Washington D.C. 2022 w/Jen and Josh - Day 3

 Day three and I'm starting to feel my age.  Goodness, but it didn't seem quite this exhausting five years ago.  Silly me.  Someday, I'll realize that I'm getting older, but not just yet please.  At any rate, by 9 a.m., we are already arriving at our destination.  First thing this morning it is the Spy Museum and although I've been twice before, this time it is in an all new building and way bigger.  I'm kind of excited.  Upon entering, I'm given a new identity -- I am Harlow Santos from Puebla City, Mexico and am a photographer.  My mission takes place in Jakarta, Indonesia so I'm to head there for further instructions by using the secret codeword SOUTHPAW.  

If that sounds confusing, it is a bit.  This place is two journeys in one.  It is a museum filled with lots of fun and informative items AND a spy mission that I've been assigned to.  Checking out the museum part along the way is fun, BUT we have a limited amount of time here and I'm not sure I can do justice to both.

Washington D.C. 2022 w/Jen and Josh - Day 2

 Day 2 and we are up and moving bright and early.  Showers, breakfast, loading busses and by 7:45 we are on our way to Mount Vernon.  Some are not quite ready to start the day.

This is my third trip to Mount Vernon and it is always fun and fascinating adventure.  The two previous visits have blog post bits and I try to use different information each time.  Here is the Trip 1 LINK and Trip 2 LINK so that you share in more fun of spots I highlighted before. I will be more detailed this time as it may be my last time visiting here.  This trip, we start with the visitor center in which there is a model to scale of the home.  I took a few pictures of individual rooms and will share them with the rooms themselves, just so you can see how large they actually are.

Washington D.C. 2022 w/Jen and Josh - Day 1

 With another 8th grade grandson, I am returning to Washington, D.C. with his class for some sightseeing and education.  I do love these trips and am excited for all that the next few days will bring.  Come along with me and I'll share the fun info I've managed to pick up.  We have a flight that is bright and early and arrive in D.C. just after 11 and it's a wee bit chilly here.  In fact, it is snowing.  Not much, but perhaps a telling factor for the next few days.  Into the bus and we are off towards the National Mall.

Dallas Blooms 2023

 Dallas Blooms is one of my favorite times of year.  The colors and plantings are just beautiful and heartily looked forward to viewing.  The problem this year is that it has been so very wet and cold.  Even today, the sun is in hiding, but we'll still have a nice walk.

Tulips and daffodils and hyacinth, oh my.

LDU Coffee

 New coffee shops are always fun.  Today we are going to LDU Coffee and take some time to learn the story behind it.  In their own words:  Mark and Adam Lowes are "two hairy Australian men who happen to be brothers, and also happen to enjoy making and drinking coffee together.  With only the best American machinery, a little European flair and a healthy Australian disrespect for trend and tradition, they created an original recipe and style.  Their coffee was different to anything else they had tasted before and they got so excited about it they opened a little store in downtown Perth that became an almost instant phenomenon.  They play the music they loved, served the coffee they loved and spent every minute working on making their customers feel special during their time in the store.

After successfully testing their recipe on countless Australians for nearly a decade, the brother began to wonder if there was a bigger challenge awaiting them.   Through a remarkable series of events, Mark and Adam found themselves in Texas reveling in local music, eating tacos and brisket, and drinking the most incredible beer they had ever tasted.  The only thing they couldn't find was strong coffee.  So, the new challenge was upon them.  They believed their unique coffee style and service could contribute something to the might of Texas food and drink culture."

They have 3 store in the metroplex and we are fortunate to live by one of them.  The boys both live in Dallas and today we are lucky enough to get some visit time with Mark.  As a result we now know just where to go for the "coffee scene" when we make our journey to Australia and New Zealand in a couple of years.  Woot, woot.  Oh, they won't tell anyone what LDU stands for, but I'm going with Land Down Under as my guess.

Member Morning at the Dallas Zoo

 It's been a bit since we were able to attend a Member Morning at the zoo.  I'm thrilled to be out walking a bit and enjoying the springy weather.  Postings on Facebook have shared that there is a new Colobus Monkey in the habitat and we are fortunate to see it scampering about.  It's the little white bit to the left of the adults.

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Seven - Winters TX to Home

 Winter's TX.  The name appears apt today.  It is DANG cold out.  We missed out on the deep freeze that hit North Texas while we were enjoying the wonders of Big Bend National Park.  Now, we are just cold.