June 28-30, 2013, Christie's Arrival Weekend

Christie Victoria Vernon (CVV) arrived at Dulles Airport (IAD) Friday night on time. She was characteristically full of energy and enthusiasm. Her travel from Bucharest via Heathrow to IAD as an unaccompanied minor went smoothly, and the British Air staff were competent and pleasant. She was proud of being the youngest one in the group. Travel is obviously her milieu. We enjoyed a relatively quiet weekend, expecting that she would be jet-lagged, though she didn't show any signs of it!

Saturday we rode around the monuments so she could get her bearings, followed by lunch at the well-known Old Ebbitt Grill on 15th St. near the White House. Sunday she and I took the X2 bus down to the Smithsonian's Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art  at 8th and F Streets, NW.

CVV loves the Washington Post, esp. the comics.

Lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill

The beautiful courtyard between the Portrait Gallery and the Museum of American Art

The quiet, flat pool in the courtyard

July 1-12, 2013 Theater Camp at the Atlas Theater on H St. NE

This summer day camp is offered by Adventure Theater, a well-respected children's theater group and housed at the Atlas Theater, three blocks from our house. It was an easy walk over for the 9 a.m. start and back at 4 p.m. when camp ended for the day.

There were 19 girls and 3 boys, all just as cute as can be. Christie was a bit of a phenomenon because she came from so far away. Most of the other kids are from the Capitol Hill neighborhood. She loved it, and so did we. Sadly, copyright restrictions prevented us from taking photos of the play during the performance.

First day of camp

studying the new script, CVV plays "Nimble Tongue"!

The set

CVV and her close friends

July 4, 2013, Celebration at the Key Bridge Marriott

Months before CVV's visit, we decided to seek a place to celebrate the 4th that would avoid the heat, crowds, and security restrictions on the Mall. Remembering that the Key Bridge Marriott has good views of the monuments and the river, we reserved a room there, which the hotel upgraded to a nice one bedroom suite overlooking Georgetown U.

Our friend & neighbor, Jan, and her family and friends joined us for a fine evening of picnic foods, wine, beer, and lemonade. When it was time to watch the fireworks, we went upstairs to the ballroom for the best view.

UNFORGETTABLE July 4th!

Our view across the river to Georgetown University

CVV loved those chicken wings, and Bill enjoyed her delight.

Jamie and Alan

Frank

Top floor ballroom view of the fireworks

CVV and Bill hit it off

Alan and Jan

July 6-7, 2013, At home, "Despicable Me2" at Regal Cinema Gallery Place, and dinner at Zengo

Given the extremely hot weather and the busy weeks before and after, we spent a relatively quiet weekend at home. We did take the X2 Bus over to 7th and H Streets NW to see a movie and have dinner at one of our faves, Zengo, where CVV graciously tried some new foods. A perfect weekend.

Zengo for dinner

watching House Hunters International on HGTV, our little addiction

July 13, 2013, Lincoln's Summer Cottage and tea at the Mayflower Hotel

President Lincoln and his family spent several summers on the grounds of the "Soldiers' Home" off North Capitol Street. It is a gorgeous spot that in the 1860s had a full view of the city and the Potomac River, now obscured by huge trees. Each day Mr. Lincoln rode on horseback the few miles up and down the hill to and from the White House. Apparently he was usually unescorted, but once people learned of his habits, he was accosted with entreaties every day.

The cottage was recently restored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and it's shown without furnishings to allow each visitor to envision it as she/he wishes.

After the tour, we drove over to the Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Avenue, one of CDV's favorites, for tea. It was a lovely tea, despite the fact that the gorgeous old dining room has now been converted to a private rental space, so all food is served in the "Edgar Bar," named for FBI Chief, J. Edgar Hoover, who ate lunch in the former dining room nearly every day.

back entrance where visitors enter

"Soldiers' Home" Grounds today. Peaceful and beautiful. Across the street from a huge Civil War cemetery.

July 14, 2013, National Building Museum and a puzzle challenge at home

This terrific and fun museum was created in the mid-1980s from the post-Civil War Pension Building. A current exhibit with two 9-hole miniature golf courses was the specific draw today, but it's always a perfect place to take kids of all ages, especially when the weather outside is too hot or too cold.

National Building Museum web site

This was one of CVV's favorites for hands-on construction of a structure.