Friday, November 22, 2013

Trip to Washington, DC - November 2013





Rita and I decided to fly to Washington, DC, since we would not be able to get together with our girls this Thanksgiving, Sophie-Claire’s birthday, or Christmas.  We flew from Austin on November 5 via Charlotte, NC, and arrived early evening in DC.  We took a taxi to our reserved hotel, the Marriott Courtyard near Gretchen and Chris’ condo.  Chris stopped by on his way home to pick us up as there is a Metro stop adjacent to the hotel.  Sophie-Claire was already asleep but we peeked in at her before Gretchen served us a nice dinner.

Wednesday we had breakfast at our hotel where four Ethiopian Orthodox Church leaders were having their breakfast along with their entourage and group of visitors.  They were dressed in their robes, turbans, and massive gold crosses like some of today’s rap stars have.

After breakfast we took the Metro to the US State Department offices where I needed to get a form signed to renew my expiring retiree badge.  That office was in the same building where Sophie-Claire goes to a State Department pre-school called Diplotots.  We asked our escort if she could take us to the school and she obliged.  The school vetted us and allowed us to go in and see Sophie-Claire who recognized us and came to us with hugs and kisses.  Obviously she remembered us and that made us happy.

In another building I went through the process to get my new badge after finger printing and then we had lunch in the State Department cafeteria.  Gretchen came down from her office and talked a while.  We took the Metro back to our hotel and rested a bit in the afternoon.  Gretchen and Sophie-Claire came to get us about 5:30.  We gave Sophie-Claire a bag full of clothes we brought her.  Most of it was Minnie Mouse themed and was a big hit, especially the Minnie Mouse slippers.  Once more Gretchen fed us a delicious dinner.

Thursday, November 7, was my 71st birthday.  Rita and I had breakfast at Au Bon Pain where Gretchen, who took off work the next two days, met us with Sophie-Claire who skipped school.  We walked to Harris-Teeter grocery store where Sophie-Claire and I ran up and down the aisles to her mother’s dismay.  We spent the day playing with Sophie-Claire and watched her while Gretchen ran errands.  That evening Rachel called to wish me a happy birthday and Gretchen cooked a delicious meal featuring coq au vin and a chocolate birthday cake.  It was a good birthday.

Friday Gretchen and Sophie-Claire met us at Starbucks, where Rita and I had breakfast.  Then we all took the Metro to the National Museum of Natural Science with the main objective of seeing the dinosaurs.  Sophie-Claire loved the T-rex exhibit.  After lunch there we took the Metro back home for Sophie-Claire to nap.  During that time Rita and I walked to the Union Market which has several upscale food stores.
In the evening we all walked to TDB Burgers, a restaurant with gourmet burgers and pizzas plus several craft beers.  My distant cousin, Lydia Beyoud and her husband, Kwan, met us there for a pleasant evening of food and talk.  It was the first time for Gretchen and Chris to meet Lydia and Kwan.  My older brother, David, was supposed to meet us there but he called earlier to say he felt bad and wouldn’t make it.

Saturday we drove into the Virginia countryside to the Stribling Orchards in Markham, Virginia, near Front Royal.  It was the last day they were open for apple picking and we picked a variety of different apples off trees using long poles that looked like lacrosse sticks.  Sophie-Claire had a short pole and with a bit of help she managed to get some apples off the low branches.  Rachel Love and her dog, Lola, came as well to join in the fun.  My brother, David, met us too as he didn’t live far away in Winchester.

After apple picking we all drove to nearby Naked Mountain winery and had a snack platter with a bottle of their red wine.  Sophie-Claire had plenty of energy and could barely slow down to sit.  After a while we said good byes to David and Rachel Love and drove back to DC.  Rita and I went to our hotel and rested.

In the evening Rita and I went to their home and we all, along with Sophie-Claire, walked to a nice neighborhood restaurant with gourmet food – the Red Hen.  Rita and I had crostini spread with a soft cheese and honey for starters.  For my main dish I had seared scallops on greens with roasted Brussels sprouts.  I had pecan pie with ice cream followed by espresso for a delicious meal.

Sunday morning we all walked to a nearby farmer’s market where Gretchen bought produce while Chris and I took Sophie-Claire to an adjacent playground.  She loves swings and slides and running with other children.  We returned to their home but Chris and I took Sophie-Claire to a new neighborhood playground while Gretchen made apple sauce and chili and Rita made an apple pie.  While Sophie-Claire napped Rita and I worked the Washington Post crossword puzzle.  When Sophie-Claire woke up Gretchen and I took her back to the new neighborhood playground as Gretchen hadn’t seen it yet.

In the evening Rachel Love and Peter came over as well as Kelly Newton.  We had fun playing with Sophie-Claire and then eating a nice meal of chili, corn bread, and salad followed by apple pie and ice cream.  It was a pleasant evening.

Monday was a holiday, Veterans Day, and the weather turned much colder.  Rita and I slept in late and brought our breakfast up to our room.  Mid morning we went to Gretchen and Chris’ home.  We all drove to Lincoln Park near the Capital Building where Sophie-Claire ran and played on slides once more.  She also saw a school mate there to play with.  Rita and I kept watch over Sophie-Claire while Gretchen and Chris went to a movie.  In the evening Chris grilled nice steaks for dinner.  We finally had to say our good-byes as the next day Gretchen and Chris had to go back to work and Sophie-Claire to school.

We returned home Tuesday after a big breakfast in our hotel and a late checkout for our afternoon flight home via Philadelphia.  Everything was fine at home and certainly much quieter and calmer without a little one.  But we missed her dearly as well as her parents.

No comments:

Post a Comment