As we were traveling, Mom kept missing picture after picture (and the fact she was in the very back seat of the rental van I'm sure didn't help either) during the first day on the road. So by the time we reached Charleston, WV on the second day, with a view of the capitol building coming up, and not having a good angle, I ended up getting the camera to take the pictures. And after doing so, getting much better results than she was able to get prior, I became the unofficial photographer for the trip. ;)

About an hour after we crossed the state line and entered Virginia, ahead of us was a semi tractor hauling another tractor. We just had an interesting view directly behind it, as it almost looked like the one being hauled was going the wrong way down the interstate, coming right as us. It made for an interesting photo-op anyway. :)

By the time we got to the resort, it was raining (which, unfortunately was the forecast for just about the entire week, prior to our leaving). So as a result, this was our first view of Massanutten Peak, for which the resort our timeshare is on is named. Obviously, after a day and a half on the road, it'd have been nicer if it wasn't raining on our arrival, but that's how the trip started. At least the rain was short-lived. :)

Another view of Massanutten Peak, this time en route to the grocery store in Harrisonburg. Like I said, the rain was short-lived. ;)

Apart from the family of skunks in a ball we saw on the side of the road going to the store the day before (which nobody had their camera ready), this was our first real wildlife encounter at the resort. I was outside getting some fresh air that morning, and I saw some slight movement on the golf course that's right behind our condo unit. It was this groundhog (or as it's also known as, and that was the preferred term while there, woodchuck). Of course, we didn't realize what it was until a little later.

Another groundhog; this one in the patch of trees right next to our unit's patio. While we were taking tons of photos of her just wondering around in the trees, my uncle Bruce was on his laptop trying to figure out exactly what they were (initially we thought beaver, but that didn't look/sound right). So it didn't take too long to figure out they were groundhogs. And with the acknowledgement that they're also called woodchucks, that was the start of the constant "Hey you dang woodchucks! Quit chuckin' my wood!" quotes. :)

The same groundhog, eating a strawberry she found somewhere. Probably tossed out at some point by the people next door (since by this time, she'd left the trees, and was right behind the patio of the unit on the other side of ours. Of course, you're also not supposed to feed the wildlife, so whether or not that's where she got it, who knows?

Later in the afternoon, we spotted a deer at the patio. Eventually though, she made her way towards the trees between our building and the next one over (closer to their building than ours). Anyway, as we were taking pictures of the deer with her two fawns, Mom took this picture of me, Bruce and my aunt Diane taking pictures of them. And what can I say, really? I was having trouble keeping the camera steady, thus needing to prop on that stump that was there hehe.

A picture of the deer and her fawns that we were taking pictures of. Ultimately there were two such families that were hanging around our unit that we saw regularly. Unfortunately though, we didn't get many good pictures of the other family. But the fawns were far less spotted, so this family was more photogenic hehe.

Shortly afterwards, the mother started leaving. This picture just kind of gives you a sense of how close they were to us, seeing as you can see the neighboring building and its patio area.

Later in the day we needed to make a run to Walmart in Harrisonburg, as there were things we realized we needed after a night at the unit that we didn't get the day before. Anyway, it briefly stormed that afternoon, so as soon as it stopped, most of us headed out (dad and Diane stayed behind (Diane works at a Walmart here in town, so she had no desire of going to one on her vacation hehe)). As we were traveling (only a 10 minute drive or so), I looked over and saw this view; Massanutten Peak among the clouds. Not an overly large mountain, so seeing that was something. :)

The sign at the entrance of the resort.

After getting back, Diane reported to us that there was a squirrel in the tree that was next to our patio. So we went out to look, and I got this picture. Nothing overly special (it is just a squirrel after all), but like all the other wild animals at the resort, it wasn't scared of humans. We weren't far away from it when this pic was taken.

After we returned inside, the squirrel had gotten out of the tree and was hanging around the patio door. I was about a foot away from it (or at least the camera was anyway) when I took this shot. Like I said, not afraid of humans at all. Granted, there was a glass door between us, but still. :P

Rather than spend the entire day just lounging around the unit, we decided that we'd go take a look at this one overlook point that was located on the resort map. The overlook wasn't quite what we were expecting, but we were able to see half of the resort from it. Unfortunately though, our unit wasn't visible. More or less, our unit is just out of view. The overlook was pretty much up the side of the mountain that our unit is near the base off, so it'd be just visible above that I-beam support of the guard rail, if those plants weren't in the way.

