photos and more

Hello everyone!

It's been a few days, but I'm posting a picture link. They're not all labeled properly, so feel free to ask where or what something is.

We're now in Virginia Beach with all the family there, enjoying some much needed off the road time. We've had great weather and good travels so far. Lots of excitement came in DC the other day. We were standing at a Tourmobile stop right in front of the Holocaust Memorial Museum when the events occured over there. We didn't know until later what had actually happened, we only knew that people were running out of the building and all the roads were blocked. We found out when we got back to the car what went on and we were really glad to be leaving. Time to go. It certainly didn't ruin our day, we just counted our blessings and were happy to be going on to visit friends and family.

A huge thank you to our family and friends who have housed and fed us along the way so far. It's been wonderful to catch up and visit. We love you all!

Since the last post, we've seen Skyline Drive, Luray Caverns, and the Nation's capitol. The kids loved Luray. Ted vaguely remembered seeing it years ago. It hasn't changed. The thing that did change was the way the tour is operated. It used to be a guided tour of groups of about 20-30 led by a ranger. Now, it's self-paced with an audio guide. The audio gives you a choice of either the energetic youth narration that sets up a scavenger hunt along with the geology and history lesson, or the dry, mature, history channel adult version. You can switch back and forth at any point, so I did both. The kid one was much more fun!

The trip along Skyline Drive was peaceful and beautiful. We got to see deer, a piliated woodpecker, lots of trees, interesting fungi, and squirrels. No, we don't have those where we are in Arizona. Some people will tell you that the squirrels are smarter than to live in the desert!

The two days in DC were both muggy, but day 2 was a little better than day1, being a little cooler. Claire finally got to see the Lincoln Memorial. I hope that since that was the thing she wanted to see most, that she's still interested in the rest of the trip. She can't go home yet.

By far, the most exciting thing that has happened since the last post has been getting Daddy at the airport. You'd have thought he was returning from war, the greeting they gave him! Nearly tackled him. It was great to see.

They're at the beach right now with cousin Rachel and later will be lots more fun and games to report.

Here's a link to the whole gallery of photos I've taken. Pick whichever albums you want to look at. Bridges' pictures.

Stay tuned!