Washington’s Wilderness
You wouldn’t think the urban centers around Washington,
DC would be surrounded by wilderness, but that is exactly what we found sailing
up the Potomac River. For hours at
a time we saw nothing but trees, ospreys, herons, and even a pair of bald
eagles diving for fish. At dusk on
our second day, we eased our way into the anchorage below Mount Vernon and
though it may sound cliché, it really did feel like we had stepped back in
time. The next morning, we toured
the mansion and the grounds, and enjoyed a surprise encounter with Mary and
Coleen from Glass Slipper, whom we’d
last seen in Georgetown months earlier.
While Jeanette and Coleen reveled in their reunion, Ken and I caught up
with Mary and shared ideas and tips for haul-outs and “the trip back” (i.e.,
returning to the Bahamas). We
spent another quiet night at Mt. Vernon and, in the morning, followed Glass Slipper upriver to DC proper.
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| George and Martha's house |
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| Jeanette with Washington's personal body slave |
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| Jeanette and Coleen at the wheat threshing barn |
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| Jeanette and Coleen getting a friend fix |
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| Dream Catcher below Mt. Vernon |
Helicopter Highway
The anchorage in DC is in the Washington Channel – a
would-be peaceful spot nestled between a park and two marinas.
It also happens to be on the main
helicopter route to the White House.
Buzzing just overhead, the helicopter traffic started at dawn and
sometimes went until late at night.
Some days were busier than others, but I suppose we all got used to them
– even the cat, who initially ran below in terror at the start of each
whump-whump-whump coming up the channel.
The waterfront is also undergoing a major renovation with new docks
being installed and an entire complex of hotels, restaurants, bars, and
boutiques being rolled out in phases, beginning in 2017.
Between the helicopters, the DC cruise
boats bustling in and out, the waterfront construction, sailing classes, rowing
practices, and the occasional drifting boat, there was plenty of action on the
water.
And while the Washington
Channel may be a far cry from our tranquil anchorages down south, we enjoyed
every minute of our urban experience.
For one thing, we were a 15-minute walk away from the National Mall and
dozens of museums and monuments.
FREE!!
The metro and a
decent grocery store were two blocks away and the best fish market I’ve seen
since Pike Place was just a short dinghy ride up the channel.
What’s not to love?
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| Following Glass Slipper |
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The Mall
A typical day for us in DC was to work in the morning -
Jeanette is in school, after all - and visit museums and monuments in the
afternoon. What a luxury to not
have the time pressure of a compressed visit! We could see as much or as little of any given museum as we
wanted, knowing that we could come back again. Jeanette’s favorite was the Natural History Museum – even
though the dinosaur exhibit is closed for renovations. The National Gallery and the Botanical Gardens are always on my "must see" list - I could
go back to again and again to drink up the art and bask in the beauty of those incredible orchids. The Holocaust Museum – one that we did not, unfortunately,
explore thoroughly – was not what we expected and was very thought provoking. The Archives was another surprising
find and quite interesting. Ken
spent a lot of time at the Air and Space Museum and Museum of American
History. Both had their high
points and Jeanette and I made a couple of trips to the First Ladies Gowns
exhibit – needless to say, her dreams are bigger than mine were at her
age. We all learned a lot at the
Ford Museum and the Newseum was another big hit.
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| Air and Space Museum |
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| Jeanette working on her Junior Botanist Certificate at the National Botanical Gardens |
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| Polka dot orchid (not it's real name, but it should be!) |
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| National Gallery |
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| Women's suffrage monument |
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| Dedication of the Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial |
Old Friends, New Friends
We had the good fortune of catching up with a number of old
friends while we were in DC. From
childhood friends and schoolmates, to colleagues and family, we enjoyed
catching up and seeing favorite places through locals’ eyes. I also experienced my first “Boat Moms
Night Out” hosted by Tanya on Take Two,
and met some of the cruising families from the marina. While Take Two was soon on their way, I connected with Kimberly from Ally Cat and Monica from Flipper, two moms of 10-year-old only
girls – a definite score for Jeanette.
She had a great time playing with Ally and Lucia, who hooked her into
the marina kids and took her trick-or-treating at the air force base. Our friends on Makai also came to DC for a couple of weeks and we had a great time
exploring the sites with them. We
even got to see the President dedicate a new memorial to Disabled Veterans –
the first time any of us had seen a sitting president! Our stay also overlapped a business trip
for our San Francisco friends Michael and Lisa, as well as a business trip for
my brother Joe and his wife, Debbie.
It was so easy to be in DC – and so much fun – that we had a difficult
time pulling ourselves away!
Going Off The Mall
We also took some excursions off the Mall. We spent a gorgeous fall day picnicking
and hiking at Great Falls with my childhood friend, Florence and her husband,
Martin. Later, they hosted us at
their home for a dinner with their three wonderful children. It was fascinating to see their
high-school- and college-age kids and trying to imagine Jeanette at that
age. I’m so grateful that
parenting is a gradual process and that one generally has time to adjust to the
rapid development of children! Ken’s
cousin, Andrea, took us on several outings – Gettysburg, the Woodlawn Mansion,
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House, Alexandria, Harper’s Ferry, Arlington
Cemetery, and the Claude Moore Colonial Farm. It’s a wonder Jeanette got any schoolwork done!
Underway Again
Golden leaves and dropping temperatures were our signal that
it was time to move south once again. My
business trip to Portland, OR in early November kept us in DC longer than we
originally intended, but the moment I returned – literally – we weighed anchor
and set off. Nine days later, we
are in Charleston, SC, sitting out a blow and waiting for our next weather
window to sail to St. Augustine, FL.
Forecasts like those for tomorrow night (25 degrees!!!) are a great
motivator for moving south as quickly as possible. Eighty degrees can’t come soon enough!
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| Sailing wing-on-wing up the Neuse River in North Carolina |