After visiting the overlook, we decided it was still early enough to go to Shenandoah National Park and take a trip down Skyline Drive. This is one taken from the second observation stop we encountered, Baldface Mountain Overlook.

Another view, from the sixth observation area we came across. This one is from Upper Hawksbill Gap.

Another from Upper Hawksbill Gap. The fact that it isn't a panorama though gives you a better sense of what the conditions were like. The rain was behind to us, to our south, but moving north. So we were constantly just ahead of it. Plus, it's a nice pic with the rays of sunlight breaking thru the clouds. :)

Taken from inside the van, a nice view of it raining off in the distance.

The seventh stop, Crescent Rock Overlook. It's about halfway thru the segment of Skyline Drive that we drove on.

The eighth observation point, Timber Hallow Overlook.

From the 11th area we stopped at, Jewell Hollow Overlook.

Old Rag, as we saw it from our 12th stop, Pinnacles Overlook.

A panorama from Pinnacles Overlook.

The morning before leaving for D.C., Grandma was outside when a group of deer came around. This particular one ended up touching her hand, which was the highlight of her trip to that point. It probably would have remained that way, except after we got back from D.C., one licked her hand, which obviously trumps just touching. :P

The group of deer itself. And one was definitely a buck, seeing as it had little antlers (but they were still a tad smaller than his ears though). The sad thing is that one of the others was injured, likely having been hit by a car. :( Was really sad watching her limp around, and seeing how misshapen her hind leg appeared. :(

As we were heading out the door to hit the road for two-hour drive to D.C., a pair of deer were out front. Seeing as the injured one I saw hobbling off at the other end of the building, that meant these were two different deer, and thus there were five that morning! :D Anyway, one of them was just lounging around among the trees, and I got this picture while my mom was heading out the door. The deer, as expected, obviously didn't care that there were so many humans walking around next to her lying down like that. :)

The other deer that was out front was eating around the walkway from the building to the parking area. And note that the engine of our rental van (barely visible in the picture) was going, yet the deer was still that close, unphased by it. As Bruce said when we first arrived, it's both awesome you can get so close, but also pain, as they don't get out of the way on the road, and the risk of hitting one is higher than usual.

When we got to D.C., the very first thing we did was went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum! :D And after we all met up (Dad and Bruce went to find a place to park (on a weekend! :P) while the rest of us went inside), the first destination was Dinosaur Hall, which was right off to our right from the rotunda. And one of the first things you see when you enter Dinosaur Hall is the T. Rex squaring off with the Triceratops. Here's T. Rex! :D Yay dinosaurs!!!! :D Oh, and if you look closely, next to the Stegosaurus model, that's Bruce pushing Grandma in a wheelchair we got so she wouldn't have to be on her feet the entire time.

T. Rex is huge, and it was busy (and the walkways were narrow, with how many people there were), so it wasn't easy getting a really good pic, but here I am with T. Rex.

Another picture of T. Rex. Other than the lighting, and awesome picture!!! :D Remember though, he won't see you if you don't move. ;) Yep.... expect some cheesy movie quotes and sayings with some of these pictures. :P

Getting a pic with T. Rex was hard enough, but one with Stegosaurus was next to impossible! I was as far back as I could get. Mom was as back as far as she could get. And then there was all the people wanting by (and not paying any attention to people trying to get a picture, and thus not holding up or anything)! Luckily though, we eventually were able to get one. And then this one with the flash off hehe. Looks so much better! Flash sucks! :P

On the other side of the entrance ramp was Triceratops. Here I am with it.

"She was my favorite when I was a kid. Now I see her, she's the most beautiful thing I ever saw." Well, one of my favorites anyway, but again, I warned you about the quotes, didn't I? :P

The Triceratops skull that greets you when you first enter Dinosaur Hall.

It took a panoramic picture to get him (obviously), but yeah..... the Diplodocus that's on display. With the picture, you can also get an idea of where T. Rex and Triceratops were in relation to one another, seeing as you can see them in this too. And just for completeness' sake, the dinosaur on the wall that you can see in its entirety is Edmontosaurus. Hey..... I didn't say it'd be a well-known dinosaur! :P Just figured in case anyone was wondering, I'd throw the name out there. The other (the one you can only see the skull and neck of) is Albertosaurus. I think that'll cover it for now. ;)

I don't know why exactly, but I guess I always thought Dimetrodon was much larger. So yeah.... when I saw this Dimetrodon, I was a bit surprised it was as small as it was. Mind you, it's not tiny.... just not as large as I always thought. Again, I don't know why. Maybe my old wood dino skeleton models I use to have were partly to blame for that hehe. They weren't to scale to one another after all.

