A Week to Remember

It all started with what I thought was a rock. I was driving down I-66 when I heard a loud noise. That must have dented something, I thought. Then I started hearing a clicking noise and I could tell something was wrong. I turned down the round table discussion I was listening to and started moving over. By the time I was in the second to right lane I was having a hard time keeping the car straight. Thankfully there was a shoulder and I got off safely.

It turns out my one month old Costco tire had blown out! Getting the tire changed wasn't too bad. The worst part was getting the blown one off. Even after all the lug nuts were gone it didn't want to move and I had to pry it off with the wrench. It still sent me sprawling into the guard rail. Fortunately, Costco is really good at standing by what they sell. They fixed it for free and while I was there I picked up an enourmous bag of fish sticks and a fascinating book about how DC was founded.

On Friday I decided to go site seeing. Most of the group I like to site see with bailed so it ended up just being Lindsay and me at the Smithsonian. We spent two more hours in the "Science in America" exhibit to bring my total up to three and a half hours in that exhibit. I'll never get through all there is to see here.

The plan was to head to a concert in the statuary gardens at the National Gallery of Art once the Museum of American History closed. We came out at 7:30 to serious wind and lots of dust in our eyes. I started wishing it would rain a little to knock the dust down. Someone must have been listening. We had an umbrella but within five minutes we were both drenched and the umbrella was repeatedly blowing inside out. We gave up on the concert idea - even if they had moved it in we wouldn't enjoy it as soaked as we were - and ended up taking shelter underneath the porch of one of the Smithsonians. Once it lightened up enough I went for the car. I was grateful it was still there, I had parked it in a questionable spot.

When I dropped Lindsay off I was finally dry enough to get my camera out and take this picture. I don't think it does justice to how wet we were. We set the camera on the car and used the timer and it was the last time I saw my car for a couple of hours. I went upstairs with Lindsay to talk to her roommate, Abby, about our food plans for the next day and got a little distracted.

When I came back out my car was gone. It didn't take too long to settle in, unfortunately this isn't my first experience with a towing company. Drake was nice enough to take me to the tow shop. Abby, Lindsay, and I are still fighting over who gets to pay for it. Abby is in the lead right now, my wallet was in the car when we got to the shop so I lacked the plastic to back up my argument when we went to pick it up.

Saturday was incredible. We left just after seven for Monticello. It's about a two hour and fifteen minute drive and after picking everyone up we arrived just after ten. The movie that introduced the property was disappointing and politically charged - it ended with Obama's inauguration. I guess Thomas Jefferson isn't known for his bipartisanship though, he was arguably the first political party leader so maybe it fits.

The rest of the visit was really enjoyable. We toured the gardens, the old slave quarters, and the mansion. The mansion was obviously the best of the tours. Walking back to the car, we stopped at the grave and I think that was my favorite part of the property. Jefferson designed his own tombstone before he died and I really love what he chose to write. He wants to be remembered as the writer of the Declaration of American Independence, The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the Father of the University of Virginia. Maybe the father of his children would have been a nice addition but I think he chose the things that we most owe him honor and gratitude for. Once we were done at the mansion we had lunch at the Michie tavern. The food was delicious and our waitress turned out to have a bunch of member friends, one at BYU, and one on a mission. She heard Ben and I talking about our missions and started asking us about them. By the time we left, we had a new friend.

We drove home via Shenandoah National Park and hiked to a waterfall while we were there. It is a beautiful park! On our way out we stopped to watch the sunset. It was the perfect night for it, the sky was full of whispy white clouds on the western horizon and they all turned bright pink.

We only got lost once on the way home. We were following the signs to Washington and they pulled a fast one on us. Watch out for Washington, Va if you are ever reading the signs. It's a really small town and probably not what you are looking for. We realized it was time to turn around when we saw the sign that said, "Tractor crossing, next 37 miles." Fortunately we were only about 15 minutes out of our way and we had plenty of gas. We got back home around midnight.

Tomorrow I am back to the Smithsonian! Life is good!

My First Virginian Rant

Great people seem to get a lot out of writing about their experiences. They write better than I but I am going to give it a shot.

God bless America! I'm currently spending a Summer on an internship in Virginia and I have made a couple of sight seeing excursions in the last couple of weeks. Did you know that the key to the Prison of the Bastille hangs in an original case in George Washington's original entry way at Mount Vernon? The Marquee de Lafayette gave it to Washington when he was put in charge of demolishing the prison. The whole world saw America's new liberty as their own hope for a new birth of freedom.

Walking around Mount Vernon leaves no wonder why Washington was always so anxious to get back to the place. His mansion has a stunning view of the Potowmac River. Its also no wonder that he wanted to be buried there. Near his tomb is engraved, "I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." I am particularly fond of this scripture at the moment because of Charled Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. I felt honored to pay my respects to the great founder of our nation.

We next paid honor to the men and women who fought to make the dreams of men like Washington a reality. Arlington National Cemetery was beautiful. The headstones continue as far as the eye can see in every direction. Each ston representing another man or woman who willingly put themselves in harms way for the country. The tomb of the Uknown soldier was touching and a little tear jerking. We were lucky enough to see not only the changing of the guard but the changing of the wreath in front. Taps was played as the retired the old one. It reminded me of my Great Uncle's burial. Taps was played for him in honor of his military service. What an honor to be remembered by a country as great and free as ours! I hope sites like Arlington and Mount Vernon are always over-crowded.

Yesterday I went to the National Cathedral. Recently, and I can't cite this as well as I should, I heard that many in the Middle East see the west as being overly secular. While I think that is becoming more and more true, that cathedral stands as a reminder of what this nation was built on. Morality, belief, faith, hope, and liberty. It's a beautiful cathedral, built in the 20th century in the gothic style of the 15th century. From the outside you'd never guess that it was a modern building. Unless, of course, you were to check out the stain glass windows. The artists depiction of outer space with a moon rock to complete the display might give it away. President Wilson is burried there and they have daily prayer services. It is to be "A place of prayer for all people." I hope many prayers will ascend from its walls on behalf of our great nation.

Yesterday evening we went to the Smithsonian Zoological Park. It's free, except the parking. $10 for the first hour, $15 for two, and $20 for more. The pandas were hiding but we did see a bird that seemed to illustrated perfectly the Book of Mormon phrase, "puffed up." It doesn't like any kind of company and when it gets irritated it puffs out it's chest and throat and makes a deep drum sound. It sounds like a timpani.

Its almost time for church and we are making a picnic for dinner afterwards. We will be eating it at the park near the DC temple and then going to the visitors center to see a display about the heavens. It consists of pictures taken by the Hubble. Life is good!