ending-with.html" target="_blank">Whittaker's</a> portrayal of the Doctor, and the show was still better than most things on the air when it ran and now. But the specials have returned Doctor Who to bringing a great deal more satisfaction when the stories end, which was missing in much of the writing of the previous run. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/11/doctor-who-revisiting-revisting.html" target="_blank">Fiftieth Anniversary</a> was a tribute to all of Doctor Who, but mostly a celebration of the returned series.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/11/new-who-views-jodies-term-ending-with.html" target="_blank">BBC Centenary </a>special felt like more of a celebration of Classic Who as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enough comparing and dwelling on the past, it's time to look at each of the new specials.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because these were different, and aside from some mending, were much more about looking forward. For all the crazy theories about who else was coming back with Tennant and Tate, this was their run, done in three parts, for both in story and out of story reasons. A pair of performers that had one of the best Doctor/ Companion chemistries wanted to come back to have a couple more adventures. Russell T Davies let the BBC know, wrote the stories, got some Disney money and the rest is history. (and boy did they throw that Disney money up on the screen!) Donna and the Doctor have both gone through many things since they last met. They have changed somewhat with the weight of that time (an insane amount of time on the Doctor's part) but their chemistry is still magic.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Children in Need</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A nice little <a href="https://youtu.be/RfLtAdSgWPQ?si=-bbIejB37qg5z3-j" target="_blank">pile of bootstrap paradoxes</a> heralding a fun era of Doctor Who!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Star Beast</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of all the possible characters to return, Beep the Meep, from an old comic strip in Doctor Who Magazine had to be one of the lowest guesses on everyone's list. It does make me hopeful that we'll see Frobisher appear in the show, since the technology is available to bring a shape shifting sentient penguin to life now. The story here, as stated taken from a comic strip, is incidental. The real point was getting Donna and the Doctor back together. The even realer point was undoing what I feel was the biggest downer ending in all of NuWho. Donna had a fantastic character arc, and taking it all away was a glorious tragedy... but I'd rather have a glorious happy ending any day. The bond and connections between both the performers and the characters were incredibly obvious. Removing any possibility of revisiting that, or remembering it for Donna, was far more heartbreaking than it needed to be. This is particularly true since it came right after the extreme high of the "Everyone Flies the TARDIS 'Song of Freedom' " moment. We got a good old fashioned, fast paced Doctor Who tale, with Miriam Margoyles being equal parts goofy fun, and horrifying as Beep the Meep. The start of the victory lap for Donna and the Doctor repaired the past and sent them running for the next specials. Donna's husband and daughter were just as fantastic additions to the supporting cast as her Grandad and Mom were in the past and still are.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Wild Blue Yonder</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the story that stands the most on its own. The first one is to reset the downer ending from the past, the final one is to introduce the new Doctor and tone. This one is to focus on the Doctor and Donna together. How better to do that than do a story where Tennant and Tate are the only performers in it, as both heroes and villains? They were fun together, there were terrifying moments, and an outrageous amount of running involved. Doctor Who in a nutshell. There was a tiny cold open with some other actors, but I don't thing anything that happened there will have an impact of any mavity on the general goings on of the Whoniverse. The bit with using the salt superstition at the end of the universe was a weird but cool bit of justification for the show taking on more fantasy elements. Minor nit pick- It made for good suspense, but for all the talk and demonstration of the bond between The Doctor and Donna, I feel like he should have recognized which one was correct when he brought her on the TARDIS at the end, and had the fact that it was the wrong one be part of his complex plan or something. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Giggle</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The return of a foe not seen since the First Doctor's era, over fifty-seven years ago. Sort of... new fantastic actor, the same character. Neil Patrick Harris's performance makes me really want a live action <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/10/bat-lets-final-thoughts.html" target="_blank">Batman</a> Versus the Music Meister now. C'mon <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-guardians-go-out-with-bang.html" target="_blank">James Gunn</a>, you're a master at working music into superhero stuff already. Make it happen. We also get the return of a classic companion, Mel! Honestly, it could have been anyone, the point here was that the idea offered in "Power of the Doctor" that UNIT could hire any past companion is now a reality! This is excellent news as the answer of most Whovians to the question, "Who should they bring back?" is EVERYBODY!!!! Between that, the Memory TARDIS, and Davies's goofy idea that the bi-generation was retroactive, meaning all the Doctors are still flying around through time and space (something I think all Whovians secretly believe) we're set. The gangs of past actors who are enthusiastic about returning to this amazing show now have multiple ways to come back whenever they want. We got a huge nostalgia filled story last year, making it too soon to do that again. This one had some nostalgia but was more about looking forward. Between the Toymaker, Mel and the returning lead duo, there was enough looking back. Plus any day with Kate and UNIT is a good one. But the idea was to show that the addition of more fantasy elements into Doctor Who wasn't going to change what the core of the show was about. The Doctor still pointed out the dark parts of humanity, but sided with them because the light parts can overwhelm those. (Once again, like Craig Ferguson said, "</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Intellect
and romance triumph over brute force and cynicism!") As usual with Russell T Davies, the change has an in story reason. Because of the bi-generation, the Fourteenth Doctor will have the happy ending/ healing time he needs to allow the Fifteenth to operate without a chunk of the emotional baggage the Doctor has been lugging around for much of the current series.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Church on Ruby Road</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Man, did I miss Christmas specials! They always have a bit more warm hearted whimsy than regular episodes do. It also snuck in a bit of a Christmas reference with its <i>It's a Wonderful Life </i>like demonstration of the impact one person can have. Since this was the only episode we've gotten so far with the new Doctor and companion, we won't know how much of that whimsy will transition into the show with its greater fantasy element, and how much was due to the Christmas special. Either way it will be fun to find out. Notice the show still stays true to the show's philosophy: the time jumping, singing goblins in a flying boat still do not use magic, but an alternate kind of science. Also, singing. Woo!!!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The new Doctor is full of fun and energy and wisdom and gadgets and compassion. And the new companion is wide eyed and enthusiastic and brave and resourceful and kind. There's new adventures to be had and new mysteries to solve. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I can't wait till the stories continue throughout all of time and space in May.</span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-38031909453683028722024-01-29T10:00:00.000-08:002024-02-05T09:43:15.407-08:00Washington DC Day 2- May 15, 2023<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Ravishing Rockets</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H8YXX0R-Zy-qSa1dcXMGP9LH4s4RlS4Pa8ssjTN1y2kpfoWC43TMgxNaX5smJfHXs5_ZsVaQwgVPpVS3IoXNxZZR0_FOVG_9ykwkc_RtlDXd89qFnsX93a0im_6-Pdaot4q1g1kuwHNnUBBPz5X46TKYNAnw3A5pX7VNhs-M8EtUAyFGf0yT_oZbvOYp/s4032/enterprise%20close%20up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H8YXX0R-Zy-qSa1dcXMGP9LH4s4RlS4Pa8ssjTN1y2kpfoWC43TMgxNaX5smJfHXs5_ZsVaQwgVPpVS3IoXNxZZR0_FOVG_9ykwkc_RtlDXd89qFnsX93a0im_6-Pdaot4q1g1kuwHNnUBBPz5X46TKYNAnw3A5pX7VNhs-M8EtUAyFGf0yT_oZbvOYp/w400-h300/enterprise%20close%20up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>Rosa had her alarm set for the
complimentary breakfast. I could probably have run on extra sleep and Power Bars
but decided to join her downstairs so she wouldn’t be lonely. Anabelle was
immobile, reaching the coma like state only college students at the start of
break can attain.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The set up did not have the volume or
obviousness of gluten free objects the woman who booked our stay led us to
believe would be there. Luckily, one of the wait staff was Latin and Rosa could
get a tour of the few items that qualified. I went directly to the “Steel Cut
Oatmeal” sign…<br />And found a tureen full of grits.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We ate and brought a meal delivery up to
our unconscious child.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>This was one of the longest “start of
the day” walks we had on the trip, due to a mix of distance and distraction. Because
of construction and limited access, the Air and Space Museum was the only one
we were interested in on the Mall that required reserving a date and time. It
was at the furthest end of the Mall from our hotel, over next to the Capitol,
and also on the southern side. We had a reserved time for when the museum
opened at Ten AM with an hour grace period… which we didn’t notice until we got
there.<br />(Spoilers- We didn’t make it.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The combination of it being our first
family trip to DC, and the first day we were walking that direction increased
our normal penchant for getting distracted to a large degree.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnDLIZ1Trz5XDFX79EV78TgHyScO_0unIFdLaXmE-IG4J1qbDKXn2gwd0t9A_lXwFc9frWGlDCXHbYagHRrpORdAur0qq26mIFGF1OCIGyNOeaKQ8EP_3MBSF4yWPlrDLwPnxW8ggLc38dcZQs3Vv3IVfpqRlFNHLw6RBxGDPFDT06d2EA6_iUPwiOWNE/s4032/extra%20mile%20start.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnDLIZ1Trz5XDFX79EV78TgHyScO_0unIFdLaXmE-IG4J1qbDKXn2gwd0t9A_lXwFc9frWGlDCXHbYagHRrpORdAur0qq26mIFGF1OCIGyNOeaKQ8EP_3MBSF4yWPlrDLwPnxW8ggLc38dcZQs3Vv3IVfpqRlFNHLw6RBxGDPFDT06d2EA6_iUPwiOWNE/w400-h300/extra%20mile%20start.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Down one of the streets we walked were
large medallions on the sidewalk honoring those who had done volunteer or
philanthropic work. It was called “The Extra Mile” and featured several folks
we recognized, including Clara Barton. Anabelle had wanted to be her in the
grammar school “wax museum” but another kid took her because she had darker
hair. Anabelle is still pissed about this, but she did begin her special
relationship with Abigail Adams as part of that “wax museum,” meaning it worked
out for the best.<br />Hey, “The Extra Mile!” I get it now. It
was a long drive.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvFiQn7IK70ahJgBG6O6REOa_8nmMmqHl0VC_jShLWFM0LpLNOlmnJ1s7YfVMc-7_2pIa096g1itxYWqVWhgu-bJndzNYuw008CJ5sLOFTlJGn8M0bA3K2DexHBUpCA_5eXFDnZreZIOE4eab1lrCJL8TLs2I8hqD2WSNzgyDzfk8BRdEBeoKGjO_il9j/s4032/wwi%20entry%20way.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvFiQn7IK70ahJgBG6O6REOa_8nmMmqHl0VC_jShLWFM0LpLNOlmnJ1s7YfVMc-7_2pIa096g1itxYWqVWhgu-bJndzNYuw008CJ5sLOFTlJGn8M0bA3K2DexHBUpCA_5eXFDnZreZIOE4eab1lrCJL8TLs2I8hqD2WSNzgyDzfk8BRdEBeoKGjO_il9j/w400-h300/wwi%20entry%20way.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On Pennsylvania Avenue, we spent some
time wandering through, and being interested in the World War I memorial,
featuring fountains, three dimensional maps, and an impressive General Pershing
statue. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjGXo-LbTgu0Wdr8jVEM82NfCQQo3yVmUM-7r9ZFXK9jkXUw5xq-rsyOHNYsXtxrgClT_zr58y7kK3i-xtYUg9GVfBWq1goZOeAEu08pWqK0K3JUicLvG1LEV7g9i3Fxh2GqFAlDREpX_nN5aQ5ojDOj7xAb21XoaIqOqff8lkXIz3iEthhp7Q6tRYh_F/s4032/pershing%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjGXo-LbTgu0Wdr8jVEM82NfCQQo3yVmUM-7r9ZFXK9jkXUw5xq-rsyOHNYsXtxrgClT_zr58y7kK3i-xtYUg9GVfBWq1goZOeAEu08pWqK0K3JUicLvG1LEV7g9i3Fxh2GqFAlDREpX_nN5aQ5ojDOj7xAb21XoaIqOqff8lkXIz3iEthhp7Q6tRYh_F/w400-h300/pershing%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>If we had understood this diagonal route to the Capitol would be the
primary path we travelled most days, we likely wouldn’t have taken the time to
poke around here this day.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6XI7hpA5_1DupADiGScOqXnaYukv-NvQTtvgQCqkVBgEAU5sCjeWsO1rpekkDMxVwsHWV0_D5drrqbr2CiP-LQRay3DiZ7bJToIOXt9KLpucfj85cERkC0ytV6D6DQNzN4ClW9YLduz1IPioXzWpq_kzqUKnBwRuo6Hwo1N3u8eoGLAOzz_vC236g5wz/s4032/wwi%20memorial%20map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6XI7hpA5_1DupADiGScOqXnaYukv-NvQTtvgQCqkVBgEAU5sCjeWsO1rpekkDMxVwsHWV0_D5drrqbr2CiP-LQRay3DiZ7bJToIOXt9KLpucfj85cERkC0ytV6D6DQNzN4ClW9YLduz1IPioXzWpq_kzqUKnBwRuo6Hwo1N3u8eoGLAOzz_vC236g5wz/w400-h300/wwi%20memorial%20map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Give us a break. We were new at this.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WcnpnBZUp7iUuV8WneSlZPpD9rvkx6U5cfx7t4T4fXwIxxUtcBV1Vc9N1iz9KPkNF4arSlmkZJ5cCOBk-SnIci38DlTL2LGdU9R2iIVPGSy5zrHk3tmLbZnaq90LLMH86gebFGvp_tqPaiLHv3WL7n4HbeBZaxkh5xnopJyDc1gnkBuf0sJD-0AYhX8i/s4032/washington%20street.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WcnpnBZUp7iUuV8WneSlZPpD9rvkx6U5cfx7t4T4fXwIxxUtcBV1Vc9N1iz9KPkNF4arSlmkZJ5cCOBk-SnIci38DlTL2LGdU9R2iIVPGSy5zrHk3tmLbZnaq90LLMH86gebFGvp_tqPaiLHv3WL7n4HbeBZaxkh5xnopJyDc1gnkBuf0sJD-0AYhX8i/w400-h300/washington%20street.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>We made our way onto the National Mall,
and between two of the other museums on the way to Air and Space was what
appeared to be a large, very floral, herb garden. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzw-AVoBlbLjfbs61dxod0mjiZ2sv-aplWQPMAKFyjdLYtdaKejm61CnwGpNnxIYPiTnAs8g__tsrzBYpNYrJFuRSxOFE71CWKBd01qwKTij2PK5BDohqIl6Dn8QywBV_gh4D7yYJL-UhmsuzkOamC8Wq7E6HdgtlaZBtDJRvdH1ohwdOtYX8OTTy0TQP/s4032/smithsonian%20castle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzw-AVoBlbLjfbs61dxod0mjiZ2sv-aplWQPMAKFyjdLYtdaKejm61CnwGpNnxIYPiTnAs8g__tsrzBYpNYrJFuRSxOFE71CWKBd01qwKTij2PK5BDohqIl6Dn8QywBV_gh4D7yYJL-UhmsuzkOamC8Wq7E6HdgtlaZBtDJRvdH1ohwdOtYX8OTTy0TQP/w400-h300/smithsonian%20castle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The worthy stop of looking
around the natural beauty added more to our travel time. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9TS32Tgf5uQI2CmkoCbwOx-mmU3Zu10bDAm5RjK-xoWgBXlAyKBPOoy2bWEWiXEToAFuAphQaPpRNiu8I4-PhLGAX02wuOrt9hYPafuTAUKI5xHbGzqPYRCQqFc1cB_1p2vAKLJmSg3hY9LVfFFYvkdLieBkTKPdueN9aIeCJ623QKYa_rBryRrhriP0/s4032/herb%20garden.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9TS32Tgf5uQI2CmkoCbwOx-mmU3Zu10bDAm5RjK-xoWgBXlAyKBPOoy2bWEWiXEToAFuAphQaPpRNiu8I4-PhLGAX02wuOrt9hYPafuTAUKI5xHbGzqPYRCQqFc1cB_1p2vAKLJmSg3hY9LVfFFYvkdLieBkTKPdueN9aIeCJ623QKYa_rBryRrhriP0/w400-h300/herb%20garden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Anabelle took many an
artsy flower photo, as well as shots of my feet to <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/08/denver-2022-may-4-to13.html" target="_blank">return</a> to that running gag.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_pLydGWRl90rigJm2Fg-dH4Hz6RMY-UPSuZEe9Y-LGkIco3XkX4ZRaZU5iyz4oIIQ3Vb84J4hHkn7-w5Hh4O74GoKujb4F_InXztVWEndobK3i8-BRw90UtMULuG_ROho-wWr1l81AHrQVEtKYP6P3_cgJjMvkj4QlIBHnhXnkzF6M0aeetNXP_tpd-3/s4032/my%20shoes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_pLydGWRl90rigJm2Fg-dH4Hz6RMY-UPSuZEe9Y-LGkIco3XkX4ZRaZU5iyz4oIIQ3Vb84J4hHkn7-w5Hh4O74GoKujb4F_InXztVWEndobK3i8-BRw90UtMULuG_ROho-wWr1l81AHrQVEtKYP6P3_cgJjMvkj4QlIBHnhXnkzF6M0aeetNXP_tpd-3/w400-h300/my%20shoes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>At the Air and Space Museum, we learned
we had to follow the fenced in path around the entire building to the entrance
on the other side, where the street was. We also learned our ticket, originally
set up for the opening time of the location, had that one hour window listed on
it.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Probably should have read that sooner,
huh?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Luckily, like almost any museum or zoo
we have visited with pre-registration, the people at the door didn’t care about
the end time on the ticket, as long as it was past the start time. Therefore,
in we went.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback: On past vacations, this
was always my favorite part of the Washington trip. We’d spend a full day here
at the bare minimum. On the occasions we stayed at a hotel only a couple of
blocks from it, Kim and I would run down and re-explore it while our folks were
packing or resting as well. Sadly for them, when the rest of my family came two
years before, only half of the first floor was accessible thanks to the work
and elevator issues.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaIjqfXZlcCw_-n5Xj33sPB-dGAyk_to4-FaOWzNo6bDVK4tg1ei4wPmMg_1Nz36aEfmucGVVmY6FCjG0i5Iz4YqH3UCHbcbnoEDf1_MrNmRr1wzGxu0VQuKnwoML8gOgei2XI5mwOh6LgiguPCFCvP_XxLSqOSH_TeXdp0KjHBAcRKtk-iVzarIIKKOa/s4032/me%20and%20enterprise.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaIjqfXZlcCw_-n5Xj33sPB-dGAyk_to4-FaOWzNo6bDVK4tg1ei4wPmMg_1Nz36aEfmucGVVmY6FCjG0i5Iz4YqH3UCHbcbnoEDf1_MrNmRr1wzGxu0VQuKnwoML8gOgei2XI5mwOh6LgiguPCFCvP_XxLSqOSH_TeXdp0KjHBAcRKtk-iVzarIIKKOa/w400-h300/me%20and%20enterprise.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The original filming model of the
Enterprise had been refurbished and finally returned to display shortly before
the whole update of the museum happened. Then it was gone again. Fortunately,
my geeky reputation preceded me, and good old NCC-1701 in its new fancy display
case was placed to welcome me at the only available entrance.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1QiCXycOOJfT1-eRcCIKnE1OrKZ4Awxdo-6bYyvYVFpW6QA5A9VxMXEqXnoFw6B-blIyLctc3nErXSCOe-VdSDSsCzPxHrqzaBDE-3gH-9KebidfIkTBNAyQ1ETtV0qDYUx_FIY5oh7Lsjb9mwSGuL-uYpkOKxM4h2cOwh3A1nJxL6FdIz2ggLW2jgk5/s4032/enterprise%20weeee%20pod.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1QiCXycOOJfT1-eRcCIKnE1OrKZ4Awxdo-6bYyvYVFpW6QA5A9VxMXEqXnoFw6B-blIyLctc3nErXSCOe-VdSDSsCzPxHrqzaBDE-3gH-9KebidfIkTBNAyQ1ETtV0qDYUx_FIY5oh7Lsjb9mwSGuL-uYpkOKxM4h2cOwh3A1nJxL6FdIz2ggLW2jgk5/w400-h300/enterprise%20weeee%20pod.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I stared at it a long time, marveled,
read the labels, and helped Anabelle to find the little pod that goes “<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-triumphant-return-of-treklets.html" target="_blank">Weeee!</a>”
when Kirk bangs on his arm rest. While taking the requisite “Live long and
prosper” picture. I overheard some other fans who didn’t think it was a model
used for filming. I quickly corrected them and pointed to the display notes as
a reference.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8iWfn-pkueYLlOP70HWpqXP-6njLcpIz1NTFNmGP9sTRREESpJudTDP_UxPoYsYV3jpsKzInR44RlOXiXUus71Ea4c5AYQW5cDca4U3nb7Ifi-y4-4VtBbEo80I5j932MTFFgC2oAhiliSX4-Q1mB26dzhYEWPChxZw4gX7ofqLwR2fet2G8TtfKaVnr/s4032/goddard%20rocket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8iWfn-pkueYLlOP70HWpqXP-6njLcpIz1NTFNmGP9sTRREESpJudTDP_UxPoYsYV3jpsKzInR44RlOXiXUus71Ea4c5AYQW5cDca4U3nb7Ifi-y4-4VtBbEo80I5j932MTFFgC2oAhiliSX4-Q1mB26dzhYEWPChxZw4gX7ofqLwR2fet2G8TtfKaVnr/w400-h300/goddard%20rocket.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Also in the entrance lobby was Robert
Goddard’s first rocket. Anabelle though it was cool because it was launched on
her birthday, and also…<br />ROCKET!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVaLCRamQn5MCJE0nv9EvcM97gJAAEuuzG6L8RXXF3DLWCDp3P06j2DqRrap7q4Lxc-sm8vY5S1JOZSLJ8Z81iDjuXD872uMHLBa_rXaogy-sLt3nV1s0IZ6ASNDfvTk_6YerzHQq7CgQMI9ufjs7jkDQMeuYRPtGFuqJtSCj8t1ENsn_u3ObXtNgMqdq/s4032/air%20space%20lobby%20plane.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVaLCRamQn5MCJE0nv9EvcM97gJAAEuuzG6L8RXXF3DLWCDp3P06j2DqRrap7q4Lxc-sm8vY5S1JOZSLJ8Z81iDjuXD872uMHLBa_rXaogy-sLt3nV1s0IZ6ASNDfvTk_6YerzHQq7CgQMI9ufjs7jkDQMeuYRPtGFuqJtSCj8t1ENsn_u3ObXtNgMqdq/w400-h300/air%20space%20lobby%20plane.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The final lobby exhibit was the racing
airplane flown by Neil Loving, an African American double amputee. Or as Anabelle
referred to it, “A plane…yawn.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The exaggerated, actually stating “yawn”
was her way to signal she did not share my enthusiasm or interest for an
exhibit.<br />Because parenthood is the gift that
never stops giving.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRmhIAMw8l77KjVM6GnhAyqjK4uc4Dy00xAP-4phg1nblIbZDuN_GvdmJGKJZi_iObdhmuap2TM1mQi0J6-Q3QTdKZavGHOInu9bGmxO-hpP23UESuzlKpiXHiBZAEwzwT3gPRd4myjmp-seI2ToDhDZzUhylZfM8YPhfx_Vkv5oCIxn72B67Oo10In_B/s4032/autogyro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRmhIAMw8l77KjVM6GnhAyqjK4uc4Dy00xAP-4phg1nblIbZDuN_GvdmJGKJZi_iObdhmuap2TM1mQi0J6-Q3QTdKZavGHOInu9bGmxO-hpP23UESuzlKpiXHiBZAEwzwT3gPRd4myjmp-seI2ToDhDZzUhylZfM8YPhfx_Vkv5oCIxn72B67Oo10In_B/w400-h300/autogyro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Only about half the museum was open, which
was a bummer, but at least we got that much. The first side room we entered was
“We All Fly” about humanity’s general fascination with flight, and ways common
folks participate.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAC12wc0QFIpJspqYsYFM9o0624q32Mw9_Ug4uR0UTtx_p_46jz1hZ2Zqw09U3ikY254HLpo10iaXti-RCgm7O4AEKpjfqDIj6_JL11NtdeYkQeIWCLXftGm4zmof6rkCIct-IoNb7kSTHrKtWJx9DFve6RxlPWVNe3YkTPLlDNdfm8TI4piEH8lPtK-0I/s4032/giant%20drone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAC12wc0QFIpJspqYsYFM9o0624q32Mw9_Ug4uR0UTtx_p_46jz1hZ2Zqw09U3ikY254HLpo10iaXti-RCgm7O4AEKpjfqDIj6_JL11NtdeYkQeIWCLXftGm4zmof6rkCIct-IoNb7kSTHrKtWJx9DFve6RxlPWVNe3YkTPLlDNdfm8TI4piEH8lPtK-0I/w400-h300/giant%20drone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There was a large section on drones, including some
impressively massive ones used for delivering medical supplies. That was tied
in with a “flying hospital” plan used to treat folks in hard to access places.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Like…where the patients lived was hard
to access.<br /> Nobody needs anything with a propeller
trying to find their unmentionables.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There was also section highlighting how
access to simulated flight can be inspirational, such as featuring Neil
Armstrong’s model planes from his childhood.<br />Yes, this was incredibly cool!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFHpQ92hyfwp2tZEY8z0uGGPjisKhHDD_n4UPV9qLx2MaS3qZ6KWNslqdJ_ImMwQXuhGLx0egyrEvPnppsFvNJLUIS20LfHhDtleAmleNjg6wRb0AKlfyZTLS0ITaoeKQAAhxj5M9W3Bxbw1a7qtGsSHcuO1OEHpYoVHOem7PWT89cAeugLs6fBdTrzuE/s4032/wright%20brothers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFHpQ92hyfwp2tZEY8z0uGGPjisKhHDD_n4UPV9qLx2MaS3qZ6KWNslqdJ_ImMwQXuhGLx0egyrEvPnppsFvNJLUIS20LfHhDtleAmleNjg6wRb0AKlfyZTLS0ITaoeKQAAhxj5M9W3Bxbw1a7qtGsSHcuO1OEHpYoVHOem7PWT89cAeugLs6fBdTrzuE/w400-h300/wright%20brothers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The next side room was a large
collection featuring the Wright Brothers… as there should be. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAn_6gcCA-DyHiUvetlhU5EMuFgDoBvh0IZYMPSAYUAe3FuWfGD8DzNrL7Q7IP09B6H1Da2Imy-DjWxzi3R-3KJcU_JJZ90ZXepxYUBL_HI8oi1JiQ_U6SkQLrLCvoOg2I8QVFW0LTYiHpHvvhHLlSPlu4WVgaK2HAwSuEjxzPAdSDeBuqSzSNL06UtA55/s4032/kitty%20hawk%20flier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAn_6gcCA-DyHiUvetlhU5EMuFgDoBvh0IZYMPSAYUAe3FuWfGD8DzNrL7Q7IP09B6H1Da2Imy-DjWxzi3R-3KJcU_JJZ90ZXepxYUBL_HI8oi1JiQ_U6SkQLrLCvoOg2I8QVFW0LTYiHpHvvhHLlSPlu4WVgaK2HAwSuEjxzPAdSDeBuqSzSNL06UtA55/w400-h300/kitty%20hawk%20flier.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I thought it
was funny that, while the original Kitty Hawk flier dominated the center of the
room, the description around the exceptionally rare bicycle from the Wright
Brother’s shop seemed like the museum was more excited about having it than the
plane.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7pPPeuFWkMZqd4NWln7ls81QKwMi7_m2WtuaM96MJdYJH7c1hzk60iDfL_0Qc7fe0X_vFE8rQm7QW7-QE3p_95W9F_AVDOVUrwqy4Y0U8H1izasvadXDT6yc0A0J5zQH3bcvbc51tNh6fE-tIi49FFgFHrugamspHWMtH8qF9wIlLd51eGY0IXozTG6O/s4032/writght%20brothers%20bike.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7pPPeuFWkMZqd4NWln7ls81QKwMi7_m2WtuaM96MJdYJH7c1hzk60iDfL_0Qc7fe0X_vFE8rQm7QW7-QE3p_95W9F_AVDOVUrwqy4Y0U8H1izasvadXDT6yc0A0J5zQH3bcvbc51tNh6fE-tIi49FFgFHrugamspHWMtH8qF9wIlLd51eGY0IXozTG6O/w400-h300/writght%20brothers%20bike.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A nugget of information I never
considered before, they had to figure out how to lighten the engine weight
early on. This was not to make their one plane fly better; it was in order that
the plane could be shipped by boat overseas to demonstrate it flying in Europe.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjet_2TfaWNXDpnIO7Qrd4UG9T-9zSQekN1TLzW4lnEpB39gaLI7Ie2YPWrQF1la46laW_Pcc4DXd5yoUTGFrLF4A3eFIs_5g1bSoEBd3jnW7B0VRxZdKT7IIjZF3gwlraF1li_8j71-YwchqBr-YUG0MzlwA6Km9WCsG9c3649dUaWXQL6of_YPWPQAKtz/s4032/other%20writght%20planes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjet_2TfaWNXDpnIO7Qrd4UG9T-9zSQekN1TLzW4lnEpB39gaLI7Ie2YPWrQF1la46laW_Pcc4DXd5yoUTGFrLF4A3eFIs_5g1bSoEBd3jnW7B0VRxZdKT7IIjZF3gwlraF1li_8j71-YwchqBr-YUG0MzlwA6Km9WCsG9c3649dUaWXQL6of_YPWPQAKtz/w400-h300/other%20writght%20planes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>The entire history of early flight can
be summed up with a Tim Allen like “More Power!” Technically most of modern
flight is like that as well.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Sadly, none of the little sample models
propellers spun. The hazards of reopening, I guess.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAn-447B5L3TKAibIT8m9nQrO_VoxsLx42B81-Xlov3XaJWir0QJd7L5zCWitTkFCAMQ4Hcc78v2PEAhrtS2zaVpw0JYmqYDudE3p0iDILIPSMzAHO6esGmk1dA-WSIVe3guFxpeJ3dzQNwalRutB3Hq6K6ZHYr0rY5qkoTeUqUbkggrDJql7XNxkoaEGJ/s4032/weird%20balloon%20city.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAn-447B5L3TKAibIT8m9nQrO_VoxsLx42B81-Xlov3XaJWir0QJd7L5zCWitTkFCAMQ4Hcc78v2PEAhrtS2zaVpw0JYmqYDudE3p0iDILIPSMzAHO6esGmk1dA-WSIVe3guFxpeJ3dzQNwalRutB3Hq6K6ZHYr0rY5qkoTeUqUbkggrDJql7XNxkoaEGJ/w400-h300/weird%20balloon%20city.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Anabelle is not a plane enthusiast
(“yawn”) and her favorite part of the “earliest of flight” section was the model
of an insane idea for a literal “air ship” Flying Boat City on a hot air
balloon.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiVFJURVvRiFfC7a9Irt9T2X8k_WPy49q87enuNdq4sViC1gpeO5BoHJmURtvnqHXHN2HQNnEEho14CYq0_wSucA19dyf6H-GP09Z1UmBoY6syV7ay8DyJAhramuE-wODIYQ7eabuzthyE4-qOIsEQ2HilS-BauqJ0idZpp2y0W6uU6etnAE6SH8Ud3x7/s4032/main%20area%20air%20and%20space.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiVFJURVvRiFfC7a9Irt9T2X8k_WPy49q87enuNdq4sViC1gpeO5BoHJmURtvnqHXHN2HQNnEEho14CYq0_wSucA19dyf6H-GP09Z1UmBoY6syV7ay8DyJAhramuE-wODIYQ7eabuzthyE4-qOIsEQ2HilS-BauqJ0idZpp2y0W6uU6etnAE6SH8Ud3x7/w400-h300/main%20area%20air%20and%20space.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The only main open area of the museum
focused on the history of commercial flight. (I know, Anabelle… “yawn.”)