Right in the middle of ancient life area there was this triangular shaped room called the FossiLab. Can you imagine working in a place like that? Two of the three walls were windowed, so that the countless number of people walking thru the exhibit (from two different sides!) could look and watch you do your job of working with fossils! Might as well be working in a fish bowl, right?

A view from above of Dinosaur Hall. Again, for completeness' sake, the other to dinosaurs are Allosaurus (behind Stegosaurus) and Camptosaurus (behind Diplodocus).

A Pteranodon skeleton that was on display, on the second floor of Dinosaur Hall (if you want to call it that, seeing as it was halfway up to the actual second floor of the museum). And you better not go calling it a Pterodactyl! :P

A model of the giant Quetzalcoatlus hanging above Dinosaur Hall. And if you can't figure it out hehe, before when I was naming what was visible in the Diplodocus picture and I said that was it for now..... you can see a bit of Quetzalcoatlus' wing. So yeah. :)

So as Mom and I were wondering around Dinosaur Hall, we kept going up the ramp along the side, figuring it'd naturally lead to more dinosaurs. After all, all along the ramp going from the Pteranodon upwards, dinosaur stuff was to either side. Naturally you'd think more dinos would be at the top, right? Well..... for whatever reason, Dinosaur Hall had a direct access to the Hope Diamond! So while we were there, we got some pictures of it. Although I must admit, the pictures didn't turn out as well as the ones Mom had taken back when they lived in D.C. (well before I was born). Granted, the lighting and display are different now, and probably had a lot to do with that. A shame though you can't see the blueness of the diamond though.

One of the two giant ground sloths on display. Now, one of the main reasons for me taking this picture (aside from getting pics of most of the larger skeletons on display) was because, here at the University of Iowa, at the Museum of Natural History, in Iowa Hall is Rusty the giant ground sloth. Naturally, being only a taxidermic model, seeing an actual skeleton had some significance.

They had on display a giant squid, but I guess I figured it'd be a bit more.... you know.... gianty. Granted, the display was long (with the tentacles and all), but still. I just expected the body to be a bit longer than a few feet.

Figured I'd get a pic taken with the orangutan, as unflattering as it is. Now the only question is, which is which in the picture? :P

One of the two giraffes they had on display in Mammals Hall. This one in its drinking position.

And the other giraffe they had.

Now this was a really cool set-up they had! A leopard with an impala up on a tree limb that you walk under. In fact, I actually walked under it without noticing (since I was looking down at the stuff on either side of me hehe) and only saw it afterwards from "behind." Fortunately though, Diane got a good one from the "front." :)

Amethyst is easily one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite) gems, so naturally, seeing this massive chunk of it was awesome! :)

One of the Egyptian mummies on display. Wish it was actually someone really special, but I do believe it's an unknown individual. Of course, I imagine if it was someone special, it'd be in Egypt instead of D.C., so for that I guess I have to be glad it isn't. :P

And another Egyptian mummy on display, this one with its coffin. Again, not anyone specific.

So after we finished up at the Natural History Museum and had lunch, we headed next door to the Museum of American History. And opposite the entrance was the display for the Star Spangled Banner. Now, because of the delicacy of the flag itself, it was housed in a very dark room, and photography wasn't allowed. Of course, that didn't stop Bruce, on a previous visit (I think earlier this year), from sneaking in a shot. ;) Yay for contraband photography! :P So yeah.... this is what it looked like.

While looking at it, Dad just had to make the "discovery" of the "error" that apparently nobody in the history of the U.S. had ever seen before; the fact that the flag has 15 stripes. Normally I'd have just rolled my eyes and let it slide, but seeing as we were surrounded by strangers, I figured it'd be best to point out, for the benefit of those who might have heard that, that no, it's not an error. Originally it was supposed to be one stripe and star for each state, but then it was determined that after a while, that'd be too many stripes, so they decided to just do stripes for the original 13.

"Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here!"

