Planning Trips

I have had fun looking for things to do for this summer. I have two trips planned. First off, I'll be flying in to Washington, D. C. in a couple of weeks to visit Hans and his family. I have been to our nation's capital only once - back in 1967. Steve and I had bought our first new VW Beetle and first movie camera for this trip.

We drove east to Gettysburg and then to Washington, D. C. We toured the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, took the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument and walked down the stairs. Boy, did our knees hurt the following day! Did you know that inside the memorial are commemorative stones from individuals, civic groups, cities, states and countries that wanted to honor the memory of George Washington?  There are a total of 898 steps. An earthquake hit the Virginia area in 2011 and caused damage to the memorial. Since that time, no one is permitted to use the stairs.

We went to the Lincoln Memorial and also to John F. Kennedy's grave site. At that time, it was very simple and surrounded by a white picket fence.

(I took this photo off the Internet)

We toured one portion of the Smithsonian Institute – the building that houses the Hope Diamond and the First Ladies' dresses. We also drove to Mount Vernon and then took in a baseball game at D. C. Stadium. Vice President Hubert Humphrey was also at the game. I tried to go over to greet him, but the Secret Service would not allow me into that section, even though I was from Minnesota.

During this upcoming trip, Hans is going to take me on a tour of the Pentagon. I hope to see his office and possibly take a photo of him sitting at his desk!

In July I'm going to go to Ely, Minnesota, for a couple of days with my sister. At the same time, Peder and his family, plus our cousin Linda, and Peder's in-laws have rented cabins at a resort there. We'll be able to go to their resort during the day and then spend our nights at a hotel in the town. I have never been to this part of our state, so am looking forward to that.