So once we arrived at my dad’s house, we had to unpack all of our camping gear, clean it, and lay it out to dry… This didn’t happen until the following morning when the conditions were a bit drier. Then for the next few nights, my cousins came over for dinner and some card games. My cousin Sean came to stay with us for a few days. We found some areas to hike at and we even made the dogs tired enough that Honey fell asleep on the way home.

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We also were around for Bedford’s Fall Foliage Festival, where we walked around, munching on kettle corn, meandering through booth after booth of every possible art or craft made in the likeness of autumn.

The next weekend we went to Arlington, WV. to visit my brother and his wife, who are expecting a baby boy in December (which means I’m going to be an aunt!!). Since they have lived in the area for some years now, we were able to get a great tour around the city of Arlington and D.C. for a few days. Everywhere we went, we used the metro, which was a first for me, and I must say it is a very efficient way to travel. Once we road the train under, yes under, the Potomac River we arrived in D.C.

Once we crossed the Memorial Bridge, we were staring up at the Lincoln Memorial, with its ascending columns housing the epic statue of Lincoln, surrounded by walls engraved with various quotes.

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Then, across the way, we found the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which I would say was probably my favorite “touristy” thing we visited in D.C.  The memorial was comprised of four rooms, all outdoors, which allow you to walk through time, with each area representing one of his terms in office. It was full of detailed sculptures and inspiring quotes, but the best part of it was the symbolism. Each area contained a waterfall, which changed with progression of the presidential terms, showing how FDR felt and handled his presidency.

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Then we saw the Washington Monument, which was closed for repairs due to an earthquake, but we could definitely observe from any vantage point around the capitol.

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The next day we went on our reserved tour of the Capitol building, complete with a tour guide and headsets! The tour was great, but much more about the statues than anything else, which wasn’t the most interesting… After that we went to the Native American Smithsonian for lunch. There, we got to choose from a buffet style of various regionally specific traditional early Indian cuisine. Afterwards we

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The following day we visited the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, my favorite by far, party because of the rather large ocean hall, among other various sciencey exhibits. Then we visited the Smithsonian Gardens, with its different geographical collections. We also got a chance to see the Old Post Office Pavilion where you can walk up the 315 foot Clock Tower for a 360 degree view of D.C. And on the way home we stopped by the White House!

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We had an awesome time visiting with my brother and his wife. Thank you so much David and Stephanie for the great tours, fantastic food, and a time well spent together!

After a few weeks of visiting, now we are ready to start our stay at our next farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Always ready to work,

Tonya and Ryan