Does anything else really need to be said? :P

One of Michael Jackson's hats. It's the same style of hat he wore on stage when he debuted the Moonwalk.

Lee Meriwether's Catwoman outfit from the '66 Batman movie.

After finishing up at the Museum of American History, we headed over to the WWII Memorial. Unfortunately, it was hot as hell out and as sunny as it could possibly be. Rather than overexert ourselves hitting up all the other memorials in the heat, we headed to the hotel rooms we got for our D.C. stay to cool off and rest before hitting the remaining sites, all while letting it cool down outside too. Our first stop after resting was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Here's a reflection of the Washington Monument in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

And after the Wall, en route to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, right between the two is the Lincoln Memorial. What trip to D.C. is complete without stopping there? :P

The statue of Lincoln in the Memorial.

Unfortunately, during our stay, they were in the process of replacing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Apparently the filtration system needed work, as the water would get stagnant and stinky, and all around not very pleasant, which kind of defeats the purpose of it hehe. So yeah... instead of the nice reflection we'd normally get to see from atop the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, we got to see ⅓ of a mile of dirt! Oh joy!! </sarcasm>

When we got to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Mom had turned the flash on the camera for some reason (since I wasn't the one taking pictures). It wasn't THAT dark yet. The only reason I'm including this picture is to highlight the next hehe.

And this is what it looks like without flash, and more like what we actually saw. ;) Mom still was having a hard time understanding why it's better to not use the flash for these pictures hehe. Whether she's learned now or not, who knows? :P

When we decided that we'd head to the hotel to cool down first, Bruce said that that'd actually be preferable, as seeing the Korean Memorial in the evening/at night was far better anyway. Here you can kind of see what he meant by that. With the lights on, it reflects off the granite rows, giving the appearance that the soldiers are walking thru Korean rice paddies. I got to say, it's a pretty cool sight!

A view of the Washington Monument at night, from our vantage point of the Korean Memorial. Complete with its possessed demon eyes. :P

The Lincoln Memorial at night.

The Vietnam Women's Memorial, which wasn't there the last time we were in D.C., 20 years ago. One side of it anyway. The fourth figure (the other nurse) isn't visible in this shot. And it's sad that, after the Korean Memorial, I had to tell Mom to turn the flash on at this point, seeing as the sun had completely set, and there was no light hehe.

Unlike Day 1 in D.C. where we all stayed together, Day 2 began with us splitting up. Mom, Grandma and Diane went to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (not entirely sure why that's where they went though), while Dad, Bruce and I went to the Smithsonian' National Air and Space Museum next door (that could have been why hehe). Anywoo.... one of the first things you see when you enter is Apollo 11's Command Module Columbia.

Me with Friendship 7, the Mercury 6 capsule John Glenn flew in to be the first American to orbit the Earth.

The Gemini IV spacecraft, from which Ed White became the first American to perform an EVA (that's Extra Vehicular Activity for those not up on your space exploration terminology, or what is more commonly called a spacewalk).

A recreation of the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project. Unfortunately, none of the components are the actual ones used. The Apollo section was used for testing prior to launch, the Soyuz spacecraft is just a recreation, and the Docking Module is a back-up. But cool nonetheless!

John Glenn's spacesuit that he wore during Mercury 6.

Yuri Gagarin's training spacesuit used in preparing for his historic flight, making him the first human in space.

A replica of the telescope built by Galileo Galilei, which he used to make all of his discoveries.

So U2 is one of my mom's favorite bands, so naturally, after we were done and everyone met back up for lunch, I tried telling her I saw U2! Although she didn't know about the plane of the same name (well.... U-2), she didn't fall for it hehe. Didn't think she would anyway, but I had to try, right? :P Oh, and this is yet another pic where Bruce can be seen in it. :)

A recreation of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Unlike the Apollo-Soyuz before, this one is certainly understandable being completely a recreation. After all, the only things that returned from the Moon's surface were the space suits (everything else was either left on the surface or was jettisoned into space), and those were elsewhere in the museum (although unfortunately, I must have missed them :'( ). Instead, this is a Lunar Module that was going to be used for testing in space, but was never used, after its predecessor's test was a complete success.

Normal Rockwell's "Grissom and Young"
Depicting Gus Grissom and John Young suiting-up for Gemini III.

Andy Warhol's "Moonwalk"
Warhol's take on the iconic photo of Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon.

