July 1

Today was our day in DC, but it didn't turn out exactly as planned.

We did brave morning traffic to reach the Capitol by 11 AM in order to take the tour arranged by one of Adam's co-workers, who was the former Chief of Staff of Texas Representative Roger Williams. Said-tour was given by a fleet-footed intern whose name none of us could recall by day's end, but he did an solid job of showing off the building (and wow, is it full of amazing design elements; somehow, I'd forgotten) and sharing relevant historical tidbits.

After we admired the rotunda (which is truly spectacular) and gazed at statues aplenty (including the plaster model of the Statue of Freedom that sits in the Visitor's Center, which much of my family joked was topped with a chicken head), we headed to the on-site restaurant for lunch. Without looking at the price tag, I'll admit that the food I had --a special-of-the-day reuben sandwich with fries-- was actually quite good. And everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals as well. And, fun factoid, we were sitting right there eating when the Senate voted to approve Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. Regardless of how you lean politically, it's kind of neat to have an "I was there when" kind of moment.

From there, we went outside, where it was hot. Hot and sticky and bright. And we started walking toward the Washington Monument. Partway there I pulled out my phone to check the weather app, and discovered that although it was only 91 degrees, the feels-like number was 102. And the sun --although it occasionally disappeared behind the clouds above-- was brutally intense. But we soldiered on. Isaac embraced the experience by executing a handstand in the foreground of the big obelisk, and we made it to said-landmark, and then continued on to the Lincoln Memorial, which wasn't as easy as usual since much of the mall is blocked off in preparation for the fourth of July fireworks show. 

After taking a breather at the top of the steps, we set off walking again, this time bound for a museum (so we could escape the heat). By this time, a thunderstorm was descending upon DC, and thunder boomed in the not-so-distant distance as we walked along. The sky behind us gradually darkened, and just moments after we ducked inside the National Museum of the American Indian, it let loose with driving rain, more thunder, flashes of lightning, and whipping wind. All five of us were parched from our time in the heat, so we secured water and found a seat in the cafe where we could watch the storm. And then while Abby and Brady continued to rest, Adam, Isaac, and I checked out some of the exhibits.

By then, it was nearly time to head to the Nationals stadium for tonight's baseball game, but Abby checked and discovered that the event had been postponed until tomorrow afternoon. So we pivoted, retrieved the car from the parking garage (where the valet had impressively maneuvered it into a teeny tiny corner) and began the long, trafficky trip back to Damascus. Since Isaac mused just yesterday that he wasn't sure if we'd be able to get Ledo pizza this trip, I suggested that we head there for dinner, so we did just that. And we were all reminded that crispy bacon on pizza --which was one of my grandma's favorites-- is indeed pretty awesome.

We finished the day back at Bobby and Reaya's house, where we watched a little TV with them before one at a time, heading off to bed. It's been a good day overall, and I'm thankful that we had the opportunity to get a taste of daily life on Capitol Hill. And I'm also thankful that the rain ushered in cooler temperatures!