In January I wrote a post entitled "Jackson's Big Day," about his senior recital. I also mentioned in that post that he was engaged to be married, so it was kind of silly for me to call the recital his big day (although it was pretty big) when I knew even then that a really big day was in store just a few months later! So we'll call the wedding Jackson and the Wonderful, Magical, Not Bad, Very Good Day, even though there's not enough space for all those adjectives in the post title.
As you know, in my previous post, I left off narrating on Saturday, May 28, when Eric and I had retired from sightseeing at Arlington National Cemetery to regroup with the family at our hotel suite in Annapolis. That very same night, we enjoyed a delicious dinner with Evelyn's entiiiiiire family. That girl has six siblings and two siblings-in-law, one niece-to-be, and two parents, of course, but by the end of dinner I had learned everyone's names and I still remember them all as I type this (even the unborn baby June!), I'm proud to say. A little later that evening, we all reunited for ice cream in downtown Annapolis by the water. As we quickly scanned the sights with what little time we had downtown, Eric was having pangs of regret because, even though it was a bit busy due to Naval Academy's graduation weekend, Annapolis seemed much more his speed than downtown D.C. Maybe we'll get the chance to vacation there sometime.
The next morning, the Pinder girls (Mom, Annie, and I) had planned to get our nails done before the rehearsal. Eric's feet were a bit achy from sightseeing and a bit rough from his ballooning adventures, so he decided to tag along for a pedicure, and before you know it, we'd all convinced Dad and Jackson to join us, too! So all six of us lined up in the massage chairs for mani-pedis before heading off to the venue for the mid-afternoon wedding rehearsal. Annie and I got to sit in the shade while we watched the wedding party parade by, but I took lots of pictures because everyone looked so cute and happy.
That night, Mom and Dad hosted a lovely rehearsal dinner, complete with Maryland crab cakes, for the wedding party and our families. They had picked a cool restaurant right on the water, not far upstream from the ceremony venue we'd be heading back to the next day. I enjoyed a delectable salmon and Eric devoured a fat juicy steak. We packed some leftovers for the soon-to-be newlyweds to take along on their honeymoon, but we saved a few s'mores dessert bites to bring back to the suite for ourselves. (What? They wouldn't fit in the takeout containers.)
Mom and Dad also threw a luncheon at the hotel the next day for all of the guests who had traveled so far to attend the evening's ceremony. It was mostly our paternal (south Georgian and a few Ohioan) and maternal (central and southwest Floridian) relatives, but we were grateful that a few good friends from Waycross were able to make the trip as well. Jackson and his barbershop quartet, the Vigilantes, even stopped by for a bite and to treat us to a song.
It wasn't the last treat we'd get from the Vigilantes that day. After the quaint and lovely ceremony at London Town and Gardens, the quartet serenaded Evelyn with a medley Jackson spent over two years arranging. It sure was a scorching hot day, but there was beautiful music, remarkably delicious cake, and the most fun dancing I've had at a wedding in the shortest amount of time. At the end of the evening, we saw the happy couple off to their honeymoon and showered them with rose petals as they went down the path to sail away on the South River toward their honeymoon destination in North Carolina. Eric got to be in Jackson's wedding party, and I got to spectate and take in all of the little moments that added up to make a gloriously memorable day that I'll look back on fondly for many years to come!
I noticed that my last few posts with pictures included have taken up quite a bit of page space, making my readers deal with lots of unnecessary scrolling, so I decided to condense the photos from the wedding weekend into one big cheesy heart-infested slideshow.
Showing posts with label dc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dc. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Our Leather Anniversary Trip: Days Three, Four, and Five (well, Four and a Half)
Thus continues my recount of our D.C. vacation. Day Three was a Smithsonian day all day! Our morning was spent at the Air and Space Museum, a bit of a bore to two central Floridians comparing its (somewhat outdated) exhibits to KSC and the like. Even Eric--who, as you know, is fascinated by flight--was a little let down. We were still impressed by a few genuinely cool pieces of aviation history though, including the Wright brothers' original flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the plane that broke the sound barrier, and other cool crap unrelated to space flight. It honestly didn't seem like it had changed much since our Pinder family trip there in 1996.
We also hit the Natural History museum that afternoon, which we would have probably enjoyed lots more if every grade school class within a fifty mile radius hadn't chosen that particular day to travel there for an end-of-school-year field trip. Despite the crowds of squealing tweens underfoot, we still enjoyed everyone's favorites--kick-@$$ prehistoric and geological exhibits, including mummieeees, dynasarrrs!! and a special edition setting of the Hope Diamond.
