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Washington DC White House 2018
Between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument (a little closer to the Washington Monument) is the White House to the North. From the park it is very small but we walked as close as we could get to the front. The next day we had a cab take us to the rear, which allowed us to get much close. As usual, some people were protesting but only a handful and not enough to bother anyone. Across from the rear of the White House are monuments to Andrew Jackson and LaFayette in a park which I believe is called LaFayette park.
After visiting we went to the White House gift shop and bought souvenirs including the first six pictures which were taken at a studio. If you buy something in the store you get one free picture, any others you have to buy. The pictures of us in the White House desk and White House podium were obviously taken there.
Washington DC Vietnam Memorial 2018
The Vietnam Memorial was incredible with all the names of those brave souls who lost their lives in that war. The monument starts off small then continually gets bigger and bigger as you walk through it. It really shows how terrible war really is as there were so many names, over 58 thousand, written on the wall. The wall is very close the Lincoln Memorial and blends in to the natural surroundings so well that it would be easy to miss on a casual stroll through park. The granite is so polished that it is reflective and in some of the pictures you can see our images reflected on the wall.
Washington DC WW2 Memorial 2018
As we made our way from the Vietnam Memorial to the Washington monuments, there were two beautiful monuments flanking each side of the monument. Both were World War 2 Memorials, one for the Pacific and one for the Atlantic. In between the two memorials there is a beautiful fountain. The pillars of the memorial contain the names of the states and territories of the United States in 1945, James was quick to find Michigan as you would expect. This monument is relatively recent, opening in 2004 during the Bush administration. Supposedly the words Kilroy Was Here are inscribed in two places on the memorial, although we did not notice them.
Washington Monument 2018
Right in the middle of the monument strips is probably the most recognizable one of all, the Washington Monument. Surrounded by flags and flanked with the World War 2 Memorials (Atlantic and Pacific) it towers above everything else in the area. In fact, the closer we got to the monument the harder it was to take pictures as it was so big. We thought it was really cool when a full rainbow peeked out for us right over the monument and we got several pictures of this. While rain was always a threat, we were very fortunate to miss it as we were indoors when the worst of it hit, fortunately we were able to enjoy the bi-product of the rain (the rainbow) and also the remainder of the wonderful summer day.
Washington DC Lincoln Memorial 2018
This was James’ favorite monument in Washington, so much so we visited it on two different days. James has always liked Abraham Lincoln and he was sure glad to see such a wonderful monument to one of his favorite (if not favorite) Presidents. This monument is the beginning of several great monuments all in a row, simply walking from one to another was alot of fun, but by the end of the day you were worn out because of all the walking you did. Still we determined it was better to walk or take a cab as the traffic was pretty heavy most of the time in Washington DC.
Remembering Great Aunt Mary Helen Otero 1935 – 2018
We regret to write that James’ great Aunt Helen passed away today. She was the sister of James’ Grandma and will be missed very much by Grandma. Mary was a stewardess on an airline and flew all over the U.S. so you could say she was the Jet Setter of the family during that time.
Vacation Car Pictures 2018
Our extended weekend vacation involved much travel as we went through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. With this much driving it was natural for us to take a few pictures from the car, some are of the tunnel in PA, others are a scenic lookout in New Jersey, and still others are driving through Delaware and Baltimore, plus a bear at the PA rest area and an old style pay phone also at a PA rest area (James never saw one). One of our favorites was a rainbow over the Tappan Zee Bridge as we crossed into Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. Pretty much a hodge podge of pics but we had alot of fun taking them.
Folks who are familiar with the television show Sleepy Hollow should know that there were not any sightings of the Headless Horseman on this trip.
Colon Car Show 2018
Colon Car Show was going on during the Get Together and featured many different classic cars and vehicles. What was really nice was the Police and Fire Dept were there displaying their vehicles as well which was cool. James used his allowance to buy a Fire Dept T shirt which as nice as he thanked them for their service. Mom is the big car fan and she simply loved this, especially since we didn’t even know it was going on. Hopefully it will be on the schedule for next year for sure.
Abbotts 81st Magic Get Together 2018
Wow, did we have a good time at the Abbotts Get Together. Unlike last year, the fireworks were not rained out on Friday and looked awesome. The weather was perfect, perhaps a little on the hot side as it hit 91 degrees on Saturday, but it wasn’t that unbearable heat that sometimes happens in August. We saw several magic shows, the Friday night firework show, street performers, magic dealers, and some of the best magicians in the world. If you have not had a chance to see a Get Together show you should make sure to plan for one next year, as the shows are really incredible but the atmosphere is where the real magic is, just a wonderful bunch of people having fun doing magic.
VIP Camp 2018
James had another fantastic year at VIP Camp. His favorite part was zooma dancing right before a thunderstorm knocked out the power to the Taylor Sports Complex where the camp was taking place. This year had many field trips including Turtle Cove, Skore Lanes (two trips including the last day party), Texas Roadhouse, Movie Theatre (where he saw Transylvania 3), Heritage park, and the Sterling Heights Play Place. All in all a great success, big thanks to the staff at VIP camp and all James’ friends that made is such a nice memory for him.
