Michelle and I will be leaving tomorrow morning for a one-week trip to Virginia and back. We'll be meeting the grandkids and their father there, spend some time together, then attend a concert that our grandson has at his school in Baltimore before returning home. I'll be online every day because I will still have work to do online, and because I'd miss you guys if I didn't, but I won't be on all day every day.
Oh how lovely to go away and see the family for a while Ken... is there any snow in Virginia? How far is it from Maine?
Safe travels to you both and hearts full of cherished memories to bring back with y'all @Ken Anderson and @Michele Anderson. Take some photos to share if you have time.
Okay, we've made it to Arlington without incident. Tomorrow, we'll visit a couple of places in Washington. D.C. We've been to D.C. a few times already so we're probably going to look for some of the ones we haven't already been to, such as the American Indian Museum and the Newseum. The grandkids will be here Tuesday, I think, so we'll be with them that day. Then maybe another day or two in Washington, D.C. We're at the Virginian in Arlington. We've stayed here before. It's a little higher end than we usually choose but since we're going to be here for nearly a week, it's nice to have a full kitchen, etc. I like it. My only complaint is that they don't let you carry your own stuff up, and I much prefer carting my own baggage to my room rather than getting hit for a tip for someone else to do it. That's just me, though. My wife likes that about the place.
Gaming Atmosphere vs. Tourist Stay-over: Folks flying the excursion flights to Laughlin/Bullhead City Airport, from over 100 cities U.S. and Canada, enjoy the no-tip luggage thing without carrying their own. The deal is very reasonable. For example, our friends Gary & Vonda flew in from South Bend, IN, round-trip fare $249, which includes airfare, 4 nights, free bus to hotel from and back to airport, and the luggage was brought by the carrier direct to their room. The hotel we think figures given sufficient perks, folks are more inclined to gamble, perhaps due to feeling indebted to the casino! So goes the situation here. No regularly scheduled flights, 217,000 passenger arrivals in 2015! Strictly the special excursion flights, which are usually booked full at least a month in advance. Frank
The American Indian museum was good, but it could be better, in my opinion. There are more photographs than artifacts, and many of the artifacts were of recent origin. It was a little heavy on Mayan, Incan, Hawaiian, and Inuit culture, and not so much of the American Indians that I would be more familiar with, but that's just a matter of personal tastes, I suppose. Still, it's free and you can easily spend several hours there without getting bored. There are also a few theaters that give you a break from walking, as well as a restaurant that features American Indian cuisine, where I had the best Chile Rellano that I have had since leaving the Rio Grande Valley. It was a completely different taste than the Tex-Mex version of a Chile Rellano, but very good and very hot. We decided to leave the Neweum for day after tomorrow, when we could devote a full day to it.