Day 32 – Gettysburg, PA

Today ended our whirlwind-tour of the Capitol City. It is a bitter-sweet farewell. I really hated turning my back on the city to walk down the metro steps for the last time (ironically through the same metro station we started with 5 days earlier) – I will have to return some day. The “sweet” part of our departure is our arrival to Gettysburg. We’re staying here (at Gettysburg Campground) for two nights. Even though it is only 57 miles (as the crow flies) away from our last place, the campgrounds are in different worlds. In this campground, we are backed up to a babbling stream. The kids are already in it catching crawfish. The setting reminds me of Yosemite minus thousands of people. Greg just announced that our creek is “stocked,” but I assumed he meant “stalked” (by ghosts), as Gettysburg is rumored to be the most haunted place in the U.S. The boys know all about the history here so are excited to arrive.

We spent most of our day in the Capitol City, so I’ll rewind the story. We started with a tour of the Library of Congress (the largest library in the world). We have a well-spent hour touring the library. Christopher really likes, “well, all the designs,” (referring to all of its artwork) esp. those in the reading room (picture Nicholas Cage running through it in National Treasure II). They also really like the “passport” system where you insert your (issued) passport into the computers, and it makes a record for you to view later online.

Next we walk through the underground tunnel to the Capitol. Here they mill tourists through as quickly as possible. Our guide gives us a fast-forwarded tour that Christopher can’t even keep up with. I still love the old house chamber where, because of the acoustics, you can over-hear conversations from across the room. My biggest eye-opener is how important Lady Freedom is to the Capitol City (and how no statue is allowed to be taller than her)!

The last thing we did in the Capitol City was eat lunch outside on Capitol Hill, and then go to the Archives to view the original documents that are the foundation of our country: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Very cool, though barely legible.

Even though our visit was brief, and we rushed through so many nationally important sights, I guarantee the kids will never forget any of it – for the rest of their lives!

Day 31 - Outskirts of Washington, D.C.

Today we beat the 8,000 person crowd to Mt Vernon – Washington’s beautiful home, with an absolutely amazing view of the Potomac River. It’s a cloudy Sunday, and lots of people are riding their bikes along the paths in the gorgeous area. The Ladies Association has gone to incredible lengths to build a new education center that guides you through key aspects of Washington’s life and contributions to our country. It even has a theater with vibrating seats (battle explosions) and snow. While exploring the estate, we have to tear Christopher away from the “Ha-ha” wall; for some reason, he can’t get enough of running and jumping off it.

We stop for lunch in Old Alexandria – a charming town with old homes and buildings.

On our way to the National Cathedral, we drive passed the Pentagon. Its street-view doesn’t give it the powerful justice that you get from the aerial view. We stop quickly at Georgetown University because it has old, magnificent buildings. Actually, we’re lost and distracted – trying to find the National Cathedral.

We make it to the cathedral in time to join a tour. Jeremy is done with tours, so goes outside with Kate. He obviously doesn't appreciate that he is at the 2nd largest cathedral in the U.S. Christopher is in his usual touring spot – directly next to the tour guide where he doesn’t miss a word. On the tour we stare at an ornate wall carved out of the stone, wondering how it is humanly possible to create such majesty out of rock. The cathedral is also captivating because it is filled with memorials to persons/events of national significance - such as the "space window" honoring man's landing on the moon (including a piece of a lunar rock), and even (oddly) a Darth-Vader gargoyle.

Day 30 – Washington, D.C.

We’re at our half-way mark of the trip!

Our first stop today is Ford Theater. We’re a little late to their first tour of the day, but they let us in anyway. The ranger’s presentation is excellent and keeps our attention; an added bonus is that, for the duration, we get to sit in the air-conditioned theater. The only disappointment is that the newly remodeled visitors’ center’s opening is delayed. Across the street at the Peterson house where Lincoln actually died, I observe right away that the bloody sheets (from my childhood visit) have been removed, and the ranger concurs that they’re trying to preserve them. As we’re leaving, we notice the area is teaming with tour buses and tourists!