Granted, it probably was the least exciting of the two floored exhibits, but
there was still some cool stuff. The simulations of how loud (damage causing),
shaky (bone ratting) and cramped (carcass crushing) early air transportation
behaved was an eye opener for modern crowds. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiZU5_3cepaOZqj20WSesYUid3ip-TpwrI6rPwtbXB2Ccl9RclN_cHk-wLi39r_AjKx8KtfEigv6881RFQ4_M9XF9IrVw6IqM7mDDBz4t0is_6kqcMDQe05eB5rgzZ5e7kCpuWNVWcB0KimnlkRgvN-QCrv7XcdS1clxR4Oc3sGmh6L955MWb0-1K1ifs/s4032/cramped%20commercial%20flight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiZU5_3cepaOZqj20WSesYUid3ip-TpwrI6rPwtbXB2Ccl9RclN_cHk-wLi39r_AjKx8KtfEigv6881RFQ4_M9XF9IrVw6IqM7mDDBz4t0is_6kqcMDQe05eB5rgzZ5e7kCpuWNVWcB0KimnlkRgvN-QCrv7XcdS1clxR4Oc3sGmh6L955MWb0-1K1ifs/w400-h300/cramped%20commercial%20flight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>The exhibits pointed out how “high
end” air travel was at first, with images and records of various famous folks
that took advantage of the new convenience. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/05/of-marxes-and-muppets.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bz0wHFGkLydPybW93fds_cyZUQ19ec2NNWlZbF0OB4mSSnswJHqnabY9g4ZMGgpg-9BLEqSxBEOX49Hou6ea9W1y1bfvKpU3khFr6KO9eczIWhv-jzx35-teSfkmbLSJifaDiyqjPgf4NunkXGlHsxgxliTDVcBCBWyOIcfxFSTyGmcGrEs4PpmZReI0/w400-h300/marx%20brothers%20flying.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This included the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/05/of-marxes-and-muppets.html" target="_blank">Marx Brothers</a>, Woo!
(Or in Anabelle’s case, “yawn.”) Even with standard use aircraft, it was still neat
to see it full sized on display like that. There was one military jet, a
trainer. At least it was something.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpCLrgr6i5M5VDd-PfUvs2kDvRaAtoc0qkceuH3OhWyu_3FXlv537V1TRUeTOLXPv6KL1ii5-W5Gv1-1NYrRfEWGIb_XBFxGiBHQv3Vsif9xYyCe_MDxDUGLibVLzB5hJi9C7oN6k0r1J5FRvBfS9cpnPYMsgmeMdGorUHKEigsec_7WZ1PNwhoyIrU1t/s4032/trainer%20fighter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpCLrgr6i5M5VDd-PfUvs2kDvRaAtoc0qkceuH3OhWyu_3FXlv537V1TRUeTOLXPv6KL1ii5-W5Gv1-1NYrRfEWGIb_XBFxGiBHQv3Vsif9xYyCe_MDxDUGLibVLzB5hJi9C7oN6k0r1J5FRvBfS9cpnPYMsgmeMdGorUHKEigsec_7WZ1PNwhoyIrU1t/w400-h300/trainer%20fighter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>DC Flashback. This museum, both looking at
all the fighter planes both past and current, and getting a book about Western
Nation’s fighter aircraft are a HUGE part of why I <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/03/bad-geek-confessions-career-importance.html" target="_blank">became an engineer</a>. Thirty
years later, I still have no idea what the heck I’m doing at a medical device
company.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Somewhere in the middle of our first-floor
adventures, because we did take the time to enjoy the sights on the way across
our nation’s capital, we broke for lunch. <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/walt-disney-world-2022-august-2-11.html" target="_blank">Disney</a> definitely spoiled us when
hunting for Rosa’s gluten free choices. Few options were available in the café
of a half-refurbished museum. Rosa kept a supply of her snacks in the travel
bag for much of the trip. Learning that we knew far more about how gluten free
worked than the employees of many locations was a puzzle we’d solve later in
the week.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfpn__IECEqQBrQ67hVSkT5v9SEvW8XDGsazNQHJZh7f2rduUcLsdhYADz2r4eNZGITRVuZwCONjoJ_OqKmO5Ze_L66cwTFlVJ_u25VzlCM8s9XZijNxp-oZKq3Wb8zWiMJLNQ29ziEFJz2AudaBrRG3307FPcwzXmOrAtZ2vQV2szk8x-WHWVfUqprT4/s4032/enterprise%20lit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfpn__IECEqQBrQ67hVSkT5v9SEvW8XDGsazNQHJZh7f2rduUcLsdhYADz2r4eNZGITRVuZwCONjoJ_OqKmO5Ze_L66cwTFlVJ_u25VzlCM8s9XZijNxp-oZKq3Wb8zWiMJLNQ29ziEFJz2AudaBrRG3307FPcwzXmOrAtZ2vQV2szk8x-WHWVfUqprT4/w400-h300/enterprise%20lit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We also needed to run back to the
entrance for the “on the hour” brief lighting up of the Enterprise model. Some
fans were complaining that the lights were on for such a limited time. I needed
to explain to these other plaque reading challenged individuals that what they
were looking at was not a recreation, but the actual filming model from the
Sixties. Therefore, having the lights continually on would have either burnt
them out, or burnt it up. Why museums haven’t started keeping me on temporary
staff for all the work I do for them I do not know.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfn-FhWJK_5_2Z68SQlACcjtOkkxo0CZyq-v7R-afMt_JpedhbXiSY_oN8TVSmB6vMrjpQAEzvDDxpMwsgQczeDJoMkiOwZdjtbfTQL7dflJWKNVWFcdy5hIHaHDdlNplB2atmvGxmwMKrHn1BoTNj5330r_WDOVL2jVGQgWD_XN9Dh69RErJZerY4rNX/s4032/upstairs%20main%20air%20and%20space.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfn-FhWJK_5_2Z68SQlACcjtOkkxo0CZyq-v7R-afMt_JpedhbXiSY_oN8TVSmB6vMrjpQAEzvDDxpMwsgQczeDJoMkiOwZdjtbfTQL7dflJWKNVWFcdy5hIHaHDdlNplB2atmvGxmwMKrHn1BoTNj5330r_WDOVL2jVGQgWD_XN9Dh69RErJZerY4rNX/w400-h300/upstairs%20main%20air%20and%20space.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The second floor had more of a “Space”
slant for the “Air and Space” Museum. It was difficult to start exploring as
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/01/spoiler-wars-episode-vii-point-2-new.html" target="_blank">Poe Dameron</a>’s X-Wing was at the top of the stairs and required the proper
length of time spent in amazement and gawking. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQRQeqkC6YkGnbdhnKHZJ1A6hD65xs-jOinqingHviHOyYWNf8ioWw5WwYfWPSOLdXh-UVsRlj6CXqQG9dvrOU5IORR_-62vLZP7T6vZowU-fA_mTJD2Y1asnD9-MAOMxnvVV4Yb9atwodeh0vFZyIg0Xh-nF_N5e8Yxo8U_wsnLDpn607ZbwZu6BMDHH/s4032/poes%20xwing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQRQeqkC6YkGnbdhnKHZJ1A6hD65xs-jOinqingHviHOyYWNf8ioWw5WwYfWPSOLdXh-UVsRlj6CXqQG9dvrOU5IORR_-62vLZP7T6vZowU-fA_mTJD2Y1asnD9-MAOMxnvVV4Yb9atwodeh0vFZyIg0Xh-nF_N5e8Yxo8U_wsnLDpn607ZbwZu6BMDHH/w400-h300/poes%20xwing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Oddly, it had R2-D2 in the droid
slot. This was a weird choice. Then again, it was also a weird choice in <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/12/star-wars-hoorahs-of-skywalker.html" target="_blank">Rise of Skywalker </a></i>since Poe had only flown with BB-8 up until then. I guess they
wanted to give the little rolling droid his moment on the Star Destroyer with
Finn and company. I also guess, once more, I have looked far too deeply into a
Star Wars thing.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDFZiCD9aYjZ04OWj0hoiQkvHFF52vNGO4cjlX3-BDO8H69oQW2E_MdwLi3iEL9bttc-ayLkt13JVLpOxmKnCIhBlC-2AAyNwqDq8kKsxc8kJw9q4bGRL_el-Ux5KBRR7SpPCtZRLiWWkxj3wmDQPO-etZH3ue9_9t94KrXepujzT9ozbZbxx4yzIeaQH/s4032/satellite.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDFZiCD9aYjZ04OWj0hoiQkvHFF52vNGO4cjlX3-BDO8H69oQW2E_MdwLi3iEL9bttc-ayLkt13JVLpOxmKnCIhBlC-2AAyNwqDq8kKsxc8kJw9q4bGRL_el-Ux5KBRR7SpPCtZRLiWWkxj3wmDQPO-etZH3ue9_9t94KrXepujzT9ozbZbxx4yzIeaQH/w400-h300/satellite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The room about satellites had …<br /> Satellites in it.<br /> Granted, not the most exciting of spacey
things, but still interesting.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfBi5f8DlPFISkdnaMnYnT0bvxercb3OSk4A-_0UiSaO61xCvPVp4S68ekf7GF70fJmqd1hb8TMHknGNtJvI9cY288VONDgdA7ha6uYAWHjwRc3KmOLPKa-YGEN_RV774fcRztG26hnXFdNjpLdnoE1gSJpFM6tvXi67F6IyBQy9n7kLSgtaRuxJF2LCu/s4032/apollo%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfBi5f8DlPFISkdnaMnYnT0bvxercb3OSk4A-_0UiSaO61xCvPVp4S68ekf7GF70fJmqd1hb8TMHknGNtJvI9cY288VONDgdA7ha6uYAWHjwRc3KmOLPKa-YGEN_RV774fcRztG26hnXFdNjpLdnoE1gSJpFM6tvXi67F6IyBQy9n7kLSgtaRuxJF2LCu/w400-h300/apollo%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Even with the back-up Lunar Module not
on display (quick DC Flashback there) the section on the Apollo missions was
amazing. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFRBezifno9bdb0rx9J50ViLVK8n_ZRW85lfA_lYLKLJ5cShQGvptqgVwwbJ_IyyY5xYY5f2Qwuqwpe1UjMiEHB8OlL9jqwouEkKyocCidl5nUs7PoookMALxNrzUpVpmNd1qp4m2oaxVGA-uc6JuwKJPrz0Ne1OkO0xYS7AwSez3KNEy9ckdO87IRin7/s4032/freedom%20capsule.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFRBezifno9bdb0rx9J50ViLVK8n_ZRW85lfA_lYLKLJ5cShQGvptqgVwwbJ_IyyY5xYY5f2Qwuqwpe1UjMiEHB8OlL9jqwouEkKyocCidl5nUs7PoookMALxNrzUpVpmNd1qp4m2oaxVGA-uc6JuwKJPrz0Ne1OkO0xYS7AwSez3KNEy9ckdO87IRin7/w400-h300/freedom%20capsule.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB5sAgksK1C7EvcKD96wuD-tzNqP_6-zmILK5ygWFJz3Q7Ao8YYfRoAc_gNiWIUNR6RHy0QysH0R14cEKkMl2vuHQAO3jpQcgdLpH0FbUzNi8NZ0exBLXKhh1gwXLwio6lDNDaKh84E_MskjpvIyrVf-y2u9pb6g5SceAoEbf013Lz1ab86K2q-UPwUO7/s4032/space%20monkey%20flight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB5sAgksK1C7EvcKD96wuD-tzNqP_6-zmILK5ygWFJz3Q7Ao8YYfRoAc_gNiWIUNR6RHy0QysH0R14cEKkMl2vuHQAO3jpQcgdLpH0FbUzNi8NZ0exBLXKhh1gwXLwio6lDNDaKh84E_MskjpvIyrVf-y2u9pb6g5SceAoEbf013Lz1ab86K2q-UPwUO7/w400-h300/space%20monkey%20flight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>From actual craft leading up to the Apollo missions, (including the
early chimpanzee ones) to the Apollo 11 command module itself, standing within
that much history was mind blowing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiq33rsm-njrnepaS-63xHnNFcCXNL-PZE2UoO7t7dVsIbcKUqWu444PmuCihhdDgqj3tOIYgrrD81OVUG1MkPqqFDzxDlp35jtR_IKanoLP3rOCmalqKGZyVwmSkl1eg4pdlUwEoqwpQwFewhmRtgkkxnzAkXC9dwtiF00hl11x-xeKIFGlTehtIhQFDg/s4032/apollo%20command%20module.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiq33rsm-njrnepaS-63xHnNFcCXNL-PZE2UoO7t7dVsIbcKUqWu444PmuCihhdDgqj3tOIYgrrD81OVUG1MkPqqFDzxDlp35jtR_IKanoLP3rOCmalqKGZyVwmSkl1eg4pdlUwEoqwpQwFewhmRtgkkxnzAkXC9dwtiF00hl11x-xeKIFGlTehtIhQFDg/w400-h300/apollo%20command%20module.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Neil Armstrong’s space suit was there as
well.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLcEHwPepuUugY3qSHvD4Tw3SLp8jA9Evtl0o-6vuTSag1pGyNyWzvnUHSJz47rHrVgTCl-7o4A7nBSQ4p27nwTAtEXVza31_7NLiQv4k2EIXaxMmEHMMWuOx2Pch0OBxgkCZ2ElGzWOVT2i5XnbJdKWiti9Hv-zwKhEnZMZRHOgToHztvT03PwN6Xn-a/s4032/armstrongs%20suit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLcEHwPepuUugY3qSHvD4Tw3SLp8jA9Evtl0o-6vuTSag1pGyNyWzvnUHSJz47rHrVgTCl-7o4A7nBSQ4p27nwTAtEXVza31_7NLiQv4k2EIXaxMmEHMMWuOx2Pch0OBxgkCZ2ElGzWOVT2i5XnbJdKWiti9Hv-zwKhEnZMZRHOgToHztvT03PwN6Xn-a/w400-h300/armstrongs%20suit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>However, it wasn’t just “WOO HOO LOOK AT
THIS COOL THING!”<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA7mCmNVAmuSBsoNtD3_o9JdWjMiY_DMQqeN_kGxpU8I0VfvXzyVqBBXbFZMWlcVlFRN19Sm7kUi80deMMBp85D2zrW3-1dgFxnw_J0iLYabHqj0rM_EDDmtObK_x2XQuplLuA6hlx-73LFUHubC5wVAEd8LEjN5aAOpvXE8bT3gP3wDw1gYIxtlOy5HC/s4032/saturn%205%20booster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA7mCmNVAmuSBsoNtD3_o9JdWjMiY_DMQqeN_kGxpU8I0VfvXzyVqBBXbFZMWlcVlFRN19Sm7kUi80deMMBp85D2zrW3-1dgFxnw_J0iLYabHqj0rM_EDDmtObK_x2XQuplLuA6hlx-73LFUHubC5wVAEd8LEjN5aAOpvXE8bT3gP3wDw1gYIxtlOy5HC/w400-h300/saturn%205%20booster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Although, honestly, I did a bunch of
that.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>There were displays explaining how it
all worked, including all the layers and safeties and so forth. They also did
not skimp on the post Apollo 11 stuff. Unlike the country at the time, the
Smithsonian did not lose interest in the Apollo program after the first moon
landing.<br /> (“REAL! Say it again!” – Anabelle)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNgra2lDCYeOeGt8kfdLFKqfWgf6XbzE3e4025wm4hpTvdr7xNH7ifUyM6JQKMgzTxXZWENI56ZLS7-fxmIbmoiGAEJQbhnZOSL-K_4Sjch8HXHdwXnPDBLqO-n3A9MecN18SBuD1fpYrdr0XjkifjXgTJ2gflY2E6xkJ1fqyvh-kDQZhuOcfOibul5XP/s4032/apollo%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNgra2lDCYeOeGt8kfdLFKqfWgf6XbzE3e4025wm4hpTvdr7xNH7ifUyM6JQKMgzTxXZWENI56ZLS7-fxmIbmoiGAEJQbhnZOSL-K_4Sjch8HXHdwXnPDBLqO-n3A9MecN18SBuD1fpYrdr0XjkifjXgTJ2gflY2E6xkJ1fqyvh-kDQZhuOcfOibul5XP/w400-h300/apollo%2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were rovers, suits, equipment, and
side explanations about what happened during <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/05/apollo-13-through-kids-eyes.html" target="_blank">Apollo 13</a>, including the accurate
quote “Houston, we’ve HAD a problem.”<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplfgs-lLyl-9ToP_EWLOf3f0Hh9lFrr4f9FamQkvMRZUZeXLo4bXqprX0ygUXGckYWyYUtoNTz00SLu44Nwl_05saJD3BFOmrjmSpMaQ_2IriPpcMw4lmb9l37AszLVpKiqqEvfBRdiql5HmRX3cpCB0kUraWOS1sxYYzLzV4c-wOUsgc1tXbrZIvGf9b/s4032/genes%20apollo%20vest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplfgs-lLyl-9ToP_EWLOf3f0Hh9lFrr4f9FamQkvMRZUZeXLo4bXqprX0ygUXGckYWyYUtoNTz00SLu44Nwl_05saJD3BFOmrjmSpMaQ_2IriPpcMw4lmb9l37AszLVpKiqqEvfBRdiql5HmRX3cpCB0kUraWOS1sxYYzLzV4c-wOUsgc1tXbrZIvGf9b/w400-h300/genes%20apollo%20vest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>They even had Gene Kranz’s famous vest.<br /> SQUEEEEE!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA7C6pMR22XNZguqm98C-qBs-laEKu2dkgFZZnZV8OONuD2uBjThbPXMosb7uE6F5naHeRoX0aTEnA70t95NTanRk0kFdmc6vl1pGhp9WD_BYyFWONoIYIvF9ooHCEY27Nqblff0NnGUBYzTj5By7VgsH7Qd0lyB_ZCOvEWN4-_AKuakVYTybsfVhqwbb/s4032/lunar%20rover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA7C6pMR22XNZguqm98C-qBs-laEKu2dkgFZZnZV8OONuD2uBjThbPXMosb7uE6F5naHeRoX0aTEnA70t95NTanRk0kFdmc6vl1pGhp9WD_BYyFWONoIYIvF9ooHCEY27Nqblff0NnGUBYzTj5By7VgsH7Qd0lyB_ZCOvEWN4-_AKuakVYTybsfVhqwbb/w400-h300/lunar%20rover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I was there (as in “alive”) for the tail
end of Apollo and the transition into the Space Shuttle years. There was
something about having a focused space program that really united the country
in a healthy and intelligent way. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiR2wzN0uLgzDVCk75znDOTKj-JIL9p93QkCAGq9iJjLbF-E4pxY02PP1oAqq6W7yYPL1LMqlokSnOTwHpTLU6A61M3LekX77J13FY9nntnMG6WRmw31DOZNMcAkY9NveVp5mSU8w-F_Sm5fS0j9inwPhTlTDV10RQiBEm5ttTt_62yRjbYr6tE8rHhOw/s4032/moon%20rock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiR2wzN0uLgzDVCk75znDOTKj-JIL9p93QkCAGq9iJjLbF-E4pxY02PP1oAqq6W7yYPL1LMqlokSnOTwHpTLU6A61M3LekX77J13FY9nntnMG6WRmw31DOZNMcAkY9NveVp5mSU8w-F_Sm5fS0j9inwPhTlTDV10RQiBEm5ttTt_62yRjbYr6tE8rHhOw/w300-h400/moon%20rock.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>You still see shades of it occasionally, for
things like the Mars rover, but I feel like it would help the country
technologically, intellectually and morale wise to get back to this. I mean,
we’ll have to leave behind the flat earth and “moon landing was a hoax” morons
and their kin…</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">but no great loss there.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The one “non space” room on the second
floor was dedicated to other quests for speed. Anabelle’s favorite part of the
museum was here-<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN9BvRKAWRIsg8q3KHzB1HG8fDP9_I4aZpq7siRDq7m-gp-1ANsqv9BCPe9ObnFRE-tHG2g6lHuOWto756uM9QPB00WGgi3-pbO7SdIWMmQSL9NRNoQG8_ZPmMHXJ_e10BlpBtjVKcK-LIZ5goXFbjIylM67FYLD504NG1LbgL6zN2GvxnEOTADHIwmkX/s4032/richard%20petty%20car.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN9BvRKAWRIsg8q3KHzB1HG8fDP9_I4aZpq7siRDq7m-gp-1ANsqv9BCPe9ObnFRE-tHG2g6lHuOWto756uM9QPB00WGgi3-pbO7SdIWMmQSL9NRNoQG8_ZPmMHXJ_e10BlpBtjVKcK-LIZ5goXFbjIylM67FYLD504NG1LbgL6zN2GvxnEOTADHIwmkX/w400-h300/richard%20petty%20car.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Disney <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/01/old-guy-game-guide-cars-race-o-rama.html" target="_blank">Cars</a> </i>toys, next to one
of Richard “The King” Petty’s actual cars.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH8xwv-Al4pAYZMLjgt9XVJVA9IhL3LF59CGia1wR-b3ZzNIc5Zr53e0QCwEtiBKzBK7nC465s2n6BQSHytYnaG9QrXwkAwUx8r88QCExUOeQ1G2a4jLycCQaKLvIo5vHv3kbqJHHPQQBI3xLy552gugWgtSiBK1B-br9CBhTJ0hFC3hmLLuzIJh-_cg8/s4032/andretti%20car.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH8xwv-Al4pAYZMLjgt9XVJVA9IhL3LF59CGia1wR-b3ZzNIc5Zr53e0QCwEtiBKzBK7nC465s2n6BQSHytYnaG9QrXwkAwUx8r88QCExUOeQ1G2a4jLycCQaKLvIo5vHv3kbqJHHPQQBI3xLy552gugWgtSiBK1B-br9CBhTJ0hFC3hmLLuzIJh-_cg8/w400-h300/andretti%20car.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There were other race cars including
Mario Andretti’s. Along with cars there were rocket vehicles, stunt planes and
a motorcycle with an insanely large engine. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtMnC6wUeEV7Cf-R6KJB0p7ZfDbpVtn3L00Uoj6H7Hjps5W8Zg2nRFstxzH76KwnYrzjww3-MLsQGvYGQOSmq4erZjrswB2fbqwSceUty06GtvFJdvqpuGOXaOx1tf-MvKtgs4jirbL-GkXn0pC2PgIN-vP5B38v8esSRmzLMeQNopG42l3Aqd9PbqPWk/s4032/big%20engine%20motorcycle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtMnC6wUeEV7Cf-R6KJB0p7ZfDbpVtn3L00Uoj6H7Hjps5W8Zg2nRFstxzH76KwnYrzjww3-MLsQGvYGQOSmq4erZjrswB2fbqwSceUty06GtvFJdvqpuGOXaOx1tf-MvKtgs4jirbL-GkXn0pC2PgIN-vP5B38v8esSRmzLMeQNopG42l3Aqd9PbqPWk/w400-h300/big%20engine%20motorcycle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>(Hey, what could go wrong?)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCh4uifdEwgoxLlZXD6bK352y-5znaTb_MCKjopHb7lODRwP5vo5vMCi0skZtuoXnhlXCGrHx3yafpF81vl_yishFJqkHMcKg9pnHFS4Da4jR8DiHH40bYi2GxiYPUuU2RwUmhpF6wQNVSBOLUiqaAclCrEUikJo9t8xI07zu448nuMB9ZH8OBvRkWbKn/s4032/flying%20lion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCh4uifdEwgoxLlZXD6bK352y-5znaTb_MCKjopHb7lODRwP5vo5vMCi0skZtuoXnhlXCGrHx3yafpF81vl_yishFJqkHMcKg9pnHFS4Da4jR8DiHH40bYi2GxiYPUuU2RwUmhpF6wQNVSBOLUiqaAclCrEUikJo9t8xI07zu448nuMB9ZH8OBvRkWbKn/w400-h300/flying%20lion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Featured in the stunts section was a
display of a guy who went flying with a lion, including its taxidermized
remains. Again, “Hey, what could go wrong.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OEMO1b3QRXoxVz_El5KXbnjtOUk1o3fYxTBAAk7vOLna5oygQeEqwDspifevubfwd06Fj-KP51ESL7j9m-tG8HHvYO7W9vIqtCrQdypQD67q1w1CwO8Vlf8_pOlD5gsDjzAI3PoC-vJuVvIf5b4FjdxOjGRqIUIKOYygsxbrmU6K4hH1UIZbPtvHxkAB/s4032/evel%20knieval.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OEMO1b3QRXoxVz_El5KXbnjtOUk1o3fYxTBAAk7vOLna5oygQeEqwDspifevubfwd06Fj-KP51ESL7j9m-tG8HHvYO7W9vIqtCrQdypQD67q1w1CwO8Vlf8_pOlD5gsDjzAI3PoC-vJuVvIf5b4FjdxOjGRqIUIKOYygsxbrmU6K4hH1UIZbPtvHxkAB/w400-h300/evel%20knieval.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In that stunt section, in a case that
cause great excitement to the little boy that lived in the Seventies (and still
lives in my head) was an Evel Knievel tribute. Memories were kindled by the flashy suit, the gleaming
bike, and the rev up toy that I used to send speeding through the front door of my
sister’s doll house. (But never mind that now.)<br />Embarrassing admission- until seeing
this display at the ripe young age of fifty-three, it never occurred to me that
Mr. and Mrs. Knievel would have named their little boy anything but “Evel.”
(Anabelle- “You fool! Also, yawn.”)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRutW0JdmPgdo4p1uq95uHJAfkG6F1NyCB-CDOV9juDar8S1CWPcS2TNE0cRE2iM7S8OUSoo9cMc-hrbxX5iZS8tkjHCg4PAhFTBXpLOnmOEJ5scjcVOocwKYBoqEgAg6TniPnPkgldTxd4vidkqge0BQcMsHRarqYtbw9Vs-XAya-GQXdPSnTEc1DjxyT/s4032/star%20wars%20trek%20toys.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRutW0JdmPgdo4p1uq95uHJAfkG6F1NyCB-CDOV9juDar8S1CWPcS2TNE0cRE2iM7S8OUSoo9cMc-hrbxX5iZS8tkjHCg4PAhFTBXpLOnmOEJ5scjcVOocwKYBoqEgAg6TniPnPkgldTxd4vidkqge0BQcMsHRarqYtbw9Vs-XAya-GQXdPSnTEc1DjxyT/w400-h300/star%20wars%20trek%20toys.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Near the tribute to Robert Craig Knievel
were samples of toy spacecraft both real and fictional, to showcase humanity’s
excitement over things that go fast starting at an early age. Due to the
inclusion of Star Wars and Star Trek items, yet another museum got an area
labelled, “The Stuff In Our Basement” section.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTAIwiguyT1XD2lfDKOFpraJUC2n3999tRewv4Aq2pt42MX8leDjntyDxUjjluJEGcW6TwnyNQXznjU1A8z4UiZSOqohT99XlSiR_FBMLtvl9j25_yF6v_M6YQa-wyIz8dI3O4Tb68c-jtsm0E3nq2W0a8kIu4bfQyI3_fVTGydEIeRoq4fB5TgOtbsXI/s4032/planets%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTAIwiguyT1XD2lfDKOFpraJUC2n3999tRewv4Aq2pt42MX8leDjntyDxUjjluJEGcW6TwnyNQXznjU1A8z4UiZSOqohT99XlSiR_FBMLtvl9j25_yF6v_M6YQa-wyIz8dI3O4Tb68c-jtsm0E3nq2W0a8kIu4bfQyI3_fVTGydEIeRoq4fB5TgOtbsXI/w400-h300/planets%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The planet room brought us back to awesome
space stuff. This, along with the moon section, were two of the few overlaps
where both Anabelle and I thought things were interesting. Anabelle used one of
the interactive screens to plan out a successful mission to Neptune, her
favorite planet… tied with Mercury.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQUtvPLfPuq82Sa6LIVRhPrSGA53Ns7xoApFENR7ZQ-5Yl9UauHFs7uNxaEHxmH-uA1ec7d03qUCe8oSO5pg6HUlksFw49JBoI2ABrn_XT5V58tEKCYKf1piHC51TQxsH0PNzFqe9BVg-jBx_QMEk_z3rre6004HTh2QT_jUItMU0Se1HXChfjq5awkfr/s4032/spock%20ears%20and%20tribble.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQUtvPLfPuq82Sa6LIVRhPrSGA53Ns7xoApFENR7ZQ-5Yl9UauHFs7uNxaEHxmH-uA1ec7d03qUCe8oSO5pg6HUlksFw49JBoI2ABrn_XT5V58tEKCYKf1piHC51TQxsH0PNzFqe9BVg-jBx_QMEk_z3rre6004HTh2QT_jUItMU0Se1HXChfjq5awkfr/w300-h400/spock%20ears%20and%20tribble.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The planet room featured a couple more
props from the original Star Trek on one wall. There was a pair of Leonard
Nimoy’s ear tips, donated by his family. There was also an original tribble. An
older veteran in a wheelchair was pushed over by his son who asked if he
remembered the tribble episode. Without missing a beat, the vet replied in
perfect accent and pitch:<br />“Aye, sir. Before they went into warp, I
transported the whole kit 'n' caboodle into their engine room…<br />Where they'll be no tribble at all.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Yes, he most definitely remembered <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/04/short-treks-season-26.html" target="_blank">that</a>
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/08/treklets-season-25.html" target="_blank">one</a>.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Each planet had its own section of
displays and videos. There was a short film about Venus being the Earth’s twin.
I was tempted to film it and send it to my sister’s fourth grade teacher.<br /> (Not DC Flashback- In what inspired a
rare, angry visit of my dad to the principal, the woman taught that Mars was
Earth’s twin. When Dad sent Kim into class with a book correcting that, her
answer was, “I’ve been teaching it this way for thirty years and I’m not
changing it now.” Don’t mess with space science around<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/06/fathers-day-tribute.html" target="_blank"> Dad</a>. The only worse
reaction was when someone on the phone told my massively gifted from the early
years of programming Father, “The computer made a mistake.”)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4gZJjDICAH8r0lNWITiViohwI_wYKh-c0AuFHe0NbMXLrAkDJ0tYWf1y0xboHCuQJciCM1JF5W06JVpLl3AKTnw8sEzYJ2RqgPowLcOe6qwxqhVgIQILmGnBxhyphenhyphenUH3RxPwPScoh-hEJI_SQiVbZ02hABcYgc5hscL-6IMYxM9T13u4NIgYTHZ_TBTJag/s4032/mars%20rovers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4gZJjDICAH8r0lNWITiViohwI_wYKh-c0AuFHe0NbMXLrAkDJ0tYWf1y0xboHCuQJciCM1JF5W06JVpLl3AKTnw8sEzYJ2RqgPowLcOe6qwxqhVgIQILmGnBxhyphenhyphenUH3RxPwPScoh-hEJI_SQiVbZ02hABcYgc5hscL-6IMYxM9T13u4NIgYTHZ_TBTJag/w400-h300/mars%20rovers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Over at the Mars section, Anabelle and I
were both excited. Her about the chemistry analysis stuff, and me because I
lived through the Viking years, and they WERE exciting. A copy of the Voyager
disk was equally inspirational.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-t1LBK9YjTqc4AEv7SBsFrW6ga2Yiwyrb6llGHsan_c3mxC8REjQtdtJD9vqoKDaZQf6gANSh4yjTVqK-R1W9pKDAxoh1VrdJaqkGxrTa-pXmwB6Pm_o3s44VPsV7LbuNdSI3Y5rqj114CvfS9Yu0pJSA4B5Dvouyunn2kZ9oIf3_o8Wl2VY6FP22631/s4032/voyager%20disk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-t1LBK9YjTqc4AEv7SBsFrW6ga2Yiwyrb6llGHsan_c3mxC8REjQtdtJD9vqoKDaZQf6gANSh4yjTVqK-R1W9pKDAxoh1VrdJaqkGxrTa-pXmwB6Pm_o3s44VPsV7LbuNdSI3Y5rqj114CvfS9Yu0pJSA4B5Dvouyunn2kZ9oIf3_o8Wl2VY6FP22631/w400-h300/voyager%20disk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Rosa wasn’t as excited as I was, but
also wasn’t saying “yawn” throughout much of the Air and Space Museum.
Therefore, she balanced out our little group.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Before leaving the building, as always
for us, a gift shop check was needed. I got a set of post cards that had all
the awesome planes and spacecraft I remembered from previous trips that were in
the closed areas this time.<br />Alas.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback- The Air and Space Museum
had a HUGE number of planes and spacecraft on display when it wasn’t being
refurbished, many with giant historical significance. This is why I spent that
much time in there in the past.<br />Yes, I’m still complaining half of it
was closed. And I’m still thankful more of it was open than on my sister’s
family trip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The guy at the counter was a big fan of
our Star Trek and Doctor Who shirts. Guess he worked in the right place.
