My Favorite

My favorite part of the trip was Harper's Ferry. The John Brown wax museum was great, he helped a lot of slaves, even though he was captured and killed, he died a good man. The food was yummy. The view of the river was beautiful. We took many pictures. I liked the building where you could listen to the voices. I learned a lot about the town's history. They had a hard time. The bookshop was great. There were a lot to choose from. I had a blast.

Kerri M.

Oct. 22, 2007

Today we went to the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and the White House. We ate lunch at the Dept. of Agr. We went to the Washington Monument, shopping and then caught a plane home.
Savannah G.

We saw the inside of the D.C. Capitol. We also saw the statue of Thomas Jefferson.
Madison C.


Got my girls up at 6:15 am We boarded the bus at 7:00 with our new bus driver, Wendy, for our final day. Our first stop in D.C. today was at the Thomas Jefferson Monument. I have always thought it to be one of the most beautiful monuments.
Our second stop was the capitol. There were lots of Police, Secret Service, helicopters and other security. We went through more security to get into the Capitol. The tour was of the rotundra, the old Congress Hall (where they have the statues now) and downstairs in the Hall of Presidents. The best part of the Capitol was when we got outside. The kids laid down in an AL and Mrs. Waters was the period.
Our third stop was a photo shoot of the White House.
Our fourth stop was at the Vietnam Memorial. The children completed their rubbing of Mr. Robert H. Littlefield. He was a soldier from Alabama who lost his life in Vietnam. The students had researched him and contacted his widow. They did a rubbing to send to her also. We returned to the bus, drove by the "big white pointy thing" and ate lunch at the Dept. of Agricultural. It was nice, at least it wasn't McDonalds.
Our 6th stop was walking to the Washington Monument for a tour. We found out all about the "Big, White, Pointy Thing."
It was back on the bus and off to the airport. We are all tired, ready to be in our own beds, seen lots and lots of neat things, and really will miss the "Big, White, Pointy Thing."
Margorie G.

Oct. 21, 2007

Our day started off early again, but we got a lot done. We started off at the White House gift shop, from there we went to Arlington. It is so beautiful and so surreal at the same time. We saw the changing of the guards. We also went to the World War II Memorial and Iwo Jima Memorial. We had lunch in D.C. and again we ate at McDonalds. We are not eating at McDonalds for a month when we return home. In the afternoon we visited Mt. Vernon. It was overwhelming how beautiful it was. The adults were getting a little loopy by the afternoon but we were really having a great time. The kids of course are having a blast. We came back in D.C. for dinner. After dinner we went back to Alexandria for our ghost stories tour. Dalton will be writing about the ghost stories since I think that was his favorite part of the day.
Angie H.

We went on a ghost tour and it was funny when Madison K. screamed.
yours truly Dalton H.

Oct. 20, 2007

It's really mind boggling to think of all we did today from the Gettysburg Battle grounds to the Smithsonian Museums to the Memorials dedicated to Vietnam Veterans, Korean Veterans and our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. And I failed to include the Einstein Memorial.
The magnitude of Gettysburg Battle Grounds blew me away as we seemed to pass a monument every 1/2 mile. We learned that over 50,00 soldiers were killed during the three day battle and those losing their life during those 3 days ranged in age from 7 to 88. The guide did have quite a sense of humor and was quite knowledgeable of the battle. Back at the Smithsonian's, the Natural History Museum had quite a mammal exhibit and the dinosaur exhibit wasn't half bad either. We managed to sneed a peek at the Hope Diamond but Paul was rather disappointed that the insect exhibit was not open. We slipped into the National Museum of Art for a few minutes and that was interesting as there were quite a variety of pieces. A bus delay provided an opportunity to walk to Union Station and get our first close encounter with the Capitol. The sun was setting behind the Washington Memorial providing yet more photo ops. The Vietnam and Korean memorial were very moving as we thought about the sacrifice those young men made so we can continue to enjoy our freedoms we sometimes take for granted. The Lincoln Memorial is one that we are all familiar with but as they say "pictures don't do it justice."
Jonathan K. Uncle Jon to Paul

Oct. 20, 207

Today we woke up at 6:00 am and left for Gettysburg, Penn. at about 7:00. When we arrived at Gettysburg we walked through the National Cemetery and regrouped at the Visitor's Center. There was an awesome exhibit on firearms and clothing of the Civil War. After we left the visitor's center we went on a driving tour of the battlefield. The guide was extremely funny and accurate. When we left Gettysburg we heade on to the National Archives. We saw the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. After that we moved on the to Museum of Natural History. We walked around 1 mile and met the bus very close to Union Station where we ate. Then we left and took a night tour of the Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Korean War Memorial.
Paul B.

Oct. 19, 2007

We went to IHOP and ate breakfast, then we went to Harper's Ferry to see where three different states come together. We were able to walk from Virginia to West Virginia and to Maryland in about 10 minutes. We walked through the town and saw many different museums. The place was awesome. The part that sticks out in my mind is how John Brown had so much compassion and fought to free slaves. We moved on from there to see the Antietam Battlefield. We climbed a 72 step tower and then we went to see Burnside Bridge. We ate dinner at Gina's place then we headed to the hotel.
Madison K. and Madasyn G

It is really nice to learn history. It has been a great experience to put it all together again. To see the battlefields and to visualize how the battles took place. Can't wait to see how the rest of this experience unfolds.
Jane G.

Oct. 18, 2007

It all started when we were at the airport, 5:00 am. They wanted to split us up into 2 groups. That was not a good idea. So we decided to be an hour late into D.C. We started from B'ham, AL, then to Charlotte, N.C. Then we were on to D.C. When we were on the first one, we were on a puddle jumper, then the 2nd ride we rode on a nice, cozy palne. When we landed it was about lunch time. We all went to McDonald's. After we got done we went on to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. My mom, Madison K. and I went through almost all the different departments. Then we went to the Civil War Battlefield of Bull Run in Manassas. We took all kinds of pictures.
Madisyn R.


Hmmm....Where do I begin? I awoke at 4:00am packed and ready to go, only I didn't get very far upon arriving at the airport. Yikes! Our flight was DELAYED!!! ARGH!!! Luckily Mrs. H2os cam to the rescue and we only fell 1 hour behind. (whew!) Anyhoo, after several more "waiting periods" between flight changes and bus loading and unloading, we finally got to the Smithsonian. The exhibits were awesome. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I ould be that close to Archie Bunker's chair!!! Now all I can think about is what to see there when we return.
Terry C.