We pass the Warner Theatre who has changed their marquee to say, “In memory of Michael Jackson, King of Pop”. How sad that our trip to DC has been timed with his death as well as Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon.

Next we’re off to the American History Museum, and are luckily just in time for their highlight’s tour – it’s so much easier to benefit from the museums when the information is summarized to us instead of having to read everything (again, behind layers of people). The huge, original star spangled banner is a sight to be seen! The kids like the hands-on Spark Lab and the war area, and I like the first-ladies exhibit.

We take a break for lunch on the National Mall, which is currently holding a folk-life festival. Then we head into the Natural History Museum. There’s so much to look at, and we don’t spend long (mainly because we’re going to the one in NYC), but we do take time to see the Hope Diamond.

Before leaving for the day, we stop at the White House Center, which doesn't hold our interest. So we walk to the “front” of the White House where you can get very close and see lights on through the windows! It’s fun to watch the guards on the roof study the crowd and the gay riots demonstration.

Day 29 - Washington, D.C.

We “slept in” today, as we could meander around sights until our afternoon (prearranged) tour times begin.

We’ve officially conquered the metro, though I can’t get rid of my paranoid feeling that I need to keep Kate 5 feet away from the tracks at all times. One of her favorite things to do while riding is to stand up and play jello – and I mean favorite, as in, better than seeing the sights!

We start with Arlington Cemetery. We hoof it all the way to the Tomb of the Unknowns at the top of the hill to see a wreath changing as well as changing of the guard ceremony. Even though the kids are bored waiting in the hot direct sun, I’m sure they’ll always remember seeing it! On our way down we stop at the Challenger and Columbia memorials, Arlington House (home to General Lee), and Kennedy grave site. We head towards the Iwo Jima memorial, but realize we unfortunately don’t have time to see it – which means there’s a good chance I’ll never see it in my life, since this is my second visit to DC without seeing it.

Now it’s lunchtime. Finding food in the city is not like at home, with dozen of choices easy to get to (or likely drive to). A single building here stretches for minimally one city block, so it’s more like you take what you can get. We are thrilled to find a Five Guys (local burger chain), and are much better off with a belly full of good food.

We make it to our ticket time at the Washington Monument with a few minutes to spare. However, the huge student group in front of us (World Strides) is allowed to be an hour late, and push our time back. So waiting in the direct hot sun for almost 45 minutes completely takes away from the kids visit to the top. Plus, not even Jeremy can see out the tall windows without the booster steps that only 2 views have. Even though I don’t like heights and small spaces, and have only 8 small windows to look out, I absolutely love our view from the top – and have decided these are my favorite pictures of the day.

Next we rush “next door” to the Holocaust Museum because we’re late for our ticket time. We find out that you can enter any time after the time on your tickets, so it doesn’t matter that we are late. However, by 3pm, the ticketing “system” is overloaded and the museum is unbearably crowded. I quickly come to the realization that the exhibits can’t be received in their emotional entirety without reading the descriptions. And I’m quite a few layers back in the crowd, so if I can see a sign, I have to skim it quickly before my view is cut off. Obviously the kids are struggling even more than me to appreciate the exhibits. There are a few movies, and those are the best ways to gather the information!

We move on to another tour time in the next building down: The Bureau of Engraving and Printing. This one is quick to get into, and not crowded! So watching all the literally millions of dollars being made is easily the kids favorite activity of the day.

Now it feels like it is passed time to call it quits for one day, but we still have another item on the agenda: the Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks (the oldest post of the corps). It’s a real treat to get to see the disciplined Marines perform their meticulous tradition! Unfortunately first we get soaked in a pesky thunder and lightening storm that rumbles through and threatens the performance. But the Marines want to give the performance as badly as their audience wants to see it, so the show goes on as scheduled. We see “the President’s Own” band and “the Commandant’s Own” drum and bugle corps (magnificent) – but the Silent Drill platoon steals the show! How do they execute all that flawless and mesmerizing choreography of their rifles without a single word uttered?