William Wegman's "Chip and Batty Explore Space"
At first I thought this was just a really cool piece. But when I got closer to take pictures of the individual panels (knowing that's what Mom would want), I noticed something. ;)

Upon closer inspection of the first panel to William Wegman's "Chip and Batty Explore Space," this is what I saw! ;) The other dog was peering out the window of the space station in the third panel.

Norman Rockwell's "Behind Apollo 11"
Depicting just some of the many people behind the first Moon landing, including the wives of the astronauts and the back-up crew.

A view from the second floor of the Spirit of St. Louis, SpaceShipOne and Bell X-1. For those who need the history lesson hehe, Spirit of St. Louis is the plane Charles Lindbergh flew in for the first solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, Bell X-1 is the plane Chuck Yeager flew to be the first to break the sound barrier, and SpaceShipOne is the craft that Mike Melvill flew to make it the first privately developed vehicle to reach space.

An MQ-1 Predator UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).

A piece of a moon rock on display that you could actually touch! I touched a moon rock!!! :D

After lunch, the plan was to go on a tour of the Capitol building. Well, I really had no desire whatsoever to do that, so instead, I headed to the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery. On my way there, I encountered the Washington Nationals' President mascots! Well, three of them anyway. I think George was missing (or more likely, I just never saw him). Anyway, at first I got a kick out of it, but otherwise didn't think anything of it. But after crossing the street it occurred to me that if I said something after meeting back up with everyone else, Mom would ask why I didn't take a picture. So, after the fact, I snapped this shot. Had I thought about it before hand, I might have had my pic taken with them. But it was hot, I'd been walking nearly a mile, and as I said, I had already crossed the street hehe. So this pic of Tom and Abe from behind has to do. ;)

Andrew Wyeth's "Night Hauling."
One of the first pieces I encountered was this one. Unfortunately though, like a few others I liked and wanted to take pictures of, it was in a no photography area, since they weren't permanent pieces of the Smithsonian's collection (another was Shepard Fairey's "Hope" portrait of Obama). I toyed with the idea of going back later in my visit to sneak in a photo hehe, but I was just too tired. Instead I just had to settle on finding a picture of it online. But this picture just doesn't do the actual work justice! I mean, all the yellow specks looked as if fireflies were used to make it! The effect was pretty cool to see.

Mike Wilkins' "Preamble"
At first I just thought this was cool when I saw it. But then when I looked at the info it occurred to me, we actually learned about this in one of my art classes in elementary school!! If you can't figure it out hehe, it's the Preamble of the Constitution, done using personalized plates from all 50 states and D.C. I should have known it was as old as it is (and thus learning about it as a kid), seeing as the Iowa plate used is the solid blue one that hasn't been used since '95. :P

Henry Inman's reproduction of Charles Bird King's destroyed "Sequoyah"
It was really cool seeing this (and so many other paintings) in the Portrait Gallery that, growing up, you see so many times in textbooks, then finally get to see the actual one right in front of you. :)

Joseph Duplessis' "Benjamin Franklin"
Another of those portraits that it's cool when you see it all the time (and in this case, also on the $100 bill), and then you get to see it in person.

Gilbert Stuart's "George Washington" (Lansdowne portrait)
And another.

George P.A. Healy's "Abraham Lincoln"
And yet another.

Andy Warhol's "Marilyn Monroe"
Again, one of those works you see time and again.

Louis Glanzman's "Neil Armstrong"
On a completely unrelated note, how cool is it that, both this and the Warhol from the Air and Space Museum of Aldrin, with how my naming system for the pics to be posted online (it doesn't show nearly as well for the other, since all the underscores were removed during upload to the photo hosting site I use), just happened to come up as #11?! :D

Susan Miller-Havens' "Carlton Fisk"
Now, honestly, what kind of White Sox fan would I be if I didn't take a picture of this portrait of Pudge when I saw it in the Champions exhibit? :P

Now, the first two floors of the museum were pretty typical, but each was also unique. When I reached the third floor, this is NOT what I was expecting to see hehe. This is the view of the Great Hall from the main stairs.

And the western wing branching off of the Great Hall. The upper level is the Champions exhibit, while behind me, on the upper level of the eastern wing was the Bravo! exhibit, which was actors and musicians.