Anabelle pointed out that he DID NOT compliment her NASA shirt, even though
there were multiple NASA items in that gift shop. She is also still pissed
about this.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In a tribute to one of the most famous
items in their display, the gift shop sold Star Trek Spock ears…<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HZ7hjDVrPgA04QDLsq6lViLAuoJMAW8lJ_Y0R4jGMa_6W0CgJSjIz0QRUr1FPMYRbw13yZOJmWVZNZ4MhSarZzJ6sLCMsNv9fpQbCCXK8AywkbuMYp_Y9eWHERsd_d-WH-ygsfybcoAEMC9wI2q5lIaaCi9k1C7RuE8jJvn_NjoxKMVlVN9cADlTtUMT/s4032/toy%20spock%20ears.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HZ7hjDVrPgA04QDLsq6lViLAuoJMAW8lJ_Y0R4jGMa_6W0CgJSjIz0QRUr1FPMYRbw13yZOJmWVZNZ4MhSarZzJ6sLCMsNv9fpQbCCXK8AywkbuMYp_Y9eWHERsd_d-WH-ygsfybcoAEMC9wI2q5lIaaCi9k1C7RuE8jJvn_NjoxKMVlVN9cADlTtUMT/w400-h300/toy%20spock%20ears.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>With a picture of Captain Kirk, and only
Captain Kirk, on the labeling.<br />“You had one job” grand champion
edition.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UoRtNzOnrWCYX9WwS4jlNoG1yOoo2PRSLeSycXdmvbGuF0zIcVXpfI1aY6NephfwJNjYJeSSMpF8sh6Jy9i2qZ5xPtVdmBsmiWnQXjHXsj28GsyOFlZ7gFxtoQ_eTK6lKm9WRNa-mF66l8okzlIQeBJF1bzCI8vsdrWK9rBftha5moBfzQWXPVdLmGDa/s4032/sheilds%20up%20sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UoRtNzOnrWCYX9WwS4jlNoG1yOoo2PRSLeSycXdmvbGuF0zIcVXpfI1aY6NephfwJNjYJeSSMpF8sh6Jy9i2qZ5xPtVdmBsmiWnQXjHXsj28GsyOFlZ7gFxtoQ_eTK6lKm9WRNa-mF66l8okzlIQeBJF1bzCI8vsdrWK9rBftha5moBfzQWXPVdLmGDa/w400-h300/sheilds%20up%20sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We stopped to pay respects to that
famous Star Trek item on the way out again. In a show of both practicality and
coolness, there was a shade that automatically came down to protect the
Enterprise model from the afternoon sun. It was illustrated with images from
the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/07/bad-geek-confessions-star-trek.html" target="_blank">Starfleet Technical Manual</a> and labeled “Shields Up!”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_BvtFvbabVm0c2Mgq71jWYNAvaK51MqzH4j-N6GpALWvoTRVmffYu03qJivo4mGTk-r2TGym1MxXs_sRl3GU7bYoJEwNPPbJK5lCex6DxlEwxR5hfXD6SBIA-SRy67LDP_XilnIdJ-J_lcDdUf3olDoReMOo-98U0dhmdUjIjcWz6zf0K7f4pKF2Z7j2/s4032/air%20and%20space%20mobius.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_BvtFvbabVm0c2Mgq71jWYNAvaK51MqzH4j-N6GpALWvoTRVmffYu03qJivo4mGTk-r2TGym1MxXs_sRl3GU7bYoJEwNPPbJK5lCex6DxlEwxR5hfXD6SBIA-SRy67LDP_XilnIdJ-J_lcDdUf3olDoReMOo-98U0dhmdUjIjcWz6zf0K7f4pKF2Z7j2/w400-h300/air%20and%20space%20mobius.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We spend some time looking at the multi-Mobius
shaped “Continuum” sculpture on the front steps. I’ve always liked that one.
Given that I’m fairly indifferent to much non-representational art, I think the
reason I always liked that one is it signaled I was entering the Air and Space
Museum.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The rest of the family told us the
Eisenhower Memorial was worth seeing and “behind” the Air and Space Museum.
Given that every other entrance was closed, that meant it was “in front of” the
museum when we exited, making it more likely that we would find it.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback- The Ike Memorial, and many
others, were not there on our childhood trips. (These flashbacks may be less
interesting than I originally anticipated.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb8vNnzLAusapDVE8Xz4l9EQKq7YgpT-Tasf2o9ANzmiMlwkG9JqWPh7AeKGc4Nsd0QxDiSpjDsU9Jr9lcs12x0BaimrfakeKj3I-GoC0VWShVc8s06vQ-1xjs4JdQnp2SscPRNbVFkgiGhpHYRwCdWJ061lgpXv37zNarjAj8gWmKVnAUwK4WtNa8Ivj/s4032/ike%20memorial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb8vNnzLAusapDVE8Xz4l9EQKq7YgpT-Tasf2o9ANzmiMlwkG9JqWPh7AeKGc4Nsd0QxDiSpjDsU9Jr9lcs12x0BaimrfakeKj3I-GoC0VWShVc8s06vQ-1xjs4JdQnp2SscPRNbVFkgiGhpHYRwCdWJ061lgpXv37zNarjAj8gWmKVnAUwK4WtNa8Ivj/w400-h300/ike%20memorial.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>They were right, it was very impressive,
as befitting the man. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had problems trying to
reconcile admiration for all he did as a General and President, with the
McCarthyism that sprung up during his time. When Rosa and Anabelle were getting
their stamps in the gift shop, I saw a book detailing how he fought against it
behind the scenes. That made me feel better…<br />As I was, and continue to be, about half
a library behind in my reading, I cannot explain how he fought. The book is on
my wish list, maybe by the time we go back I’ll know.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We crossed the Mall and found the
Sculpture Garden between the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum. I
mean, it was pretty easy to find, being a giant, fenced in area full of large
modern art items. Rosa and Anabelle got ahead of me on the way in. Anabelle
summed up the reason:<br />“A stranger complemented Dad’s shoes
again.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle got a strawberry snow cone as
her first “souvenir.” Then she was somewhat sad upon seeing a coconut one
offered on the next truck. We walked through the lovely garden atmosphere
taking in the various artistic sights such as:<br />The Q-Bert board.<br />The Tangled Charger Cords<br />The Fringy Pizza Cutter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-nvxYVXe0Ri5lNDyaJQMndUGG6q0rcB2LDd1njsxTz8hSz8kxAOf5z2XAHM48kM-uXKCpxY-PiNrT0DPs49P0-VMjRwHgBBethBZ5Nny9oqMLxsXdORG11SG3EkRCQZiRpB_AjV8BeAtQJeHwu2gQbl_1PLNXRTeBxFgetCfIylNH5lVk7SWTOVd0-jO/s4032/roller%20sculpture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-nvxYVXe0Ri5lNDyaJQMndUGG6q0rcB2LDd1njsxTz8hSz8kxAOf5z2XAHM48kM-uXKCpxY-PiNrT0DPs49P0-VMjRwHgBBethBZ5Nny9oqMLxsXdORG11SG3EkRCQZiRpB_AjV8BeAtQJeHwu2gQbl_1PLNXRTeBxFgetCfIylNH5lVk7SWTOVd0-jO/w400-h300/roller%20sculpture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>The Refugee from <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-thing-about-horror-movies.html" target="_blank">The Thing</a><br /><o:p></o:p></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpWC2l2DBKCa325MY0TbIYwoV-9fUBAmBHeHPhiL6VFn4Woflrj-_H5_Yy3iz1pFnGxLl8cxfKQaQXnO2h_3nY77sC-OokMB3q7DJpQztFTGS9e2A2AJJvE-F8Lb6xlawST281CgYOem8hhpj0TNa5wPHe1_CgHtHqGW2f86Uk2O991Gdd9k9RglqobLl/s4032/thing%20sculpture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpWC2l2DBKCa325MY0TbIYwoV-9fUBAmBHeHPhiL6VFn4Woflrj-_H5_Yy3iz1pFnGxLl8cxfKQaQXnO2h_3nY77sC-OokMB3q7DJpQztFTGS9e2A2AJJvE-F8Lb6xlawST281CgYOem8hhpj0TNa5wPHe1_CgHtHqGW2f86Uk2O991Gdd9k9RglqobLl/w400-h300/thing%20sculpture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And<br />The Tongue Turd.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wUfb3H4k-6sWTJh8loQS5eFfO-JAgZXFsWGwFv4OZcAZQ6gqlILImzYx0DNFVdFwiowWp2HgvPDB7hMB81gN9Lydlevvw6l43I1Wis-_mA_IrFvxWTwPrUZon9wR78HRtjGysnB0J74MtJKuY8UVkXQeNcI0-tGVclWOqUHrFdgq7v7ph7hXMEt8J6Io/s4032/tongue%20turd%20sculpture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wUfb3H4k-6sWTJh8loQS5eFfO-JAgZXFsWGwFv4OZcAZQ6gqlILImzYx0DNFVdFwiowWp2HgvPDB7hMB81gN9Lydlevvw6l43I1Wis-_mA_IrFvxWTwPrUZon9wR78HRtjGysnB0J74MtJKuY8UVkXQeNcI0-tGVclWOqUHrFdgq7v7ph7hXMEt8J6Io/w400-h300/tongue%20turd%20sculpture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>These names are assumptions. Perhaps
they should put some plaques in there.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Disclaimer- As this will come up a lot:<br />I do enjoy a fair amount of Modern and
Contemporary Art. But I enjoy being a smart-ass more.<o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSXJIGY6ppGZbYvYUQpnve3MFXNOxL2J1qmWptuKaZopupMH8bGg7IeKpM3bK_pP-zE-s7Cn1MYGCMEkyp4FJrXZ-08ptBxJrgjY_YNrGujMwLxB833DcKeEvQ9OYYOySV-dW2aGjkhAS845e2po87wAhCaVqzEuDJteYN9OLDHEfN2924tqLSb49V5wa/s4032/american%20history%20museum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSXJIGY6ppGZbYvYUQpnve3MFXNOxL2J1qmWptuKaZopupMH8bGg7IeKpM3bK_pP-zE-s7Cn1MYGCMEkyp4FJrXZ-08ptBxJrgjY_YNrGujMwLxB833DcKeEvQ9OYYOySV-dW2aGjkhAS845e2po87wAhCaVqzEuDJteYN9OLDHEfN2924tqLSb49V5wa/w400-h300/american%20history%20museum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Museum of American History was
intended for “free space” moments on the Grid. This is because none of us had a
specific t-shirt selected for that museum.<br /> Do not doubt our Grids.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2z2NqiMIXFSnshdjn-AVDvrdR9keFi-8vrmIl5CsVMDq3YokzVF4yrQhRKCsE4yAZlA_Sev49gdaq991iscq1n-o-W3h5T-YN9GYmHb__gzmM3DZmmHveFzvY1ByuZvQIV9MQYOi326FxZP603yOUYxnVG4oizrNN8iIPVHlzcjAAyg8VDM6cwP9WWh2/s4032/hip%20hop%20history.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2z2NqiMIXFSnshdjn-AVDvrdR9keFi-8vrmIl5CsVMDq3YokzVF4yrQhRKCsE4yAZlA_Sev49gdaq991iscq1n-o-W3h5T-YN9GYmHb__gzmM3DZmmHveFzvY1ByuZvQIV9MQYOi326FxZP603yOUYxnVG4oizrNN8iIPVHlzcjAAyg8VDM6cwP9WWh2/w400-h300/hip%20hop%20history.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Down on the first floor were histories of hip hop and advertising which, like nearly everything we experienced on this trip, we
walked through backwards. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1phaOTlY3A32J4nRjMVC912y5QA_Ys1StdkctXlh4p9fv8_hB0O34PMjEqxABWeNHCjba1rNjW6tWURbtrnoXfMw4k6empqk-k0uXRrdcdRbQLVGbHzSZL6TPc7Uafm7U9vqIfBiaZTmcM4yoy3O_NwJr0EjoyU9sLhecNgEbRenN00QO4VA912-_2DT/s4032/anabelle%20period%20costume.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1phaOTlY3A32J4nRjMVC912y5QA_Ys1StdkctXlh4p9fv8_hB0O34PMjEqxABWeNHCjba1rNjW6tWURbtrnoXfMw4k6empqk-k0uXRrdcdRbQLVGbHzSZL6TPc7Uafm7U9vqIfBiaZTmcM4yoy3O_NwJr0EjoyU9sLhecNgEbRenN00QO4VA912-_2DT/w300-h400/anabelle%20period%20costume.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p>After those reverse time journeys, Anabelle tried out a weird little period outfit thing, which looked to use the same technology as the old Disney Store Princess mirror. It turned her reflection into Shirley Temple.<o:p> </o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><o:p><br /></o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGILn49oq-BhpJzJBvqKizMlnunTUkW0_shjCES10QaPI2Ltm6UqXLPnEU8PEWbCa3JF3K_J6H_zAgPj2zBura2MSf06GDyfwsT-g51cjr7GmR1kE-iasKJ9iBYt0orR3wmkmtyruI_ml66RIekpWTAqioU-pVeTwoqAJjsdtbYwLRC2G3jAGkNe07r8EJ/s4032/dollhouse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGILn49oq-BhpJzJBvqKizMlnunTUkW0_shjCES10QaPI2Ltm6UqXLPnEU8PEWbCa3JF3K_J6H_zAgPj2zBura2MSf06GDyfwsT-g51cjr7GmR1kE-iasKJ9iBYt0orR3wmkmtyruI_ml66RIekpWTAqioU-pVeTwoqAJjsdtbYwLRC2G3jAGkNe07r8EJ/w400-h300/dollhouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>DC Flashback- The fancy dollhouse I remembered from when I was a kid was on that floor as well. Yes, yet another riveting flashback.</o:p></span></div><br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_8xg0SsLpX17919MKdhtQO5tW_ZeR4Mn7bdKDN58Z18s-ETxdsYYOjHQiqT1JHmUps3545L7v_ve6wrxAiP4hMkMvPnFe7akvcDgH8qhDshgvq24qnCzhnypYO0xsVFpjaaI_WIX3hUIFSuzf8R1DLHH9dXp8KbMR5oKjds3MEvc3MqgBcSujkAIDLQf/s4032/transportaion%20exhibit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_8xg0SsLpX17919MKdhtQO5tW_ZeR4Mn7bdKDN58Z18s-ETxdsYYOjHQiqT1JHmUps3545L7v_ve6wrxAiP4hMkMvPnFe7akvcDgH8qhDshgvq24qnCzhnypYO0xsVFpjaaI_WIX3hUIFSuzf8R1DLHH9dXp8KbMR5oKjds3MEvc3MqgBcSujkAIDLQf/w400-h300/transportaion%20exhibit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The next section was the history of
TRANSPORTATION! I told Anabelle it was a walk through version of EPCOT's “World of
Motion” but without the jokes.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>She said, “Good riddance.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Don’t worry, we’ll align on some
museums.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Part of her issue was many of the
manakins were “free range.” In other words, they were outside of the protected “fenced
in” parts of the displays of cars, trains, boats and so forth. She was not
prepared to deal with a possible <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/11/doctor-who-revisiting-revisting.html" target="_blank">Auton</a> attack, and it was a quick pass through
the maze-like exhibits.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The section on Edison was a similarly
speedy pass through. This is likely because my now more informed opinion of him
has shifted from “Inventor and Boyhood Hero” to “The guy who invented the
business models that are responsible for all the crappiest parts of my
job.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anabelle learned this at a younger
age than I did…and Rosa doesn’t much care about this type of exhibit in
general.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We went up to the third floor, the
entertainment section, and mass amazement for all three of us. There will be a
trainload of photos for this section, as it was very dense and had stuff for
all of us, often situated near each other for no visible reason other than to
make us happy.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx89aBinpCTG19HqWCfqwGA2F_kXL5726yJUVIJ3T2o9das-i_EdZARj-0ivNK3TxAyMas2htE5k1prsFL41ffGUmr87WaynZadhSifEeZUrfASlsSqsbo5pm9RewoXlJEXxPKYnTz_p32guapZXoVAkmgH5BkzosOqtgxkIui_Ti_u-u8oLDplzZk7BDD/s4032/ruby%20slippers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx89aBinpCTG19HqWCfqwGA2F_kXL5726yJUVIJ3T2o9das-i_EdZARj-0ivNK3TxAyMas2htE5k1prsFL41ffGUmr87WaynZadhSifEeZUrfASlsSqsbo5pm9RewoXlJEXxPKYnTz_p32guapZXoVAkmgH5BkzosOqtgxkIui_Ti_u-u8oLDplzZk7BDD/w400-h300/ruby%20slippers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>DC Flashback- This collection was a
MASSIVE upgrade from how the pop culture stuff was kind of strewn around in
hallways when I was younger. The only sad part was back then Fonzie’s jacket
was in the case with the <i>All in the Family </i>Chairs, <i>MASH </i>sign and Carol Burnett dress. The new additions more than made up for it.<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTuZmr-ZLUijw2bqSnmgXtQqsRNeiMUKmp13haBM-qdPcULPhmP5wypslu5LTbdpNaN9GFVKGGmfM8mjNfxy0eRLt9T8FI6mHn7-Y1vL8DWZCd6e6YxyJ7u4vqIx92LbdAdPjORyMwLi81zlCrwvZjlJZ7AwfeDCWsuPlU2IKOe7fwkOqW5GOqPaTTQEL/s4032/bunker%20chairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTuZmr-ZLUijw2bqSnmgXtQqsRNeiMUKmp13haBM-qdPcULPhmP5wypslu5LTbdpNaN9GFVKGGmfM8mjNfxy0eRLt9T8FI6mHn7-Y1vL8DWZCd6e6YxyJ7u4vqIx92LbdAdPjORyMwLi81zlCrwvZjlJZ7AwfeDCWsuPlU2IKOe7fwkOqW5GOqPaTTQEL/w400-h300/bunker%20chairs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryU26Z5IZKaSM2ZFq8KRCo8gHsoyGBQt5eiMcCaL1mBQXck1tp14xktrbybyNoWUuXyGUJkF19mEnv9XmJKvhaeyyOSj5ce5KmQIHMx1tDbpMeXrQrTmCMYy5yXKN3soYFTmWztTZsCSsTNKQ_pcGiFZWl4auUrd4gZeMzKbnG8dcgAu4Deaf29q_IjIu/s4032/mash%20sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryU26Z5IZKaSM2ZFq8KRCo8gHsoyGBQt5eiMcCaL1mBQXck1tp14xktrbybyNoWUuXyGUJkF19mEnv9XmJKvhaeyyOSj5ce5KmQIHMx1tDbpMeXrQrTmCMYy5yXKN3soYFTmWztTZsCSsTNKQ_pcGiFZWl4auUrd4gZeMzKbnG8dcgAu4Deaf29q_IjIu/w400-h300/mash%20sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>How they selected locations did seem to
be based on our family. There was the mosquito in amber from Jurassic Park next
to the gown for the famous Latin Psychic, which hopefully I will remember to
ask Rosa the name of. (Spoilers- I did not.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Superheroes got huge representation via Clayton Moore’s Lone Ranger
mask, George Reeves’s Superman costume, Chris Evans’s Captain America shield,
and Julie Newmar’s Catwoman accessories (right next to Lucy Lawless’s Xena
costume).<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-iUEp4oqKxz-jgqnlWg6bOVz5hq1hEoMod-ZxQROnLVgzsYupio5RQNQp5_JSjPSFpmYF2NT0hMS3WAeHbss9Zd6tcbCSdS6umnfNdSNH4FnDN2XVjp2Yn_fxk83TxDUICs-AZmDRcoV8gMj0bMnHy6-o3KZIvGCUgxrib8fADTKQ2WEAaLj1AQf0mZi/s4032/reeve%20superman%20and%20lone%20ranger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-iUEp4oqKxz-jgqnlWg6bOVz5hq1hEoMod-ZxQROnLVgzsYupio5RQNQp5_JSjPSFpmYF2NT0hMS3WAeHbss9Zd6tcbCSdS6umnfNdSNH4FnDN2XVjp2Yn_fxk83TxDUICs-AZmDRcoV8gMj0bMnHy6-o3KZIvGCUgxrib8fADTKQ2WEAaLj1AQf0mZi/w400-h300/reeve%20superman%20and%20lone%20ranger.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4M8h3l3BXyseHAlrUJ2sAWQDbGN1qO9-Emw8-PldSJ5Wu8t2fmgoWrSGO2Pen2psnnCq9INFdlPkJiblrf6GSCv_4o5FvLXO3uJbJHazUMZHksFx3lngIZB1xJeslwbQlVSYbpMvpyIfwa31vfv91JMlpgEGLWumuPm6jEcDpY9t3fiXkLtEF0jTEMhB/s4032/captain%20america%20shield.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4M8h3l3BXyseHAlrUJ2sAWQDbGN1qO9-Emw8-PldSJ5Wu8t2fmgoWrSGO2Pen2psnnCq9INFdlPkJiblrf6GSCv_4o5FvLXO3uJbJHazUMZHksFx3lngIZB1xJeslwbQlVSYbpMvpyIfwa31vfv91JMlpgEGLWumuPm6jEcDpY9t3fiXkLtEF0jTEMhB/w400-h300/captain%20america%20shield.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KIYeIBuHVXvLEA9cwWr3c3qdLQuihLLxGCouzDj6xQl6ExFyCmW13bl454-eCSTQ8E2SRdj6Qi1z43EGsB7JnxaFQsb0Rkr_tGX1xZII0fCABD9tNCtK7lVHBfqVIIvhou1fnkUsLtJ6HmbGAilJoDMb4r6myUbqHW5GuRAni_JLDnZvgNrF6T2XijG-/s4032/newmar%20catwoman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KIYeIBuHVXvLEA9cwWr3c3qdLQuihLLxGCouzDj6xQl6ExFyCmW13bl454-eCSTQ8E2SRdj6Qi1z43EGsB7JnxaFQsb0Rkr_tGX1xZII0fCABD9tNCtK7lVHBfqVIIvhou1fnkUsLtJ6HmbGAilJoDMb4r6myUbqHW5GuRAni_JLDnZvgNrF6T2XijG-/w400-h300/newmar%20catwoman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf5evWN3e8yc4QLg9dcu0TcP0R2O2lb0hY_98s91kvxG7-L5xpdIsHFNfBAY6pwrx4SDBXGaqdmvQGFJFBsIoPGvS5A8zXsf21zUhgAPxboDhXj5T2rqMYfnKRiQnhUKax_oVIfYiHgttypcvccA961yC7lceu1NW4AifRVFNylyxzoFlt68PjuAJWigV/s4032/xena%20trek.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf5evWN3e8yc4QLg9dcu0TcP0R2O2lb0hY_98s91kvxG7-L5xpdIsHFNfBAY6pwrx4SDBXGaqdmvQGFJFBsIoPGvS5A8zXsf21zUhgAPxboDhXj5T2rqMYfnKRiQnhUKax_oVIfYiHgttypcvccA961yC7lceu1NW4AifRVFNylyxzoFlt68PjuAJWigV/w400-h300/xena%20trek.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></o:p>There was sports stuff that even I cared
about: Joe Louis’s gloves, Ali’s robe, Jackie Robinson’s glove, Rocky Balboa’s
robe, Billie Jean King’s Bobby Riggs Stomping Dress and Michael Jordan’s jersey.
(Next to Cyndi Lauper’s dress, a Xenomorph egg and Desi Arnaz’s conga drum…<br /> Ali’s robe was next to Phyllis Diller’s
dress,<br />in case it wasn’t obvious that the
placement was confusing.)<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0BxjiJlncAvNBt0EMUa92Sx46lkM8w8abH6uP3PY05gc29TVH9qc-MZn8G-hocV-D3UCX7gmn6by7rgRDOnxYzyMaWTHILS5pyxg27t7mYsuV1z9Or06sLa5I1WEwbAycCwCIFZP_4NUIWwRzn0vYPepmFUQj5OLIWKZHpc0xlWUT30s8OnZBUmuceeO/s4032/joe%20louis%20gloves.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0BxjiJlncAvNBt0EMUa92Sx46lkM8w8abH6uP3PY05gc29TVH9qc-MZn8G-hocV-D3UCX7gmn6by7rgRDOnxYzyMaWTHILS5pyxg27t7mYsuV1z9Or06sLa5I1WEwbAycCwCIFZP_4NUIWwRzn0vYPepmFUQj5OLIWKZHpc0xlWUT30s8OnZBUmuceeO/w400-h300/joe%20louis%20gloves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGl0D8uj9SLdpkgOu-fHYZqGih_xYRrJTj1muibnLEGSd2gL29RUJjhmVS6UOuaZIs_XlsVwCgW-m4vasWD62VPUo__J5HIpqJQxowQb9zrBDJxnIQkllUSPv-1Zl5KRWEoshnDGuMx25HPDEqN-MpUkK0sOGyVZTlXE98S-jetuIZ3pr434jouJp8lK9/s4032/ali%20and%20diller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGl0D8uj9SLdpkgOu-fHYZqGih_xYRrJTj1muibnLEGSd2gL29RUJjhmVS6UOuaZIs_XlsVwCgW-m4vasWD62VPUo__J5HIpqJQxowQb9zrBDJxnIQkllUSPv-1Zl5KRWEoshnDGuMx25HPDEqN-MpUkK0sOGyVZTlXE98S-jetuIZ3pr434jouJp8lK9/w400-h300/ali%20and%20diller.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i8WdQxz5b9XHaVoQwTpK0p7iKAkZJwsFy6tob5J8Q0WcREcDB7692wTv8V-zd98vEG60akNh1k71NSfkNnVuz0QbkQUQgJyHoZ1JM_bdhqyVhB0LVVqLrVKP9Yb4QIBQwN_KrdLLYDVMqHkM8GEG7Idl7F8tLl4vi9NstSXLvUZiXMFcRveSpH6W54cN/s4032/rocky%20and%20dallas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i8WdQxz5b9XHaVoQwTpK0p7iKAkZJwsFy6tob5J8Q0WcREcDB7692wTv8V-zd98vEG60akNh1k71NSfkNnVuz0QbkQUQgJyHoZ1JM_bdhqyVhB0LVVqLrVKP9Yb4QIBQwN_KrdLLYDVMqHkM8GEG7Idl7F8tLl4vi9NstSXLvUZiXMFcRveSpH6W54cN/w400-h300/rocky%20and%20dallas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfLIxq5SytkEf9R1lIlQd62qzReyQlRKIgIzzBzEQ79ywfFacSE7WKEKzOhN3c_E7mVZk5sanjRiJQ78W0EfNyLydVkk9PCd9qjrAVfqtZki2OD6HWB0rwOHhXlFndLtSIibK5raKd4NnfVFRzqqTFF1jxkoRxbL9sEgFsoO9LOc0qZOxr6S3vwHAigNY/s4032/aliens%20lauper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfLIxq5SytkEf9R1lIlQd62qzReyQlRKIgIzzBzEQ79ywfFacSE7WKEKzOhN3c_E7mVZk5sanjRiJQ78W0EfNyLydVkk9PCd9qjrAVfqtZki2OD6HWB0rwOHhXlFndLtSIibK5raKd4NnfVFRzqqTFF1jxkoRxbL9sEgFsoO9LOc0qZOxr6S3vwHAigNY/w400-h300/aliens%20lauper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Artoo and Threepio were there, standing
in a case close to the very first Kermit from <i>Sam and Friends</i>, it was
insane. Some things were obvious, like Levar Burton’s shackles from <i>Roots. </i>Other
objects less so, but equally impressive on inspection, like the typewriter
Orson Wells used for the <i>War of the Worlds </i>script.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6iJaeJhqEB8JTliivL8ywx9MkpFVhCZa2OX2F31yt34Xc8N0HZU_xuuTJ9pRQMzc3mmTfP7-FlUEd43J_oyGGIqyLGgMY0fCpKdDw3fyKErOgHfh2OxgCPonEdqS0qOSEJbyMbeAn4lCWrVi7sYo9Mt1zC3CgP9uRzTe2mZSe2jYJHUtsw_g3SZMtaAt/s4032/r2%20and%203po.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6iJaeJhqEB8JTliivL8ywx9MkpFVhCZa2OX2F31yt34Xc8N0HZU_xuuTJ9pRQMzc3mmTfP7-FlUEd43J_oyGGIqyLGgMY0fCpKdDw3fyKErOgHfh2OxgCPonEdqS0qOSEJbyMbeAn4lCWrVi7sYo9Mt1zC3CgP9uRzTe2mZSe2jYJHUtsw_g3SZMtaAt/w400-h300/r2%20and%203po.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6bbDO18CFVgC8GlUBPl3mtpN3qFfH8Kp4Ov492TZAqOO1xcMIux2USeNxh1jrzZlMyRh5q4VDrYPqgKmlaiyqabFyVXWoSPGgxOhY1OXTuT-KpeACk0NBJl7VzFgzqgaiMWnb_N_Lez8zqBi2mh697hXs-wmf-7bq1XUzj7sr1QNITTpRPe6godWGw8i/s4032/early%20kermit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6bbDO18CFVgC8GlUBPl3mtpN3qFfH8Kp4Ov492TZAqOO1xcMIux2USeNxh1jrzZlMyRh5q4VDrYPqgKmlaiyqabFyVXWoSPGgxOhY1OXTuT-KpeACk0NBJl7VzFgzqgaiMWnb_N_Lez8zqBi2mh697hXs-wmf-7bq1XUzj7sr1QNITTpRPe6godWGw8i/w400-h300/early%20kermit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xb33B4CHqS2s5nXfGDHaiyUX4ZXkU3vasgEouN5cTGi5HXxSE8OVQySCGUkmSw8jBX_63zkMkoEuvF9oiGxDP3ckfOS2BL7JcSLWqZ4O-K_Bvyg1EEXJNB9pkzI82_mzgHpQGWbEVrIKxt91jbCMZn2K0WaS0Ogdnjo_kmMaPzvjD4T3k6y2dtoEZ5JQ/s4032/roots%20robinson%20and%20topol.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xb33B4CHqS2s5nXfGDHaiyUX4ZXkU3vasgEouN5cTGi5HXxSE8OVQySCGUkmSw8jBX_63zkMkoEuvF9oiGxDP3ckfOS2BL7JcSLWqZ4O-K_Bvyg1EEXJNB9pkzI82_mzgHpQGWbEVrIKxt91jbCMZn2K0WaS0Ogdnjo_kmMaPzvjD4T3k6y2dtoEZ5JQ/w400-h300/roots%20robinson%20and%20topol.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpUW81BEr4686OQFnoNxfbqS45bj2Cv-eTCbVkVCxShgiOohdFXs1vwBWiJmaFyMi2YalfuNUD9yoyC_Je_od1waokyjB1BiEL2O6Q0xHfRtPzslLHaUW62sMBSEmaXbma4fbGcFJeHb8abqtCAPD9emgNjtjftjav_Twmrx33sfN0g3ILrSm_3IM7yuT/s4032/wells%20typewriter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpUW81BEr4686OQFnoNxfbqS45bj2Cv-eTCbVkVCxShgiOohdFXs1vwBWiJmaFyMi2YalfuNUD9yoyC_Je_od1waokyjB1BiEL2O6Q0xHfRtPzslLHaUW62sMBSEmaXbma4fbGcFJeHb8abqtCAPD9emgNjtjftjav_Twmrx33sfN0g3ILrSm_3IM7yuT/w400-h300/wells%20typewriter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></o:p>Then, we reached the children’s
television section, and the nostalgia burned the brightest. Howdy Doody, for
Grandma’s generation, was still there, but there was also Bill Nye’s lab coat.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBkRWJVyjiwhEdfZXaBsD7dD7nAZdNu_26jM0DW0zhA_UTu_-VZPAuJKk_oga8ojdfn4PAdrMRcTbGIv6q_CSLBPNsQwhPgxM-YK-DdLBFN_tzqvZ_ub_WTAy4BVNBR2GstFEaNUldP9lfDrciF_8tpHBZfrX3oNJNMNDhve5xnsJI_PQ3n_ndaCDRvxu/s4032/old%20kids%20shows%20doody.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBkRWJVyjiwhEdfZXaBsD7dD7nAZdNu_26jM0DW0zhA_UTu_-VZPAuJKk_oga8ojdfn4PAdrMRcTbGIv6q_CSLBPNsQwhPgxM-YK-DdLBFN_tzqvZ_ub_WTAy4BVNBR2GstFEaNUldP9lfDrciF_8tpHBZfrX3oNJNMNDhve5xnsJI_PQ3n_ndaCDRvxu/w400-h300/old%20kids%20shows%20doody.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Similarly, the items that made me all
misty, an early Oscar the Grouch in his trash can and one of Mr. Rogers’s
sweaters, were joined by Elmo, and one of Anabelle’s all-time favorite Sesame
Street character, ROSITA! Anabelle planned to move in next to this Muppet, but
that would happen later in the trip, he said, yet again whipping in
foreshadowing like a pro.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXIGHca1i2SFyYT4wGCghULAB1rTTHFwRZkS3QolgMkwkEh8TdeHe1uQMyEFD5bvT7ZmgqAM0fYtiA7QpHqBLY6dcIZKBYDV9FZTzXquzHICsY0k0RXouwYWVSUQI_PwFiWegVBCmJHxJNUuzJxud36em9PpYo7DoLVAjTUlwFJJrp3bQLqNqE8LyQffC/s4032/elmo%20rosita.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXIGHca1i2SFyYT4wGCghULAB1rTTHFwRZkS3QolgMkwkEh8TdeHe1uQMyEFD5bvT7ZmgqAM0fYtiA7QpHqBLY6dcIZKBYDV9FZTzXquzHICsY0k0RXouwYWVSUQI_PwFiWegVBCmJHxJNUuzJxud36em9PpYo7DoLVAjTUlwFJJrp3bQLqNqE8LyQffC/w400-h300/elmo%20rosita.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>While she was mesmerized, she noticed
activity in one of the many groups of Eighth Graders in the city on class trips.
