From Philly to DC, the Adventure Continues

August 9th was the sad day when we needed to bid farewell to the Wells family.   We love and miss you!  Come visit any time!

One last picture in front of their beautiful home.  Turns out that Eli is so angelic he has a halo.

Navigating off the island is never easy, but since Jason was back in Salt Lake already, I put on my Big Girl Pants and steered Orca across the George Washington Bridge and into New Jersey.  While our ultimate destination was DC, we decided to stop off in Philadelphia for as well.  As soon as we parked, I came across this tattoo and started missing my husband all over again.

Only one cure: drown my sorrow in Philly Cheesesteaks.  Reading Terminal Market sold both this regional classic and about every other kind of food imaginable.

Callie and Eila seem to be enjoying the experience.

Annika was hoping we'd come home with an octopus.

As for the Vedeckis family, these intrepid voyageurs shared an entire container of buttermilk in Papa Kay's honor.  Egle seems a but unsure of what to expect.

Note how Kes is holding his nose!  Also, judging by the milky mustache, I think Vytis was the first brave soul to give it a try.

Liepa's turn.  I'm impressed by how adventurous these kids are!

Lina and Kes were the last to sample.  Look at the smiles!  No wonder Papa Kay connects so well with these favorite Lithuanians.

ABC (clap clap), It's easy as 123 (pat snap)...  By the end of the week all the minors were experts.

So what's in Philadephia anyway?  Turns out lots of things, such as Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.  Since we didn't have a lot of time, we prioritized seeing the Liberty Bell.  While Papa Kay and I mostly covered the bell and its crack in our photo, at least Independence Hall is visible in the background.

The rest of the drive to the outskirts of DC felt long, mostly because we were all pretty travel weary at that point.  We pulled into our AirBnb just as it was getting dark. I thought that we were in Maryland, although looking at a map, it seems like our place just a couple blocks from the Benning Road station was technically still in DC proper.  I headed to the nearest Kroger to get groceries for dinner and quickly discovered that it certainly wasn't Kansas.  There was an entire section devoted solely to kale and pork chitterlings.

While not perfect (hello plumbing issues), our AirBnb did have a fun game room that the kids enjoyed.

We even managed to squeeze everyone around the table for dinner.

The next morning Annika decided she loved the neighborhood when she found a praying mantis.  No idea why she put it in her hair.  I often wonder what goes on in the brain of that child.

With the metro being just two blocks away, we embarked on our first day in DC.  The DC metro system is completely different than the New York subway.  Spotless with this space-age vibe--it's all very streamlined.  It's interesting how both have their appeal.  The New York subway map really helps you understand where you are in the city.  The DC metro map is easy to read with its geometric intersecting lines, but harder to know where you are when you get out.   DC's metro may be cleaner, but you aren't allowed to eat on the trains or in the stations.  Plus, make sure to hold onto your metro card--you'll need it to exit the station.

Emerging from the metro, it was pretty exciting to discover that the very first sculpture we encountered was of General Thaddeus Kosziuszko--a Lithuanian-Polish American Revolutionary war hero.  He fought in the Battle of Saratoga, right by Lake George, and even established the first military fortifications at West Point.  Thank you Lithuania!

Now for a few photos in front of the White House.  We didn't see President Biden, but we did see snipers patrolling the roof.

Next up, the National Mall.  The Washington monument is still standing proud!

By this point, Annika had decided to join a new family.  Sorry kid!  We'd miss you too much.  But Vytis, Egle, and Liepa, we will adopt any/all of you any time!  Truly, you've never met such polite, intelligent, and engaging kids.  They must get it from their mother.  (Okay, Kes too.  My mother first met Kes when he was a college student and was so enthralled that she invited him to come live with our family for a couple of years.  Great decision!)

Our next adventure was to visit the National Museum of the American Indian.  This was my first time visiting, and I loved the connection with the architecture.

Most of my time was spent in the interactive kids section.  It's always a good day when you get to build an iglu.

Vytis was a PRO at balancing in the kayak.  Perhaps it's all that soccer practice.

Craft time.  I love how Egle's star is all pink, perhaps in honor of the Barbie movie we saw the weekend before.

Back out onto the Mall.  Great smile, Papa Kay!   Yours too, NomiAnn.

Okay, so it may have just been my perception, but to me the National Mall felt empty compared to when I was here as a missionary or when we came for Solar Decathlon.  While I enjoyed all the space to walk around, where were all the tourists?  I worry that this somehow reflects either a perception of DC as unsafe, or even worse, an absence of national pride as our country's political clime has become more divided.  I hope I'm wrong and that we just came at a quiet moment--definitely possible since Congress wasn't in session.

At least we brought our crowd.  Honing in on the Washington Monument once more.  This time Talia's going to catch it.

Kestutis pontificates in front of the Capitol.

NomiAnn treats the littles to ice cream.

Meanwhile, the rest of us went to the Holocaust museum.  Having been here once before, I knew it would be hard and sobering.  However, I didn't expect to bawl when I saw these pictures of Anne Frank.  Strangely enough, I kept thinking of Otto and Jason, and how both would do anything to protect their daughters (and son.)  It's unpleasant to think of such things, but we really need to now more than ever, especially with all that's going on in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and elsewhere.

We emerged from the museum, only to discover that the sky cried all the tears I'd been bottling up inside.  Callie, the littles, and my Mom all got drenched!

At least Vytis was a great sport.

Anders seems a bit unsure about all the rain in this pic, but I have it on good authority that he likes to splash.

Making the best of a moment!  Time to sing in the rain.

Callie, thanks for being with us, storms and all!  Callie was just a week away from starting a new job at this point, so spending time in DC wasn't easy with so much to do.  We appreciate your hanging out--the world is brighter with you there!

While this travelogue of our epic vacation is quickly winding down, stay tuned for one final day of DC adventure.