After meeting back up with everyone else, after a brief drive-by of the DAR Museum (Mom, Grandma and Diane are all members), and by virtue of where things were located, the White House, we began making our way to the FDR Memorial (and also seeing if we could spot the MLK Memorial, listed on our maps as opening in 2011) before leaving D.C. and heading back to the condo. En route, we got a nice view of the Lincoln Memorial again. Aside from the fence and the dump truck, you'd never know there was no Reflecting Pool there.

Me and my mom at one of the many fountains at the FDR Memorial.

I was still exhausted from all the walking to and from the art museum, and my back was killing me. While we were waiting for Mom to catch up (she was taking TONS of pictures), I went ahead and laid back on one of the stone benches while everyone else sat (no idea where Bruce ran off to though). It's amazing how good laying on stone like that can feel when your back is hurting so much hehe. So good in fact, I wasn't able to get up on my own. Well.... I'm sure the stone didn't help in that department either hehe.

From the shore of the Tidal Basin at the FDR Memorial. A nice little panorama with both the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial.

We didn't plan much for Tuesday, as Rebecca was going to be meeting up with us on her way back home after being in Ohio with her family. So we went to the relatively near by New Market Battlefield (was only a half-hour or so away). After stopping at the place that had a huge sign saying "Purchase battlefield and museum tickets here" and going in to the museum.... things seemed strange. I mean, it started off with this display; Roman and Greek stuff. Of course, knowing my love for ancient Rome and Greece, that didn't bother me any hehe.

A Greek helmet.

A Roman bracelet.

An Egyptian ibis figurine. So yeah.... as you can see, so far, nothing remotely related to the Civil War, or the battle from it the museum is supposed to be commemorating.

A wanted poster from the Lincoln assassination. The only reason really we took this picture is that one had just been featured on an episode of Pawn Stars hehe (May 30th to be exact, so a week and a half before we left).

A Nazi U-boat War Badge. Now, the ONLY reason I took this picture is because in Silent Hunter III, where you play as a U-boat captain, you can award it to your crew and receive it yourself. Otherwise I'd have never taken this pic hehe.

Same thing with this Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (well, at least with the you being able to receive it anyway). Of course, after doing some research while doing these pics (I didn't look that closely at the info next to it hehe) I find that there was only one ever awarded.... period. So considering how rare those wanted posters are as well, I'm now doubting whether either one of them were the real deal.

The museum certainly looked legit, but as it turns out, it's kind of a scam. Well, "scam" isn't really the right word. Technically it is legit, but it isn't associated with the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, which is what 99.999% of people would be wanting to visit coming this way hehe. I mean, they do own some of the battlefield land, and they do have the museum with military stuff in it. It's just a very tiny portion of the battlefield (I think it was something like five acres, compared to the 493 acres the actual State Park owns), and is more than just the Civil War.

This is the museum people actually come down the road to see hehe.

So the Battle of New Market took place on this farm. So in addition to the field itself, they also have the farm residence stuff there to look thru. Of course, what 19th century farm is complete without a house-turned-restroom? :P But no, this apparently was the house of the couple who lived on the farm before their bigger house right next to it was constructed.

Just me walking across a section of the battle field. There was certainly an odd feeling though thinking that 150 years ago, so many people died right were I was walking around. At the end of the day though, I was going to this one overlook to see if it was this one Grandma wanted to see (there was this story in the museum revolving around it of a Confederate soldier who tended to wounded Union soldiers mid-battle). It wasn't (and in fact, looking into it right now..... wasn't even from the same battle hehe).

At the overlook I was scoping out, there were dragonflies EVERYWHERE! Now, it'd had literally been something like 25 or more years since I had seen a dragonfly (before Jared was born we lived in a trailer park, and there was this HUGE dragonfly that was chasing me (I may have been little, but this thing was at least a foot long!)), so seeing so many (even if tiny) was pretty cool. :)

After we got back to the resort and were around just relaxing for a while, eventually Rebecca and her daughter arrived! :D At one point while Becky and I were just chatting, Lizzy wanted someone to read to her (Rebecca (with some help from me hehe) had already read to her.... the same book :P), and eventually she found Dad. Added bonus of this picture, you can see a bit of the condo I've been talking about so much hehe.