The extremely self-aware youth, egged on by his classmates came up to her and
said, “Hey.” She responded with a confused, “Hey?” He immediately shuffled back
to his classmates stating, “She’s not into me at all.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While Anabelle basked in her childhood
memories a bit longer, I waved to some of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/03/i-miss-circus.html" target="_blank">Ringling Brothers</a> memorabilia
before we tried out other sections of the museum, vowing a return.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLuyhNI1_PrBvjgbHBT3H5eH0eBCVB_bcys_SRsJYNGyui_u3tdbpBdKS2fcyGri_rpVhmT-oo9eJp1RhAYurS_S6xtAxmnk6uyVzM9YR_xO3kMlot_5ojyuGZPgITamXcJUdJ7N2z5W6HYY00xnaOrrGVgwORAp44O7ezrdpG-dRj7Wb8LtRoZjlQJEh/s4032/ringiling%20brothers%20poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLuyhNI1_PrBvjgbHBT3H5eH0eBCVB_bcys_SRsJYNGyui_u3tdbpBdKS2fcyGri_rpVhmT-oo9eJp1RhAYurS_S6xtAxmnk6uyVzM9YR_xO3kMlot_5ojyuGZPgITamXcJUdJ7N2z5W6HYY00xnaOrrGVgwORAp44O7ezrdpG-dRj7Wb8LtRoZjlQJEh/w400-h300/ringiling%20brothers%20poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>The First Ladies exhibit was mostly
“nice dresses.” In normal circumstances it would be time for the rest of the
family to be more interested than I was. Except Anabelle took great exception
to the fact that Abigail Adams, her favorite since the “wax museum” project eleven
years (or another number) prior, was underrepresented. They only had a sample of her dinner ware. I
thought how it will be an interesting look back and conversation starter for
future generations when they see Dr. Jill Biden’s inaugural outfits came with
matching face masks.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUY_AiAEDqGPoDnGmt-Egu101aBRMKruilByF-7LwechTR90jDdro1Vg6A2_DFnjt2AOOMJKUL7Ecgo2WbVvo6BeAJJ_bAiR7z9yYDbehkuyqw81qfAEc2GsCaBcWsHIR_ovdhjGwDsthCd6mFiPhVc-Vx8C2BKmatQHX7LeYxzFGDeA_9Tz0BrHh6a8V/s4032/biden%20mask.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUY_AiAEDqGPoDnGmt-Egu101aBRMKruilByF-7LwechTR90jDdro1Vg6A2_DFnjt2AOOMJKUL7Ecgo2WbVvo6BeAJJ_bAiR7z9yYDbehkuyqw81qfAEc2GsCaBcWsHIR_ovdhjGwDsthCd6mFiPhVc-Vx8C2BKmatQHX7LeYxzFGDeA_9Tz0BrHh6a8V/w400-h300/biden%20mask.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>An adjoining section had various
memorabilia for the Presidents as well. We took it in but were getting a little
tired and closing time loomed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGZRlhaxUe6f8XV_iFDXwuE1MlX8oAnsu5fud_uoFoB8nbcMGCCcQh0RaRdKIlWSJWk18h5bfyl59oiqdULXsys15IGw9EjsoGXV0LSW1FLX80riEdkRR9rbODhPrcl_ZM1gmQ5z5CdK7ZKvz8Kg0MhKhae8O0S3tZjzWq1qS4ytZWITklj9nC86YpvrZ/s4032/presidential%20stuff.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGZRlhaxUe6f8XV_iFDXwuE1MlX8oAnsu5fud_uoFoB8nbcMGCCcQh0RaRdKIlWSJWk18h5bfyl59oiqdULXsys15IGw9EjsoGXV0LSW1FLX80riEdkRR9rbODhPrcl_ZM1gmQ5z5CdK7ZKvz8Kg0MhKhae8O0S3tZjzWq1qS4ytZWITklj9nC86YpvrZ/w400-h300/presidential%20stuff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>Before leaving, we found a little hidden
room with two hallway connectors chronicling how Disney films and parks have
adapted to changing social structures and ideals over time. It showed how much
they do pay attention to being a part of, and reflecting, the world as it
actually exists.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVfrzYZBObHRdkzTaifg28t2LUl8z4YuOc6ExMKoMLNbkUW0ZkJQrR1gMV0tAjaFfZ9KarhhZg4Nq1PUROWh-d2MepDFl6xs8jx7ccvwrjKSAam5DQLnIqObFRvnsHmgUgODn7SInKf-07-ZHMdkidLdMvgYN39_9Sohe__m8NHMA7If4Romc5PxE7rxJ/s4032/disney%20changing%20with%20times.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVfrzYZBObHRdkzTaifg28t2LUl8z4YuOc6ExMKoMLNbkUW0ZkJQrR1gMV0tAjaFfZ9KarhhZg4Nq1PUROWh-d2MepDFl6xs8jx7ccvwrjKSAam5DQLnIqObFRvnsHmgUgODn7SInKf-07-ZHMdkidLdMvgYN39_9Sohe__m8NHMA7If4Romc5PxE7rxJ/w400-h300/disney%20changing%20with%20times.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />On the way out, as they were getting
ready to lock the doors, I was excited by seeing <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/04/mighty-catchy-stuff-blues-brothers.html" target="_blank">Steve “The Colonel” Cropper</a>’s
guitar on display! I found out my family may have been less excited than I was
when I finished reading about it and noticed they were already outside.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij91Uvw5Ypis_JdWByQolRMfZF3i4wQKZ8qd7dBWkIhy7zPqDSc4BlZ6dJfnWfqU4UPKLifxIuUBT8j6hJDxL3wrTh2joXdk7_MTQGpv3C4oojOXa6CDfrSxEyjo3q5cyhgZWodCw5MCN-NfpnAm7cGf0VIlxbjOAnBJPRM_PNzO8YN18rNNL1W5CoJDGQ/s4032/steve%20the%20colonel%20cropper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij91Uvw5Ypis_JdWByQolRMfZF3i4wQKZ8qd7dBWkIhy7zPqDSc4BlZ6dJfnWfqU4UPKLifxIuUBT8j6hJDxL3wrTh2joXdk7_MTQGpv3C4oojOXa6CDfrSxEyjo3q5cyhgZWodCw5MCN-NfpnAm7cGf0VIlxbjOAnBJPRM_PNzO8YN18rNNL1W5CoJDGQ/w300-h400/steve%20the%20colonel%20cropper.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> </o:p>Walking north, away from the Mall and
towards our hotel, we passed Ford’s Theater, (which is still operational) where
Lincoln was shot. Across the street was Ford’s Theater Education Center,
connected to the house Lincoln was brought to and died in.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6d0qewfJ_NDTOQ7CQYQbP-nH7RB680Y4nMUE8DT3A6oOC_-YcyFsGclUcNQBn4CUk1PKmVqpV3mI2hCIaQMkDED_KnM7O9ckZPlthb6tp6cK85Ip6KtpiDG7MZc_NVingdigqXmJ1ve_YrZdTpS9Kj5g-4iu1MfwzLswtu79rCTvFMa14wQ9chKny83f/s4032/fords%20theater.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6d0qewfJ_NDTOQ7CQYQbP-nH7RB680Y4nMUE8DT3A6oOC_-YcyFsGclUcNQBn4CUk1PKmVqpV3mI2hCIaQMkDED_KnM7O9ckZPlthb6tp6cK85Ip6KtpiDG7MZc_NVingdigqXmJ1ve_YrZdTpS9Kj5g-4iu1MfwzLswtu79rCTvFMa14wQ9chKny83f/w400-h300/fords%20theater.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>There was also “Lincoln’s Waffle Shop,”
where, one assumes, the President had breakfast the morning of the show.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiib2ZW5mq9Etr9rUD_eeNryqNvjyT69cJl9gewDg-NLLCzFMl-O-ucg9qr7eyoTwKEHFvKI54uw1tQNbivA6lJYrt2WUPOrRBnm8cHQGnIkDw_Nirfw2JmOmeRxwucl_Z56MhGLqbbaMjxyBLPUY-h77URGO027ddFXYz4G4v-Cw8FiX5nk9JDpItf4ATz/s4032/lincolns%20waffles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiib2ZW5mq9Etr9rUD_eeNryqNvjyT69cJl9gewDg-NLLCzFMl-O-ucg9qr7eyoTwKEHFvKI54uw1tQNbivA6lJYrt2WUPOrRBnm8cHQGnIkDw_Nirfw2JmOmeRxwucl_Z56MhGLqbbaMjxyBLPUY-h77URGO027ddFXYz4G4v-Cw8FiX5nk9JDpItf4ATz/w400-h300/lincolns%20waffles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We had been through two museums on this
day, after driving four hours and walking around the entire tidal basin the day
before. Sane people would have head back to the hotel to rest up for a very
full next day.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>“Hey, isn’t the American Art Museum
containing the National Portrait Gallery open until Seven and near here?”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqpYNGGjkTyCKE87gQ-cqopCS7eA0HjXlgZNfChDLi8H-Q7psTh84Hh8V9iBvPrfxLG2IAj-Tn8TYzBZR56Vy3L2zbRgzkKVmB0wZRifGcrmasTcghl4b23BxMQWQtrE_z3bbFDECMQ5BX5cPyJaT_deiTJTykwjSA4hbQgpdjZLuOmSL-Iqz-BXUAnhr/s4032/women%20justices%20supreme%20court.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqpYNGGjkTyCKE87gQ-cqopCS7eA0HjXlgZNfChDLi8H-Q7psTh84Hh8V9iBvPrfxLG2IAj-Tn8TYzBZR56Vy3L2zbRgzkKVmB0wZRifGcrmasTcghl4b23BxMQWQtrE_z3bbFDECMQ5BX5cPyJaT_deiTJTykwjSA4hbQgpdjZLuOmSL-Iqz-BXUAnhr/w400-h300/women%20justices%20supreme%20court.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>Rosa and Anabelle had very little
interest in the portraits, but once again, New York Museum bias surfaced, the
place was much smaller than anticipated, and we went through most of it.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Being American Art, there were a large
number of outstandingly beautiful landscapes in the older sections. Then we
reached the modern section and saw a painting of a fried egg. (I may be
incorrect on that one.) There were multiple impressive Georgia O’Keeffe’s in
the area as well.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQrH4VQU-O2zLWeF4JA73EoP-xUOmaPTcnuvkdxqxjc9wGVg5kCYs7mxjk6IntArL6Pd3TMOWvfuBQSp1qWYdycz_5eB37mhI2XRT-6HoErPvKmS4TQlXHjP0Xg67lCcMFkTg0A4QELVyU4ykQ5kMLQUCUHO4jpQDeMACZjG0HU3368NRWLmncBuM14c2/s4032/frid%20egg%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQrH4VQU-O2zLWeF4JA73EoP-xUOmaPTcnuvkdxqxjc9wGVg5kCYs7mxjk6IntArL6Pd3TMOWvfuBQSp1qWYdycz_5eB37mhI2XRT-6HoErPvKmS4TQlXHjP0Xg67lCcMFkTg0A4QELVyU4ykQ5kMLQUCUHO4jpQDeMACZjG0HU3368NRWLmncBuM14c2/w400-h300/frid%20egg%20painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Additionally, in the modern area was a
cigarette machine. I thought it was supposed to be some ironic commentary, but
a closer inspection found it was labeled, “Artomat.” Cigarette machines had
been repurposed to support local artists. Instead of dispensing carcinogens,
now art was packaged inside. Anabelle picked poems and they were found to be
fun and interesting back in the hotel.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjay99aJzv3HOFK6yk9XPE1s1ARhHfMhvtciC8aEk7xAMWDy6Jd9aK2MMZxOPSb95kmvAKyd1KoCuYwRzArHLu4U2wNyI6l_EK9DfgTHTDeFxi4C0Ka-ZzpPxXVcCRsHm6csSDDPWXHob1pVFf8EE9778e7w47udXGHHc94763FKLYgcHgqkssnTtBumf-5/s4032/artomatic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjay99aJzv3HOFK6yk9XPE1s1ARhHfMhvtciC8aEk7xAMWDy6Jd9aK2MMZxOPSb95kmvAKyd1KoCuYwRzArHLu4U2wNyI6l_EK9DfgTHTDeFxi4C0Ka-ZzpPxXVcCRsHm6csSDDPWXHob1pVFf8EE9778e7w47udXGHHc94763FKLYgcHgqkssnTtBumf-5/w400-h300/artomatic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One captivating room had a comparison of classical and contemporary landscapes.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The classic was a gorgeous example of the Hudson River school. (Or close enough to it… no I’m not looking it up, in spite of appearances, I do have a life.)<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCwQZvUczv5LelTibDP6iM4rAx3HodZePDek9kIEu1RrOAgCQirBSzPSabE2Ln2NlBiNfLPcwxREZ19HuF5XdlNjsznZkUmcqYR8EeRXVZDHd99Wll7HG2NkoKVtNKv1HPtWUmrXy_PIELHLKzqBEEDqsDy9xfYu2X5cTZidcXgVQmsyEGu5_Cvpd3k1l/s4032/nice%20landscape.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCwQZvUczv5LelTibDP6iM4rAx3HodZePDek9kIEu1RrOAgCQirBSzPSabE2Ln2NlBiNfLPcwxREZ19HuF5XdlNjsznZkUmcqYR8EeRXVZDHd99Wll7HG2NkoKVtNKv1HPtWUmrXy_PIELHLKzqBEEDqsDy9xfYu2X5cTZidcXgVQmsyEGu5_Cvpd3k1l/w400-h300/nice%20landscape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The modern one was this wild, and very
red, view of Brooklyn after being submerged under rising oceans.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMjGhxSANhUv2NAMzmeQQRqWExgREpody363L4C5g_xenh2GGFYDvjjmafEJ9OIxOlV_sHHGGmJo78jBwEDbevQMeKLmf084U6dHMOyf9-qtBJYTM-LiozVLLaM1ZBYIQmzmAbswA0knq6acXOO38qasKLzvuSstzhOVZSa_Dgbts2uY8dvncnI6W9eCk/s4032/red%20brooklyn%20thing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMjGhxSANhUv2NAMzmeQQRqWExgREpody363L4C5g_xenh2GGFYDvjjmafEJ9OIxOlV_sHHGGmJo78jBwEDbevQMeKLmf084U6dHMOyf9-qtBJYTM-LiozVLLaM1ZBYIQmzmAbswA0knq6acXOO38qasKLzvuSstzhOVZSa_Dgbts2uY8dvncnI6W9eCk/w400-h300/red%20brooklyn%20thing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Both highly impressive and thought
provoking in different ways.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1K3LvA8d9tKWYt1GD78s8RCaqRw9W9Mh6YxM5VEOOQLnntxumHHMV7g2g4CEBn1l8wRhyphenhypheniGadHRxa-_VttcJ_Rm8Rxh3h7XleAGJnXyHYU9ItCYcqWzFukoHQ6RxLxDzN2Ag1RTeaYGml0uaX88sorDFnXvkhnUVfDMJRTfMPE4XIzPytmQhRrmfkTziy/s4032/liscence%20plate%20preamble.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1K3LvA8d9tKWYt1GD78s8RCaqRw9W9Mh6YxM5VEOOQLnntxumHHMV7g2g4CEBn1l8wRhyphenhypheniGadHRxa-_VttcJ_Rm8Rxh3h7XleAGJnXyHYU9ItCYcqWzFukoHQ6RxLxDzN2Ag1RTeaYGml0uaX88sorDFnXvkhnUVfDMJRTfMPE4XIzPytmQhRrmfkTziy/w400-h300/liscence%20plate%20preamble.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p>The modern section also had the Preamble to the Constitution written on license plates of all fifty states. Due to being unconscious on the way down, Anabelle had decided to play the “license plate game” only in DC itself. However, she ruled this to be cheating.</o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdZrfjH6_I5tR9NL3rs42fjRgmpBCxD0ZHHPOK9qlsLVMQGKAhkT5ZUo9OrQoxahqiewPAfrgyg_DR3C12A83nHTC3KPzaUE2K4H4KON5MlbbNzmFdVdTnTnBzoiZ3OWEuXw9yCM6v6_0cfxD2SNxpemcnfD-6yDl6Y_An-32S2UBsDlj6yA1OIRPOSFb/s4032/herbie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdZrfjH6_I5tR9NL3rs42fjRgmpBCxD0ZHHPOK9qlsLVMQGKAhkT5ZUo9OrQoxahqiewPAfrgyg_DR3C12A83nHTC3KPzaUE2K4H4KON5MlbbNzmFdVdTnTnBzoiZ3OWEuXw9yCM6v6_0cfxD2SNxpemcnfD-6yDl6Y_An-32S2UBsDlj6yA1OIRPOSFb/w400-h300/herbie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Another room had a huge, donated
collection of die cast cars, including a Herbie to keep a through line to the
last <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/05/disney-world-2022-day-1-august-2-pretty.html" target="_blank">Disney trip</a>.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>The Portraits of all the presidents did
turn out to be engaging. It was fun seeing how the differences in both eras and
personalities led to the differences in the painting styles.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Great art is always attracting, and
other portraits drew us to them as well.<br />(Translation- I forget why we liked some
of them, and I can’t read the plaques in the photos I took.)<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOl6D4_HtfaH9o6YIhEJxNxL6K1CtWZ7fsXO2FhFfC_C5jkPH0ls3DMwfrR-tAxNsXHs3Z_Gp4sy-nIkYTKa83MSbwRrhr-ctCN1J2nQYvfOxKGybx_4tW1pDwyoXl-tNBtkjVB7g1IZtutHBg8z4tET5wPOcFkG-S8aiZOJrgYTO1KMhFv25KlS-jrXwx/s4032/nomits%20portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOl6D4_HtfaH9o6YIhEJxNxL6K1CtWZ7fsXO2FhFfC_C5jkPH0ls3DMwfrR-tAxNsXHs3Z_Gp4sy-nIkYTKa83MSbwRrhr-ctCN1J2nQYvfOxKGybx_4tW1pDwyoXl-tNBtkjVB7g1IZtutHBg8z4tET5wPOcFkG-S8aiZOJrgYTO1KMhFv25KlS-jrXwx/w400-h300/nomits%20portrait.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Considering what they accomplished, the
collection of World War Two military leaders all in one place was imposing and
inspirational.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPS3FnMHHeDS7mq4JPPNq2TISvi2MUlg0MRBPWgQO2l-tTw5QW2BxIkHFV25jtdsyyZvIQQW4rLKIKDVf0dT9DBhRhg3VA2B8vSOUJEWVk6jj-KruHD4dpYBT3gumaK0KeyLQi_T8FgAUpt7-H7j3t1ZrTqjgQ8nAXuEuhLAQ-wWMEfbXnbn_BVOGiZaf5/s4032/patton%20portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPS3FnMHHeDS7mq4JPPNq2TISvi2MUlg0MRBPWgQO2l-tTw5QW2BxIkHFV25jtdsyyZvIQQW4rLKIKDVf0dT9DBhRhg3VA2B8vSOUJEWVk6jj-KruHD4dpYBT3gumaK0KeyLQi_T8FgAUpt7-H7j3t1ZrTqjgQ8nAXuEuhLAQ-wWMEfbXnbn_BVOGiZaf5/w400-h300/patton%20portrait.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><o:p> <br /></o:p>The gift shop was closing (though the saleswoman
liked my Star Trek shirt and [“hooray!”] Anabelle’s NASA shirt) The
upstairs Entertainment and Sports portrait galleries as well as another section
we wanted to see were being refurbished and the cafeteria was closed by the
time we finished.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3OlpqmDmYUCeiI_ZN13g8ft8cTaSfOWQBjC3glGRO2mnAzzayB1GYkeh_3UoY61UESTnSKlInQsb9gEWI_gS9I1kwdO3ccpA0xlCWVwDj2LdLGjcxHwSStXr9ZbhN6MJfkegCK9eUzzSp6ZDYUWFrcqoJLL6bCgGcLq0mrsauNDwOGkXA7oLRywaSyfb/s4032/closed%20sports%20portraits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3OlpqmDmYUCeiI_ZN13g8ft8cTaSfOWQBjC3glGRO2mnAzzayB1GYkeh_3UoY61UESTnSKlInQsb9gEWI_gS9I1kwdO3ccpA0xlCWVwDj2LdLGjcxHwSStXr9ZbhN6MJfkegCK9eUzzSp6ZDYUWFrcqoJLL6bCgGcLq0mrsauNDwOGkXA7oLRywaSyfb/w400-h300/closed%20sports%20portraits.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We reached the end of operating ours
with some disappointment in an art museum.<br />Yes, we were thrown out of two museums
in one day.<br /> No this would not be the only time we
experienced this phenomenon.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle wanted dinner from Chopt, a
chain she discovered near school. I like it as well, though I do delight in
tormenting my daughter by complaining that one cannot get the grilled chicken
heated up in their offerings. Rosa was going to stick with gluten free
leftovers from the night before. We stopped at CVS for some supplies on the
way, and the guy paradoxically running the self-checkout machine liked our
geeky themed credit card and shirts. (Combined they hit the geek trifecta of
Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>While I do like Chopt, I try to
experience more local choices on vacation. The check in woman had explained the
hotel dinner options, and I planned on trying that.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>(Spoilers- I should have ordered dinner
from Chopt…<br />Even CVS would have been an improvement.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Before reaching home, we needed to stop
at “The Other Joaquín Memorial.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Translation 1- Joaquín is the name of a
snail doodle that Anabelle has been drawing since she was a wee tot.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Translation 2- When Rosa was marking all
of the museums, memorials, and monuments we could see on the map, Anabelle drew
a snail in the corner and labeled it, “Joaquín Memorial.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Translation 3- When Anabelle realized
that corner was NOWHERE near where we would be walking during the week, she
added a second snail drawing near the hotel labeled “The Other Joaquín
Memorial.”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_GjOuaoBdr5vX_RuMsVHreQy5wFK2yc7iKOfGXNzBDSC3BBbMGcfWa0V3YF25sFZRyTGqt-uaNvny23RT4xCWj6f03z-hS880mWj2tGC9uvBlTeFpg8JbfQE4QMtzEem5yLAZ1bUGLfYUSH1TRJNnYIDrq86I-qrCOjkxO6v3y_50XG1iTiAca_bgBtw/s4032/other%20joachin%20memorial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_GjOuaoBdr5vX_RuMsVHreQy5wFK2yc7iKOfGXNzBDSC3BBbMGcfWa0V3YF25sFZRyTGqt-uaNvny23RT4xCWj6f03z-hS880mWj2tGC9uvBlTeFpg8JbfQE4QMtzEem5yLAZ1bUGLfYUSH1TRJNnYIDrq86I-qrCOjkxO6v3y_50XG1iTiAca_bgBtw/w400-h300/other%20joachin%20memorial.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Anabelle brought her food to the room,
Rosa went to the room to get her food, and I stayed in the lobby to order my
food.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>There was no readily visible way to
order food. I tried to explain what I had been told on check in to the desk
clerk, but he didn’t seem to understand.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Therefore, I went up to the room to scan
the code that had the menu on it to see if it said how to order. Nothing was
selectable on the website that came up with the menu referencing ordering in
the lobby. I called the lobby and explained the situation, and he told me to
select what I wanted on the website.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I explained the situation once again.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>He again told me to make the selection
on my phone.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Third time was sort of the charm and he
said, “Oh, then you can’t order there, you have to go up to the roof bar.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Knowing the check in lady told me the
roof bar had limited snacks, but not knowing what else to do, I went up to the
roof bar. The bartender showed me his much more minimal menu that what came up
online. He also told me the lobby was supposed to handle the menu on my phone,
but “they’re lazy.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Back down I went, meeting Rosa who had
come to microwave her food.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I talked to the guy at the desk about
the bartender telling me I had to order down here (leaving out the lazy part).<br />This had been the same guy all along.<br />Y’know, the guy I first asked about
ordering at that desk?<br />And then the guy I talked to on the
phone about ordering from my room?<br />The guy that both times told me there
was no way to order?<br />That guy?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>That guy huffed, reached next to a box
behind the desk, handed me a print copy of the menu I’d seen on my phone, and
asked what I wanted.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>I selected my chicken sandwich with
seasoned fries, and he asked if he wanted me to have him to call the room when
it was ready.<br /> Worried that the entire lobby would be
gone if I left, I elected to wait.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>After what was about as long as it would
have been to walk back to Chopt and return, the elevators opened, and the
bartender came out.<br />Y’know the bartender who told me he couldn’t
work off the menu on my phone?<br />And then the bartender who accused the
other employees of being lazy?<br />That Bartender?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>“That Bartender” brought my chicken
sandwich over to “That Guy” and went back upstairs.<br /> Then “That Guy” gave me my dinner and I
went back to the room.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Not content with one disaster, I checked
to make sure we had everything ready for the booked Capitol visit and night bus
tour the next day. I had checked all the times and locations well before we
left. I was preprogramming the addresses into the Navicomputer to make sure
they were accessible and when I entered the address for the bus tour, the
location came out WAY east of the Capitol building in a neighborhood I had no
ideas about, making us require almost an hour and a half walk at Ten O’clock at
night.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>With nothing left after the day, I
freaked out, started checking everything, tried to call the bus tour company
(closed), and also called my sister who had recommended the tour they went on.
I couldn’t figure out how I could have screwed up so badly checking things at
home.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Here’s how:<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A) My fingers suck at typing anything on
my phone.<br />B) Washington DC is set up in a four
quartered system around the Capitol, addresses have East and West, or North and
South connected to them.<br />C) The “E” and “W” are right next to
each other on the keyboard.<br />D) Every single time I tried to type the
address I hit the “E” instead of the “W” without realizing to the point that
the phone started autocorrecting to “E” even if I hit “W.”<br />E) I was VERY tired.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Through several parallel methods, I
confirmed the bus was right next to Ford’s Theater, a few blocks from our
hotel.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle decided she was also very tired
and in no mood to deal with me. Therefore, she showered through my panic and
the resolution.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Given the whole idea of using the hotel
for back up dinners went down the toilet, we researched restaurants in the area
and checked menus for gluten free options while we had flashbacks to Anabelle’s
Saturday mornings as a kid where she watched <i>Say Yes to the Dress, </i>since
all the networks stopped showing cartoons.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then to prepare for our visit to the
Capitol and other historical sites, we watched the history series of School
House Rock.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We finished the night with some Disney
World Trivia Questions and finally passed out, with Anabelle still babbling
excitedly about seeing Rosita.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>20362 steps<br />8.2 miles</span><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Click here for the next day</a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-54707080182909462512024-01-25T11:00:00.000-08:002024-01-26T09:45:54.903-08:00Echoes of the Future<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37MR9Z744yu8GuFflcB9iyniAwo7_-lj4-uJhqlWNLFXr3Auujf5S93-u0qP4omt8B_5lfudMTTLM3I71aIHK-4T-SlZM_0u48Fn1hkUUqQmHPJnMj_nQQdeGyr24D-6aya27y0nCaeQHb4P_wH-DGAYZ-CJ7N9Bk5Zi1P_nfNmHFywZN6tEufZUm5abD/s840/echo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="840" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37MR9Z744yu8GuFflcB9iyniAwo7_-lj4-uJhqlWNLFXr3Auujf5S93-u0qP4omt8B_5lfudMTTLM3I71aIHK-4T-SlZM_0u48Fn1hkUUqQmHPJnMj_nQQdeGyr24D-6aya27y0nCaeQHb4P_wH-DGAYZ-CJ7N9Bk5Zi1P_nfNmHFywZN6tEufZUm5abD/w400-h220/echo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The reason for the title is that I'm hoping this show will lead the way to characterization and story taking point in projects over continuity and spectacle. Those are the core of every good comic book run. Hey, I can dream!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How about that <i>Echo </i>show? Only five episodes but it packed in a boatload! Cultural history, an outstandingly portrayed character who went through personal and power based transitional arcs, a fun, well detailed and relatable supporting cast, and an excellently developed villain.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is extremely rare these days to see a "mature" story, that uses that label to tell a mature story, rather than one that only ratchets up the violence, or follows the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/09/clash-of-titans-through-kids-eyes.html" target="_blank">Eighties path</a> of "boobs."<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Come to think of it, Maya was never sexualized. No skimpy skin tight superhero costume, no "destressing" in the shower scene, no sleeping in her underwear for no reason. Considering the usual mindset of those that run film and TV studios, the frequent fanboy target audience of most superhero stuff, and she is very attractive, Its nice to see them be classy enough to avoid that route.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[I couldn't figure out how to put in that "attractive" part without sounding creepy...and I still don't think I pulled it off. However, I wanted to highlight the sleazy choice could have been made but wasn't. I'll stop now, I think its getting worse.]</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There was a bit of language use, the combat was a bit more brutal than in other Disney + shows, and the inevitable "Wilson Fisk beats someone brutally" scene was on camera. Aside from that it was mostly all about the themes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Echo's powers started as Taskmaster clones (which the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/07/summer-marvel-no-spoilers.html" target="_blank">MCU has</a>) and went gone through a wild, weird and Phoenix Force laden path in the comics. This is one instance where the I applaud the MCU decision to ignore almost all of her powers, and transition in the comics, both for Maya's introduction in <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/search?q=hawkeye" target="_blank">Hawkeye </a></i>and her growth, changes and development in her own series. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsf7YMEogUtDSK6E-GTaVOhq2AbRKPH8pX_0AGFGSW5BWnM-D_0paLbUztGJSjLeTt9Xr1Si59u2sJu-pa9LcDYZvRg5w4jYjrCmYcymMQF8P17btqLFPUmlX90p4lgUHhr6KmkCypLqPNoj5vLK4b5EJxnFUvAYxQG3W1UqvtmOETnjJSNr7cvSbXIGux/s1127/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsf7YMEogUtDSK6E-GTaVOhq2AbRKPH8pX_0AGFGSW5BWnM-D_0paLbUztGJSjLeTt9Xr1Si59u2sJu-pa9LcDYZvRg5w4jYjrCmYcymMQF8P17btqLFPUmlX90p4lgUHhr6KmkCypLqPNoj5vLK4b5EJxnFUvAYxQG3W1UqvtmOETnjJSNr7cvSbXIGux/w296-h400/image.png" width="296" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marvel has ALWAYS been about reformed bad guys. Sometimes it feels like half the Avengers were former villains, going back to "Cap's Kooky Quartet" in issue 16 in 1965. Having Maya accomplish this via reconnecting with her family and culture made the change feel earned and permanent.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maya was a key part of the <i>Hawkeye </i>series. While her back story was given, <i>Echo </i>showed that a character can be reinvented with far more depth but without contradicting what went before, or drastically altering who the character is at the core. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is a lot that needs to be established and Echo actually rewards maturity and patience early on. Each episode is both shorter, and faster paced than the previous one. Those that take in the character development and world building at the start of the miniseries are rewarded with more meaning and emotion in the action filled and tense confrontations scenes it builds to later on. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Outside of Maya's growth and development, another mature aspect was how the show reviewed the effect the loss of Maya's mother had on the family, and how that tragedy reshaped every relationship. Maya's grandparents and cousins were kind, wise and fun people. They were also deeply shattered by the loss of their child and aunt, and the perceived betrayal of Maya following her father, who was already seen as the reason Maya's mother was taken from them, into a life a crime. Her reconnection with them confirmed her alliance with their more altruistic world view, rather than that of the Tracksuit Mafia/ Kingpin henchman side of her family. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Healing was shown as a process of going back to family and friends, which can also involve reconnecting with one's culture. In Marvel, where all mythologies are true, this is important because super powers frequently come from that cultural connection. Given how Hollywood and comics have treated Native Americans in the past, it was cool to see the Choctaw Nation being consulted and listened to about their history and legends, to weave them into the Marvel narrative. <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The subtitles used for signing, but not when people were speaking to Maya, allowed the audience to really follow the story from her point of view. An element of realism within the superpowers was provided in having those who were less used to signing to perform it much more hesitantly. This is an example of the excellent storytelling of the show. In scenes of complete silence, or languages without subtitles, there is never any doubt as to what is going on. Both the narrative and emotions are obvious.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kingpin was showcased as terrifying in multiple ways. Not only as a physical threat, but also as a master of emotional manipulation, information processing, and general cunning. He will provide a viable threat to larger groups and "higher tier" heroes in upcoming shows and films. Yet he still clearly had weaknesses of his own, both mental and emotional, which Echo was able to exploit.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A cool story, threatening villain, and great supporting cast would not be everything needed, however. Without the right lead, the whole thing would have fallen apart. Luckily, they found Alaqua Cox to originate the role in <i>Hawkeye </i>and continue in it to lead this series. Maya needed to be believable as a fear inducing leader of a criminal gang, yet also as someone who is inherently a good person. Her bonds with family needed to feel real enough to change her life, but her connections with her criminal past had to feel strong and tempting enough to maintain the suspense of the show. Plus she needed to convey intelligence, a huge range of emotion, and the physical prowess to be a hand to hand combatant that could hold her own with the likes of <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/03/daredevil-birthday-surprise-post.html" target="_blank">Daredevil</a>. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Alaqua Cox did all of this and more, truly leading this series throughout the story line.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Final thought- I'm hoping the show gets another season, and not only because it was really well done with an excellent lead, I want to see more of Maya's cousin Biscuits, which won't happen if the main character is only used in other shows and movies. I guess I'm always a fan of when the goofy but good hearted guy turns out to be useful in the grand scheme of things.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Post Final Fun Fact- When Skully is putting on his "Tonto speak" bit to boteh ridicule and sell stuff to the clueless tourist couple, one thing he says is, "Many moon come Choctaw." That is a reference to one of the first, if not the first <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/12/welcome-tothe-george-awards.html" target="_blank">George Carlin </a>routines I ever heard, before hearing any recordings of Mr. Carlin. My parents, awesome as always, told me his Indian Sargent bit, that he used to do on daytime talk shows and released on <i>Take Offs and Put Ons </i>before finding his true voice.</span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-73371935767142486222024-01-22T11:00:00.011-08:002024-01-29T10:09:52.960-08:00Washington DC Day 1- May 14, 2023 <div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Woohoo Washington Monument</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AckMMbV8GwUP3B_Oppk6JawhfmktxNRXKVMlyQ_ZrRJUl3HV2bERM4wy_Iv6MnPGF2he7BSbeh09trXRnGjS4fY0d5J6dump11f4OPuLCgTiMCnJMjTUe6G-ydxYj7UICexMrpybAeNZELJV9QPCxF5Is7eJnOeTXpcVttZcTL9WwPUR0jAmHElIrX5z/s4032/washington%20monument%20close.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AckMMbV8GwUP3B_Oppk6JawhfmktxNRXKVMlyQ_ZrRJUl3HV2bERM4wy_Iv6MnPGF2he7BSbeh09trXRnGjS4fY0d5J6dump11f4OPuLCgTiMCnJMjTUe6G-ydxYj7UICexMrpybAeNZELJV9QPCxF5Is7eJnOeTXpcVttZcTL9WwPUR0jAmHElIrX5z/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20close.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>DC Flashback:<br />A majority of the trips we took as kids
had my sister and I sleeping in the back of the station wagon as Dad drove us
down at stupid o’clock in the morning.<br />
We left at that time no matter where we were in the car, or who we brought with us, to prevent
wasting the first day. I remembered the trips being five hours. Checking with Mom
and Kim, they confirmed this. However, direction checks were listing the trip
as under four hours whenever I entered the hotel address. Some new roads must
have opened.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Normally on long drives, though some
napping occurs for the folks in the car who aren’t keeping an intravenous
infusion of Diet Mountain Dew, we have entertaining family time. There are fun
conversations, comments on what we pass, dancing along to the music, and other
bonding moments. Anabelle was only a day removed from finals week. Rosa did all
the preparations for Anabelle’s return, followed by a nearly all-night packing
jag for this trip after our daughter was home. This is why I spent most of the drive
south alone with my thoughts, snacks and the Washingtunes play list.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We had a brief pit stop at the last rest
area in New Jersey to stretch and for Anabelle to grab a pepperoni pretzel.
