Washington, D.C.; Colonial Beach, VA 6/1 to 6/12

We enjoyed 5 days of touring our nation’s capital.  High on our list of things to do was a White House Tour, but we were disappointed to learn that arrangements must be made months ahead through your congressman or senator and then only after a background check.  So, we did some other tours which included the Capital building, Florida House, National Building Museum, National Gallery, and Madame Toussauds.

Florida House is unique in the capital.  It was started in the ‘70s with private funding and was intended to be a “state embassy” in Washington.  Housed in an elegant old townhouse just behind the capital building it is a welcome respite for all Florida residents visiting the city.  The concept of a state embassy never took off, so it remains the only one of its kind.

Jim at Florida House

Debby is a fan of doll houses, so when we learned there was an exhibition going on at the National Building Museum we paid a visit.  Those on display were from England in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  Doll houses in that era were for well-to do adults, not children, and were quite elaborate.

The National Gallery was the highlight of our touring.  Although only there for a few hours, we could have spent days there.  It is a spot not to be missed in the city.  Madame Toussaud’s Wax Museum in D.C. displays the likeness of every US President along with brief bios that proved very interesting and informative.

Our last night in the city we had dinner with friends, Steve and Georgia  Fortune in Georgetown.  As always we had a good visit with them.

On June 6 we started our return down the Potomac; once again passing Mount Vernon.  This stretch is particularly picturesque with stately mansions on the Virginia side and heavy forest on the Maryland side.  Just south of the Harry Nice Bridge is a navy firing range that when “hot”, which is frequent, causes a circuitous routing.  We had to go 10 miles out of our way to reach Colonial Beach, VA while listening to loud artillery fire.  A small price to pay for keeping our military in good shape.

Mt Vernon
George had a Great View

Colonial Beach, VA is the epitome of “small town America”.  With a population under 4,000 we were treated to a Fireman’s Parade of over 100 emergency vehicles from all over northern VA and southern MD. along with a Miss Colonial Beach Pageant.   We had a ring side seat at the outdoor porch of Denson’s Market and Oyster Bar.  Our marina was a diamond in the rough working marina specializing in wooden boat restoration.  The owner who collects antique boats and antique cars was a real treat, full of southern hospitality.  We could not have found a better place to leave the boat as we traveled to San Rafael, CA for my sister’s living wake.

Mother Swan
Colonial Beach, VA