The next morning we had a deer hanging around the patio (as per usual hehe), so we went ahead and went outside (as per usual again hehe). The deer came up to Lizzy, and while I was trying to get a pic, Bruce or Diane got this one. :) Unfortunately though, I wasn't able to get a pic myself, as I just couldn't get the camera to focus. :(

While they were back in Ohio, Rebecca's mom gave Lizzy some bead necklaces. While they were staying with us, she had fun sharing them with her new buddies. Of course, those new buddies did NOT include Mom, Diane or Grandma hehe. But anyway, during breakfast, I got all the necklaces given to me. :)

So the big plan for the day was to visit Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We wanted to go anyway, but figured we'd ask Rebecca if she'd be interested in joining us, as it'd literally be on her way home, and it'd be something to do. :) She said it sounded like fun, so they came with us. :) I went ahead and rode down with them, and making our way up from the parking lot, Lizzy walked with me. So here's a pic Mom took of us. :)

A picture of Rebecca and Lizzy among the little garden area down at the visitor center, before we made our way up the mountain to the house. One of them wanted to have a picture taken of the two of them, while the other wanted to play a bit and walk around on top of the edge of the fountain area. Can you guess which was which? :P

A view of Monticello itself. And for those not familiar enough with it, it's the building on the back of the nickel (at least the older ones). Unfortunately a storm had recently wreaked havoc to the estate, knocking over some trees, so there was some work being done, so it wasn't quite the sight as it could have been. Was still beautiful though, despite the yellow tape and heavy equipment. :)

Another of Monticello.

Since it had been six and a half years since we had seen each other, Rebecca and I HAD to get a picture together at some point! And really, what better place? :) Man it looks so much better than our old pic hehe.

Another pic of the two of us, although this one was taken by Lizzy, who was enjoying playing with the camera. :) Got to love the "artistic" slant! :P

For lunch, we all headed down the road to Michie Tavern, which is an establishment that's been around since before Jefferson was President, and retains that feel. Anyway, Lizzy wanted to sit next to her new best buddy, so we ended up getting a pic of the two of us after we were done eating. :)

We then took another pic with Rebecca too. :)

And then we also got one last pic taken of all eight of us!

After lunch, Rebecca and Lizzy left so they could beat the traffic. But Bruce, Diane, Mom and I wanted to go back up, as there were some things we didn't see before lunch. While we were back, Mom insisted I have a picture taken in the garden pavilion.

And for comparison's sake, here's the pavilion (and a small section of the vegetable garden in front of it). It wasn't some grand room or anything that the previous picture was taken in hehe. Just a little place next to the garden where Jefferson would come to relax, and that looked out down the mountainside (and to the visitor center).

The main reasoning for heading back up to the house after lunch was to visit Jefferson's grave.

Thursday we figured would be a relaxing day of not going anywhere, and just enjoying the resort before packing up for our Friday morning check-out. So naturally, there wasn't much to take pictures of other than the wildlife we saw, which while we were out, was limited to one of the family of deer. :)

All week long, we were unofficially keeping tabs on who took the best wildlife picture while we were there. There were some really good ones, but I think this one I took was named the winner. :) It was so cute, Grandma even wanted a copy printed out for herself! Not many of the pics from the trip got that honor! :)

So as a last minute plan, we decided that after checking-out, instead of returning home the way we came (south thru Cincinnati), we would go north thru Pennsylvania and Columbus, solely so we could make one last tourist stop at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, as that had some stuff Grandma was interested in and didn't mind seeing. One of the very first planes you see when you enter is an SR-71A Blackbird.

A picture of me with the Blackbird. And behind it you can even see a little bit inside the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. ;)

Next to the Blackbird was a little area displaying Transformers, since there was a scene in one of the movies that actually took place at the hangar (with the Blackbird itself being Jetfire). Naturally, included in the display was this one. :)

Another view of the SR-71. Also in the picture (albeit cluttered, and thus hard to see) are the Enola Gay and the Concorde. Can you see them? :P

Me with the F-14D Tomcat, or as Mom called it, the Top Gun plane. :P Just beyond the nosecone, you can also see the X-35B Joint Strike Fighter (and an engine for it).

Me with the X-35B JSF.

Another view of the JSF, and its engine.

And F-4S Phantom II. Another one of those things I really only have included because of a game hehe. My fighter jet combat sim game on the computer has a Vietnam campaign that naturally relies heavily on the F-4.

