Well, our journey has begun. We had a lovely
send off at the airport with most of the family. However the photos taken so well by Sean were lost, so hence this one of us all at his & Jae's wedding.The first significant event was very early - Kay left her camera in a restroom at LA airport, even before reaching immigration. Mike is creating a good story around that. We only hope the person who now has it appreciates it as much as we did!
Kay very much enjoyed her 2 days in Ventura with her cousin Carole & Joe. She hadn't seen Carole for many decades. Family talk & camera shopping were essential tasks.
Mike flew to Washington DC to begin seeing the sights there. The Lincoln Memorial & Capitol Hill are at the ends of a large rectangle at the city centre, with the Washington Monument in the middle and the White House and Smithsonian museums on each side.
Our hotel was in a mainly black area. Trips on the local bus were interesting.
Lincoln Memorial
President & first gentleman
The White House can only be glimpsed between the trees. Security was obvious and we were surprised by the sudden appearance of 2 dark windowed cars with a rear passenger holding a machine gun near the open window. Thank goodness for little NZ!
Washington Monument
Of course the monuments are impressive and the museums extensive and excellent. Much more time was needed to do justice to them. The Holocaust Memorial Museum was particulaly sobering & thought provoking. Such enormous inhumanity!!
We are now enjoying time with Dot & Vern in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We met them through restorative justice and, together with other family & friends, hosted some of their Eastern
Mennonite University students on cultural exchanges. Harrisonburg is a small city with 2 universities situated in a farming area. There are a significant number of old order Mennonites in the countryside who wear old fashioned clothes and drive horses & buggies.On Thursday we leave for Costa Rica. The next posting will be in April from the UK.
We have been thinking of you all in warm temps - 38 degrees F & damp here today!