What a week!

I have a TON of pictures and stories to share regarding our trip to Luray, VA and all of the sightseeing we did. I will post a few pictures & share a few stories at a time...if I wait to post it all at once, well - you won't see it for another couple of weeks.

As for those of you who are not aware, Jill & the kids and I went to Luray, VA (90 miles SW of Washington, DC) for the Pollard family reunion. We left on Friday, Aug. 1st and returned on Fri. Aug. 8th. While there we canoed the Shenandoah River, played with relatives, relaxed, and visited: Washington DC, Mt. Vernon, Monticello, Battle Site of the Battle of New Market, and the campus of Univ. of Virginia. Here are some of the initial pictures:

1. Jill, Alex, and I overlooking Washington, D.C. Andrew & Avery stayed in Luray to play with Connor, Antonio, Marcos, and Abraham. I think the kids were happier and it made for much more relaxed sightseeing for Jill and myself. We saw the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, the US Capitol Building (see next picture), the National Gallery of Art, WWII Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. It was hot, humid, and we were exhausted by the time this picture was taken.

2. Alex & I in front of the US Capitol Building. One of the effects of 9/11 is the Capitol Building has been pretty much shut down. We were not able to see the chambers of the House or Senate as you need to get tickets from your Congress person...but we were able to see the Rotunda & Old Senate Chamber which I do discuss with my students - so it worked out alright. Alex took the day in stride and handled the Capitol tour with little problems.

3. Mt. Vernon - On Monday, Aug 4th Jill, Alex, and I walked the grounds of George Washington's Virginia Estate. It was very impressive and well worth the time to see. I got some great video footage and Jill shot some fantastic pictures. There will be more about this in the near future.

Enough for now, will post more later. It is definitely good to be home, but we had an AWESOME week in Luray, VA. Thank you Watson's, Mailander's, Mailander's, Capella's, and Pollard's!