On the way back to the hotel to retire for the evening, we popped in and out of the National Portrait Gallery and then paid our respects to Honest Abe at Ford's Theatre.
So Day Three was a little anti-climactic, but still oodles more fun than being back at work in Florida, where reports say fourteen babies were born at Celebration Hospital that day. They were probably awakened by my cackles of delight all the way from the rooftop pool at my hotel.
Day Four was by far the most kick@$$ of our D.C. experience. I had reserved a White House tour months in advance and anxiously awaited it since. Of course the civilian tour doesn't lead you past any of the "good stuff," like Malia and Sasha's Bieber-fevered bedrooms, the West Wing buzzing with activity, or the War Room a la Dr. Strangelove, but we still got to see some really cool and important pieces of history. I was really interested by the library (of course), each administration's china services on display, and the awesome custom Steinway complete with bald eagle piano legs and etched depictions of eras in American musical traditions. Then, when we turned the corner out of the State Dining Room, we were greeted by, in celebration of Military Appreciation Month, a concert by a jazz combo from the Army Band! (They even played a Disney song, Someday My Prince Will Come!) After lingering for a while to listen to the trio, which we regarded as an extremely special treat, we decided it was time to move on to the next item on the itinerary to make the most of the time left in the day. So we exited...right out the dad gum front doors of the White House. And underhandedly snapped a grainy cell phone photo.
Next on the list was the American History museum, which easily became our favorite of the three Smithsonian museums we visited. Overall, its exhibits were the coolest: the collection of First Ladies' inaugural gowns and a huge presidential exhibit, the flag that inspired Key to write the Star Spangled Banner, an extensive and interesting travelling Lincoln exhibit, Julia Child's kitchen, and Kermit the gosh dang Frog!
That evening we met up for a (yep, free) tour of some of the sights of the National Mall, including a look at the Jefferson Memorial from afar, and up-close looks at the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam, Korea, and World War II memorials. We encountered a huge group of Vietnam veterans who had motorcycled across the country to "the wall" for Memorial Day weekend, which made visiting that memorial a very different experience. The Lincoln Memorial illuminated at night was magnificent. The sculptor in Eric was fascinated by Lincoln's statue, and the emotional wreck in me was moved by the history that had come to pass there and in awe of the sheer physical beauty of the place.
We fumbled around in the dark to find the Einstein memorial on our way back to the hotel. It's not well marked, but thankfully we stumbled upon it somehow because it is really cool-looking!
The next morning, we checked out of our hotel (thanks for all the free apples, Four Points by Sheraton!) and met up with my family who had driven up through the night for the wedding. While everyone else power-napped, Eric and I explored Arlington National Cemetery. It's a beautiful and hallowed place, but we were honestly pretty tuckered out by four previous days of walking all over the District, so we made sure to hit the highlights and then called it a half-day (thus, the title of this post). After visiting the graves of JFK and RFK, having much-felt memorial moments at a few grave sites picked at random, paying our respects at the Challenger memorial, and witnessing the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns, we headed off to the next hotel to relax and prepare for the weekend of wedding festivities!
This plane was hanging in the same spot 15 years ago
We also hit the Natural History museum that afternoon, which we would have probably enjoyed lots more if every grade school class within a fifty mile radius hadn't chosen that particular day to travel there for an end-of-school-year field trip. Despite the crowds of squealing tweens underfoot, we still enjoyed everyone's favorites--kick-@$$ prehistoric and geological exhibits, including mummieeees, dynasarrrs!! and a special edition setting of the Hope Diamond.
*drool*
On the way back to the hotel to retire for the evening, we popped in and out of the National Portrait Gallery and then paid our respects to Honest Abe at Ford's Theatre.
I'm trying to look solemn! A crazy actor shot someone here (with her camera...monopod at work)
and this is also where John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln.
So Day Three was a little anti-climactic, but still oodles more fun than being back at work in Florida, where reports say fourteen babies were born at Celebration Hospital that day. They were probably awakened by my cackles of delight all the way from the rooftop pool at my hotel.