The boys are completely envious of sister Kate. While we're wet and huddled for cover during the thunder storm, a high-ranking marine stops to tell her how "cute" she is, and then hands her a super-cool medal. It says "presented by the sergeant major" - "Marine Barracks Washington, D.C."

Today was completely exhausting, and I’m hoping no other day comes close to topping it! We finally crawl into bed at 11:30pm.

Day 28 – Washington, D.C.

After our short drive, we start out at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. We’re actually at its second facility, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, on the outskirts of DC near the airport. Here we’re most impressed by the Lockheed Blackbird (world’s fastest aircraft), the Concorde (expensive, commercial supersonic transport), and the Space Shuttle Enterprise (a prototype that flew but never in space). We also go into a control tower to watch planes take-off and land, and listen to and watch real air traffic from New York’s tower.

Afterwards we find the campground. For the next 4 nights, we’re staying at Cherry Hill Park, the closest campground to DC. It is a mini-city in itself. It’s definitely the skimpiest site we’ve seen so far, but it hardly matters as we’re only here to sleep. Then we’re off to the metro feeling like completely stupid tourists. Even though Greg and I together assess how to use the machine to get our farecards (and parking credit), we still hold up the rush hour crowd by taking 10 minutes to figure out the procedure.

We board the metro for our 30 minute ride to the Mall, and I’m realizing that the kids have come all the way across the U.S. to get their first real taste of public transportation. The ride is uneventful as you can’t see much in the tunnels – but my ears feel the pressure of the changing elevations. As we walk back up to street level, I ask Jeremy and Christopher, “Are you ready for this?” We step out and immediately see the Archives, the Old Post Tower, and the Capitol. Everywhere we look is an old building with its own story to tell. And for the rest of our day, time passes quickly as we rip ourselves away from every view and site, and even return to each for more!


We take a walking tour of the monuments with DC by Foot. We go to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the war memorials: Vietnam, WWII, and Korean. I never would have predicted this, but Jeremy and I are most stirred by the Korean War Memorial. At dusk, the 19 stainless-steel soldiers are eerie, and make us vulnerable to receive its message “Freedom is not Free”. We get our comic relief at the Lincoln Memorial. It’s our version of Night at the Museums “this is the United States of Do-Not-Touch America”. Kate, Christopher and I walk up the historic steps to see Abe, and are startled as the ranger yells at Kate, “little girl, no running”. My strict rule-following Christopher takes a quick step to stay by my side, and the ranger replies, “young man, that means you too.” I can’t help but laugh out loud at how ridiculous the ranger is by assessing their child-like stride as inappropriate! We’re all laughing, and decide to videotape his next victims – boys who excitedly step up the stairs and are promptly told to go back down and walk. They instinctively jump back down which really sets off the ranger. We have it all on tape, and you might just see it aired on the next America’s Funniest Videos! Still feeling silly, we have to completely restrain ourselves from running into the Reflection Pool, recreating the scene where Jenny yells “Forest!”

It’s 10pm and the last thing we do before we leave for the night is walk by the White House. There’s a party for Congress still in full swing on the back lawn. Time sure does change things. No longer can you drive right up to the iron fence surrounding the compound. Now we can only walk up to a barrier – not even allowed to walk up to the fence. And what we don’t even realize is that we’re lucky to have made it this far … earlier in the day the tourists were held further back in the middle of the park. We watch as the barrier is lowered to permit entry for a black SUV with a smiling, waving politician. We all have a bitter taste in our mouths as I break the bad news to the kids … our request to tour the White House has been denied – even though we’ve submitted it 6 months in advance, exactly as we are supposed to. The explanation I was given was that “this administration” is denying most requests – and thus, we feel our 1st direct impact of President Obama taking office, and his supposed “open administration”. Kate very naively replies, “but don’t they know we drove here all the way from California just to see the President!”

