The Basement aka The Never Ending Project

There is now a toilet and sink in the bathroom. Trim and a door should be installed soon.

The basement is getting a little use. There are two computers set up and the ping pong table. We're not supposed to get it all filled up before the county comes and does the final inspection.

Brandon & Julie's Reception

Brandon & Julie got married in May up in Maine. Since most of us in Virginia couldn't attend the ceremony & reception, his folks threw a little party here for them. They rode from his parent's house to his grandparent's house in this old car that his grandfather restored.
Kyle & Jen were their Best Man and Matron of Honor.

Later the wedding party changed into play clothes. If you can't read the fine print on Brandon's shirt it says "I LOVE it when MY WIFE lets me go hunting".

Touring DC-Day Two

We didn't arrive at the Capitol early enough in the day to get tour tickets, but it was neat just to see the outside.

The Library of Congress has a beautiful interior. The most magnificent room was undergoing some restoration, which was a little disappointing.

























We saw an IMAX film at the Air & Space Museum about Fighter Pilots. That was right up the boys' alley. We browsed through the air & space craft before getting icecream and heading to the Spy Museum.




We did a walking tour of the Memorials. We got a bit of a shower at the beginning, but then it cleared up and we got a gorgeous double rainbow.

We didn't get as close to the White House as we could have, but did get a glimpse as we were headed to other destinations.

Our other stops on the walking tour included the World War II Memorial, Viet Nam Memorial and the Lincoln. We walked back a different path and saw the Korean War Memorial the World War I Memorial.

Touring DC-Day One

The kids really enjoyed the courtyard at the Gallery of American Art. There was cool marble to lie on and sunken water tiles to splash in. The adults did get a chance to actually view some art, but the kids were too hot & tired for culture.

We got around the city via the Metro (subway). They were all pros by the end of the day and were helping other newcomers to the city.

Everyone was very impressed with the "Changing of the Guard" ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.

We rode the glass elevator partially up the tower in the Old Post Office. Then we did quite a few flights of stairs to where the bells are located. From there is was another 90+ steps to the viewing balcony. It's a great way to see the city and get neat photos.

We hopped off at Union Station to see the fanciest Metro stop. There is an eatery and some swanky shops. We used the restroom and I bought some sunglasses, since I managed to break mine earlier in the day.

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum was a big hit with the group. Here the kids are posed at the piano with Duke Ellington.

This is the exterior of the Peterson House. It is across the street from Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot. He was taken to a room in this house for medical attention and died there a short time later.

Cousin Comes Calling

Gary, Sharon, Eric, Brett & Alyssa Brist all came from Oregon to visit the east coast. We were glad they put us on their itinerary. Their first night here, we took them to get Carl's frozen custard and toured a wee bit of the Fredericksburg Battlefield at Marye's Heights.
On Sunday evening, Rob & family joined us all for supper. We got a shot of the three cousins together.
This is a family shot of Gary's crew before they left us to head up to Connecticut via New Jersey.

Father's Day

The boys made cranberry oatmeal pancakes for breakfast. The prepared fresh strawberries, blueberries and bananas for a delicious topping for the pancakes.
Grandpa & Grandma Holladay joined us for lunch on the patio. They brought crab legs and we supplied cucumber salad, tossed salad, corn on the cob and a brownie pizza.

Summer Job

The boys got a summer job working at my office as file clerks. They are getting all the recent tax year files incorporated into the rest of the archives in the basement. The boys refer to the basement as the "pit". They find it a bit boring, but the pay is good and they only work until noon.



This is the boys with their supervisor, Karen. The three of them get along well and make jokes through the morning to help pass the time.

Devin's Braces

Devin got his braces. He could hardly eat for almost a week because all of his teeth were so sore. They used what they call a "chain" on the sides of his mouth which pulls much harder and faster than just a wire.

It may be a little hard to see, but the wire doesn't even go through the brackets on his two teeth that are set back on top. Once the eye teeth are moved back then they can start pulling those teeth forward.