Next on our adventure was Philadelphia, PA. It was fun to see the history of our country, up close and personal. We took tours of the liberty bell and the rooms where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written and signed. Our tour guide was both funny and knowledgeable and it made for a fun experience.
Tony said he can fix that!
We just so happened to have an umbrella, thank goodness as it rained all day.
And of course, ala "when in Rome", we had to get Philly Cheese-steak while in Philly. We were informed of the competing restaurants directly across the street from each other, both claiming to have the first/best Philly Cheese-steak in town.
Geno's and Pat's
Tony and I both agreed that Geno's was the winner. {ps-it was the bread that made the difference!}
After spending the day in Philly we headed to Baltimore for the night, and it was on to our nation's capitol the next day.
Now, Tony and I are pretty acclimated to AZ and the dry heat. Well DC was not that, 90's and humid was what we got! Blech! We walked past the Capitol building and the white house:
Then on to the National Mall, from one end to the other to see the Washington Monument, Vietnam War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Then we had to walk back {did I mention it was 90s and humid?}
Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument {under construction to fix cracks}
Reflecting pool that Tony kept referring to as the Forest Gump Pool.
Vietnam War Memorial.
We had had enough of the walking, and the heat, so we looked up Georgetown Cupcakes from the TLC show "DC cupcakes".
Man was that worth it! Not only is Georgetown gorgeous:
But the cupcakes were AMAZING!
Delicious and beautiful
Humming bird {banana with pineapple and nuts, cream cheese frosting}, carrot cake {with pineapple and nuts, cream cheese frosting}, and birthday cake {vanilla with butter-cream frosting}.
As we headed out of town, we went through Fairfax, VA, where I lived from 5th-7th grade. I did not think it was that long ago, but that was 1983-1985, 30 years ago! Man do I feel old!!!
My Virginia home.
Lobster dinner in VA. What's with the tiny fork for Tony's Shrek hands??
The last bit of our tour took us to Tennessee to visit my Aunt and Uncle, cousin and her family, and my Granny. I have no picture from this, and can't say that it was "fun" as my Granny has had health set backs and is in a nursing home. She did not seem to comprehend who I was and what was going on. That visit was hard, but we did have a nice dinner after, and I loved visiting with my family. My cousin and her kiddos have got to be the cutest humans on the planet! {not that I am partial, just stating facts!}
My whirl wind trip ended with me flying home from Nashville, back to real life, the kiddos and puppies....Oh yes, we now have two new family members, Sammie and Korra, our American Bulldog pups!
