DC Adventure: Which Smithsonian Museum?

We couldn't visit all of them, so we chose a few: Natural History Museum, Air and Space Museum, Freer Gallery.

DC Adventure: Money

After studying currency and the economy in his GATE class last year, Sam insisted we tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing -- where all the money is made. So we did. Picture-taking opportunities were limited.

In many ways, it was like being back in the press room at the newspaper. But the printing process is more involved, quality control is more exacting, and the security level is way higher.

DC Adventure: The Monuments Tour

We spent the morning touring the impressive monuments and memorials on the National Mall.

We liked the iconic Washington and Lincoln memorials and overwhelmingly somber Vietnam and Korean memorials best. But we had the most fun at the Roosevelt memorial.

As the sun got higher in the sky and the temperature and humidity rose to sweltering, we debated renting bikes or Segways. Alas, Sam wasn't tall enough for one or old enough for the other. Next time, perhaps.

DC Adventure: The National Zoo

Josh and Erin came down from Baltimore to have lunch with us then take in the National Zoo. I particularly liked the ways different animals coped with the heat.

DC Adventure: Arlington National Cemetery

I wasn't in the right frame of mind when we arrived at Arlington National Cemetery.

We got delayed at our subway stop and were late meeting Mike and Cathy. I was annoyed that my Mom spent so much time at the women's memorial, considering all of the other sights in Washington that Tom, Sam and I wanted to see.

We got to talk with my sister-in-law about her time in Afghanistan and Iraq. We saw President John F. Kennedy's grave. By the time we got to the Tomb of the Unknowns and watched the changing of the guard, I was able to appreciate the experience.

Summer is officially here

I'm washing a load of laundry this morning. In it are my family's smoky clothes from our first fire of the season in our backyard last night, Sam's mud-splattered shorts and race t-shirt from the Congdon Cougar Chase yesterday morning, and some mosquito repellent-laden clothing from a hike I took earlier this week in Hartley Field.

Sam, by the way, had an excellent 5K run on the Lester River trails. He ran a time of 28:14, placing 7th in his age group and 41st out of 127 runners overall. I believe he would have placed higher if the mud hadn't sucked off his shoe and sock. He crossed the finish line carrying the sock but wearing the shoe.

The shoes, now clean, are drying on the front porch in the sun.

Alternate modes of transportation

My son usually rides the bus to school. For the past two weeks, he has been hitching car rides from his Dad in order to get there early for school Safety Patrol training. This morning, he rode his bike.

He left at 6:40 a.m., his Dad accompanying him on the 26-block, mostly downhill ride. He arrived at 7 a.m., about 15 minutes early. My husband called to let me know they had arrived safely. Sam had a great ride and received a bright orange t-shirt for participating in Walk/Bike to School Day.

I'm supposed to meet Sam and his Dad after school and running club for the mostly uphill ride home. When I walk to work, my 7-minute downhill jaunt takes about 14 minutes on the return. We'll see how this return bike ride goes. Getting to the school bus that stops less than half a block from our home seems so much easier.