Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Since we had gone into the heart of D.C. for the past two years, we decided to try something a little different this time.  Having heard great things about the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center- which is the annex to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, we decided to check it out.  We are so glad that we did- what a neat place!

 The annex is located out by Dulles airport.  Once we arrived, we ate at the McDonald's inside the museum (overpriced) and then headed straight for the tower- which offers visitors a view of the runways at Dulles.  The kids had a good time watching for airplanes that were taking off and landing.

 Also located in the tower was the air traffic controller exhibit.  This was my #1 favorite thing about the museum.  There was a screen that showed real-time air traffic at Dulles and then there were speakers that let you hear the air traffic controllers giving instructions to the pilots.  I was amazed by how many planes were in the area at once.  I definitely understand how stressful the controller's job is- you really have to stay on your toes.

 After visiting the tower, we headed out into the museum itself.  I say "museum"- it's really an enormous hanger with many, many planes in it.  There are some planes that are stationed on the ground while others are suspended from the ceiling.  There are also three levels of walkways so that visitors can view the planes from various angles.

One (free) interactive exhibit lets visitors sit in the cockpit of a Cessna and get a brief lesson on how to control the plane.  The museum employee showed the kids how to control the roll, pitch, and yaw of the plane, and then they were able to practice.  It was cool because you could see the outside parts of the plane move as the kids worked the levers inside.

 One thing that we were all excited to see was the Space Shuttle Discovery.  This was the first time that any of us had seen an actual space shuttle- so we took lots of pictures.

And here is the picture with a side view.

Another must-see was the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb.

 This Pepsi stunt plane was not exactly a must-see, but the kids insisted that I take a picture of it "for Gigi".

I must say that I was really impressed with the Air and Space Museum annex.  It was interesting and a good way to spend an afternoon.

O Say Can You See?

While we were in Baltimore, we decided to take the water taxi over to Fort McHenry.   When the British attacked Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812, this fort successfully defended the city.  The bombardment of the fort is what inspired Francis Scott Key to pen "The Star-Spangled Banner".  

 The kids liked traveling by water taxi.  I liked it too because it was a good way to see different parts of the harbor.

 Before entering the fort, we popped inside the visitor's center where we found a lot of information regarding the War of 1812, the attack on Baltimore Harbor, and the composing of the National Anthem.

 Here is the family shot in front of one of the ramparts- just to prove that Brian and I were actually there.

 The kids loved exploring the fort.

 They especially liked the old jail room.

 There was a beautiful view of the harbor from the fort.  As I get older, I find that things that I used to think were lame are now cool.  I have become especially fond of visiting sites of historical significance and trying to imagine what people in the past would have seen. I can just imagine a soldier looking out over the harbor from this point and seeing this view (minus the modern ships).

 Here we have the inner courtyard of the fort.

 As we walked around the fort, I kept thinking about the words of The National Anthem.  It was neat to actually see things that I have been singing about for years.

Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Historic Ships in Baltimore

We made several day trips from Dover while we were there last week.  Baltimore is really close to Dover, so we decided to head there first.  We arrived to the Inner Harbor area around lunch and grabbed a bite a Five Guys.  After that, we decided to get tickets for the Historic Ships in Baltimore.  There are four historic ships and one lighthouse that are available to be toured, and there are different ticket options.  We decided to go for the "two ship" package.  I told the kids that they could pick the second ship, but that I was picking the first- and it was going to be the USS Constellation.  The Constellation was the last sail-only warship built by the U.S. Navy and is the last existing intact naval vessel from the American Civil War. Being on this ship is definitely a trip into the past.   

 We were able to tour four decks of the ship.  We enjoyed the views from the top.  The sails were down, but we could imagine what it would look like with sails raised.  Later in the afternoon, a canon was fired from the top deck, and that was cool to hear.

We found more canons on the second deck.  The kids enjoyed checking these out.

The hammocks on one of the lower decks were a kid favorite.  Owen didn't want to get out.

The second ship (chosen by the kids) was the submarine USS Torsk.  They chose this one because in had a shark painted on the front.  The USS Torsk is a World War II era submarine.  It's claim to fame is that it was the last U.S. Navy ship to torpedo and sink an enemy vessel during  WWII.

I am always amazed by how compact everything is on a submarine.  It makes me have a new respect for those who serve on one.

Pillowcases with Aunt Connie

 We usually go and see my Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie while we are in Delaware.  This year, Aunt Connie had a special surprise for the kids- they got to sew their own pillowcases.  For those of you who do not know, my Aunt Connie excels in sewing, quilting, stamping, and pretty much every other type of craft known to man.  The kids love the pillowcases that she has made for them in the past, and they loved getting to help make one themselves. Aunt Connie had several different fabrics available, but both kids chose to make a Star Wars pillowcase.  Aunt Connie showed the kids how to work the sewing machine and let them press the pedal and take the pins out of the fabric.  The finished products looked great!

 After visiting with Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie for a few hours, we made a trip to Bylers for their outstanding ice cream.  It's always so good to see my aunt and uncle, and we are so glad that we were able to visit with them again this year.

Delaware 2014

As usual, we had a ton of fun visiting with the Sanders clan in Delaware this year.   We were gone for eleven days, and so we got to spend lots of time with Poppy and Nana.  Brandon was also able to come during both weekends that we were there.  The kids just love their Uncle Brandon, so they were thrilled to see him.   We did so much while we were there that the time seemed to just fly by.  

 Barb and I usually have a girls day at the outlets, and so we continued with that this year. We found some pretty good deals and had a delicious lunch in Dewey Beach.  Later in the week Brian went golfing with his dad, Brandon, and Uncle Mike.  Brian doesn't get to golf much, so he really enjoyed this.

The boys weren't the only golfers. Brandon spent time giving the kids some basic lessons on the front lawn.  

The kids were happy to be reunited with the dogs- Bear, Penny, and Duke.  

 One morning we drove over to the Air Mobility Command Museum to see the C-5 that was recently put on display.  This is the type of plane that Poppy flew.  We were hoping to go inside, but they were having some sort of event and were a bit short-staffed, so they did not have anyone available to go to the plane with us.  Oh well- this will just give us a good excuse to go back next year.

 We were able to see some planes taking off and landing on a near-by runway.

 Some planes were already open, so the kids were able to go on those.

 The kids took a real interest in the basketball goal this year.  Poppy was on hand to give Olivia some pointers.

Did I mention that the kids just love their Uncle Brandon?

Barb arranged an early celebration for Brian's 40th  birthday.  We went to eat at a nice little restaurant that was near a park.  The weather was just perfect for sitting outside.  At the end of the meal, the waitress surprised Brian with a delicious peanut butter pie and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  He was most definitely surprised.

Even though we are back now, it will probably take a good week or so to fully recuperate.  I for one am seriously going to have to hit the gym and get back in shape.  Barb's brownies are like crack- I just couldn't stay away.  We always enjoy spending time with Poppy and Nana, and we were glad to be able to do so again this year.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

We recently returned from our yearly trip to visit Brian's family in Dover.  We have made this trip every year since we've been married except one (when Owen had just been born).  Over time, we have developed our "preferred" route- which is over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.  It's a little longer to go this way, but we save the time (and lots of headache) by not having to sit in slow-moving traffic.  Plus, the bridge/tunnel is really cool.  This year we stopped off at the lookout point / visitor's center to look around and take pictures.