Friday, Day Seven: Divide and Conquer

We separated for a good part of the day. Dena and the oldest four children awoke early and headed in for a private tour of the Capitol Building (see previous entry for reasons). It was a two hour, very in-depth and perfectly paced walk through the spectacular building, and Peter received very high marks for his kindness and thoroughness as a guide. Meanwhile, I stayed at the apartment with the two youngest and caught up on some chores, pre-packing for the next leg of the trip and such. Seemed the little ones wouldn’t enjoy the tour very much (understatement) and that the others could move better and faster without worrying about keeping track of them. I was right…and received high marks of my own for staying back “home.”

Eventually, Gene came by and together we went to join the rest of my family at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum. What a zoo! There were busloads of schoolchildren – from the DC area and well beyond – swarming around. The noise was abundant, and the museum layout afforded little quiet and respite. People packed everywhere…and it is not even summer yet! All in all, this was a nice museum, and had some very, very interesting exhibits (the “Price of Freedom” area was outstanding). Just a little difficult to navigate and to enjoy with all the kids around (not mine, of course).

From here, Dena and the youngest four went to the apartment, and Gene and I took the oldest three to meet up with Liz at The International Spy Museum. This was a captivating (no pun intended) examination (again) of the spy trade throughout history. High tech, yet full of hands-on stations offering interaction for the visitor, the breadth of subject matter and the treatment of that content was exceptional.

Solme material was mildly disturbing, as the museum’s website indicated (which was why we only brought the oldest kids), as espionage can result in capture, torture and death – not only for the spy personally but also for others in the trade. That was illustrated by the more recent cases of U.S. spies Alrich Ames and Robert Hansen, whose acts of betrayal caused the deaths of more than a dozen U.S. agents. In sum, this was an expensive place to stop at, but well worth it. We spent a full three hours and still didn’t see everything. Quick metro ride back home.

Separated again for dinner…children at the apartment, adults out to a Lebanese place nearby. I think the kids liked their meatballs, followed by a movie. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The food was delicious, the laughter hearty and nearly non-stop. What a rich time we had, catching up for the first sit-down meal with Gene and Liz for nearly 13 years. So much has transpired! And they had just received word that a move back to Texas is coming up in two months. I thank the Lord we had this opportunity in DC to see these dear, dear friends.

Hard to believe DC will be in our rearview mirror tomorrow. Ah, what a full, wonderful week. Capped off by a simply marvelous day.