So I've hit several states since I last posted. Well, some before I did, actually (MA, CT, NY, and then NJ). I drove south through New Jersey down into Delaware and Maryland two days ago, and I arrived at my hotel in Greenbelt, Maryland, the site of the very last stop on the Green line of the DC Metro. I haven't actually ever stopped in Delaware, so I hesitate to count it as a state I've "set foot in," but I figure when you pay EIGHT DOLLARS to drive through a TINY section of a very small state, then that totally counts enough for me.
I originally planned on visiting the Goddard Space Center after arriving on Tuesday, but I got a late start and then had to wait around to replace a belt at Pep Boys in New Jersey. It was squealing, so my friend Ruth's dad dropped me off there as I left their house. It honestly would have been a super quick job...if they'd had both of the belts I needed. They originally thought they could get one from their store in the next town over, and the manager drove all the way over to get it...but they didn't have it after all. They managed to track one down at another store, but then that necessitated waiting an additional 45 minutes to get that belt. Once they got it, I swear it was on the car in about 10 minutes. To which I say: really? Really, car, REALLY???
I visited the National Museum of American History yesterday, which was interesting, but surprised me. I was expecting a lot more Revolutionary War stuff, I guess, and instead there were things like Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter costume. I did really like the "America on the Water" exhibit, and "America on the Move" was pretty cool. The "America at War" exhibit was also really interesting, but I cry foul on there being NOTHING about submarines at all in the World War II section. Especially seeing as THEIR OWN WEBSITE says:
"submarines comprised less than 2 percent of the U.S.
Navy, but sank over 30 percent of Japan's navy, including eight aircraft
carriers. More important, American submarines contributed to the virtual
strangling of the Japanese economy by sinking almost five million tons
of shipping—over 60 percent of the Japanese merchant marine."
My grandfather served on submarines before we even joined the war (he told a story about how they were patrolling the Panama Canal when they heard about Pearl Harbor and immediately zipped through the canal to head towards Hawaii...it was a long trip, and by the time they got there, all they had left for provisions was some water and lima beans...and that was where my grandfather's hatred of lima beans started), and he worked on them for years afterward, even after leaving the service. I mean, seriously, he worked on building the USS Albacore, and the speed it reached is STILL classified.
And, wow, what a tangent. Today I walked the monuments. That was really interesting, but perhaps the coolest thing happened as I walked down the street from the White House. All the sudden the cops were blocking off traffic and waving people through. I was waiting at a cross-walk to be able to cross. Eventually another cop waved those of us waiting away from the the crosswalk, even. At that point, we were all intrigued, and so we waited. Then we heard the sirens coming, and a motorcade started coming down the street. It was Michelle Obama being escorted back to the White House. Seriously cool.
What was not seriously cool was me neglecting to put on sunblock. My shoulders are beet red. Or is that beat red? Red as a beet or red as if I've been beaten? I'm hoping it's the former.
No comments:
Post a Comment