Then they passed out again. Rosa wanted to see the state crossing lines, but
after fighting to stay awake and failing for the minute and a half we were in
Delaware, she gave up. I relied on the Navicomputer to use one of the X95
highways to dodge a giant traffic issue on the main I-95 route. Note- Anabelle was
upset I called the GPS “The Navicomputer” here. Therefore, I shall refer to it
that way from now on.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Including the rest stop, it took us four
and a half hours. However, the last few blocks through Washington DC city
stoplights took a full half hour. The Navicomputer warning us of stoplight
cameras every three feet was an added bonus.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We arrived at the Hyatt Place Washington
DC White House, which I will refer to as “the hotel” from now on because that
title is wordy, even for me. Then we sat on the little “pit row” type side
street off the main street the hotel was on. This is because we had no idea if the
people getting in the car in front of us were our hotel valets, other location
valets, or car thieves. Rosa went inside to check. The desk clerk indicated
their valet would be out shortly and we could bring in our bags and give her
the car keys.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We did, and still being relatively new
to the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-carnivores-guide-to-cardiology-big.html" target="_blank">lasered eye</a>, sunglasses wearing crowd, I left my sunglasses in the car.
I figured I would grab them with the final valet check, or at the latest, when
we drove to Iwo Jima.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>(Spoilers- My eyes remained squinty and
unsunglassed throughout the trip.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>A very friendly and helpful woman
checked us in, contacted the valet service and explained (Spoilers- correctly)
how the included breakfast worked, and also (Spoilers- incorrectly) how the
dinner available for purchase in the same area worked. She then, using great
stealth (Spoilers- there was no stealth) asked if Anabelle was twenty-one
before telling us about the roof top bar.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Up in the room, we took in our fabulous
Washington DC view of the air conditioning units between buildings.<br /><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkCi8PIEVCQpgAS2kdRJRjPDDFwI-60I2NgtODTjVdJXoZiuQveG29szVYmD-attMMs9Alh0QRJlvm-bO8Iu1bn3EyO14s6Warc_VrZ52l9Jwf0s3YZRKnGGtRePI3q0MEdvz2QIOZpIZJkQA7-q7BFlO-p2_WapBvrwYUwFywyh5EqKCrkg5EhRG1px-/s4032/washington%20hotel%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkCi8PIEVCQpgAS2kdRJRjPDDFwI-60I2NgtODTjVdJXoZiuQveG29szVYmD-attMMs9Alh0QRJlvm-bO8Iu1bn3EyO14s6Warc_VrZ52l9Jwf0s3YZRKnGGtRePI3q0MEdvz2QIOZpIZJkQA7-q7BFlO-p2_WapBvrwYUwFywyh5EqKCrkg5EhRG1px-/w400-h300/washington%20hotel%20view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Ooh- wait, there’s more! If we walked up
to the window, we could look straight down and see dumpsters too.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We unfolded the couch to make the second
bed for the room and realized that there was no space to walk to the bathroom or
the room exit. Anabelle performed a quick “bed test” and instead of sleeping
with Rosa and sending me there, chose the convertible. She said it was comfy
and gave her the ability to “starfish.” This led to her unnatural attraction to
that kind of sleeping at home, spending most of the end of her vacation in the
downstairs guest room. A quick call from the front desk sent up a helpful and
friendly staff member to take the ottoman out of the room, clearing a path.
Yes, the desk called us because the valets wanted to document the battered
nature of my car.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I was told we would review the vehicular
injuries together and expected to grab my sunglasses. The car had already been
taken to the garage… in an undisclosed location somewhere else in DC. I confirmed
that none of the scratches were new, and that I considered the lost fog light a
victory since the swerve that took it out prevented me from being the center of
a three car pileup.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnywavtfs6QUnC2a6GUy-MfHt-9vEQBwol9n5RE7xF_1FvDcXGKg86pOExQrYSdWyIp-A02VwhG0Jt9w8YaoxZTM4yvV5g4vtJ8BI8kWYwiGPTU2zddlGWzkKDC_f5rPTD83Dn29CTHZNmuFVcK3x45aNL7jgL6ZmIWjEjaxNHfCVCSRFxUwPjfWBQ4L0F/s4032/back%20of%20treasury%20building.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnywavtfs6QUnC2a6GUy-MfHt-9vEQBwol9n5RE7xF_1FvDcXGKg86pOExQrYSdWyIp-A02VwhG0Jt9w8YaoxZTM4yvV5g4vtJ8BI8kWYwiGPTU2zddlGWzkKDC_f5rPTD83Dn29CTHZNmuFVcK3x45aNL7jgL6ZmIWjEjaxNHfCVCSRFxUwPjfWBQ4L0F/w400-h300/back%20of%20treasury%20building.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Settled in with plenty of time, we left
the hotel and walked south for the first excursion, expecting to see the White
House, which was only a block or two away. For street layout reasons we
wouldn’t comprehend until later, we only saw the Treasury Building as we passed
along side of it on the way to Anabelle’s beloved Washington Monument.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI0K2si520x9Lt3wOge9o6hV-4ScbWTqmjWOQXV-mdeMGwkLx1prxtvn69MeNg8b9w0hu8uH5aUe0-5ziA4_YZ6ezVRDZutLUZCfNFSOdLik4fHBPWEBbdwMmra6Azv67XeTGIIlXr2aBZKMtK-df-AdC2tZRyUpqzpX7LxbAu7mTw98aNersX0AUOBFz/s4032/monumnet%20waiting%20area.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI0K2si520x9Lt3wOge9o6hV-4ScbWTqmjWOQXV-mdeMGwkLx1prxtvn69MeNg8b9w0hu8uH5aUe0-5ziA4_YZ6ezVRDZutLUZCfNFSOdLik4fHBPWEBbdwMmra6Azv67XeTGIIlXr2aBZKMtK-df-AdC2tZRyUpqzpX7LxbAu7mTw98aNersX0AUOBFz/w400-h300/monumnet%20waiting%20area.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>While waiting by the three o’clock visitors
sign, I regaled my family with valuable information about the Washington
Monument.<br />Such as:<br />“It is made entirely of Styrofoam”<br />And<br />“That section (the security entrance)
wheels away when it is ready for launch.”<br /><o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMs8QD5MHy06Vcx3WL8amYIP9c3mbWhojqXyl8Qg4YWKhb-JX8B2MD-Ixo0yA_EWjn6C_YE5vSmaT672HchssAdZlUzzgy_ivrvYfTVV5ei2tURlwViveVbn2-zRIejd9XTbSMrhf8FV0IXM2wtqmhPL4ZipeC22Vgg0-CBu9z9nSAKejDC-DrQNTsMVa/s4032/anabelle%20and%20monumnet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMs8QD5MHy06Vcx3WL8amYIP9c3mbWhojqXyl8Qg4YWKhb-JX8B2MD-Ixo0yA_EWjn6C_YE5vSmaT672HchssAdZlUzzgy_ivrvYfTVV5ei2tURlwViveVbn2-zRIejd9XTbSMrhf8FV0IXM2wtqmhPL4ZipeC22Vgg0-CBu9z9nSAKejDC-DrQNTsMVa/w400-h300/anabelle%20and%20monumnet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></o:p>Anabelle was not amused, as I was making
light of her, frankly disturbing, deep seated, passionate obsession with the
All-American Obelisk.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback-<br />On our Eighth Grade Washington trip, on
the bus ride home, Jesse and I sang all manner of song parodies, inserting the
word “obelisk” into all of them. The most frequent was using the tune of the
Sid and Marty Kroft, drug trip like <i>Bugaloos</i>.<br />“The obelisks, the obelisks<br />They’re in the air and everywhere.<br />With a fork,<br />In each hand...”<br />We didn’t realize the Principal was
sitting right behind us until a few days later when he subbed a class for us,
and we jokingly asked if he was ready for the Washington trip. He smiled, and
said, “I’d be happy to go again…<br /> *glares directly at us* as long as there
are no obelisks this time.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I mentioned this song and sang a few
bars when Anabelle’s obsession would rear its head, and she’d threaten to
injure me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The difficulty of getting the
reservation reflected how limited the access truly was. We waited a tiny amount
of time and were quickly moved through the high level, airport style security
check point with only a few others. The guide inside liked our shirts (because
we are always entertaining, which is why we Grid). He pointed out the giant face
of Washington at the entrance makes people miss the sign saying photos are
allowed again…<br />And he was right.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WgGRcMZIJbrTEYjq-VItUjuQC4jNp3SEZLEMM1kTN7GeXQCyj6LdPIAZjVHUzT59mgEp37D1X06Py46cAZiighfuoLlLewNLHzhudJ37RbiYqK_X9VQT9BNaTj368K6A1Fbtsm1CyzY-udp61KSW7pmRmljnUNFXmfAfM6z2irXcyDDjUR85M_BYmrZD/s4032/washington%20quote.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WgGRcMZIJbrTEYjq-VItUjuQC4jNp3SEZLEMM1kTN7GeXQCyj6LdPIAZjVHUzT59mgEp37D1X06Py46cAZiighfuoLlLewNLHzhudJ37RbiYqK_X9VQT9BNaTj368K6A1Fbtsm1CyzY-udp61KSW7pmRmljnUNFXmfAfM6z2irXcyDDjUR85M_BYmrZD/w400-h300/washington%20quote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Before the huge statue of our first
president near the elevator was a quote inscribed on the wall hailing him as
“First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” This
was said in Washington’s eulogy by Major General “Light Horse Harry” Lee. The
guide pointed out the irony that Lee’s son was the famous Civil War commander.
He didn’t refer to Robert E. Lee by his military prowess, station, or
accomplishments as is frequently done.<br /> He straight up called him a traitor.<br />As he should.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>I included a positive comment for that
man in my review after we returned home… as I should.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClI7rfM2vRI3CTMsj14DdlGQc_mC_MkKTW66Se7EK5_HIrPpMLQrhMkp-XDZ8RmwN25aBz4e_8-9pM4REgkGxH5bvPy2ux0d76rYdhVKTPG3UOY-oKeXywB8SzDh99solRYAaWU8Bqqn3MMyWmbIZqOI5vTpkF2QX7A_y4fCbj7AHQmVQ4WK2oaf0UfOZ/s4032/washington%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClI7rfM2vRI3CTMsj14DdlGQc_mC_MkKTW66Se7EK5_HIrPpMLQrhMkp-XDZ8RmwN25aBz4e_8-9pM4REgkGxH5bvPy2ux0d76rYdhVKTPG3UOY-oKeXywB8SzDh99solRYAaWU8Bqqn3MMyWmbIZqOI5vTpkF2QX7A_y4fCbj7AHQmVQ4WK2oaf0UfOZ/w400-h300/washington%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The statue was impressive because it was<br />
A) freakin enormous<br /> B) George Washington.<br /> And<br /> C) made from an actual cast of the
Father of our Country’s face.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We’ve all “Seen his picture on the
money” to quote Stan Freberg, but it was extra cool knowing this was an
accurate likeness.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Then it was time to take the elevator up
for the main reason for visiting the Monument. The recording on the way
informed us that it was the tallest man-made structure when built…<br />Until a couple of months later when the
Eiffel Tower was completed.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Alas.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>However, it still holds the record for
the tallest free standing stone structure, which means the only thing keeping
it up is gravity and compression.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>This is not a thing one wants to learn
in an elevator within a free standing stone structure.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Up top we were treated to wonderful
views of Washington DC to the north<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMZnXwVU5_nd_U7Uqhl4H6wUjAImC8JOYOUk6qSEawdS424GLZNhV_WYoO7FYrMdkqlxP9TbfLpkx7WCgfF4D5CLzUlwNTN0eBnaBoEqs_eaf5sg-X2SZ4OmTmETxG59mt7Y-qxfO552NnyR_qLKeDLzNG_HppYrG-49z5Ts8EFZk0CkMYX8ilgShU9tS/s4032/washington%20monument%20north%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMZnXwVU5_nd_U7Uqhl4H6wUjAImC8JOYOUk6qSEawdS424GLZNhV_WYoO7FYrMdkqlxP9TbfLpkx7WCgfF4D5CLzUlwNTN0eBnaBoEqs_eaf5sg-X2SZ4OmTmETxG59mt7Y-qxfO552NnyR_qLKeDLzNG_HppYrG-49z5Ts8EFZk0CkMYX8ilgShU9tS/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20north%20view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>(White House),</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">south<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2akrXFt7WNhBUT6Bom0mMxyUjXF7BeD0XYD2hMyH91CXwnqQ2QuKHVxsIKFgoaWWlLQ7xIHww3-lPqoYkPS5qLqYDy4U9bsg7vJg71m-BvMJel1jxYLCpvmGFL9D-nf9g-ViCsEsz-J9JaVlIYOHen5NNuHCpNYyaI_V4qJHPj-72imPTksb2cjlXPqj/s4032/washington%20monument%20south%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2akrXFt7WNhBUT6Bom0mMxyUjXF7BeD0XYD2hMyH91CXwnqQ2QuKHVxsIKFgoaWWlLQ7xIHww3-lPqoYkPS5qLqYDy4U9bsg7vJg71m-BvMJel1jxYLCpvmGFL9D-nf9g-ViCsEsz-J9JaVlIYOHen5NNuHCpNYyaI_V4qJHPj-72imPTksb2cjlXPqj/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20south%20view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>(Jefferson Memorial), </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">east</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gZiSABmznvUKr2lc_extmD7aQZ1hAuDUkF60xQp8JXV6VCqcWFEXUkjcy8t9TzPzJIvC7rifQ4KJW-Ht862TsrDeK6WnRuT7kGHsj0Eav2CaMLbtTaI2bU4XKvN_5OjZtAE8tOl7P8X0I3lMIFQk4jIPZ4Jj3Y-kXdKMWelqcC7JK-RfuFZY9WwUPZQy/s4032/washington%20monument%20east%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gZiSABmznvUKr2lc_extmD7aQZ1hAuDUkF60xQp8JXV6VCqcWFEXUkjcy8t9TzPzJIvC7rifQ4KJW-Ht862TsrDeK6WnRuT7kGHsj0Eav2CaMLbtTaI2bU4XKvN_5OjZtAE8tOl7P8X0I3lMIFQk4jIPZ4Jj3Y-kXdKMWelqcC7JK-RfuFZY9WwUPZQy/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20east%20view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>(Capitol) and</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">west<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pTurM5S8Hawz8jBdWtX_ANnIYYzBjX_Q6cp0W8eAQb8pQ4a9xmA4-SGEqzC6EnfhLH8aH_7fB-KsqA3eKZ6-mRF09xtaFKKR9HqRmaS7O5-bA1oLly_Rg8N0l0zU95AUDsSfX8XjeusIbCuht9V07Flw2A6etKK1yC7N4RvZG8VUX3ffEx4dMRB58SNH/s4032/washington%20monument%20west%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pTurM5S8Hawz8jBdWtX_ANnIYYzBjX_Q6cp0W8eAQb8pQ4a9xmA4-SGEqzC6EnfhLH8aH_7fB-KsqA3eKZ6-mRF09xtaFKKR9HqRmaS7O5-bA1oLly_Rg8N0l0zU95AUDsSfX8XjeusIbCuht9V07Flw2A6etKK1yC7N4RvZG8VUX3ffEx4dMRB58SNH/w400-h300/washington%20monument%20west%20view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>(Lincoln Memorial). </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I figured the strong visual cues
would help Rosa to overcome her genetic inability to navigate by compass
directions.<br />(Spoilers- It did not.)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For once, Anabelle’s
“Be Real” social media timer went off at a perfect time to allow “real time
bonus photos” of this location.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We viewed, we cross referenced the guide
pictures, and we enjoyed ourselves until our various, differently activated
fears of heights compelled us to take the stairs one floor down to the museum
level.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3C9IhqS5yqDPF-yxK43ZzlSsY48il0AZEeDujtQfQ9_p-trF0W9-rN_LA2zieY65ycqTL4-IGNlhy-sYY0bxnln3fdj_NKlscumBdKtyOT3RnihDzYNBletLNo9RGEVj3PYgC73rMTh6gJtmtlBl6xBgT4dxyCG2gR11IkErTOfAGAJ0EgfZdBxj9quDy/s4032/washington%20monumnet%20lightning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3C9IhqS5yqDPF-yxK43ZzlSsY48il0AZEeDujtQfQ9_p-trF0W9-rN_LA2zieY65ycqTL4-IGNlhy-sYY0bxnln3fdj_NKlscumBdKtyOT3RnihDzYNBletLNo9RGEVj3PYgC73rMTh6gJtmtlBl6xBgT4dxyCG2gR11IkErTOfAGAJ0EgfZdBxj9quDy/w400-h300/washington%20monumnet%20lightning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The history of the structure was highly
interesting. The “little crown” method used to prevent the giant pointy thing
way out in the open from being destroyed as a constant target of lightning
strikes was also interesting. I did remember the 2011 earthquake, as it was
highly unusual. I never thought about what it would do to a free standing stone
structure in the middle of a city not designed to be earthquake proof. There
was another informative section about what was damaged and repaired as well.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>On the way down, the elevator walls went
transparent from time to time. The purpose of this was to give Anabelle and I a
major case of the willies.<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR8oQucOQzCZIpNsg6ILeZarsZESRUIpiGrVf_yZww4gkGquTH-H5lVEB8q8DFzoyo4f8MjgwO-162SNLnXgeErtHz8qoI1dTMWeaND3CzQaHh7iy77098ojod72jN8Kg76ApJ-mJwDUlmm_ju8Xu006gs_ksyhGviIxdNNUA1daHf9WV8lKxFGITZGZ8/s4032/washinton%20monumnet%20bricks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbR8oQucOQzCZIpNsg6ILeZarsZESRUIpiGrVf_yZww4gkGquTH-H5lVEB8q8DFzoyo4f8MjgwO-162SNLnXgeErtHz8qoI1dTMWeaND3CzQaHh7iy77098ojod72jN8Kg76ApJ-mJwDUlmm_ju8Xu006gs_ksyhGviIxdNNUA1daHf9WV8lKxFGITZGZ8/w400-h300/washinton%20monumnet%20bricks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I mean, the purpose was to reveal the
various bricks donated by all the different states. In the early days there was
more freedom as to the material choice and size, but they quickly (see “free
standing stone structure”) settled on requirements. The guide did mention that
the Wisconsin brick was made of cheese.<br /> HA HA!<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPXmY0-2qV21D_QfbrdwGu-xjkTAjmFOVX7yTTVXPzkbOFJpC7ybuRrOfphQ6OZ1HdMMgjV7pijecrlnJgHW5hzO7XgKLeutS01dZnJZTZmD7b-VGnk8217knuLVe4INGXYfP1aF9cAhdXY-2YGSXfXZcEDRW7BYJH3YBMlvaG86VTTuNHMHMIMw95ucl/s4032/washington%20monument.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPXmY0-2qV21D_QfbrdwGu-xjkTAjmFOVX7yTTVXPzkbOFJpC7ybuRrOfphQ6OZ1HdMMgjV7pijecrlnJgHW5hzO7XgKLeutS01dZnJZTZmD7b-VGnk8217knuLVe4INGXYfP1aF9cAhdXY-2YGSXfXZcEDRW7BYJH3YBMlvaG86VTTuNHMHMIMw95ucl/w400-h300/washington%20monument.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We exited the Monument and walked down
the little hill to the gift shop. Anabelle naturally walked backwards longingly
looking upward. While it was a short trip down the grassy hill to the little
stone building, there was no direct way to get there, leading the three of us
to awkwardly hop down a couple of feet to the sidewalk that entered the little
shop.</div><o:p> <br /></o:p>The gift shop was our first exposure to
the vast amounts of Cherry Blossom merchandise on sale everywhere. Rosa
wondered where we could see them. (Spoilers- It wasn’t a matter of “where” so
much as “when.” The “On Sale” should have been a clue.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>It was also our first exposure to stamps
connected to the various National Park run locations, monuments, and memorials.
<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-thrill-of-hunt-or.html" target="_blank">Collecting</a> things are big in our family (See any <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/05/disney-world-2022-day-5-august-6-ratat.html" target="_blank">EPCOT</a> death march) yet so is
rational shopping. Instead of the massively overpriced “passport” books, Rosa
bought an oversized postcard and Anabelle grabbed a Washington Monument
(naturally) notepad. The two of them happily stamped away the locations
represented in the shop.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLLQe9a4gms1K7Oaf01c5Ul2ZD8RslAc3invkYkJ2mmDgMqjAuD5a7Q59efWqAOWQACi63EmgMWQS8WNwqUp7Mx67DbsJe_-NGizc-1WU2C-O4lUYz200Ilijq4-ZFQdJ4L-QZWEfcsrdZd5rY9tZ05pgKJ55xt8t-Pl7XkQWzK0HUquMurKRnqP7Q3UG/s4032/jefferson%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLLQe9a4gms1K7Oaf01c5Ul2ZD8RslAc3invkYkJ2mmDgMqjAuD5a7Q59efWqAOWQACi63EmgMWQS8WNwqUp7Mx67DbsJe_-NGizc-1WU2C-O4lUYz200Ilijq4-ZFQdJ4L-QZWEfcsrdZd5rY9tZ05pgKJ55xt8t-Pl7XkQWzK0HUquMurKRnqP7Q3UG/w400-h300/jefferson%20view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>DC Flashback:<br /> One of our first childhood trips to the
Nation’s Capital came in the summer when Kim and I were medicated for one of
our frequent bouts of strep throat. We visited the (much easier to access at
the time) Washington Monument. Mom pointed across the reflecting pool stating,
“The Lincoln Memorial is ‘just over there.’ We can walk to it.” As we dragged
ourselves along the much longer than expected reflecting pool in the sweltering
heat, we realized that the Lincoln Memorial was not “just over there” but, in
fact, was freakishly massive and much further away than it appeared. Mom’s
suggestion of attempting to walk to the Jefferson Memorial afterwards was
instantly shot down. I didn’t get to see it until my Eighth Grade class trip,
where I almost got stranded because the busses moved after they unloaded us.