Day 27 – Jamestown and Monticello

As it turns out, we rushed through this area to prioritize a visit to Monticello – Jefferson’s home. It was worth it, but we didn’t get to spend enough time at the Jamestown Settlement, nor did we get to see Historic Jamestown nor Yorktown.

I didn’t think we needed to visit Historic Jamestown until I didn’t like the viewpoint of the Jamestown Settlement – which made me desire to see it just like it was without someone else interpreting it for me. We unknowingly wasted too much time watching the center’s video, which focused more on the “first Africans” to America, and less on Pocahontas and her affect on the settlement. We immediately sensed a competition between Jamestown and Plymouth as owners to the title “first English Settlement”. Jamestown does indeed win; however, you can hardly call what they did those first 10 years “settling” (most of them died).

The wonderful thing about Williamsburg and the Jamestown Settlement is the costumed workers who are full of period knowledge. Not only can they tell you what it was like during “the time”, but they want you to touch and experience it too. At the Jamestown fort, Kate hammered her initials into a piece of wood. She said it was very hard work!

Fortunately on most of our activities, Kate passes as a “free” 5 year old. She is too young to reap the historic rewards of our journey. She spends most of our tours being carried or laying down, sucking her thumb. Her attention span comes and goes, as she focuses on what is interesting to her. In Williamsburg she liked the fife and drums, and the blacksmith. She also likes anything she can touch. Luckily, as the 3rd child, she goes with the flow and doesn’t complain much; she’s just happy to be with her intact family.

We leave the Williamsburg area to drive ~2 hours out of the way to Charlottesville, home to Thomas Jefferson. We stopped for a late lunch at Michie’s Tavern – hoping to get a feel for the tavern life and food. We all manage to leave full, but no one thoroughly enjoyed the expensive food. Only I tried the stewed tomatoes, black-eyed peas, green beans, and beets. Everyone else stuck to the standard fair: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, shredded pork, and biscuits.

Even though Monticello isn’t on our agenda until the morning (because it is almost closing time), we decide to take a sneak peek since we are only ½ mile away. We realize that their 5pm closing time isn’t enforced, so we are able to see everything without being rushed. It felt like we had the estate to ourselves, and were of the last visitors to leave. I am completely jealous of Mr. Jefferson! He developed his home (a small village) in the middle of no-where country, and the setting is absolutely beautiful. Of course if I tried to live that way, I’d be a mere country bumpkin… the attached small hillside alone was purchased (recently) for $15 million!


On the contrary, Jeremy is completely unmoved by Thomas Jefferson, who came across to him as an overly vain person. He thought Jefferson had too many self-portraits in his house. The tour guide refuted him by asking, "do you not have pictures of yourself in your home?"

We spent the night at Misty Mountain RV Park in nearby Crozet. Even though the campsite is small, the campground has the serene country feel. I cannot believe the kids, who struggled to get out of the car at Monticello, still have the energy to swim for an hour, and then even chase fireflies (they caught 8). In the morning we’re headed to Washington DC and touring at a pace that will surely exhaust them!