Okay, funny story about this pic! :D Mom and I had just finished walking down this little stretch of planes, with her taking a picture of every one (fortunately, that eventually ended, else we'd have not seen ANYTHING!), and literally after taking this pic, she asks me, "Do they have any MiGs here?" My response? "You just took a picture of one." :P Now, naturally, she only knew of the MiG name from Top Gun, and was looking for the MiG-28. Of course, that plane doesn't actually exist hehe, but I guess she thought "MiG" was the plane name (like Tomcat or Blackbird), and not the manufacturer. Anyway, this is a MiG-21F Fishbed.

A panorama of the aircraft at the northern end of the hangar.

A view inside the James S. McDonnel Space Hangar. And more importantly, the centerpiece of the collection (until it gets replaced by the recently retired Discovery), Space Shuttle Enterprise. Of course, I have a hard time calling Enterprise a space shuttle, seeing as it never actually flew in space hehe. It was just a prototype to test the gliding and landing capabilities of the shuttle design. Of course, prior to our getting there, Bruce insisted on saying I was wrong about that. I wasn't, and when we were there, had my proof to back it up. :P How dare he question my space exploration knowledge! :P

Me with Enterprise. May not have actually ever flown in space, but it's still cool nonetheless. Even with a Star Trek name. :P

Another view of Enterprise.

A model of the New Horizons robotic spacecraft that is currently en route for an encounter with Pluto (and maybe other Kuiper Belt objects (if any are near its flight trajectory)), slated for July 14, 2015.

Back in 2007, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars, the Post Office put out a series of these R2-D2 mailboxes across the country. Unfortunately, the only one in Iowa (and anywhere remotely close to me) was in Des Moines, so I never got a chance to see them "in the wild." :(

Here's a picture of me with James Irwin's lunar suit that he wore during Apollo 15. I still get a kick out of seeing how small it seems next to me, but that's what happens when there's a 7" height differential between me and the person the suit was custom made for. :P

"Who's the best pilot y'ever saw?"

Nope, I didn't forget about my movie quotes! Just haven't had one until now. :P But here's the helmet Gordon "Gordo" "Hot Dog" Cooper used in training for his Mercury 9 mission.

Me with Freedom 7 II, the capsule Alan Shepard was slated to return to space in for Mercury 10, but the program was canceled after Cooper's successful flight, to make way for Gemini, and eventually Apollo. Can't feel too sorry for him about that though. I mean, instead, after originally being slated for Apollo 13, he got pushed back to Apollo 14, where he got to play golf on the Moon. :P

Gemini VII, which was the capsule used for Jim Lovell's first spaceflight. Geez.... hard to imagine having to sit in there for 14 days like they did!!!

The supersonic airliner Concorde!

It was not even remotely easy to find a place to take a halfway decent picture of me with the Concorde. Unlike the other larger craft on display, the Concorde was surrounded by smaller aircraft, jam-packed in, leaving little room around it. Plus, it sat higher than the others (the Enola Gay was propped up, so that was different), so getting a picture with it, and still being able to recognize it as the Concorde was next to impossible. Fortunately Mom and I took the stairway that wrapped around the elevator up to the top walkway instead of the elevator itself, and came across this angle. Yay for taking the stairs!!! :D

The Concorde from above. And as you can see, like I said, they really jam-packed the planes in there at this end hehe.

Another shot of the Concorde, as well as the other planes at the southern end of the hangar.

Up on the top level walkway, me with Grandma and Bruce.

A panoramic shot of the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, the bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb in combat (Little Boy) onto Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945.

Me with the Enola Gay.

Another picture of the Enola Gay.

And yet another Enola Gay shot. This one though looking towards the northern end of the hangar, and where you can also see the SR-71 and F-4 from before.

Me with the Enola Gay again, this time at cockpit level. I gotta say, I was amazed at just how small the cockpit actually was. Hard to imagine one person fitting in there with room to move about, much less two. Of course, this is also coming from someone who's 6'3", so that might have something to do with that hehe.

Not entirely sure why I didn't do this at the other Air & Space Museum, but I went ahead and did a batch of some of the elongated pennies (even if they were ridiculously priced!), seeing as they were for the SR-71, Concorde, Space Shuttle and Apollo 11 (although the only Apollo 11 stuff they had at this Air & Space Museum were the flotation collar and bags from Columbia), as well as an astronaut one. After all, I had to get something to fill the Air & Space souvenir penny collection book that I had gotten for some unknown reason. :P