The same thing happened to Kim on her trip, and Anabelle on hers. Therefore,
the Curse of the Jefferson Memorial and references about things being “just
over there” are a key part of my family’s inside joke arsenal for Washington.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Checking maps, the view from Anabelle’s
beloved Washington Monument, and the subsequent walk straight south ended up
proving that the Jefferson Memorial was, in fact, “just over there” and a
shorter walk (Spoilers- following that path) than the Lincoln Memorial.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDudVPJ2mrPwyeEx2LtE7hjraNGdyBnyb9UkGcjq8RN4p1q780fnGmonMhpnAW163_qNne9OPMLY-8FPj5c2GUH0y4MpuBQKwm2k8bIbZyEz05u-d6ob_6lWqNd4UClGm1J54U-2_WpX6m1BclYP2nc1Zo0lNP3w3gZjLPZbOS28Loc83jcl_Eb2IHji0J/s4032/jefferson%20memorial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDudVPJ2mrPwyeEx2LtE7hjraNGdyBnyb9UkGcjq8RN4p1q780fnGmonMhpnAW163_qNne9OPMLY-8FPj5c2GUH0y4MpuBQKwm2k8bIbZyEz05u-d6ob_6lWqNd4UClGm1J54U-2_WpX6m1BclYP2nc1Zo0lNP3w3gZjLPZbOS28Loc83jcl_Eb2IHji0J/w400-h300/jefferson%20memorial.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>It’s probably good we did go to the
Jefferson Memorial on the first day. It’s nice and all, but compared to the
rest of the city, it’s not nearly as impressive. The views from it looking back
toward the main part of Washington were gorgeous, however. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLn62L63yRCFlBFKwWSNREBgnMQsR-5Nqx12awCUcA42Y91HGTLwaKoK-_iquysQzNzkWSZ3sHZFiwuFOcyn-HAyHkpjP5Yi0HCAIvV3WbrquF6BleWandpMYuOMg0oV2_BIbH4j01w53mdUO7-8j6xBfnxUxuCDp1vACvSYnsgrqemAFJ2OBXjIXgnSME/s4032/cherry%20blossoms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLn62L63yRCFlBFKwWSNREBgnMQsR-5Nqx12awCUcA42Y91HGTLwaKoK-_iquysQzNzkWSZ3sHZFiwuFOcyn-HAyHkpjP5Yi0HCAIvV3WbrquF6BleWandpMYuOMg0oV2_BIbH4j01w53mdUO7-8j6xBfnxUxuCDp1vACvSYnsgrqemAFJ2OBXjIXgnSME/w400-h300/cherry%20blossoms.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>And while not
reaching Anabelle’s obsession levels, I did agree that the Washington Monument
is kind of like the Castle in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/05/disney-world-2022-day-4-august-5-rumpus.html" target="_blank">Magic Kingdom</a>. It’s hard not to take a photo
of it from every single angle it is seen from.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnAtm1oWnd-PotvsSp20ShBoEqVlYzmKG4HaDaQnvh-ORPolzorSn0F10SbZarj_eIP0sj6cBZH5MnUJ9TSlU8qn_24Ziz2fesT6_wEtow1njeug0EnFOJBnAYgKnznzC-RVJXyQ6Sq7d-mxoLP7U4dc_K8SAkrcqdZRwsviI5aW1S7mgAafsWLEVJdSR/s4032/jefferson%20construction.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnAtm1oWnd-PotvsSp20ShBoEqVlYzmKG4HaDaQnvh-ORPolzorSn0F10SbZarj_eIP0sj6cBZH5MnUJ9TSlU8qn_24Ziz2fesT6_wEtow1njeug0EnFOJBnAYgKnznzC-RVJXyQ6Sq7d-mxoLP7U4dc_K8SAkrcqdZRwsviI5aW1S7mgAafsWLEVJdSR/w400-h300/jefferson%20construction.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Taking in that impressive view on the
side of the Jefferson Memorial steps without construction, we checked online if
there were any reservations available for the Cheesecake Factory. Rosa had a
coupon, and it was a block away from our hotel, meaning we knew we’d be there
eventually. As it was Mother’s Day, we figured that was the reason there were
no reservations.<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaMyybpR-qCA3hdJ9QTR6CJvf4ii2jj6U_qXJXv5vJnF1bNRzZqBbWKehlgY3qZGGanke9WCKePak9CqHX-IkTNhINcMoE1Nzv8A52S7HLMlJo22fFxNUxw0WK6N3RUJV6AApmhK4fAtpr908AlVdyS7gy7hojNRAGwwkDTkLkaOUMqEC1ccS7HnChLEu/s4032/jefferson%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaMyybpR-qCA3hdJ9QTR6CJvf4ii2jj6U_qXJXv5vJnF1bNRzZqBbWKehlgY3qZGGanke9WCKePak9CqHX-IkTNhINcMoE1Nzv8A52S7HLMlJo22fFxNUxw0WK6N3RUJV6AApmhK4fAtpr908AlVdyS7gy7hojNRAGwwkDTkLkaOUMqEC1ccS7HnChLEu/w400-h300/jefferson%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Partially because it was a beautiful
day, partially because Anabelle told us how much she liked some of the “newer”
memorials on that route, partially because we were questing for where Anabelle
took a pretty photo on her Eighth Grade trip, and partially because it would be
the only chance to pass some stamp locations…<br />But mostly because “it’s us” (still a
powerful driving force) we decided to take the long way around the entire Tidal
Basin back, instead of the straight shot north to the Washington Monument.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>It was at this point that after a
lifetime of almost always wearing shorts on vacations, I decided that was
something I should continue to do following taking this trek in jeans. Therefore,
I wore shorts the entire rest of the trip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoSXRJKH6oOFwO6sm2mV6Bigp1P0m4kWnvizvs7_Pn3nOfVCZrVOZcmC1PL1J1BrmKAymZ3kaNFsXRRmTyXkyFtROC3HXM6bp45cenDuPbI_7Dfics8like_Ca02w_hrqELiDTFqIqwTkVRGOdN-UYBSfDk1wDEV96dhPg_KBKndYm9_T9fRxUQifkWTq/s4032/fdr%20memoral%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoSXRJKH6oOFwO6sm2mV6Bigp1P0m4kWnvizvs7_Pn3nOfVCZrVOZcmC1PL1J1BrmKAymZ3kaNFsXRRmTyXkyFtROC3HXM6bp45cenDuPbI_7Dfics8like_Ca02w_hrqELiDTFqIqwTkVRGOdN-UYBSfDk1wDEV96dhPg_KBKndYm9_T9fRxUQifkWTq/w400-h300/fdr%20memoral%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We walked into the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt Memorial, and it was just as impressive as Anabelle (and the rest of
our family) had told us. The statues were very compelling and life like, and
the abstract areas and waterfalls were cool as well.<br /><o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DXQ5_0QJxeayR5ECZW7pmQeyXgh7z_Eu7WCEuU-g3_FXO63CQ4y3dKIBm5mS3Uw2apy6trP7f3PZ5YdY7NbeU5CrMhKTNbxUjKwt34V__zjl6I69o_Tnj_IQM1pxsquGhDpsnp7ExMQ4iQ_q_AtYZgi09MlEApMI8FN6Ie6GJavO11LLYqss-tCnwVcp/s4032/fdr%20fountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DXQ5_0QJxeayR5ECZW7pmQeyXgh7z_Eu7WCEuU-g3_FXO63CQ4y3dKIBm5mS3Uw2apy6trP7f3PZ5YdY7NbeU5CrMhKTNbxUjKwt34V__zjl6I69o_Tnj_IQM1pxsquGhDpsnp7ExMQ4iQ_q_AtYZgi09MlEApMI8FN6Ie6GJavO11LLYqss-tCnwVcp/w400-h300/fdr%20fountain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /></o:p>I was kind of surprised at one of the
quotes given a large amount of focus.<br />“We must scrupulously guard the civil
rights and civil liberties of all citizens whatever their background. We must
remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to
attack our civilization.”<br /> It’s a fantastic notion, but considering
the Japanese Interments were under his watch, and they got no mention, it felt
a little weird.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbRB-wQqXxceD-rZzkrshu-nTucKxrKbQ5ptZuT51MVeocCp4T4QhIDswfT8Wn7UTjIbzz_T4uVsBk2BkHvzUNKjVBCsqUFoo5PJ2WkZNsiO725FUOek3ps8bUyS9ADqNZNiKoEDCDD63JwMI13cVTv0TrvVVpLn8X7W4E9ddWjVqF1l1N4zEiEX5OU-A/s4032/fdr%20whats%20missing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbRB-wQqXxceD-rZzkrshu-nTucKxrKbQ5ptZuT51MVeocCp4T4QhIDswfT8Wn7UTjIbzz_T4uVsBk2BkHvzUNKjVBCsqUFoo5PJ2WkZNsiO725FUOek3ps8bUyS9ADqNZNiKoEDCDD63JwMI13cVTv0TrvVVpLn8X7W4E9ddWjVqF1l1N4zEiEX5OU-A/w400-h300/fdr%20whats%20missing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>In the gift shop was a display explaining
this and other choices based on how the entire memorial was specifically to
focus on the positives and the symbol FDR became. Things like him smoking and
Eleanor’s furs were also left out of the statues. The small statue of
Roosevelt in a visible wheelchair was a last minute addition.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxG03bXXEv8UQnXpFwJ8SQWY0TVeMNRBTHwDt69yv8DFn2SWob3QnK10EwmwSwb9i7-_n-zpchaekxvQuUPuZuTghSAEbpjCf5jxDgXrqRZNtS6LvdrMhofbZ-g6EFM8j5UjGagfs9asVk5xv0bEd8UXptF9Gme154g7RfOD3xc8UV0rAGFKBH773kp1A/s4032/fdr%20wheelchair%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxG03bXXEv8UQnXpFwJ8SQWY0TVeMNRBTHwDt69yv8DFn2SWob3QnK10EwmwSwb9i7-_n-zpchaekxvQuUPuZuTghSAEbpjCf5jxDgXrqRZNtS6LvdrMhofbZ-g6EFM8j5UjGagfs9asVk5xv0bEd8UXptF9Gme154g7RfOD3xc8UV0rAGFKBH773kp1A/w400-h300/fdr%20wheelchair%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Ah.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In between the sections of the FDR
Memorial, we did find Anabelle’s photo spot, allowing more pictures of…<br /> What else?<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UaOMSO1XGkQmNPMdcmC6cIDHpHflrlUdCKUl6Bh0RwRfpNWgq6s_Z-0PHXzQTbqcPMKgOV0NvQsNbjEN6W2FQUsTCVowHuzbkKsVwR7WouLj5Iz5u8bafgd1NGyna0KIxpxLZOMtGfeAOKcqVxP6-uOHIoeem0wfjUa8I_THCKy6o_re9usyTMsvdbHK/s4032/monument%20picture%20spot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UaOMSO1XGkQmNPMdcmC6cIDHpHflrlUdCKUl6Bh0RwRfpNWgq6s_Z-0PHXzQTbqcPMKgOV0NvQsNbjEN6W2FQUsTCVowHuzbkKsVwR7WouLj5Iz5u8bafgd1NGyna0KIxpxLZOMtGfeAOKcqVxP6-uOHIoeem0wfjUa8I_THCKy6o_re9usyTMsvdbHK/w400-h300/monument%20picture%20spot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Washington Monument.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>We knew we were hitting these on the
Night Bus tour but I’m really glad we gave them a double shot. Besides being
differently impressive during the day, (Spoilers- and less bug infested) between
the gift shops which doubled as mini-museums and the multi-sectioned nature of
the presentation, we needed the extra time to take it all in.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTbKteW-OPCqUyrQPSHebyIzOUBGtTBQm0koGEEog-IF0GoPTlsQg5ASjoHlt1uI93GRqV1U2r7GGurOgMythliYMBJ-UVnCFhDKt1hPjc4tp_dL5PI_RTehQBYCmh7JmlOoRG0TxDRPXKs4lYRCYHZePczABTXhgkde9Rr4Ioy1G2n6tkDGmAoxzz29G/s4032/mlk%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTbKteW-OPCqUyrQPSHebyIzOUBGtTBQm0koGEEog-IF0GoPTlsQg5ASjoHlt1uI93GRqV1U2r7GGurOgMythliYMBJ-UVnCFhDKt1hPjc4tp_dL5PI_RTehQBYCmh7JmlOoRG0TxDRPXKs4lYRCYHZePczABTXhgkde9Rr4Ioy1G2n6tkDGmAoxzz29G/w400-h300/mlk%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Next door was the Reverend Doctor Martin
Luther King memorial. It was a contrast to the FDR one, being a single
location. Therefore, while the overall effect of the FDR layout was more
impressive, the MLK was more hard hitting as a single focus, hewn out of the
living rock.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RNh7UK5y4X_iMnNBdaln2q7IMs6XjwFU82NtmBIXDzjpPQBbKQuBhPX8ZnnB4xBXxhVP221gUkAlct3zjR5w75CcZxfyYOFPCp1YaOPayxMXZjzHxRnTakQSesLFrA3x7W5tkq8c1FHbZPr7U8ibcaWs-SGWTHsAZskOdYrAcCuQmYNS9EIAMIqcv2zi/s4032/more%20cherry%20blossoms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RNh7UK5y4X_iMnNBdaln2q7IMs6XjwFU82NtmBIXDzjpPQBbKQuBhPX8ZnnB4xBXxhVP221gUkAlct3zjR5w75CcZxfyYOFPCp1YaOPayxMXZjzHxRnTakQSesLFrA3x7W5tkq8c1FHbZPr7U8ibcaWs-SGWTHsAZskOdYrAcCuQmYNS9EIAMIqcv2zi/w400-h300/more%20cherry%20blossoms.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was in the associated gift shop where
we learned we were a couple of months too late for the Cherry Blossom blooms
and had been walking next to, and frequently under (or in my case, into) Cherry
Blossom trees all around the Tidal Basin.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Curving back around toward the central
section, it is possible (Spoilers- or probable) after four and a half hours in
the car and walking all day we were getting tired. We could see the flowers and
fountains of the George Mason memorial across the street. Our thoughts:<br />“It’s pretty!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span>It’s also way over there.”<br />Therefore, we were stunned later on when
we saw a photo of it that included a statue of Mr. Mason we could not see from
our side of the road.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3iDWU89xTkMh62pLjrqTu14emEY60fudM4Ffw1AtrOJDMnv6-mKuJCZHMjKCQyzHu8LqSFBZOMddHpV1BCVFTFW1ijbyfOBIh3E32yJIigmo_30cirsdU2fEN_NEWkzNaJQ6XkSoYP5C6EZZQzkuWpAVRX74lFczvTiD1VzAP90h7Bp2pYi745H5pUfW/s4032/john%20paul%20jones%20statue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3iDWU89xTkMh62pLjrqTu14emEY60fudM4Ffw1AtrOJDMnv6-mKuJCZHMjKCQyzHu8LqSFBZOMddHpV1BCVFTFW1ijbyfOBIh3E32yJIigmo_30cirsdU2fEN_NEWkzNaJQ6XkSoYP5C6EZZQzkuWpAVRX74lFczvTiD1VzAP90h7Bp2pYi745H5pUfW/w400-h300/john%20paul%20jones%20statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The John Paul Jones Memorial was
similarly located and before I could finish saying, “I regret that I have but
one life to give for my country,” Anabelle said, “It’s ugly” and we moved on.<br />Yes, I know that’s a Nathan Hale quote. As
mentioned, I was tired, and I didn’t get to have a four hour coma in the car.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj548IEQ5-16XYtTBwSOZXxXoKm0qhD0H6pTYr2EhydJ0bEBtrQFdzs1XncOWytc5y1DVRx0AKKfpxzGvxFPVpT9i68-_V_gP-M-4NbQqRNf-1aV44nHvR-7pfUkVvP4N-0Cz4SL6CDdV87J2NSLf28XXzFRaWU5aLQAywF8ej9cBNmbqCT7m1nkSvBYuT0/s4032/war%20memorial.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj548IEQ5-16XYtTBwSOZXxXoKm0qhD0H6pTYr2EhydJ0bEBtrQFdzs1XncOWytc5y1DVRx0AKKfpxzGvxFPVpT9i68-_V_gP-M-4NbQqRNf-1aV44nHvR-7pfUkVvP4N-0Cz4SL6CDdV87J2NSLf28XXzFRaWU5aLQAywF8ej9cBNmbqCT7m1nkSvBYuT0/w400-h300/war%20memorial.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We did a quick “fly by,” peeking at the
“War Memorial” through the trees. While walking we discussed that it was for
World War I, but we thought we saw a larger one on the map.<br />(Spoilers- We did… then we walked through
it almost every day.)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIB8J-iVzuUc26AS8NTO78SshaXJf8avZjohKyV6og89uzxGNMBPHKQUJs3tVoNlG25hr-n3WBDPBZeloOqdIofnnsuRnifsZ4_GBUMdaZdeX8O0to97kt9kmib0fMprR3ni5lZ0qZzlrfDq2lVKB1-MQJhFXmrmMB9GUIO2PdC9_CjgAXu9xWWWJvyOh/s4032/wwii%20memorail%20pass%20by.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIB8J-iVzuUc26AS8NTO78SshaXJf8avZjohKyV6og89uzxGNMBPHKQUJs3tVoNlG25hr-n3WBDPBZeloOqdIofnnsuRnifsZ4_GBUMdaZdeX8O0to97kt9kmib0fMprR3ni5lZ0qZzlrfDq2lVKB1-MQJhFXmrmMB9GUIO2PdC9_CjgAXu9xWWWJvyOh/w400-h300/wwii%20memorail%20pass%20by.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the way back north to the hotel, we did figure out how to pass the White House. As we walked through the ellipse, Anabelle pointed out there was a guy with a sniper rifle on the roof again, like on her school trip.<o:p> <br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaB1EiywDIyL-eYNuc4li1QwcflwqxnJu1QvKKjzxtlSTzqq-c4Y6UZsE-LyeSc2hlvdNscEnowujIRIcbBTocuTOi-YvecXruVmhsXhb0rfiR_id2-tsqkPwM0x2nj2X_-ckfMkmwv1G5LqNI12AQztPK4RarfBw5ac9eg_hRMDXVX76S8iKpJLqxzTU/s4032/rosa%20at%20white%20house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaB1EiywDIyL-eYNuc4li1QwcflwqxnJu1QvKKjzxtlSTzqq-c4Y6UZsE-LyeSc2hlvdNscEnowujIRIcbBTocuTOi-YvecXruVmhsXhb0rfiR_id2-tsqkPwM0x2nj2X_-ckfMkmwv1G5LqNI12AQztPK4RarfBw5ac9eg_hRMDXVX76S8iKpJLqxzTU/w400-h300/rosa%20at%20white%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We decided that he must be part of the
“Not Very Secret” Service since he and his armament were clearly visible.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In front of the White House was the
National Christmas Tree!!!<br />TA DA!<br />It was kind of stumpy looking.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58OgbRQhLG_aoE_FRB2Nz2v0EVFVbPyYiAVu-7Rd65yuS963UPv61t4_d3LJ8DD5LxzxXqlBSXOsnD799HUGw4Kau80gcMg1SluDMrHPl3YvJuBdcAaU4iWFS_MtGhXFNs6kqQTJbqR3FyIONEZOXtGbXj-459O6b0Jn1mopebFdXfDFQzY37MJs3i7WH/s4032/white%20house%20christmas%20tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58OgbRQhLG_aoE_FRB2Nz2v0EVFVbPyYiAVu-7Rd65yuS963UPv61t4_d3LJ8DD5LxzxXqlBSXOsnD799HUGw4Kau80gcMg1SluDMrHPl3YvJuBdcAaU4iWFS_MtGhXFNs6kqQTJbqR3FyIONEZOXtGbXj-459O6b0Jn1mopebFdXfDFQzY37MJs3i7WH/w400-h300/white%20house%20christmas%20tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We were all extremely concerned that it
was going to need a massive growth spurt before December.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>When we first arrived, there was an
interest in every plaque, memorial, and statue we passed. However, Washington
raises expectations quickly. Near the park by the hotel, Anabelle pointed out,
“Oh look, its Guy on a Horse with a Hat volume Seventy-Three.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback:<br />On one of our earliest family trips to
this location, Kim’s favorite thing about the entire trip was…<br />The statue of a guy on a horse outside
our hotel.<br />Anabelle did not inherit those genes.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We did a large amount of homework about
what restaurants were around our hotel, including which ones had gluten free…<br />And then quickly forgot it all.<br />We decided to stop by the Cheesecake
Factory on the way home and see if the wait time for the place listing no
online reservations wasn’t too insane.<br /> “Hope for the best, expect the worst.”<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Our discussions would make little sense
to those rested and fed, and we had broken things down to plans A, B and C,
none of which also made much sense. We were pretty sure it was closer to Plan T
by the time we reached the restaurant.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Luckily, the gods of tired travelers
smiled on us and there was exactly zero wait time to get a table.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Anabelle’s Ahi Tuna Nachos, Rosa’s
Gluten Free Burger (cooked until it was “very dead”) & Fries and my Grilled
Fish Tacos were the perfect cap for the day. The Cheesecakes to finish it off
didn’t hurt either. (I do not know why I am capitalizing food. Perhaps because
we were very hungry. Will it continue? Who can say?)<o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCEySJtiftjqW_N-y2V59nEVr3DfxB5hzJ5BkzEzM8jDOUkLq4x0AvPdNLbnX6aFrqM31_hZPgCRN6TXDAaefCH3m2QYBy51kk_2xPn1sgNhY-zObllgiF6VsaoYSpLNH5SyCYpN2AD3Pdc3n6z_hXIOVm18BPwZiig7tXzY2O3Rch90i9T9Ye85tQgYS/s4032/cheesecake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCEySJtiftjqW_N-y2V59nEVr3DfxB5hzJ5BkzEzM8jDOUkLq4x0AvPdNLbnX6aFrqM31_hZPgCRN6TXDAaefCH3m2QYBy51kk_2xPn1sgNhY-zObllgiF6VsaoYSpLNH5SyCYpN2AD3Pdc3n6z_hXIOVm18BPwZiig7tXzY2O3Rch90i9T9Ye85tQgYS/w400-h300/cheesecake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></o:p>Nearby in the hotel, we washed up, plugged
in the Roku (which we surprisingly remembered) to catch the final, excellent
episodes of <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/06/everyone-needs-little-mayhem-in-their.html" target="_blank">Muppets Mayhem</a>, </i>(YAAAAY!) and figured out what time we
should get up to make it to breakfast before the next day’s fun.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Before succumbing to our exhaustion,
Rosa and Anabelle hunted online for the location of as many stamp locations as
possible.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>15090 steps<br />6.3 miles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-2-may-15-2023.html" target="_blank">Click here for the next day</a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div></div></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-75957117332584846122024-01-18T11:00:00.001-08:002024-01-18T13:47:44.773-08:00Grandma Treks, the Return Part 2<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQDMueG0UJPluGhfYgEWAosjhfLBQ9vyem6OxdufHccx1DeadHcGCvVd9CWAM-IsvQiM-i8yHO4rshyyzcTYclQVw8e4CmyGKn9AM3t0MuyqdZJ3cCQepQwfHpRioknJ9tbQUYnHkJ4TkIZdnUbOAzPhiuyV0a5erUaYFm6h-5Jo2QHVrof2nk22RgJmG/s1800/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1800" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQDMueG0UJPluGhfYgEWAosjhfLBQ9vyem6OxdufHccx1DeadHcGCvVd9CWAM-IsvQiM-i8yHO4rshyyzcTYclQVw8e4CmyGKn9AM3t0MuyqdZJ3cCQepQwfHpRioknJ9tbQUYnHkJ4TkIZdnUbOAzPhiuyV0a5erUaYFm6h-5Jo2QHVrof2nk22RgJmG/w400-h190/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span>This should have been right after the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-triumphant-return-of-grandma-treks.html" target="_blank">other post.</a>..</span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But my Mom and I both completely forgot she owned these three movies, delaying her viewing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is embarrassing on both of our parts as she owned them, and I knew she owned them, yet it still took me a week to say, "Don't you own these? I think I remember you asking me where the best place to get them was and picking them up when I got mine."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and she had to physically go check.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What makes it worse is, second in frequency only to the two of us saying, "Dad would have loved this," when we saw the films together was us both saying, "I need to get the disc as soon as it comes out."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's her notes for the true end of this family foray into one of our favorite franchises:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">2009</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I watched it today while I was doing
some Christmas box filling. I watched it carefully and if I had to go to
another room, I paused it. That took extra time to see it but it was worthwhile. I
was so happy during every scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remembered it all, sometimes as it started to happen but without any memory lost on
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so Fantastic. I realized when
I finished that it really made me feel like it was a reality that the time travel
caused these people to be different looking yet so much the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was truly a heartwarming experience.
Can’t wait to start the other two. Thanks for creating this need for me to
watch it. OXZ</span></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Into Darkness</span></b></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It kept my interest, but mostly my
interest in the crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made me happy
but also mostly because of the interaction of the crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the years Khan has become less and less of
my person of interest. OXZ<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Beyond</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wow, I didn't really remember this
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only remembered it as it was happening,
but I did remember how great it was as it went along. I really loved this one.
I guess I haven’t caught this one on TV as much as the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This had so much in it- so much of their
reliance on each other and so much Moxie of each character. The first one was great because it had so
much reminiscence. The second one was good, though I always get upset with Kahn. </span></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But this one could be the best. Now I am even more sorry they didn’t make
another one.</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Other things, I noticed in the credits
that Simon Pegg (Scotty) with some name I didn’t know wrote this. I was
impressed. Of course the downer to a great feeling was when the they showed in
Memory of Leonard Nimoy and a moment saying Anton but I don’t remember the word
they had.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I know they died but I forgot
it was so close to the release of his one.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, that's really all folks.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Until we watch them again anyway. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Likely that will be once we finish watching several seasons of the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/11/doctor-who-revisiting-revisting.html" target="_blank">Third Doctor</a>. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-triumphant-return-of-treklets.html" target="_blank">Click for other Mystery Star Trek Theaters List</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/10/short-treks-introindex.html" style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Click for Star Trek Index </span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-48455700012609819262024-01-15T11:00:00.009-08:002024-01-22T11:21:14.103-08:00Washington DC 2023 -Planning<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Giddy Gridding</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCTroJi9QDntuKdQ57QbvjGkqNgg4LyaHprNK3BdvU8H3GeaVxhXiu0F1nKxDk5Vd26ZSdy2nBqoy73ypSnkE61Sbr7_GqVJDDLqsYo7kUWuv2r_PPeGF3qS1jqXCHj61O11IMlI2jwiLHnBvw58tmeYrcTxoanhxhKr9Pqe-VC8iRRqwvM_SFa01B9W-/s866/washington%202023%20Grid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="866" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCTroJi9QDntuKdQ57QbvjGkqNgg4LyaHprNK3BdvU8H3GeaVxhXiu0F1nKxDk5Vd26ZSdy2nBqoy73ypSnkE61Sbr7_GqVJDDLqsYo7kUWuv2r_PPeGF3qS1jqXCHj61O11IMlI2jwiLHnBvw58tmeYrcTxoanhxhKr9Pqe-VC8iRRqwvM_SFa01B9W-/w400-h333/washington%202023%20Grid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>April 2012<br /> W Minus 4060<br />We begin planning a trip to Washington DC
for Anabelle’s spring break…<br />instead, we accidentally go to<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/08/niagara-falls-2012-prologue.html" target="_blank"> Niagara Falls</a>.<br />If you’ve ever met us, this should not
be surprising.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>June 2017<br />W minus 2173<br />Anabelle has her Eighth Grade Trip to
Washington DC and develops an unhealthy attraction to the Washington Monument.<br /> We all talk about how we should go as a
family.<br />(Spoilers- We do not.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>August 29, 2019<br />W minus 1354<br />After going to <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2019/12/denver-2019-intro-index-nil-sine-numine.html" target="_blank">Colorado</a> and <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/05/disney-world-2019-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Disney World</a>
this summer, we discuss how next summer would be perfect for a family DC Trip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>Summer 2020<br />W minus 1016<br />(Spoilers- It <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/07/delayed-plays.html" target="_blank">was not.</a>)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>August 2021<br />W minus 633<br />Kim’s family takes Grandma to Washington
DC, initiated because the plague cancelled Aurora’s Eighth Grade trip. They all
enjoy the train ride down, have a fantastic time, and do end up using a Grid.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>August 12, 2022<br />Rosa and I tempt fate after going to <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/08/denver-2022-may-4-to13.html" target="_blank">Colorado </a>and <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/walt-disney-world-2022-august-2-11.html" target="_blank">Disney World</a> this summer. We discuss how next summer would be
perfect for a family DC Trip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>March 2023<br />W minus 72<br />My company does a lot of stupid things
making us doubt if we’re going on the trip.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 2, 2023<br />W minus 42<br />Rosa and I start to talk about going to
Washington DC again in earnest, I barrage Kim with mountains of questions and
get recommendations for the hotel, a tour, general information, and the train.
Given the fact that all three of us have major trust issues that extend to
public transportation in my case, we ignore the train recommendations. Kim
sends along pictures, maps, and their Grid.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 4 and 5, 2023<br />W minus 40, 39<br />We ask Anabelle if she wants to go to DC
when school lets out over several conversations. She seems somewhat concerned
that portions of the trip could be a “snooze-fest” but her obsession with the
Washington Monument wins out.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 6, 2023<br />W minus 38<br />I thought all the government building
tours were shut down after January 6<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">th</span>, not realizing it was the
plague that shut them down and they were mostly open again. The White House
tour seems complicated and difficult to book. I mention this all to Rosa while
breaking for lunch working from home one day. Almost immediately, I get an
email from Rolando Morales, Staff Assistant to Representative Mikie Sherrill
telling me no White House tours are available until July and asking if we would
like to go on those dates. I thanked him and told him we would not be able to
change our whole vacation timing. Although the website looked like Capitol
tours were handed by a completely different agency, I asked him if any were
available within our time frame. Less than two minutes later, he responded with
instructions on how to report for security and to call their office when we got
into the Capitol Visitor’s Area on Tuesday May 16th.<br /> I guess we really are going. We should
probably figure out when, and where we’re staying.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 7, 2023<br />W minus 37<br />After an awesome day at the Museum of
the Moving Image, we nose around with multiple open tabs at all the possible
things to do in DC. We learn the Washington Monument is open too! (WOO!) But the
night tour Kim took has dropped Iwo Jima. (Alas.) I also learned again what I
always forget. Though its next door, the National Art Gallery (where the “good
art” is) is not part of the Smithsonian. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Only the National Zoo and Air and
Space Museum need pre-reserved times for Smithsonian stuff we're planning to see. Anabelle is
intrigued by the Library of Congress, and Rosa is by the National Archives.
Both think the National Portrait Gallery sounds like “a snooze-fest.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bring up the Basilica, describing it as a
HUGE Catholic church that’s supposed to be the main one in the country, dedicated
to Mary. Anabelle points out that we could just go to Saint Mary’s in the next
town at home. (That’s my girl!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rosa chimes in
that it would be only considered a huge, fancy church in <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/12/peru-2014-day-8-june-30-giant-churches.html" target="_blank">THIS </a>country.<br />(Spoilers- We did not go.)<br /><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p>April 8, 2023<br />W minus 36<br />After Anabelle goes to bed (which is
past our normal bedtime now) Rosa and I realize with the Capitol tour booked we
really should lock down the hotel reservations. We now have zillions of
comparative tabs open on two separate computers. We compare Hyatt membership to
Booking.com, Expedia and a few others for the place Kim stayed. Then we screw
it up anyway.<br />We accidentally book the “save three
dollars by prepaying your entire trip and forfeit any right to cancel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick call to Hyatt shows their awesomeness
as they cancel the non-cancellable reservation and let us set up a normal one.
They also confirm parking availability, and that, unlike New York, they do not
charge extra for anything bigger than a mini-cooper as “oversized.”<br />[Later edit- This quick service in the
middle of the night is ASTONISHING in hindsight as getting the front desk to
answer the phone mid-day while we were there was a task and a half.]<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 10, 2023<br />W minus 34<br />The Basic Grid is constructed with days
and some possibilities. The “visit the Washington monument” website seems clunky,
with tickets selling out instantly. However, we have some ideas.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 11-13, 2024<br />W minus 33-31<br />General reviews of how to sign up for
things are done, but first we need to lock down the big Obelisk before
formalizing anything else as that one vanishes as soon as the tickets are
released.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 14, 2023<br />W minus 30<br />Rosa and I both log in on two separate
devices. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Three of the four crash, but I get through and book the Washington
Monument late afternoon on the first day of our now scheduled trip. With this
settled, I can book other stuff.<br /> Or at least the other stuff they let me
book.<br /> Night Tour, Archives and Air and Space
are set. Zoo and Library of Congress are still pending.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 15, 2023<br />W minus 29<br />Anabelle stays in the hotel room Rosa
and I have the night after her Tap Showcase at college and we talk about the
trip a bit. She wants to do the Library of Congress the same day as the
Archives.<br />[Later edit: (Spoilers- For now.)]<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 18, 2023<br />W minus 26<br />I forgot my note about when to book it was
wrong now that the plan for the Library of Congress moved back a day, but it
didn’t matter. I set up an afternoon visit very easily. It looks like only the
Washington Monument tickets go superfast.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 19, 2023<br />W minus 25<br />I book the Zoo for the drive home.
Everything but the possible dinner reservation in the place that Grandma and
Kim remembered as being excellent and confirmed it still was on their trip is
set. I have no memory of this place… I only remember eating in the hotel that
had a giant salad bar.<br />[Later edit- We did not go to the place
they remembered.<br /> Also, our hotel did not have a salad
bar…<br />(Spoilers- or a grasp of how the food
service industry should work.)]<br /><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p>April 20, 2023<br />W minus 24<br />I dug up a bunch of nearby highly rated
gluten free places for the trip.<br />Who knows?<br />[Later edit- Not us! None seemed
appealing and/ or near us when we are hungry.]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">April 26, 2023<br />W minus 18<br />Honestly, this feels very weird. Because,
although it’s not a Disney planning requirements sized vacation, it is also nowhere
near an <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/search/label/AC%20NJ" target="_blank">Atlantic City</a> do nothing trip. With everything else going on in life, I
feel like we should be planning a lot more. This may be because I am insane.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 29, 2023<br />W minus 15<br />I started running to the car in the rain
and realized I always pull <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2011/02/carnivores-guide-to-cardiology-hole-in.html" target="_blank">my calf </a>when I run now and didn’t want to do that
before the trip.<br />So I pulled up. But I pulled up
awkwardly, meaning I pulled my hamstring.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>April 30, 2023<br />W minus 14<br />Yesterday I pointed out to Anabelle that
we don’t have the full Gridding structure of a Disney Trip for the DC vacation. She sends me her “Elaborate Outfit Planning ™” spreadsheet, because of
course she does.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>May 3, 2023<br />W minus 11<br />I have a nightmare and leap out of bed
landing in a “superhero pose,” hurting both knees.<br /> Nothing to do with planning but funny.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>May 5, 2023<br />W minus 9<br />Much work this week on freeing up space
on my phone. Backing up pictures so they could be deleted and making one master
play list to listen to on the drive down is key.<br /> I’m not sure which of these is more
horrifying:<br /> That the reduced selections from
everything “Washingtunes” play list has over 2200 songs on it lasting well over
five days…<br />Or that it, combined with 404 Muppet
songs, is drastically less than the normal amount of music I carry with me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>May 6, 2023<br />W minus 8<br />My hamstring was doing much better, but
it pulls again…<br />Walking across the street.<br /> Hopefully, it will make it through the
trip intact.<br />[Later Edit: (Spoilers- Almost!)]<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>May 7, 2023<br />W minus 7<br />We’re leaving in a week- I have a
playlist, and two books packed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span>Perhaps I should think about pulling
clothes together.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>May 8, 2023<br />W minus 6<br />Clothes are packed. I’m going really old
school on shirts. Most of the ones I’m wearing I have owned since before the
last time I went to DC over thirty years ago.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>May 12, 2023<br />W minus 2<br />Twelve hour plus day getting Anabelle
and all of her stuff back from college. That will help me on the upcoming long
drive.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>May 13, 2023<br />W minus 1<br />Saw<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-guardians-go-out-with-bang.html" target="_blank"> <i>Guardians 3</i></a> and had dinner
with Grandma and Kim’s bunch for an early Mother’s Day celebration. Then we
spent the rest of the day and much of the night packing like crazy people.<br /><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p>May 14, 2023<br />We have reached “W”<br />For Washington.<br />Duh.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-1-may-14-2023.html" target="_blank">Click here for the trip</a></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-intro-index.html" target="_blank">Click here for index</a></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-90473109678081436992024-01-11T11:00:00.000-08:002024-01-11T12:36:10.113-08:00Legend Through a Kid's Eyes<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n6II0AmySsN34ETRAx04SEp76x3baP_ICErYnEy5uW38LOTQPuewWaAiUOZbNjJFlWNNM-BfyTYI5epjDpKQnL_axWtRhaBDkF7JEw7KA5YUc9_-JSuxupHAXxCFv7Nv_DeLv_77-2EQ7U6iHMqPHgewv7CZNOPUA-BH47NuLg_K-eBRMt2buybJuPqC/s806/legend%20poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="570" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n6II0AmySsN34ETRAx04SEp76x3baP_ICErYnEy5uW38LOTQPuewWaAiUOZbNjJFlWNNM-BfyTYI5epjDpKQnL_axWtRhaBDkF7JEw7KA5YUc9_-JSuxupHAXxCFv7Nv_DeLv_77-2EQ7U6iHMqPHgewv7CZNOPUA-BH47NuLg_K-eBRMt2buybJuPqC/w283-h400/legend%20poster.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><br />It's time for <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/10/20000-leagues-under-sea-through-kids.html" target="_blank">another</a> complaint ridden trip through a bonus fantasy film!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, I didn't take notes for a full running commentary, because I foolishly believed my daughter would like this foray into Eighties fairy tale films.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There were multiple easily remember-able reactions, however. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When she said, "This is boring" during the opening crawl I should have taken the hint and started writing down her reactions.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The problems we would have surfaced pretty quickly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Oh... Anabelle likes unicorns, I'll show her this movie, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">WHERE THE UNICORN DIES IN THE BEGINNING!"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore she didn't like Princess Lilli, because it's her fault the unicorn was killed. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She also didn't like her because the really nice old lady who took care of her froze to death (also her fault) and her reaction was, "oh well."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She didn't like the Goblins, because they were creepy, nasty, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and ugly, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and killed the unicorn.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She didn't like Jack because he brought Princess Lilli to where the unicorns were...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And he was Tom Cruise...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And he had a bizarre refusal to wear pants throughout the entire film,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">including when he was in the snow and after he donned armor.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She tends to complain when <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2021/05/mighty-catchy-stuff-rocky-horror.html" target="_blank">Tim Curry </a>shows up in general, which is odd since <i>Clue </i>is one of her favorite films. Having him be absolutely enormous, demonic, horrifying, and behind the killing of unicorns didn't help. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then he starting attempting to "woo" the princess and she hated everything even more.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Darkness would talk to his unseen father she asked,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Who's his father? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Have we seen him? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Does he suck less than everyone else in this movie?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another quote paralleling a previous one arose later, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Oh... Anabelle likes fairies, I'll show her this movie where the fairy is a HUGE JERK!"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, she was also not a fan of Oona and her shenanigans. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She found the dwarfs annoying and </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"the random, half naked in the snow, elf with the dubbed voice" too weird.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During one of one of her many rants about the pace of the story being incredibly slow, Robert Picardo in his amazing Rob (<i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-thing-about-horror-movies.html" target="_blank">The Thing</a>, <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2012/07/you-never-forget-your-first-time.html" target="_blank">Robocop</a></i>) Bottin makeup job as Meg Mucklebones (the swamp witch) burst out of the bog.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGjHDfXZH2_e37IraxwEu4E-Q5fbooE9LJcK00xxEPw68gd-a-M0h866KYyaAXxFCkzQHmNsjReMateHh9_tF5Xn38OPzirLNE7ZsoJli1b2r1DTyukFBUy4dbgs0Gp52X3Tp62U02bv9b1EDxZBT-pJ0_-f0ZiCZNXlLPozY2Rn2Uusti8vlbmpSUa2q/s259/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="259" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGjHDfXZH2_e37IraxwEu4E-Q5fbooE9LJcK00xxEPw68gd-a-M0h866KYyaAXxFCkzQHmNsjReMateHh9_tF5Xn38OPzirLNE7ZsoJli1b2r1DTyukFBUy4dbgs0Gp52X3Tp62U02bv9b1EDxZBT-pJ0_-f0ZiCZNXlLPozY2Rn2Uusti8vlbmpSUa2q/w400-h301/image.png" width="400" /></a></div>Anabelle simultaneously tried to jump on while pummeling me, and hide behind me at the same time screaming in fright, demanding to know why I didn't warn her, swearing at me, and yelling:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"THAT'S THE MOST TERRIFYING THING I'VE EVER SEEN!!!"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am extremely glad we didn't choose the longer, director's cut with an orchestral score for three reasons.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A) The "wooing" is extended with more "woo" in it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">B) Anabelle constantly pointed how how slow and boring the 89 minute theatrical cut was.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">C) The only compliment she had for the entire film was "The music was good."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gotta love Tangerine Dream.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore I shall drop some "<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/09/dad-lore-number-1.html" target="_blank">Dad Lore</a>." <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/01/e-dorm-life-prequel-bray-days-index.html" target="_blank">Jesse </a>introduced me to Tangerine Dream albums when we were in high school. I had heard some of their stuff in multiple films including this and <i>Risky Business. </i>(I own both soundtracks now.) Jesse had several albums and pointed out how the German group's electronic sounds worked great for relaxing in the dark with stereo speakers or headphones. The problem was, I could never remember the name of the band. This led Jesse to predict I would enter a record store and request,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Hey, you got anything by that group, "Orange Nightmare?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/07/harryhausen-through-kids-eyes-intro.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">Click for Harryhausen and bonus fantasy index</a></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-75937352801954445572024-01-08T11:00:00.006-08:002024-03-04T09:24:01.048-08:00Washington DC 2023 Intro/ Index<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuoLXysRuW74oNf5u8SnJ_f4Zr3j2m4UwCgYjsx3K2Tg4W2CqC-sEZx7sKqyL4I_LbJQ1h5twg3W0DMSI1NLezbJ-0LolHLIUHdmlbwAAet0a_ssqFlsz3EI-ZFKBtVrsm-DGZzIbxN6mSyrJTcWGSpw8Jix4M2jwEAgk1mOy_zWdn5cfLF3YkyejwP09/s4032/washington%20map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuoLXysRuW74oNf5u8SnJ_f4Zr3j2m4UwCgYjsx3K2Tg4W2CqC-sEZx7sKqyL4I_LbJQ1h5twg3W0DMSI1NLezbJ-0LolHLIUHdmlbwAAet0a_ssqFlsz3EI-ZFKBtVrsm-DGZzIbxN6mSyrJTcWGSpw8Jix4M2jwEAgk1mOy_zWdn5cfLF3YkyejwP09/w400-h300/washington%20map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span></span>Hysterical Historicals</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If You've Seen One Museum, You've Seen A Mall</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After many false starts and hard stops,
our plans for a family vacation to Washington DC finally happened. Rosa had
never been and wanted to go since she moved here. I had been many times when I
was younger with my family and wanted to return with my wife and daughter.