Day 26 – Colonial Williamsburg

Entry by Jeremy

Today I woke up and got ready to go to Colonial Williamsburg. First we went to buy the tickets to get into the capitol city. Then we went on a tour of the capitol building. We saw the courthouse, the dining room, and the parlor. Next we walked around and we walked by the magazine and they fired a musket. It is unbelievably loud for a gun it sounds like what you would expect a cannon to sound like. The average soldier could load and reload a musket or rifle in 20 seconds. After about 2 shots the field in front of you is covered in smoke because of the people that would be next to you during a war are all firing their guns too, so basically your objective in a battle would to be shoot at nothing and hope something doesn’t hit you. You would wear wool pants, socks, and over shirt, but a cotton undershirt. This was so that if a spark from the gun bounced on your clothing you wouldn’t burn. A very small injury could cost you your life if it gets infected. Next we went on a tour of a house. The people handed you a card with the name of a person who lived at the house and a description of his or her role in the house. my card was Peter, a slave with a mom named Lucy and a sister named Katy. Next we went to a colonial kitchen. The fire was kept to a low roar and the cook was cooking lamb. He was grinding nutmeg, mustard, and pepper. Next we went to get something to eat. We got 6 ginger breads, 4 root beers, and 2 ginger ales. The ginger bread wasn’t the best. Then we went to a blacksmith and the two blacksmiths were making hardware for a coffee shop that they are going to make soon. Then we went into the magazine. It smelled like feet and there were at least 100 guns in there and a swivel cannon and some swords. A swivel cannon is mounted on a wall or railing and is fired. It is manned by one soldier. The right wall of weapons were working replicas 30 years old or less. The left wall was of 300 year old guns. Some of them were broken though. Then we went to see a cannon fire it is scary how loud it is. When he lights it a small flame comes out of the barrel then it shoots. It is louder than a sonic boom. Next we went to a post shop. It had a quill pen, ink powder, parchment, and inkwells. I was going to look for cheaper ones though. Next we went to the not-so colonial part of Williamsburg and got some candy. Surprisingly colonial Williamsburg didn’t have cobblestone streets, but the modern one did. I thought they had the time periods mixed up. Then we drove to a place to eat. I got a cheeseburger. It took them like 15 minutes to make though. Next we went to a store called Yankee candle. It is the coolest store ever. It has brick floor and a fountain in the center to make it feel like you are outside. It even has a ceiling painted like a sky at dusk. We made candles there. We didn’t like make the candle we just dipped it in hot colored wax and made it colorful. Mine was the best I don’t care what my brother says. I think I dropped him once when he was a baby because he seems to think his is better… I’m just kidding. His is cool too. Then we went to the campground to swim. That’s the end of our day.

Day 25 – Williamsburg, VA

Today the kids jumped out of bed to go “crabbing with Claus” (a campground activity). He showed them how to catch a crab, how to know if it is big enough to keep, and how to cook it.

Afterwards, we left South Carolina and drove all day (7.5 hrs) to Virginia. The air-conditioned car was a welcome break from touring in the hot sun. Ever since East Texas, the interstates have been spatial and green with trees – definitely beats I-5 to Los Angeles!

We’re staying at American Heritage RV Park in Williamsburg for 2 nights. We have a nice site up against a huge green field. But in general the sites are close together. The large, tile shower is nicer than our home shower (it earns a couple extra points since I don’t have to clean it). On our night walk the only bugs we noticed were fireflies – yeah! We’ve only seen them one other time on the trip when we were in the middle of no where in Texas.

Day 24 – “Charles Town”

Happy Father’s Day!

Today we went on Ed Grimball’s walking tour of “Charles Town” – the original name for Charleston. The tour was fascinating (and long and hot). We started at the Waterfront Park, walked past Rainbow Row, and through the Battery. They have made a painstaking effort to preserve the buildings here – 97% of them cannot be demolished. We learned about the church steeple that miraculously survived the Union army’s 545 day bombardment. And at some point during the tour, Greg and I realized we were both thinking the same thing … let’s find a house for sale here!

Sweetgrass basket making has been a part of this community for 300 years – a practice brought here by the slaves. The baskets are beautiful and will last a lifetime. But the price is stunning. A modest size costs $150. A Barbie-size costs $20. My picture was free (though several others posted signs stating “no photos”).

During our walk Christopher comments on a street light’s “walk” sign – that he hasn’t seen one before. I thought he means today, but he means ever…he has never seen a sign that says walk/don’t walk!

