OUR TRAVELS

We went sightseeing with our friend Kim on one of the coldest days of the season here in DC.  There will be no selfies posted because Donna's nose was running constantly!  (Ew! TMI!)  It was good to see Kim for the first time in years.  Donna met Kim while working on an assignment with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors here in DC more than 10 years ago.  She was and is a joy to spend time with!  We visited the National Cathedral and the National Zoo. The Washington National Cathedral's official name is the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul and is Episcopalian. It took 83 years to complete, has 215 stained glass windows, 288 angels, 112 gargoyles, and a number of grotesques.  The gargoyles act as waterspouts to divert rain away from the Cathedral's walls.  A Darth Vader grotesque was added to the building in 1986 as one of the winning entries in the National Geographic World magazine contest. More than 220 people are interred in the Cat...

We just experienced a winter storm in DC.  The city landscapes look beautiful under a blanket of snow.  The best part about the day was not having to get in the car and drive to work on the snowy slushy roads.  We built a snowperson in front of the White House.  What you see in the picture is much smaller than the original one.  More on that in a minute. The snow was coming down pretty hard and stinging our faces. It felt wonderful! Our first snowperson was top heavy and toppled.  Don tried to save as much of it as he could with limited success. Views of the city and landmarks snow covered. The snow was so wet that it stuck to our clothing! The National Christmas Tree and the states' trees look a little different than they did before Christmas. Here is the view from inside our room. No snow day is complete without hot cocoa.......and a peppermint candy cane.  Yum! Glad we have electricity as so many folks around us don't because of fallen trees on powe...

  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Just a quick post to wish every one a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  We hope you are enjoying the holidays, spending time with family, eating holiday treats, and relaxing in front of a warm fire or a televised football game. Here we are at the Capitol in front of its annual Christmas tree - no photoshopping, we are indeed at the Capitol! This year the tree came from the Six Rivers National Forest in California.  The tree's 3000 mile journey to DC started in late October.  The 84 foot white pine is nicknamed "Sugar Bear".  Way cool! We are awestruck at the number of Christmas trees and decorations both inside and outside of office buildings around town.  Many trees have been upwards of 30 feet tall in the lobbies.  They're so beautiful.  Viewing them has put us in the holiday spirit. Here we are in front of the National Christmas Tree by the White House.  It is surrounded by 58 decorated state and ...

Bet you thought we dropped off the face of the earth.  It's been awhile..... we've been busy.  On our way out of Tennessee we were struck again at the miles and miles of white fence surrounding the horse ranches in the countryside. How do they stay so white - must cost a fortune to maintain. Made it to Madison, AL.  Kalen and Amber were wonderful hosts - spent time eating homemade meals, chatting, hiking, and eating ice cream and donuts.  Life couldn't get any better. Glad we saw this spider before it attacked us! It was huge! Their cats love donuts too and have been known to get into the box when no one is looking.  Naughty cats! LOL! Left our belongings except for a suitcase of clothes each and our laptops with Kalen and Amber as well as our trusty ride.  It felt strange getting on an airplane for the first time in nearly two years.  We flew to Washington DC.  Everything went smoothly.  It wasn't too bad wearing masks in the airport and on ...