Anabelle got the standard “Far too short” Eighth Grade trip there and wanted to
spend more time getting to actually see things she cared about.<br /> A total time of “one hour for lunch” in
the Air and Space Museum is not enough for anyone.<br />(Spoilers- Even someone who says, “yawn,”
when they see airplanes.)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>For the trip itself, the density level
rivalled <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/walt-disney-world-2022-august-2-11.html" target="_blank">Disney World </a>on some days. However, while planning was involved, there
was orders of magnitude less required organization needed. We walked everywhere
in the city, which was awesome. That’s the one thing I miss about my living
arrangements in <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2022/01/e-dorm-life-prequel-bray-days-index.html" target="_blank">college</a>, the ability to walk everywhere.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>We went from May 14th through the 20<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">th</span> of 2023, saw and did a great many impressive, educational, and fun things…<br />And in doing so created a whole new pile of inside
jokes and the occasional lighthearted insult between Rosa Anabelle and me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>DC Flashback:<br />There were multiple trips to Washington
DC with the family in my youth. They fueled many decisions and got referenced
multiple times on this trip. Therefore, I’ll point them out in these “DC
Flashbacks” to keep the inside jokes from being befuddling to everyone except
me.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Index- Names, as always, by Anabelle</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(With minimal time to spare, even though she had four months notice of each day’s contents. Not like I’m picking on her or anything.)<br /><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-2023-planning.html" target="_blank">Planning- Giddy Gridding</a><br /><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-1-may-14-2023.html" target="_blank">Day 1- Woohoo Washington Monument</a><br /><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/washington-dc-day-2-may-15-2023.html" target="_blank">Day 2- Ravishing Rockets</a><br /><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-3-may-16-2023.html" target="_blank">Day 3- Loquacious Legislature</a><br /><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-4-may-17-2023.html" target="_blank">Day 4- Mesmerizing Modern Art</a></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-5-may-18-2023.html" target="_blank">Day 5- Zestful Zeuglodon </a><br /><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/02/washington-dc-day-6-may-19-2023.html" target="_blank">Day 6- Dazzling Ducks</a></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/03/washington-dc-day-7-may-20-2023.html" target="_blank">Day 7- Excessive Elephants </a></span><span><!--more--></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-66669796237511817322024-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:002024-01-04T11:16:50.316-08:00Creed 1.5 Let's Get Ready to Vortex!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGeFqvoH5L5Pf9GOEBjPAr3-3N7Lhtz2oR8Ahm7ApNHFYJYglIbDlp0UOsXAS4-s10Q-RcQKYGcHppXsCoop3j_ZM-GLeFU5P3AiThHjRQecjqd18XLgld2ilQaBHqHwlQz7w-By52HU8FiDj2irNJBBBiel0u1RT3APCHpdaWtWZv_yZFLkebnp1enw-/s4032/Adonis%20Creed%20headshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGeFqvoH5L5Pf9GOEBjPAr3-3N7Lhtz2oR8Ahm7ApNHFYJYglIbDlp0UOsXAS4-s10Q-RcQKYGcHppXsCoop3j_ZM-GLeFU5P3AiThHjRQecjqd18XLgld2ilQaBHqHwlQz7w-By52HU8FiDj2irNJBBBiel0u1RT3APCHpdaWtWZv_yZFLkebnp1enw-/w400-h300/Adonis%20Creed%20headshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />What if...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/rocky-through-kids-eyes-passing-of-torch.html" target="_blank">First Creed Film</a>, when Adonis was a Light Heavyweight contender, he fell into a time tunnel and the only way to return was to live through the life and fights of his mentor- Rocky Balboa?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's a much cooler question than </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"What if, Jeff played <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/classically-conditioned-champion.html" target="_blank">video games</a> all night instead of actually writing content?" </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">isn't it?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adonis begins his journey by finding himself in a squalid Philadelphia gym, replacing Spider Rico, and about to face a much younger version of Rocky than he is familiar with. Sadly, the person documenting this journey was also enjoying a rum and root beer, meaning some of the photos may be a tad blurry.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyLsIdd3QP6ySNxfzPnuOIB6pCK_tvDJ9RM1GkJNpD9v5alNAzjewmKbh3lf47veK12paNMvKqK3nvy13wx7q9wxLUNmZPOoRE-wnlGZNwgu1pqP9iz5WAfK1YTumSWcSDG3iymCDuj2n8XXyRkOyvAWQBtRpgA1oHe9PPsro5iFJFcKTsX8c_DTPlEWK/s4032/adonis%20vs%20balboa%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyLsIdd3QP6ySNxfzPnuOIB6pCK_tvDJ9RM1GkJNpD9v5alNAzjewmKbh3lf47veK12paNMvKqK3nvy13wx7q9wxLUNmZPOoRE-wnlGZNwgu1pqP9iz5WAfK1YTumSWcSDG3iymCDuj2n8XXyRkOyvAWQBtRpgA1oHe9PPsro5iFJFcKTsX8c_DTPlEWK/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20balboa%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58S-k-yBj4oxMvybIq9qz1gPR6nQRrM8NRI46H5tuIY4FrK609Kjlr5LunVCa7kG1XIEDQ934TcKsAwqNE-_wkwo4vKr-Qm87WpmeLE1huyW8nPT_aGxOYL7oeA3Hz-8QFPXXhlmFyggVWNqt_HS9fRDJPG-ZYlD7FTxyvrjWSrIitsWgAGB4sC81Zvbf/s4032/adonis%20vs%20balboa%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58S-k-yBj4oxMvybIq9qz1gPR6nQRrM8NRI46H5tuIY4FrK609Kjlr5LunVCa7kG1XIEDQ934TcKsAwqNE-_wkwo4vKr-Qm87WpmeLE1huyW8nPT_aGxOYL7oeA3Hz-8QFPXXhlmFyggVWNqt_HS9fRDJPG-ZYlD7FTxyvrjWSrIitsWgAGB4sC81Zvbf/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20balboa%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Donny can't fully match the Italian Stallion's power, but greatly outclasses him in speed and maneuverability, knocking down his former mentor in the third, and out in by the fourth.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MEvf71eJMMU" width="320" youtube-src-id="MEvf71eJMMU"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now invited in Rocky's place for a chance at the heavyweight title, (and since there is no Philadelphia or Los Angeles arenas in the game) its Creed Versus Creed in Madison Square Garden!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlkFaZWMN1QP2AFwPvRJ_V8QW1_iwjr9lgVJRGVlArlh_pN6qGvjsOtLwlPLFrmiQ4Bhl3Qv9RvlcxxqVGuhzRz6iK3B9PDJxAldJn736iAbubcMbzNMduezbaWN2hDNjX2Qo5B-Dy45pOAZcKk6GpaPwL3Q2Y0gpEXQEFO217JX6NTSHKgoFPF-ICxR4/s4032/adonis%20vs%20apollo%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlkFaZWMN1QP2AFwPvRJ_V8QW1_iwjr9lgVJRGVlArlh_pN6qGvjsOtLwlPLFrmiQ4Bhl3Qv9RvlcxxqVGuhzRz6iK3B9PDJxAldJn736iAbubcMbzNMduezbaWN2hDNjX2Qo5B-Dy45pOAZcKk6GpaPwL3Q2Y0gpEXQEFO217JX6NTSHKgoFPF-ICxR4/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20apollo%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5ZJfXYRxS5mkMIFujKoLza6UdH-NeoRwNILPCGSLGGk3ibFxCHZsV8_d_fBcxf_Of7kYWplaRBT9TMVNoh8UqWPI7IqSujWXIFt-WX1wG1ArytJq-u6wQjakH9b9GD_7NFM2yoUIHrBOCyLJ0bh-T7qm_sK-FnODC5UFSquM8bh00KZOL5Hu4OmTucUo/s4032/adonis%20vs%20apollo%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5ZJfXYRxS5mkMIFujKoLza6UdH-NeoRwNILPCGSLGGk3ibFxCHZsV8_d_fBcxf_Of7kYWplaRBT9TMVNoh8UqWPI7IqSujWXIFt-WX1wG1ArytJq-u6wQjakH9b9GD_7NFM2yoUIHrBOCyLJ0bh-T7qm_sK-FnODC5UFSquM8bh00KZOL5Hu4OmTucUo/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20apollo%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Apollo has a lot more speed than Balboa, requiring Adonis to fight more carefully, and concentrate on slipping punches and throwing in groups of body shots when he could. It took one more round than the Rocky fight, but Adonis knocked out his father in five using those tactics.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TXEGUBDLW2A" width="320" youtube-src-id="TXEGUBDLW2A"></iframe></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Clubber Lang was faced next on his home turf of Chicago in the Aragon Ballroom. Donnie was up against a devastating power puncher a full weight class above him</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0atRrcbLLeQEoOCBKCrTKXHW-SV6tTDsGU9HQSWMxdvzHv1x4DIzyoIkXw4fn8XIbHQYeDgaCRzgtIEibJ_L-lGFd-O-BKkg1udZmsZMZli5aHGE7F4uFbmkuhH2uL6Hg7DWr65Fy5U9sKycTj0We55o-58tp-kNaZhO-Gl6jz19sDZXMQhIEtveJX8P/s4032/adonis%20vs%20lang%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0atRrcbLLeQEoOCBKCrTKXHW-SV6tTDsGU9HQSWMxdvzHv1x4DIzyoIkXw4fn8XIbHQYeDgaCRzgtIEibJ_L-lGFd-O-BKkg1udZmsZMZli5aHGE7F4uFbmkuhH2uL6Hg7DWr65Fy5U9sKycTj0We55o-58tp-kNaZhO-Gl6jz19sDZXMQhIEtveJX8P/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20lang%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvUTvcsxB7mEsdJewu-UOcAdvGpejrEIDfWsNIu3ISqnLuk63uyq0-y0Ia_9QtLVfifRczz8bX2ByGfJXa0SQj0PMImI-0G3N8uGf5YLCRoKmN6UWFCCF2I4EeB21R-DYw81dethj6dfx64X_YBed6fvU_QY1PyLTqKlweyYkdYrYlNvVO9-64hI6G7Ca/s4032/adonis%20vs%20lang%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvUTvcsxB7mEsdJewu-UOcAdvGpejrEIDfWsNIu3ISqnLuk63uyq0-y0Ia_9QtLVfifRczz8bX2ByGfJXa0SQj0PMImI-0G3N8uGf5YLCRoKmN6UWFCCF2I4EeB21R-DYw81dethj6dfx64X_YBed6fvU_QY1PyLTqKlweyYkdYrYlNvVO9-64hI6G7Ca/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20lang%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Creed took a couple of stunning shots early on. His light heavyweight status meant he couldn't trick Lang into gassing himself instantly and take him out with a thundering counter in only a round or two. Adonis did outpoint Lang every round, finally wearing him out in the fourth. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v_2r5urtq-k" width="320" youtube-src-id="v_2r5urtq-k"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After soundly defending his belt, Adonis Creed talks his father out of accepting a challenge from the Russian champion, the terrifying Ivan Drago. Donny goes in Apollo's place and the spectacle of their clash is held in a massive arena.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oXIULguiCahzzzOy203gF49jTATmcC5ruzIQr-MAHnXStiA1pCxrMyQS7hwZWGBaEUmCnOFMlF04-sdoAmOh8CnEL4qqLohPgajDcjQAWmbpu7p5oQckeAL_bTKuEdfScxEoW_9Cq63w-MehyTErK1HJMgOraAK_7Zh3Se7sYoIlhotMikFNJRinCu2Y/s4032/adonis%20vs%20drago%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oXIULguiCahzzzOy203gF49jTATmcC5ruzIQr-MAHnXStiA1pCxrMyQS7hwZWGBaEUmCnOFMlF04-sdoAmOh8CnEL4qqLohPgajDcjQAWmbpu7p5oQckeAL_bTKuEdfScxEoW_9Cq63w-MehyTErK1HJMgOraAK_7Zh3Se7sYoIlhotMikFNJRinCu2Y/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20drago%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JVZDmYRckZJe3BCjAT-UDdH7Kq7cgKUBxkHVbCbpOD_-sEaiMbsiOxIkcQZcNQEe9GJX0W-supsKcQVSi8nYOZG0Ssc-Z_2sgSVpnTOpqM9jaNA_vgls46GVuz1KMrdfSvESbdP-WQuGBePc1am_uWpTMaFjegLpb4hUlCQwLkrcX9B_ohAdYwgB6h1Z/s4032/adonis%20vs%20drago%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JVZDmYRckZJe3BCjAT-UDdH7Kq7cgKUBxkHVbCbpOD_-sEaiMbsiOxIkcQZcNQEe9GJX0W-supsKcQVSi8nYOZG0Ssc-Z_2sgSVpnTOpqM9jaNA_vgls46GVuz1KMrdfSvESbdP-WQuGBePc1am_uWpTMaFjegLpb4hUlCQwLkrcX9B_ohAdYwgB6h1Z/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20drago%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">After ducking, dodging, counterpunching, and getting regularly slammed for seven rounds, Donnie mounted a comeback in the second half, once more combining the speed of his father and body blows of his coach. He finally wears the Siberian Express out, and sends him to the canvas after eleven grueling rounds. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7b0JUY_Y0aE" width="320" youtube-src-id="7b0JUY_Y0aE"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Out in the street isn't an option in the game, therefore Adonis had to teach his wayward pupil, Tommy Gunn, a bare knuckled lesson in a Mexican Plaza.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwACnzJloL-BDyim1OuUzu8jpUH6rBEKaZ08sRn72wUnGOgUWgjecbM9Tw_k1C__lUzXRuBCKXG-vhV4C594gPeAOqXKiTKE6Xe2HaIQWfGl45VE2Q9lFhRXpPZFiz-ZaeJQaG1P_wovVFNJgpp-v1rhRsrQN5pJF_CSlXp9PVUeSkKSX18eiKrnjA7aY/s4032/adonis%20vs%20gunn%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwACnzJloL-BDyim1OuUzu8jpUH6rBEKaZ08sRn72wUnGOgUWgjecbM9Tw_k1C__lUzXRuBCKXG-vhV4C594gPeAOqXKiTKE6Xe2HaIQWfGl45VE2Q9lFhRXpPZFiz-ZaeJQaG1P_wovVFNJgpp-v1rhRsrQN5pJF_CSlXp9PVUeSkKSX18eiKrnjA7aY/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20gunn%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa-ZwyfuD7h4KtoYT4EMzxLOIoShPx-EDzSDbBYvucjqmhSUmfy27OmBaH6Je0vpAjLEo7aExY9T9XH7BQl53HA20zHpOsavdcSqhAj5ulKv6TAhKt41F3LKzmVApygM1icXR-pCXSEkhaUj4Z3nBGgkyfudb3Pkl3yXx_2ukOp5nONV_5r4xEsZTW5I4/s4032/adonis%20vs%20gunn%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa-ZwyfuD7h4KtoYT4EMzxLOIoShPx-EDzSDbBYvucjqmhSUmfy27OmBaH6Je0vpAjLEo7aExY9T9XH7BQl53HA20zHpOsavdcSqhAj5ulKv6TAhKt41F3LKzmVApygM1icXR-pCXSEkhaUj4Z3nBGgkyfudb3Pkl3yXx_2ukOp5nONV_5r4xEsZTW5I4/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20gunn%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Gunn landed a couple powerful hooks to start things off, but proved much easier to avoid the blows of than the other heavyweights, leaving him a quick victim to counterpunches early on. Donnie floored him with little difficulty in two. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fwkL04TQjMU" width="320" youtube-src-id="fwkL04TQjMU"></iframe></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside- I know it is the real Tommy "The Duke" Morrison in the game, but I really feel like the programmers based him on his film performance. I saw the guy fight back in the day, he wasn't stellar but he was way better than this.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a flashy Vegas locale, Adonis Creed took on his mentor's comeback opponent. However, the time travel experience kept Creed from aging as he passed through the bouts before this meeting.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN96CGhm28vbSIi-7LcFG5tAe0kBCYP-ePEr5j9YjXyIDo6mcD3NzZsShIBE-3KxyZxWSItZjFsW0ljevM0wX7c2G6lyS2o6Dkl0qwoOpg_t2W_NMUq99iEPcTS50YViwJR9BE0H8HJG5dUnUjE_kFY4u0701YAcDPvaSMMtB1eTPrN9RdiqkkOrj_7nLj/s4032/adonis%20vs%20dixon%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN96CGhm28vbSIi-7LcFG5tAe0kBCYP-ePEr5j9YjXyIDo6mcD3NzZsShIBE-3KxyZxWSItZjFsW0ljevM0wX7c2G6lyS2o6Dkl0qwoOpg_t2W_NMUq99iEPcTS50YViwJR9BE0H8HJG5dUnUjE_kFY4u0701YAcDPvaSMMtB1eTPrN9RdiqkkOrj_7nLj/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20dixon%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcDQnyaIsihbNtAcBVCBz1kq-0aHFLFiKfQ8Z883qRTijaxrw9DimSZG_o8ysOhpM_F76ZvQjyl-4-mNNLe34smF65SV7AZwNb2M8AQSdgQHgPnU3f5vu071l4kALFCjuovXElLoY4n2efDe8wAorMRwRM1_EjlSqBaU-5pzYk_NXDrSVL4IfAnQKzMNW/s4032/adonis%20vs%20dixon%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcDQnyaIsihbNtAcBVCBz1kq-0aHFLFiKfQ8Z883qRTijaxrw9DimSZG_o8ysOhpM_F76ZvQjyl-4-mNNLe34smF65SV7AZwNb2M8AQSdgQHgPnU3f5vu071l4kALFCjuovXElLoY4n2efDe8wAorMRwRM1_EjlSqBaU-5pzYk_NXDrSVL4IfAnQKzMNW/w400-h300/adonis%20vs%20dixon%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Both fighters have a similar lighter and faster build and fighting style, and early on there was much give and take. However, Creed is able to land more consistently than Mason Dixon, wearing him down and flooring "The Line" in the seventh round.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VmTO24D6fXA" width="320" youtube-src-id="VmTO24D6fXA"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>BONUS MATCHES:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After those fights I was intrigued by the idea of testing out an even smaller, lighter, and faster fighter against those movie style, bomb punch throwing, heavyweights.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore, I put the incredibly speedy hands of middleweight class Sugar Ray Leonard against the Rocky Gauntlet. Every fight was pretty much the same: Sugar Ray using his speed to stay out of the way of the bigger but slower opponents, dodging and countering with sets of super fast combos, and eventually wearing out the bigger men as their series of missed haymakers drained their batteries. It did make for a fun evening. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There were two exceptions to all the bouts looking similar.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first time through the Gauntlet, Apollo Creed was simply too fast to dodge like Sugar Ray did with the other fighters. Eventually one of The Master of Disaster's thundering hooks would catch the side of Ray's head, and he'd crumple to the canvas without hope of rising.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With a bit of practice (and more than a few crumples) the strategy evolved of Leonard using far more dancing out of range and back again, than dodging individual punches.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ_XzfY7HDooaI1mdHnIf9B8VQXia5oMW6ZVGRj-a-KV6rkRjqpb8a_yP2OTd3XrktkpYoQMtssmyA0yMkW5bWIBgeP5vYxaLSuuM_yvQ3fPPwqVxQlHGDLW_rvdqVQpVspedK-Fqoi2zcp5GSgrDaia-F-sL8DMI9G4VZzmdL40lzcow-hQH8Niz66iv/s4032/leonard%20apollo%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ_XzfY7HDooaI1mdHnIf9B8VQXia5oMW6ZVGRj-a-KV6rkRjqpb8a_yP2OTd3XrktkpYoQMtssmyA0yMkW5bWIBgeP5vYxaLSuuM_yvQ3fPPwqVxQlHGDLW_rvdqVQpVspedK-Fqoi2zcp5GSgrDaia-F-sL8DMI9G4VZzmdL40lzcow-hQH8Niz66iv/w400-h300/leonard%20apollo%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u5wGwgUP9iz6fO0B6_TZ8C9hUTabyhCt87odsvcEOI2yZDYi2j-lLTmsUTgnlapakAeCViFsdiUkyFLaSAR5vzRMjFeNo1uL6-SbCfnUaJU1VT6zorypmHWKRK0CoI0aeqzL88MjaBqvJ87fDMEnCThA50VM6B-KcMz3u5o3dJHbX1KKtt_CwxPkT32h/s4032/leonard%20apollo%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u5wGwgUP9iz6fO0B6_TZ8C9hUTabyhCt87odsvcEOI2yZDYi2j-lLTmsUTgnlapakAeCViFsdiUkyFLaSAR5vzRMjFeNo1uL6-SbCfnUaJU1VT6zorypmHWKRK0CoI0aeqzL88MjaBqvJ87fDMEnCThA50VM6B-KcMz3u5o3dJHbX1KKtt_CwxPkT32h/w400-h300/leonard%20apollo%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">It took five rounds of running and back pedaling, interspersed with occasional pinpoint accuracy counters, followed by two more rounds of very careful dodging and weaving to get in position to land combinations. Apollo Creed finally fell multiple times, including once he couldn't rise from, in the seventh round.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rl5BKeRalbo" width="320" youtube-src-id="Rl5BKeRalbo"></iframe></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What inspired trying again (after several failures) against Apollo, was the match facing the monstrously large, fast, and powerful Ivan Drago. Knowing full well one punch from the Siberian Express could have cold cocked Sugar Ray at any point, no matter how tired Drago was, caution was the only available tactic. However, also knowing how accurate Drago is, and how much stamina he has, meant Leonard would need to throw and land a sizeable amount of punches throughout the match to have any chance of emerging victorious. Running and ducking wasn't an option as Drago was not going to wear himself out, or be easily outscored. Ray needed to remain close enough to land flurries between his larger opponent's punches, and remain agile enough to be constantly ready to move out of the way, either by dodging or dancing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYA2zKpEpU86Gpk8YkDqYbIIb-hzlDx9Ma11UYAVLkaQYas77nYBeYSxcolg-kMK0pQa8UQzv5lU4oX6uYauae54Y9tm-5ViMfsTbjDqWGomsFDzkh09TQvFaPqOzgk1mv5l9HzR9frfX61b25uGgh7EYlINJo23U5fn9PCttkOnI0LrHo5K_xDTnauOX/s4032/leonard%20drago%20rounds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYA2zKpEpU86Gpk8YkDqYbIIb-hzlDx9Ma11UYAVLkaQYas77nYBeYSxcolg-kMK0pQa8UQzv5lU4oX6uYauae54Y9tm-5ViMfsTbjDqWGomsFDzkh09TQvFaPqOzgk1mv5l9HzR9frfX61b25uGgh7EYlINJo23U5fn9PCttkOnI0LrHo5K_xDTnauOX/w400-h300/leonard%20drago%20rounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrR3eP2ZuZY_7OWe2UeRRzLJfzoB9Ydys3Igv0wslUIPlXIy5RwQ9jL-HQ7bYd7M555fDU_P_rMHd9y4Rsw-ozswniajNAI2xYOvnoSMKpbMa-hwUbH9PKKJZjSPfehDtentgTW9W2Hf-oHvmk6qf-HSo_AKXnWMAm2QlrBHpWg-FRxfBgDsxBdAJLDDaj/s4032/leonard%20drago%20stats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrR3eP2ZuZY_7OWe2UeRRzLJfzoB9Ydys3Igv0wslUIPlXIy5RwQ9jL-HQ7bYd7M555fDU_P_rMHd9y4Rsw-ozswniajNAI2xYOvnoSMKpbMa-hwUbH9PKKJZjSPfehDtentgTW9W2Hf-oHvmk6qf-HSo_AKXnWMAm2QlrBHpWg-FRxfBgDsxBdAJLDDaj/w400-h300/leonard%20drago%20stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sugar Ray began to win rounds by the ninth of this epic clash. Drago dropped for good in the second to last scheduled round of the fifteen round event, but by that point Sugar Ray was on track to take the final two and score an unheard of victory by points over the huge Soviet.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DpeuI-XlR2c" width="320" youtube-src-id="DpeuI-XlR2c"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The result was that the fight was an ESPN <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2013/07/old-guy-game-guides-fight-night.html" target="_blank">classic</a> based on the in game point system I still have yet to figure out. Not only that, but it was the highest score I'd ever earned.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51fPVYSS3DpLWqKY8OuG4qPAbKOSfBMQBproWHRDT5MzuEVkYMt2i54sxTiP9ZqWRa5iMpj1qrU7s5e77DUMq8AqRutDhb4OmYO7CAcLMh-OxNqWCVczD7C0tSa56wIT5l-SzlGrm3YTn3V0hn9HzVqMggFxCFajOOtNX5hdcs-202iIBI9GlWFma5g8t/s4032/leonard%20drago%20record.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51fPVYSS3DpLWqKY8OuG4qPAbKOSfBMQBproWHRDT5MzuEVkYMt2i54sxTiP9ZqWRa5iMpj1qrU7s5e77DUMq8AqRutDhb4OmYO7CAcLMh-OxNqWCVczD7C0tSa56wIT5l-SzlGrm3YTn3V0hn9HzVqMggFxCFajOOtNX5hdcs-202iIBI9GlWFma5g8t/w400-h300/leonard%20drago%20record.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">That's more than enough for this outing into my shirking my writing duties, normal posts (or what passes for normal around here) resume next week.</span></div></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-85164875753389507842024-01-01T11:00:00.025-08:002024-01-18T11:53:27.578-08:00The Triumphant Return of Grandma Treks- The Movies<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJO-tfwV9PrqaMg5WcDbDiECCMcFA0DDx4FhkaOFWRUhZp_n57DsLOckwMTF5u2Q18qBrjgiorRKs7hG3khmy5McVmj-GomxxMMpV_ReuLOeZJkuFcXEc5rqBQDfdGf5z9Xt5lXegIzAGCvEIwdSx-JykY-LSDdLbfF_Jr9n69hnkZDBrCFDe_Uxbs1yO/s628/trek%20twok.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="628" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJO-tfwV9PrqaMg5WcDbDiECCMcFA0DDx4FhkaOFWRUhZp_n57DsLOckwMTF5u2Q18qBrjgiorRKs7hG3khmy5McVmj-GomxxMMpV_ReuLOeZJkuFcXEc5rqBQDfdGf5z9Xt5lXegIzAGCvEIwdSx-JykY-LSDdLbfF_Jr9n69hnkZDBrCFDe_Uxbs1yO/w400-h224/trek%20twok.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Can't have "Treklets" without the follow up "Grandma Treks."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because geekiness is and always has been a multi-generational trait in my family.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And we're darn proud. I can never thank my Mom and Dad enough for so many things, but one of them is introducing me to so many fun and cool fandoms at a young age.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here’s Grandma’s responses to the family riffing comments,
and a brief reaction to each original crew film when she was inspired to watch them again while making Christmas cookies.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Introduction-</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">SOUNDS WONDERFUL! To quote Arte
Johnson “ VERRRRY INTERESTING!. It is the first thing I thought of when I
finished this Blog. I love your logic and her attitude. I also
love her “Besties” conjecture.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One more love is the Bonus - Very
great tidbit about DeForest Kelley. It made me like him even more than I
did before.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next - As soon as I read the bit about
Kirk putting his hand on someone’s shoulder, it was like a
lightbulb went on. I said “Oh Yeah, he does do that doesn’t he!” I can’t
wait for them to begin. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The Movie<br /></span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">That was really good. I do love Anabelle’s comments. I couldn’t remember who played Commander
Decker for a long while. I knew that William Windom played the Father
Decker. When Spock came on board, I
could visualize young Decker immediately. It surprised me. I guess latent
memories are always with you. As much as
I loved seeing everyone, like you did and Dad did, I have to agree with
Anabelle a little... It did have a somewhat long feeling when we watched
it. What you did with the whole dialogue
like you said was perfect for everyone who loves the original Star Trek. It
certainly brought back a lot of memories.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle is so cute cheering for her
Besties. Finally, your ending is so perfect with Kim’s story. OXZ</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The first movie made me happy. I loved looking at the slow
show of the Enterprise. I knew what was coming so I didn’t get impatient. I
just basked in it.”</span></div></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><b>Khan Uck.</b><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I absolutely am with Anabelle & Rosa
about the part of the slug going into Chekov's ear. Actually, except for
the first time in the movie theater where everyone went AAAAH!, I close
my eyes at the at part every time.</span><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">This gave me a big laugh <b>“Star
Trek 2.5 “The Search for Corn”<br /></b></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle is right. I love McCoy’s rants
also.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> <br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Just anticipating the death of Spock
while reading made me weepy and then reading it I had tears
in my eyes’ Actually any time this movie comes up I get teary. OKAY
you will have to lending me all the movies when you finish with them. It
is too good to read about them and not see them. OXZ</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">"The second movie still made me look away at the crawly things goin in their ears, but again I was very happy, except when I cried when Spock died."</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Spock is Dead Lets Go Find His Body</b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This movie write up was long but so
necessary. It was delightful and entertaining for just it’s perfect explanation
of everything that happened. Then you gave it the added attraction of You &
Rosa & Anabelle with the comments. I truly, deeply enjoyed this one
immensely..</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle’s retorts to Kirk’s Personal Log is really funny. You two could really do Mystery Science Theater.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> Anabelle’s
“Cheers Wildly “ is exactly how I felt at that moment, every time I saw it.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I felt the exact opposite of Anabelle
when David dies. Probably because he was Kirk’s son. I felt for Kirk. I was
hoping for them to kill Saavik.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Tell Anabelle that “Fruitier than a nut
cake” is the reverse of a very old
saying. “nuttier than a fruit cake” OXZ [Jeff- Anabelle knows this, she
just thought it was weird he said it at all.]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">"Then I saw the third movie. I was still rolling and baking. But I stopped baking because doing both was interfering with the movie."</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Whales!</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> This was my favorite movie and reading it was wonderful. </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Yours & Anabelle’s &
Rosa’s comments made it so much better.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I don’t have much to say because</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Mostly I just sat there enchanted that I could
relive it and enjoy</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">their reactions.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">There is just one comment I have to make
- </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I LOVE THIS. It is truly Funny for this series. OXZ</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Yeah it went:</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Star Trek- Boring,</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Star Trek- Sad,</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Star Trek- Also Sad,</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Whales!!!”</span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">“I did finish the cookies but just left
them on the table so I could see the Fourth movie. How I love it. How good it
makes me feel from beginning to end.”</span></div></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">This One Doesn’t Exist</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">There are things I don’t like in this
movie. But I really did like the whole camping part. Anabelle was very amusing. This was a movie
that confused me a lot. BUT it was STAR TREK with all my friends. So it couldn’t have been even half bad as far
as I’m concerned. It just wasn’t as great as the Whales. OXZ.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">[Jeff Comment- I think this one is like
the first movie in terms of time away from other Star Treks. When it was the only new Star Trek in a couple
of years, it was easy to focus on the positives, but watching them all in a row,
the quality drop is more evident.]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">"I remembered the campfire at the beginning. I like that part it makes them seem like normal people. I didn't remember much of the rest. I remembered as it went not liking Sybok (but I like the actor in other things) and thinking the find God story was stupid. But there were some good moments."</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The Last One, Whew!</span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I remember this one the least. But I got with it as it went on. I do like
Anabelle’s comments. They are all very entertaining. It was a very good trip
down memory lane with all of these. In my head I always see glimpses of each
movie when something comes up or even when I see something like Whales or some
oddities. Thanks for this one and all the rest. OXZ</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">“Forgot to tell you I saw it last
night. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Like 5</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">there were lots of parts that were not so
familiar. And there were some that were very familiar.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The saddest part was it was the last one.”</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><b>2009</b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Wow that was a ride. Not just getting to
remember the movie but Anabelle is adorable about loving everything.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I guess that is what I can say about the old
Star Trek, like she does about the new one. I did love all of them and all the
actors and all the movies. However, I did really like (maybe love) the new Star
Treks. I think they did such a good job they made us old people see the other
show as we watched the new guys. The actors were all really good. I did like
all the choices for each character. Rosa is right whenever I see Anton Yelchin,
I get sad. It kind of takes away from the movie</span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.</b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Into Darkness<br /></span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">This one was very good. I liked the Kahn
story in this one better than the one in the original. I actually hated Ricardo Montalban‘s Kahn as
much as I loved Ricardo Montalban in other things especially <i>Fantasy
Island</i>. Benedict Cumberbatch was an off
Khan, and a different kind of bad.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I’m not sure if what I just wrote even
makes sense. I’ll leave that to you to figure out.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">[Jeff comment- I understood what she
meant immediately. My whole family talks and thinks this way. We’re a fun bunch.]<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I did feel very bad when I read about
Kirk’s death because I didn’t remember it. I guess I just locked that out of my
mind. I remember the chase and fight with Spock but did not remember until Uhura
says don’t kill him. Then it all came back. Interesting how my mind works.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">All in All I did enjoy this write up as
much as the others, “Listening” to Anabelle and Rosa always makes it more
enjoyable.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Getting all your information is also
enjoyable. OXZ</span></div>
</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Beyond</span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I read this all and can’t really
remember the movie at all. I guess I didn’t see it many times.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I just can’t get my head around it but I did
enjoy all of Anabelle’s & Rosa’s comments. It made it much funnier. Guess
I’ll have to watch all three of these. OXZ</span></div></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">[Jeff comment- Maybe there will be a follow up after all?]</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Well, that's the end of another family foray into Star Trek.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Hope the ride was fun.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Once again, thanks to <a href="http://www.chakoteya.net/index.htmll" target="_blank">Chrissie's Transcripts</a> for having all of the Star Trek scripts.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Live long and prosper.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/grandma-treks-return-part-2.html" target="_blank">Click for the short follow up!</a></span></div></div></div></span></div>
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-triumphant-return-of-treklets.html" target="_blank">Click for other Mystery Star Trek Theaters List</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p><a href="http://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/10/short-treks-introindex.html"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Click for Star Trek Index </span></a></o:p></span></span></div></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-57674119002892751002023-12-28T13:00:00.000-08:002024-01-04T11:01:43.687-08:00Creed III- The Full Transition<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbM_nFG5d5t1DuqDW4wR-hXgtJkTsUasvljryTyxRBMhxsjEITpWPLMLcbZw8lAcB7kwXnN-QTvWOHPfdJLMdHbDmhekWItE9RkDp834k9ePXMwpLtmLva1GHNlBoJUX2XU8G3Nyp3iq6H1mDCas2hbYufaqAjqiiXPrvg0cdYkLchuT6HUdSfZmNaxh1/s3000/creed%20iii.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbM_nFG5d5t1DuqDW4wR-hXgtJkTsUasvljryTyxRBMhxsjEITpWPLMLcbZw8lAcB7kwXnN-QTvWOHPfdJLMdHbDmhekWItE9RkDp834k9ePXMwpLtmLva1GHNlBoJUX2XU8G3Nyp3iq6H1mDCas2hbYufaqAjqiiXPrvg0cdYkLchuT6HUdSfZmNaxh1/w400-h266/creed%20iii.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Well, the day after Christmas is "Boxing Day!"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Creed franchise has both stayed true to its Rocky roots and diverged at the same time.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This ninth outing is the first film without Sylvester Stallone in it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, unlike the sensationalism of some of the later Rocky outings, <i>Creed III </i>stays grounded and is more similar to the first two Rocky films.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With a younger character than the Rocky stories that looked at it, but more realistic for the sport of boxing, this story looks at the possibilities for an aging practitioner of this sport. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adonis Creed is different from Rocky by being a college graduate with business experience., however. His transition into the promoter/ gym owner realm as he ages is a natural one, and shows a path to a more secure future than Rocky's turned out. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Still, these are boxing movies, and therefore we know we'll be seeing Donny training and in the ring. But this time, he's not wearing the colors of Rocky or his father, he and the franchise have moved towards standing on their own.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stallone always insisted on making the boxing matches look as real as possible. This may explain Sly's multiple trips to the hospital when filming them. The final fight in this movie is shown much more stylized and abstractly, creating a new feel as it breaks away from the past.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While previous opponents have been brutal or single minded, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Creed III </i><span style="font-family: arial;">throws in a different strategic puzzle. Damian is a dirty and opportunistic fighter, both in and out of the ring. Adonis figuring out how to deal with that without losing his integrity was another way the film went in a new direction.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One thing that is made clear in these stories is that Donny is avoiding many of the mistakes Rocky made in his life. Rocky begrudgingly befriended Apollo when it was beneficial to both of them and then the connection between them grew. There was no mending fences or forming friendships between Balboa and his other major opponents. Adonis is shown still having ties to several previous match participants, including Victor Drago, who was shown to hate him at the start of the last movie. He also makes peace with Damien at the end of this story, after much bad blood between the two of them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More importantly, Adonis puts his wife and daughter first, and we never seen him lose and have to rebuild connections with them. Tessa Thompson's character's arc is just as important to these films as Michael B. Jordan's. There are conflicts and disagreements, but none of the rifts Rocky created. It's telling that the one time a snippet of "Gonna Fly Now" is heard is not at the end of the boxing match itself, but when he is celebrating with his family.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phylicia Rashad gives one final and powerful performance, showing the strength and grace she brings to everything. Her impact on the series will continue.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, Mila Davis-Kent was absolutely adorable, but feisty, as little Amara Creed. The stories could easily follow her as the next generation of the franchise.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyone who knows me is fully aware of what happens when I start thinking about boxing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Come back next week to see how Adonis Creed fares against the stars of the classic Rocky films in <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/04/classically-conditioned-champion.html" target="_blank">another </a>Fight <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/creed-15-lets-get-ready-to-vortex.html" target="_blank">Night Champion Showdown!</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"">Rocky Links</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif""><a href="http://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/03/rocky-through-kids-eyes-good-ones.html">Please click here for the good films</a></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "sans-serif""><a href="http://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/03/rocky-through-kids-eyes-over-top-ones.html">Please click here for the over the top films.</a></span><br /><a href="http://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/03/rocky-through-kids-eyes-capstones.html">Please click here for the capstone films.</a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/05/rocky-through-kids-eyes-passing-of-torch.html" target="_blank">Please click here for the Torch Passing (Creed)</a></span></div><div><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2020/11/rocky-through-kids-eyes-sins-of-fathers.html" target="_blank">Please Click here for Creed II</a></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4690632656143895108.post-87912879586583844202023-12-25T11:00:00.015-08:002024-01-01T17:02:08.812-08:00Mystery Star Trek Beyond Theater<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QGcP6aTcYB-KEkJ2vP0mZUYIUF25ConbdJeDsyKrTB9yLJDlO_KbmJwBatVKIkhwRviqnhjYhnhbQiSJkmCxuRrFVZFu4LqwMkN6A7YknQ2aqFCfPe0yM9eJnQbUneYEKvvJCleS9N439-4N-JImIVAFDLSoy3iokI51CgbybMew4YW-vLeBYlSOjU7T/s600/bones%20beyond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QGcP6aTcYB-KEkJ2vP0mZUYIUF25ConbdJeDsyKrTB9yLJDlO_KbmJwBatVKIkhwRviqnhjYhnhbQiSJkmCxuRrFVZFu4LqwMkN6A7YknQ2aqFCfPe0yM9eJnQbUneYEKvvJCleS9N439-4N-JImIVAFDLSoy3iokI51CgbybMew4YW-vLeBYlSOjU7T/w400-h200/bones%20beyond.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></span><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Kirk’s <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/07/star-trek-beyond-expectations.html" target="_blank">opening</a> interaction with the
Teenaxi:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “My name is Captain James Tiberius
Kirk of the United Federation of Planets. I am appearing before you as a
neutral representative of the Fibonan Republic…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Throwing out the ‘Tiberius’ right
at the start!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">[Note- Watch all the bloopers for this
series of films, but this scene especially.]<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*He is attacked by the tiny muscle-bound
creatures and beamed up with several still clinging on*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “I ripped my shirt again.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “What…<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">a surprise.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Kirk brings back the McGuffin that will
be important later*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Captain, did you manage to
broker a treaty with the Teenaxi?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Spock’s hair is atrocious in
this movie. <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Just thought I’d mention it.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the opening Captain’s Log while Kirk
is passing through the ship:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Captain's log, Stardate 2263.2.
Today is our 966th day in deep space, a little under three years into our five-year
mission. The more time we spend out here, the harder it is to tell where one
day ends and the next one begins…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “This one is high key a…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*The communications officer is shown*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Uhura!!! yeah!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*pause*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">… a diary entry.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “… The ship aside, prolonged
cohabitation has definitely had effects on interpersonal dynamics. Some
experiences for the better, and some for the worse. As for me, things have
started to feel a little episodic…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Ha. Ha.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Bones celebrating Jim’s birthday:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “I wanted to have something