Day Four was by far the most kick@$$ of our D.C. experience. I had reserved a White House tour months in advance and anxiously awaited it since. Of course the civilian tour doesn't lead you past any of the "good stuff," like Malia and Sasha's Bieber-fevered bedrooms, the West Wing buzzing with activity, or the War Room a la Dr. Strangelove, but we still got to see some really cool and important pieces of history. I was really interested by the library (of course), each administration's china services on display, and the awesome custom Steinway complete with bald eagle piano legs and etched depictions of eras in American musical traditions. Then, when we turned the corner out of the State Dining Room, we were greeted by, in celebration of Military Appreciation Month, a concert by a jazz combo from the Army Band! (They even played a Disney song, Someday My Prince Will Come!) After lingering for a while to listen to the trio, which we regarded as an extremely special treat, we decided it was time to move on to the next item on the itinerary to make the most of the time left in the day. So we exited...right out the dad gum front doors of the White House. And underhandedly snapped a grainy cell phone photo.
(Don't tell the Secret Service we took this photo)
Next on the list was the American History museum, which easily became our favorite of the three Smithsonian museums we visited. Overall, its exhibits were the coolest: the collection of First Ladies' inaugural gowns and a huge presidential exhibit, the flag that inspired Key to write the Star Spangled Banner, an extensive and interesting travelling Lincoln exhibit, Julia Child's kitchen, and Kermit the gosh dang Frog!
Kermie with arms outstretched for a hug for yours truly
That evening we met up for a (yep, free) tour of some of the sights of the National Mall, including a look at the Jefferson Memorial from afar, and up-close looks at the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam, Korea, and World War II memorials. We encountered a huge group of Vietnam veterans who had motorcycled across the country to "the wall" for Memorial Day weekend, which made visiting that memorial a very different experience. The Lincoln Memorial illuminated at night was magnificent. The sculptor in Eric was fascinated by Lincoln's statue, and the emotional wreck in me was moved by the history that had come to pass there and in awe of the sheer physical beauty of the place.
Great moments with Mr. Lincoln
We fumbled around in the dark to find the Einstein memorial on our way back to the hotel. It's not well marked, but thankfully we stumbled upon it somehow because it is really cool-looking!
Come sit on Uncle Al's lap!
The next morning, we checked out of our hotel (thanks for all the free apples, Four Points by Sheraton!) and met up with my family who had driven up through the night for the wedding. While everyone else power-napped, Eric and I explored Arlington National Cemetery. It's a beautiful and hallowed place, but we were honestly pretty tuckered out by four previous days of walking all over the District, so we made sure to hit the highlights and then called it a half-day (thus, the title of this post). After visiting the graves of JFK and RFK, having much-felt memorial moments at a few grave sites picked at random, paying our respects at the Challenger memorial, and witnessing the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns, we headed off to the next hotel to relax and prepare for the weekend of wedding festivities!
Among the fallen
Changing of the guards
Our Leather Anniversary Trip: Days One and Two
For the past three years, Eric and I have done something special to celebrate our anniversary. The first year, our anniversary coincided with the opening of the Treehouse Villas near Saratoga Springs Resort where Eric worked at the time. To test the operational capacities of the villas, all of the managers were offered a free night, so Eric cunningly planned his test date to be on the night of our anniversary. Last year, we escaped to beautiful Miami for a few days.
For a while we had been thinking about taking a vacation to Washington, D.C., so when Jackson and his fiancee Evelyn announced they were getting married on Memorial Day weekend like we did, and that the wedding would be near her hometown in Maryland, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and take a fantastically fun and educational vacation to the D.C. area to celebrate the anniversary of our wedding during the week before their wedding!
We flew in to Dulles on our anniversary, Tuesday the 24th, and took the MetroBus into the District. Upon arrival, we immediately partook in a DC/MD/VA tradition, eating Five Guys burgers. (Adventurous.) I count these as our leather anniversary gifts since they come from the same source.
After that, we knocked out several items from the itinerary right off the bat. We walked from our hotel to the National Gallery of Art's East Building, stopped to see the Charters of Freedom (Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution) at the National Archives (no photos allowed there, to my dismay), and then hoofed it a couple of blocks to check out the Capitol Building. Then we said "eff that" and got weekly bus passes apiece.
There were no tickets available for the Washington Monument elevator ride all week, so we (read: I) researched a worthy alternative for an aerial D.C. view and came up with the Old Post Office. The view was lovely but an unexpected draw for me was the tower bells. Totally fascinating for a geek.
We were up bright and early on day two, only to find out that none of the attractions on our list opened before 10am. So we killed a little time outside the gates of the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden.
