DC

I went to Washington DC over the weekend for a conference. Between sessions, I found a little time to see some of the sights. The museums were wonderful. As it turns out, it was the grand re-opening of the American History Museum after a two year renovation. I was able to see the original Gettysburg address and a top hat worn by Lincoln himself. Pretty neat!

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The best sight, however, is captured in the bottom image. Let me explain. I first went to Washington DC when I was a youngster in second grade. Momma Jean had work there and so the boys flew out for a visit. One night we were out walking around and we got the feeling that someone was following us. We are not the type to spook easily, but after being followed by a shady character for quite some time, we decided to take action at the Jefferson Memorial. We casually walked into the rotunda, paid our respects to Mr. Jefferson, and when the time was right, we slide out the back. Our escape was nearly complete except for an 8 foot wall that circled the backside of the memorial. Instead of jumping, we looked for an alternative way down. When we saw a utility pipe running from the top of the wall to the bottom, we knew we had an escape. Pops went down first and Jeff stayed up top to help me. Soon all of us were down and off to safety. My visit to the Jefferson Memorial this last weekend was not as intense, but I was curious if our escape route still existed. It did! It was still there offering an escape to any families in distress. I did not slide down the pipe this time, but I did snap some picture so that the memory might live on a few days longer.