appropriate for your birthday.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “That's in a couple days. You know
I don't care about that.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “I know. I know you don't like
celebrating it on the day because it's also the day your Pa bit the dust. I was
being sensitive.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Thanks for that.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “A year older than he ever got to
be. He joined Starfleet because he...<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">he believed in it.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I joined on a dare.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “You joined to see if you could
live up to him. You spent all this time trying to be George Kirk and now you're
wondering just what it means to be Jim. Why you're out here.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*raises glass*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">To perfect eyesight and a full head of
hair.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*intercom beeps*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Kirk here.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “Captain, approaching Yorktown
base.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “I'm on my way, Mr. Sulu.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Let's keep this birthday thing under
wraps, huh?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Yeah, you know me. Mr.
Sensitive.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love you, Doctor McCoy.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On approaching the Lexington station:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “This is pretty.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Wooow!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On a notification:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Vulcan delegate- “Excuse me. Commander
Spock? May we have a moment of your time?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Sad times.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Why?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Watch the movie.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Thank you for bringing this to
my attention. Live long and prosper.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Vulcan Delegate- “Live long and prosper.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Screen in his hand shows Spock Prime
and 2230.06 - 2263.02.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Awww…. Spock.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Kirk’s dress uniform jacket:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Ooh, he’s got his fancy
outfit on to meet the Admiral.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the Enterprise leaving the Lexington
station as compared to <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/10/mystery-star-trek-theater-i-movie.html" target="_blank">“The Motion Picture</a>:”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Notice how fast they’re
driving out…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I’m just saying.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the Enterprise being attacked by the
cloud of smaller ships:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Just leave!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “They can’t.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*The ship takes a huge blast of damage*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “OOOH NOO!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Why the hell aren't we moving?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “I can't engage the warp drive,
sir!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Scotty, I need warp now!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “I cannae, sir! The nacelles,”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I hate that I know that name
so much.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “They've...They've gone!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- *quiet* “oh!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*ships are smashing into the Enterprise
walls*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “AAAH!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bad bad bad bad!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “Sir, I have hull breaches in
levels 12 to 15, 6, 9, 31 and 21, sir.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “AAAAAHHH!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Oh my God!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “This is so bad!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Spock runs into the attackers*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I have identified the individual
who appears to be leading the attack party. He infiltrated the archive vault
and removed the artefact from our mission on Teenax.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Hold your distance until...
Spock! Spock!<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Spock <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/11/mystery-star-trek-theater-ii-khan-uck.html" target="_blank">died</a> again!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “You two, with me. Sulu, you have
the conn.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Yeah! He’s ready.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Notice how he put his hand on the side
of the arm rest,<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">so he doesn’t <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/02/short-treks-season-16.html" target="_blank">shoo</a><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2016/11/treklets-season-15.html" target="_blank">t the</a> crewman into space.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*As the shoot out on the Enterprise
continues Anabelle alternates between:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">“AAAHH!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">“Woo hoo!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">And<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">“Bang bang bang!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Krall’s fleet’s final attack on the
Enterprise:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Krall- “Cut its throat.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “That’s not bad at all.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*The section holding on the secondary
hull is broken off, ejecting many crew into space*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “OH!<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">They’re all dead. Ooh no!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Kirk running to separate the saucer
while carrying the McGuffin:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “We've got to get you guys to an
escape pod. Go. Go! Ensign Syl, I need your help.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Syl- “Yes, sir.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Ensign Syl! Girl Boss Queen!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Kirk runs to separate the saucer still
carrying the McGuffin <i>case</i>*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Why didn’t he hide the thingy?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *bluffing well* “He’s got a
lot to think about at the moment.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- *bluffing poorly* “What thingy?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Uhura separating the saucer and being
sealed off:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Uhura no!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*It separates*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">“Weeeeeeee!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Krall is isolated from the main hull,
and finds the McGuffin case is empty”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Ha Ha!"<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- *Looks questioningly at Anabelle*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I lied”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “I knew.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I wonder why?<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Looks back at movie*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Interesting Enterprise design feature.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">How come you have to separate the saucer
from 'not the saucer' part of the ship?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the saucer crashing:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “How many of the crew are still
aboard the saucer?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “None. But if I'm reading this
correctly, the intruders are taking them.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “Keptin, we are caught in the
planet's gravity. We cannot pull avay.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Get to your Kelvin Pods.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I forgot they’re called ‘Kelvin
Pods.’<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Imagine being in heaven and learning
they named escape pods after the ship you blew up in.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “Yes, sir.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Sulu is freaking out again.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*the crew is all out and the saucer section
smashes into a mountain*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Enterprise really cannot
catch a break.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Every movie they be blowing it up. <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*pause*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Good thing this is a Class M planet…again.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the film in general:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love this movie.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I don’t understand why people don’t like
it.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">It’s so good.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Krall interrogating the crew:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Krall- “What is your name?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “I am Lieutenant Nyota Uhura of
the U.S.S. Enterprise. And you have committed an act of war against the
Federation.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEAH! Slay!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Krall- “Federation! Federation is an act
of war.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “You attacked us.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *as Krall* “Whaaaat? Me?<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Nooooooooo.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Spock and McCoy crashed together in
the alien ship:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Bestie time!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “But I thought…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “No, they’re not <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-triumphant-return-of-treklets.html" target="_blank">THE Besties</a>.
But they are besties.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*There is a GIANT metal shard sticking
out of Spock’s side*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “My God, Spock.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">God, Sit down over here.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Okay. Okay, sit. Easy. Okay. Now, just
try and relax.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">You're gonna be okay.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “This is fine.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “The forced optimism in your
voice suggests that you are trying to elicit a sense of calm in order to...”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Oh, cut the horses**t.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Doctor, I fail to see how
excrement of any kind bears relevance on our current situation.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “What the hell are you doing?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “We must keep moving, Doctor.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Spock, this thing's punctured
your iliac region.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Time is a critical factor.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “That's exactly what I'm trying
to tell you. Look, if I can't take this out, you're gonna die. Okay? If I take
it out and can't stop the bleeding, you're gonna die.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I can see no appeal in either
option.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Believe it or not, neither can
I.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">So, if I remember correctly, the Vulcans
have their hearts where humans have their livers.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “This Doctor McCoy knows
Vulcan anatomy cause he’s a slay king.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">He is also wearing the pinky ring like
the real Doctor McCoy which I’ve noticed since the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/12/mystery-star-trek-2009-theater.html" target="_blank">first one</a> but forgot to say something
about it.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Karl Urban made Leonard Nimoy cry
because he did such a good job reminding him of his old friend.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle and Rosa- “Awwwww… Why did you
tell us that?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Okay. All right, Spock, I just
got one question. What's your favorite color?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I fail to see the relevance.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Bones yanks the shrapnel and cauterizes
the wound*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Yeah. They say it hurts less if
it's a surprise.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “If I may adopt a parlance with
which you are familiar,<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I can confirm your theory to be horse… s**t.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love you, Spock!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Scotty climbing out of his torpedo
and meeting some folks:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I don’t know why they changed
the uniforms, but I really like these. <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I mean…I liked the others too.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Scotty is attacked and saved by the
white and black faced alien woman*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Jaylah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yaaaaay!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “You're no with those bastards
that killed my ship, are you?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Jaylah- *spits forcefully on the ground*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love her.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Chekov and Kirk finding the saucer:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Ooh, they have their ‘oh no
the ship is blowing up’ suits on.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Sulu and Uhura leading the escape:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Keenser- *sneezes acid on the lock*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “That is one heck of a cold.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “Nice job, Keenser.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “All right, we got about fifteen
minutes until the next guard rotation. Come on.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *whispers* “THE BESTIES”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Crosses fingers*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “He's got Starfleet data files,
ship logs, including the Enterprise.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “He's been watching us this whole
time.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Huge squad of guards shows up*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Bad.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Kirk and Chekov escaping the saucer
through the viewscreen into what would be the vacuum of space normally:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “That was… interesting.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “You mean that it took only three
hand phaser blasts to take out that window?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Maybe it was already cracked.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Yeah it took a lot of damage in the
crash.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “One would hope.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Krall’s attack plan:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “You're going to attack Yorktown.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Krall- “Millions of souls from every Federation
world holding hands. It's a perfect target.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Yeah… Also, not a great place
to live.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “You're wrong. There is strength
in unity.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Krall- “The strength of others,
Lieutenant, is what has kept me alive.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Krall drains the life force out of two
upsidedown crew members*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “He’s doing some weird thing…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*The scene changes*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Anyway.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Spock sharing the bad news with
Bones:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Ambassador Spock has died.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Oh Spock, I'm so sorry. I can't
imagine what that must feel like.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “I’m so sorry you died.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “When you've lived as many lives
as he, fear of death is illogical.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Yeah, because of that one
time he <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/11/mystery-star-trek-theater-ii-khan-uck.html" target="_blank">actually died</a>…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I want to live as he did.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">That is why I decided to redirect my
efforts and continue his work on New Vulcan.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “You're leaving Starfleet? Well,
what did Jim have to say about that?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I could not find the time to
tell him.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Well, I can tell you he's not
gonna like that.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Hell, I don't know what he'd do without
you. I mean, me on the other hand, I'd throw a party.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- *Laughs*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Um…he’s smiling. That’s not
good.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “’Cause he’s messed up.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On walking into a trap:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Well... I guess you could say I've
got a good nose for danger.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*They are encased in solid smoke*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- *Shoots Kirk a look*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *Russian accent* “Hey, Vanna
say that again Keptin?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the discussion once Scotty tells Kirk
they’re on the USS Franklin, formerly commanded by Captain Edison:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “One of the first heroes of
Starfleet. How the hell did his ship end up here?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “There's a lot of theories, sir.
Surrendered to the Romulans.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Keptured by a giant green<a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/03/short-treks-season-21.html" target="_blank"> space</a> <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2017/06/treklets-season-21.html" target="_blank">hand</a>…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *Elbows me* “WOOOOOOOOO!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Bones and Spock calling the crew:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “McCoy and Spock to Enterprise
crew. Come in, Enterprise crew. Anyone. Come on, Spock. Come on, you can make
it.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YAY! The noise!<br /></span><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Beep be deep be deep boop boop”<br /></span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Leaving me behind will
significantly increase your chances of survival, Doctor.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Well, that's damn chivalrous of
you, but completely out of the question.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “It is imperative that you locate
any surviving crew.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “And here I was thinking you
cared.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Of course I care, Leonard.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Aww, Hitting him with a
Leonard!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I always assumed my respect for
you was clear.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The dialogue we have had across the
years has always...”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “It's okay, Spock. You don't have
to say it.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “I love you!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Well, at least I won’t die
alone.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Spock beams away, leaving him to face
the aliens that just arrived*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Well, that's just typical. Come
on, you bastards!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love him so much.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the big three back together on the
Franklin:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “All right. Lie down. Come on.
There you go.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">How are we gonna get out of this one,
Spock?<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">We've got no ship, no crew. Not the best
odds.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “We will do what we have always
done, Jim.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">We will find hope in the impossible.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *Raises both fists
triumphantly*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Bones is using “primitive” <i><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2015/10/short-treks-to-boldly-stop.html" target="_blank">Enterprise</a>
</i>show era equipment on Spock*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “I'm pretty sure this is a
protoplaser.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Should stop the internal hemorrhaging.
At least that's my hope.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “The miserable have no other
medicine but only hope.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Death's door and he's quoting
Shakespeare.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “That’s why we love Spock.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On ignoring the big reveal where Ensign
Syl has the McGuffin hidden in her shellfish head:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Hey, who’s that old guy.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Some guy. Hey! There’s the girl
that threw Chekov out of her cabin during Kirk’s opening diary entry.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “That was Chekov?!?!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “How did not notice?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “I was l looking at foreground and noticing
the green girl.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">
Anabelle- “You always do this.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On learning about Uhura’s necklace from
Spock:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Mr. Chekov, can you reconfigure
the search parameters in order to compensate for this formula?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Chekov is finally earning his
science badge.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Lieutenant Uhura wears a Vokaya
amulet which I presented to her as a token of my affection and respect.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “You gave your girlfriend
radioactive jewelry?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “The emission is harmless,
Doctor, but its unique signature makes it very easy to identify.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “You gave your girlfriend a
tracking device.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “That was not my intention.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “I'm glad he doesn't respect me.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “THE SPOCK SMIRK!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- *nonstop giggling throughout the
conversation*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On planning the crew’s rescue:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Captain, Mr. Chekov's technical
acumen makes him more valuable aboard the Franklin with Mr. Scott. It is
thereby logical that I would replace him.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Why is that logical, Spock? You
just got back on your feet.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Lieutenant Uhura is in that
facility, Jim.<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *fans self, speaks in southern
accent* “It is gettin’ steaaaaamy in here.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On rescuing the crew:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *Nonstop WOO HOO! And “BANG
BANG BANG!” *<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On flying out on the USS Franklin:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “Okay! All systems online.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Dilithium chambers at seventy percent
and climbing.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Primary subwarp engines standing by.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Mr. Sulu. You can, you know, fly
this thing, right?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “You kidding me, sir?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “We love you Mr. Sulu!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “Mr. Sulu, we have to achieve
terminal welocity in order for the stabilizers to provide lift. Are you sure
this drop is high enough to do that?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">
Sulu- “We'll find out.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “THE BESTIES!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Call it, Mr. Sulu.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “Aye-aye, Captain. Mr. Chekov, be
ready to hit the forward stabilizers full on my mark. One quarter impulse.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “Aye.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “He’s like, yeah… this is
fine.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “One half impulse, Mr. Chekov.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “Aye.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Chekov- wets pants.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “NOW MR. CHEKOV!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*The Franklin falls, then zooms up into
space*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “WOO HOO!!!!<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*pause*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">That is a funky looking ship is all I’m
saying.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Where are they going?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “After the swarm.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “They have to save Yorktown.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “But they’re going to get eaten in
ten seconds.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Yeah… They all die.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">That’s why they didn’t make anymore.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- *huffs*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On seeing the crowds running through
Lexington:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Its…Sulu’s daughter. What was
her name?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Demora.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “She is the most stylish
little girl.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On figuring out how to fight the swarm:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Maybe... maybe we lure them away.<br />
</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">How do we get to Yorktown in time to get
people to safety?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “We are a horse and buggy compared
to those things.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">We're barely holding together as it is,
Captain.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Captain, the flight patterns of
bees are determined by individual decisions. Krall's swarm formations are too
complex not to rely on some form of unified cyberpathic coordination. I surmise
that if we...”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Spock has an idea!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Spock! Skip to the end.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “What he's saying is that if we
disorient the swarm, we can kick its ass!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *stands and raises both fists*
“YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On them needing someone in a swarm ship:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Captain, my familiarity of the
interior of those ships, however brief, makes me more qualified for this away
mission.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “Spock, you're still hurt.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “Awww, she still cares.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “She's right, Spock.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I acknowledge and respect your
concerns. Perhaps you would feel more confident if I were accompanied by
someone with familiarity of both the ship and my injury.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “He's gonna love this.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Kirk’s like, ‘heh heh heh.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “You want me to do what?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “Come along, Doctor.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Whoa, wait a minute. Why, you
green-blooded ingrate. This was your idea!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love him!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the crew working together on the plan
to stop the swarm:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “The focus might be too specific.
If we could plant some sort of disruptive communication signal inside the
swarm, it might adversely affect their capacity to coordinate.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “It would have to be at a
frequency they vill not anticipate.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “We could cause a chain reaction
that would wipe out the whole swarm.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “Sir, a closed network like that
might be susceptible to very high frequency.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “VHF. Radio. We can...<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">we can broadcast something from the ship
to drown out their link.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “hmmmmmmmmmm?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Something loud and distracting.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “Loud and distracting?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty and Anabelle with a Scottish
accent- “I've got just the thing!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Hee Hee!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Spock and McCoy keep flying through the
bees*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Buzz buzz!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Krall seeing the Franklin:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Krall- “My old friend.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *exaggerated* “Huh?<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">That’s weird.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Stares knowingly at me. *<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On choosing the radio broadcast to take
out the swarm:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “The swarm ships are doubling
back! They are forming an attack wave, sir.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “I think we got their attention.
Hold steady, Mr. Sulu.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Brace yourselves, everybody.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock, stand by to drop out of
formation.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty, you all cued up back there?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “Aye, sir!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “Ready to broadcast at 57.7
megahertz.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “Made your choice, lassie?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love it when Scotty calls
people ‘Lassie.’<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Except when it was Uhura in the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/11/mystery-star-trek-theater-v-this-one.html" target="_blank">fifth movie</a>. That was terrible.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">
Jaylah- “I have the beat and shouting.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Let's make some noise.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Beastie Boys blasts*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “That's a good choice.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- *Starts headbanging to the music*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *sings along to the
instrumental parts*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the climactic chase of Krall,
revealed to be the Captain Edison of the Franklin, through the Lexington on
ships and on foot:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *nearly nonstop cheering*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Kirk catching Edison and shooting him
as he comes out of the turbolift:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Bang!<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Bang bang!<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Bang bang bang!<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*pause*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Phasers go ‘bang’.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Edison using weird high-altitude
gravity anomalies to get to the access point of the Lexington ventilation system
with his mini killer swarm from the McGuffin:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Edison- “You can't stop it. You will
die.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Better to die saving lives than
to live with taking them. That's what I was born into. Scotty!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “Captain, I think we can
redirect it.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">There's a sealed construction hatch that
will let you vent the weapon into space.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Now, we can override the locks from up
here, but you will have to activate the hatch.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “So I just hit a button.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “It's not a button, sir. It's a
silver lever under a white panel.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “There are SO MANY things that need
to be manually opened in Star Trek.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Yeah, It’s part of the charm.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Kirk opens the hatch; Edison is pulled
out into space with the mini-swarm cloud*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “This is fine.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Kirk is in danger of being sucked out*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “They have to come with the ship
to save him now.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “No, he dies again.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “No they have to come with the
ship.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Nope, Kirk dies.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Back and forth until Bones does show up
with the ship and Spock grabs Jim*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “HA!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Woo hoo!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “What would I do without you
Spock?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- *as Spock* “L.O.L. I’m
quitting.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Edison is in space being devoured by
the mini-swarm cloud*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Gonna be another dangerous space
cloud now.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Eh… add it to the list.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Kirk’s promotion:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Admiral- “Needless to say, the position
of Vice Admiral is yours. No one deserves it more.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Vice Admirals don't fly, do they?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Admiral- “No. They don't.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Well, no offence, ma'am, but
where's the fun in that?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “KING! I love him!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Spock opening the photo of the
original crew during the movie era:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Original Theme Plays*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa, Anabelle and Me-
“Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “Look at the ugly turtlenecks!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Plbbbbbbbbbbbbbbth!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On Kirk’s Birthday party:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “You didn't even try to get our
time out here reduced?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Why would I get it reduced?<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Bones, we know our way through the
nebula now. Can you imagine what we'll find?”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “Alien despots hell-bent on
killing us? Deadly space-borne viruses and bacteria? Incomprehensible cosmic
anomalies that could wipe us out in an instant.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love him so much.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “It's gonna be so much fun. By the
way, where are we going?<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I thought we were gonna get a drink.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “I know you told me to keep it
under wraps, but...”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The Entire Crew- *in civilian clothes* “Happy
Birthday!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa, Anabelle and Me-
“Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">…<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “I thought you had to finish your
mission report.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “I do. But I thought it would be
more pleasing to engage with you socially.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “You old romantic.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “WOO WOO!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- *hitting on pink girl* “Do you
know that scotch was actually inwented by a little old lady in Russia? Not many
people know.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “I love you Chekov.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*The whole group stands together at the
party, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov near each other*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “WOO! BESTIE Formation!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the time lapse construction of the
Enterprise NCC-1701A:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Rebuilding…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa- “There was nothing left.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Me- “Building a new one.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “She’s so pretty.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Rosa and Me- “Yeah.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the end speech:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Kirk- “Space, the final frontier.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEAH!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Spock- “These are the voyages of the
Starship...”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEAAHH!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Scotty- “Enterprise. Its continuing
mission…”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEEAAAHHH!!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">McCoy- “to explore strange new worlds...”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sulu- “to seek out new life...”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Chekov- “and new civilizations.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Uhura- “To boldly go where no one has
gone before.”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “YEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*Sings theme song into my face*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">On the Kelvin timeline:<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Anabelle- “The problem is this is such a
good end.<br /> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I’m in shambles
crying. <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">But they need to make a fourth
one. <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Yesterday. <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">*pause*<br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I love this movie. <br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">But the <a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/12/mystery-star-trek-2009-theater.html" target="_blank">first</a> is the best movie ever.”</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-triumphant-return-of-grandma-treks.html" target="_blank">The Return of Grandma Treks</a></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-triumphant-return-of-treklets.html" target="_blank">Click for other Mystery Star Trek Theaters List</a><br /></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p><a href="http://dogfoodforchairs.blogspot.com/2014/10/short-treks-introindex.html"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Click for Star Trek Index </span></a></o:p></span></span></div></span></span></div>
Jeff McGinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17788944317811387240noreply@blogger.com3