We found a refreshingly cool restaurant for lunch – attracted by the name, “The Crab Shack”. Of course the boys got crab again. I tried food from the area – she crab soup and fried green tomatoes (which I’ve been wanting to try since I saw Driving Miss Daisy). Yum!

Afterwards Christopher and I want to tour a house. It is difficult to choose which one historical house to visit, but Christopher wants to see the Nathaniel Russell house. As it turns out, the Travel Channel tours with us, so you might see us on tv! The house is widely recognized as one of America’s most important neoclassical dwellings. It is best known for its “free-flying” staircase (meaning it has no supports and is not attached to a wall). I was impressed with the elaborate plasterwork, and Christopher was impressed that they painted it with gold.

We’ll be sad to be leaving this part of the country tomorrow. And I’m afraid that we won’t be seeing any more trees draped with Spanish moss. I will miss that too.

Day 23 – Charleston, SC

We start the day off at Patriot Point Naval & Maritime Museum – just across the river from Charleston (the boys got to pick the activity). The big draw here is the aircraft carrier (from WWII era) though they have several other vessels. The flight deck and hangar bay are massive and wide-open, yet everything else on the ship is oddly narrow and small in proportion. I’m trying to imagine a crew of 3,500 getting around on board, and it is mind-boggling! They have several aircraft on display – which all seem to be on loan from Pensacola’s Aviation Museum (hey, we were just there!). Christopher is impressed by the series of cables stretched across the flight deck to bring a landing plane to a standstill.

Next we head over to the Charleston side of the river to go on a harbor cruise. The boys are bored (and Kate is asleep) as the boat slowly gives us a 1 ½ hour tour. Greg and I enjoy the slow pace, gentle breeze and scenery. The harbor’s main attraction is Fort Sumter – where the 1st shot of the Civil War was fired. It is the same design as Savannah’s Fort Pulaski, but not as impeccably kept, so we’re satisfied just viewing it from the boat.

The last thing we do while we’re still in downtown is walk to the shops along Market Street. I’m intrigued by the design of the houses we pass. The “front” door deceptively leads to the porch which runs along the side of the house - called a piazza. And I wonder …why don’t we have this design in California?

Today was forecasted to be 101° which is record-breaking heat. And even though it didn’t break 100°, it still made for a hot day of touring. Now we’re officially beat!

Day 22 – Charleston, SC

Today marks the 3rd week of our trip. It’s hard to believe we’ve been gone that long, but it is also hard to believe we have driven across the U.S. and are actually in South Carolina!

This morning we returned to Tybee Island to go to Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse. We climbed 178 stairs to the top to get our first good look at the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding area. Everyone seemed to enjoy our visit as we’ve never been to a lighthouse before.

Our drive back wasn’t so great. Someone crashed on the bridge to the island, so we waited ~1 ½ hrs for them to clear up the accident and bridge. We could’ve spent that time stuck on the road more productively – like looking for Miley Cyrus who arrived on the island this week (for the summer) to film her next movie “The Last Song”.

We had a quick two hour drive to Charleston. We’re staying for the next 3 nights at James Island County Park – 15 minutes from historic Charleston. It is a nice campground and park area with tons of activities. It has a waterpark, fishing, lake with canoes/kayaks, bike trails galore, play structures, and even a climbing wall. Too bad we don’t live closer to make it an annual tradition!

Day 21 - More Savannah

It’s very hard to get moving this morning, as we have a couple things working against us. First of all, we “lost” our last hour and are now on EST. Second, it’s raining – nice and solid, like it won’t be letting up any time soon (even though it isn’t showing on the forecast). Kate gets out of bed saying, “The light from the thunder woke me up.”

