Washington, DC Reunion, Part 4

There had been talk of going to Baltimore to see the National Aquarium on Day 5 but we scrapped it in favor of a more laid-back kid-centered day.  We tried to find a water park or family fun center where we could spend a few hours but school wasn't out yet in DC so most of those places hadn't opened for the season.  After some trial and error (thinking we coudl go do gokarts but finding out the place only had the arcade open) we finally went to a trampoline park.  It worked out great!  All the kids - including teenagers - jumped and climbed and dodged and dunked while the adults sat at a table and played cards.  Back at the house we sang Happy Birthday to Ben before heading out on the Metro to catch the Nationals vs. the Brewers.

I promise the cake looked better when it was freshly decorated...

It's not a baseball game if you don't eat hot dogs.

Or ice cream out of a miniature batting helmet.

And funnel cake doesn't hurt.

I set up a birthday greeting for Ben on the scoreboard, but we happened
to be sitting in the one area of the stadium where we couldn't see the scoreboard.
The messages showed up at the bottom of the 4th and I swear the top of the 4th
was the fastest half of an inning I've ever seen.  We were all running over to
try to see the message but we missed it.  So, this is an edited make-up photo.

We checked out of our AirBnb on Day 6, then we all went for a little driving tour of Alexandria, where we lived for a couple of years growing up.  We saw our grandparents' houses and some of the schools we and our parents attended.  I'll publish a separate post about that soon.  Then we walked around the National Cathedral and said goodbye to Megan's family.  The rest of us had lunch in Georgetown (thanks to Ben and Suz's parking skills and willingness to pick up food for a crowd), then spent the last bit of time we had in DC at the National Zoo before flying home.

This is everyone trying to see the Darth Vader gargoyle
at the National Cathedral.  It was very high up and very
difficult to see.

This is such a cool building!
We couldn't go inside because a commencement was going on
but we enjoyed seeing the outside.

Georgetown University, one of Andy's alma maters.

It was really cool to be so close to the Giant Pandas at the National Zoo!

This was the second time we've seen Pandas, but the other time was
the San Diego Zoo, where the animals are much farther away.  I think
the habitat was probably better in San Diego, but it was neat to be able
to see them so well in DC.

Eliza with Turtles/Tortoises = Happy Eliza

Our view of the Pentagon and Arlington as we began our flight home.

Arlington.

It was SO FUN to be back with all of my siblings and their families for a few days!  It was a busy week but there was something for everyone, and it was so nice to all be in a house together.  We had lots of laughs, made lots of memories, and didn't get enough sleep, which is exactly how it should be.

Next time we go to DC, I'd love to see Mount Vernon, a few Revolutionary War / Civil War battle fields, the Holocaust Museum, Ford's Theater, and go inside the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument.  And maybe check out the National Gallery of Art and see a show at the Kennedy Center and paddle boat in the Tidal Basin and spend more time at the war memorials. That's all.