After a stroll through the sculpture garden and a look through the National Gallery West building, we stopped for a highly recommended lunch at the Museum of the American Indian, and then we spent way more time than we thought we would at the U.S. Botanical Gardens. What a cool place!
Our next stop was my personally most anticipated itinerary item: the Library of Congress. The idea I had in my head--a cavernous palace stacked with ancient and colorful books from floor to ceiling--was much more romantic than the real thing, where books actually are largely brought in from other storage areas upon request. However, since I had taken the advice of some sage friends, I had at least had the foresight to register for a reader's card, so I still got to go inside the main reading room, an architectural wonder, which most visitors don't get to visit. There were also some really interesting exhibits, including Jefferson's personal book collection, which restarted the Library after the British burned it during the War of 1812, and a Gershwin brothers gallery. We also took the free tour (yes, everything we did on the whole entire trip was free), led by a very dedicated if ditsy volunteer. She graciously agreed to lead Eric and me off the beaten path after the tour to see the beautiful chamber venue and a nifty collection of musical instruments. All in all, even though it wasn't at all what I expected, the Library of Congress was still really, really cool and one of my highlights of the vacation.
On the way back to our hotel, we made a brief stop in Chinatown for dinner...at Ruby Tuesday. And that completed Day Two.
Near our Miami hotel
For a while we had been thinking about taking a vacation to Washington, D.C., so when Jackson and his fiancee Evelyn announced they were getting married on Memorial Day weekend like we did, and that the wedding would be near her hometown in Maryland, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and take a fantastically fun and educational vacation to the D.C. area to celebrate the anniversary of our wedding during the week before their wedding!
We flew in to Dulles on our anniversary, Tuesday the 24th, and took the MetroBus into the District. Upon arrival, we immediately partook in a DC/MD/VA tradition, eating Five Guys burgers. (Adventurous.) I count these as our leather anniversary gifts since they come from the same source.
Adorable upholstery on our express bus
After that, we knocked out several items from the itinerary right off the bat. We walked from our hotel to the National Gallery of Art's East Building, stopped to see the Charters of Freedom (Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution) at the National Archives (no photos allowed there, to my dismay), and then hoofed it a couple of blocks to check out the Capitol Building. Then we said "eff that" and got weekly bus passes apiece.
A favorite Renoir (Little Girl with a Watering Can) at the National Gallery
*salute*
There were no tickets available for the Washington Monument elevator ride all week, so we (read: I) researched a worthy alternative for an aerial D.C. view and came up with the Old Post Office. The view was lovely but an unexpected draw for me was the tower bells. Totally fascinating for a geek.
We were up bright and early on day two, only to find out that none of the attractions on our list opened before 10am. So we killed a little time outside the gates of the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden.
Eric found a head rest in my monopod
After a stroll through the sculpture garden and a look through the National Gallery West building, we stopped for a highly recommended lunch at the Museum of the American Indian, and then we spent way more time than we thought we would at the U.S. Botanical Gardens. What a cool place!
Stunning da Vinci at the National Gallery, the only one of his in the western hemisphere (and it's gosh dang double sided!)
Some type of tropical curiosity at the Botanical Gardens
Our next stop was my personally most anticipated itinerary item: the Library of Congress. The idea I had in my head--a cavernous palace stacked with ancient and colorful books from floor to ceiling--was much more romantic than the real thing, where books actually are largely brought in from other storage areas upon request. However, since I had taken the advice of some sage friends, I had at least had the foresight to register for a reader's card, so I still got to go inside the main reading room, an architectural wonder, which most visitors don't get to visit. There were also some really interesting exhibits, including Jefferson's personal book collection, which restarted the Library after the British burned it during the War of 1812, and a Gershwin brothers gallery. We also took the free tour (yes, everything we did on the whole entire trip was free), led by a very dedicated if ditsy volunteer. She graciously agreed to lead Eric and me off the beaten path after the tour to see the beautiful chamber venue and a nifty collection of musical instruments. All in all, even though it wasn't at all what I expected, the Library of Congress was still really, really cool and one of my highlights of the vacation.
Geek out!
On the way back to our hotel, we made a brief stop in Chinatown for dinner...at Ruby Tuesday. And that completed Day Two.
Ni hao
This vacay recap has become rather lengthy, what with the myriad photos and rambling stories and whatnot, so I'll continue with the next two and a half days in the next post!
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