We go back to Savannah to discover some more. We stop at Paula Deen’s store because Greg’s looking for a souvenir “man” apron (he has yet to find). Next our girl scout does a customary stop at the founder’s house – Juliette Gordon Low birthplace. We take pictures in the square where Forest Gump was filmed – which of course was mocked up quite a bit by Hollywood. We continue walking to Forsyth Park to see its famous fountain. We grab some lunch from a tasty local eatery called Zunzi’s. It’s the kind of place that when you walk into it, you know right away you’ve hit the jackpot. We take the lunch to-go to eat in a square. Then we walk around the waterfront – which we find out probably isn’t worth exploring, except I’m set on seeing the legendary “waving girl” statue.













Our sightseeing isn’t over yet. We head out towards Tybee Island to Fort Pulaski, where the Confederates lost to the Union troops during the Civil War. The pristinely maintained fort is almost romantic due to its beautiful surroundings and moat. The boys are glued to the musket “firing” demonstration, and we explore almost every nook and cranny of the fort. Even though they discovered that forts should no longer be built from penetrable brick, the masonry was brilliant as there is still not a single crack in the entire fort.













We end the day with what pleases the Webber boys the most … fresh seafood. We discover a very popular place in Tybee Island – the Crab Shack – and order its specialty: a huge platter of seasonal shellfish. (The pix is missing the 2 sets of crab legs that the boys quickly snatched.) Kate and I have beef – Brunswick stew and a hot dog.

The day is ending now just like it began … more rain and “thunder light”.

Day 20 - Savannah, GA

Today was our longest drive yet – 7 ½ hours to Savannah. Nobody really seemed to mind except after 3 hrs the driver mentioned he was tired. He probably won’t admit it, but he seems to be most at ease behind the wheel.

Something is wrong with the car again. At the Florida junction that would take us south to Disneyworld, for some reason the car went north! This is a definite first for the Webber family! But we got our Disney fix in Savannah, where Walt was inspired to design the Haunted Mansion.

We’re staying for 2 nights at Skidaway Island State Park – a 15 minute drive to historic Savannah. The entire campground is a canopy of trees, all covered in Spanish moss – a very pretty location! The sites are huge with electricity and water.

We set up camp and then leave for town. The setting for dinner was unbeatable. We ate outside at Vinnie Van GoGo Pizzeria at the edge of a square in an area called City Market. And best of all, they have Sierra Nevada!

Next we went on a ghost walking tour. It started at the city’s small Colonial Cemetery, and showed us Savannah’s highlights. As it turns out, history mixed with ghost stories was a good way to keep the kids’ attention!

Snapshot of reality: This pix is funny, esp. if you’re wondering what’s happening “behind the scenes”. Kate is bothering Christopher, who is hitting her (and about to say “no I’m not”. Jeremy is already bored, again, because he’s not at home texting. And Greg is focused on reading his outbackers forum.

Day 19 - Pensacola, FL

Today we took a day trip to Pensacola to visit the National Naval Aviation Museum - where Papa was stationed for 4 months. We had to get an early start because we wanted to watch the Blue Angels practice - but first had to drive 90 minutes. The practice started punctually at 8:30am and lasted 30 minutes. Those pilots and their maneuvers are totally unbelievable - which you know if you've ever been to an air show! We watched, completely captivated, wondering what impossible feat they'd perform next. The deafening roar of their engines only added to the amazement. Later we learned that some of their stunts require one's wing to be within 3 feet of another's cockpit!

Next we headed inside the museum, which has an impressive collection of aircraft (and volunteers). First we took a tour inside, and then continued with the flight line tour outside (the bigger planes).

Another exhilarating part of our visit was flying an F-14 Tomcat (picture Top Gun). The simulators are one set of only two in the nation, and are the real deal - used to train pilots while the Tomcat was in service. The boys had no qualms jumping into the pilot seat while Kate and I rode as co-pilots. Our 20 minutes at the controls went by in the blink of an eye! We couldn't get enough of the flying, dog-fighting, and attempts to land on an aircraft carrier (now that is as hard as you can imagine). The brief taste only made the boys crave more - desiring to perfect their skills!











The day ended with some more fresh seafood, packing up (for an early departure), and having to say goodbye to our new-found friends.