We had a lazy morning and it felt good!  I made sausage and eggs for breakfast while we talked about what we wanted to do today.

Ken was pretty worn out from walking all over the battlefields yesterday, so he really wanted to lay low today.  I think he really just wanted to stay home by himself so he could watch the Mecum Auto Auction on TV in peace and quiet.

The rest of us decided it would be a good day to go to The National Mall and visit some of the Smithsonian’s.  It was a rainy day, so it made sense to stay indoors.

We got to the mall area around 10:00 a.m. and practically had the place to ourselves. It was strange to see it so empty.

Steve and Dick On The National Mall

The Washington Monument and The Capitol looked so beautiful.

The Capitol From Our View This Morning

The Washington Monument

While I had been to the Smithsonian’s before, somehow I missed going to the Smithsonian Castle itself, so that was our first stop.

Inside The Smithsonian Castle

I was fascinated by the story of the Founder of the Smithsonian, James Smithson.  He was British and left his sizable estate to The United States, even though he had never stepped foot in the country!.  He gave this gift with the understanding that it would be used to create an institution where people could freely come and increase their knowledge.

We spent quite a bit of time in the Castle, and then went to the Museum of Natural History.  This place is unbelievable!  There are so many fascinating exhibits of animals of all types (some extinct) and many I had never heard of.  Steve and I spent our time looking at all the interesting critters, while Dick spent most of his time looking at the geology and mineral exhibits.

One of the more famous gems at the museum is the Hope Diamond. It was fascinating to be standing right next to it, but I didn’t think it looked too much like a diamond.

The Hope Diamond

There was a stunning exhibit of an aquamarine gem just around the corner from the Hope diamond, and we all thought it was gorgeous!

Aquamarine Gem

After a couple of hours at the museum, we were starting to get hungry so we boarded a “Circulator” bus, thinking it would get us near our destination, “The Old Ebbitt Grill”, which is right across from the White House.

Well…..guess we screwed up, cause we found ourselves making a big loop around the mall and coming back to the same place we started!

Apparently, there are different colors of Circulator buses, and we picked the wrong color….lol.

No worries, we got set straight by the driver and soon we were on the right bus.  It got us “sort of” close to our lunch spot, but we still ended up walking a half a mile or so, which was fine because it wasn’t raining at that time.

The Oldest Dining Saloon In D.C.

We thought it would be fun to eat at The Old Ebbitt Grill because of its’ history. It has been around since 1856…..if only the walls could talk.

Instead of a table, we opted to sit at the bar…..we had drinks and sandwiches. They were good, but the restaurant is much more about the ambiance than the food.

Me and Steve at The Old Ebbitts Grill

We got back home around 6:00 pm, and the rain really started coming down.  It’s a quiet evening for us tonight….we’re going to stay inside, watch a little football and call it an early night.

Exciting night in the trailer