Virginia Trip

Oh yes. It blew the freezer door open and, with the door opened, it was as if it was snowing inside the freezer the whole time. The freezer kept running, so the cold from the freezer kept meeting the warmth from the room, and the result was very much like snow. Fortunately, there was nothing else in there because it's our little refrigerator, used mostly for storing pop, juice, and other drinks.

 

Sometimes they explode while I'm here but, of course, I notice it before things get too far out of hand, and I can clean it up before my wife notices. I like my pop cold, preferably with some ice floating inside of it, so I will often put one in the freezer for a while before opening it.

 

It's that time again, or almost. Friday, we'll be heading to Virginia to visit our daughter's grave at Arlington with our grandchildren and their father, then spending a week there, visiting more places in Washington DC. We haven't decided where we'll be going there yet, other than the Museum of the Bible, which opened recently. We'll be spending a week there so, adding a couple of days getting there and another couple of days getting back, we'll be gone for nearly two weeks. Usually, we plan to visit Washington, DC several times during our stay there, but end up only going out a couple of times. Probably, we'll do the Pentagon tour this time around because we talked about doing that last time. As always, I'll still be online every day, just not throughout the day.

 

We are at our usual place, at Virginian Suites in Arlington, Virginia. Today, my wife and I went to the new Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. It hasn't been open long, and I'm sure they'll be adding more stuff to it, as there are some empty spaces, even a few empty rooms. But there is quite a bit there. More than we could see in a day, and spend enough time with it. Probably its largest exhibit, as might be expected, was of Bibles of all sorts, all ages, and languages, from scraps of ancient manuscripts and scrolls to modern language Bibles, and various translations. A hand-held device is available that acts as a private tour guide that can be done at your own pace, as it tells you about each of the exhibits and provides additional related information. It allows you to just click on stuff as you come across it, or to custom plan a tour, as it knows where you are in the building.

There is also a very well done set of films that cover a synopsis of the Bible from creation to the apostles. Some of it is viewed in theater style, while others parts of it require walking from one room to another, as other parts of it are displayed. We both enjoyed it, and we'll bring our grandchildren to this part of it the day after tomorrow, as they will be with us then. There are enough flash and noise that I think it'll keep them involved.

One of the best parts, however, is built to portray a section of a town in the Holy Land during the time of Jesus. It includes several buildings, including a small synagogue that you can walk into, some with things to see, while others have people in period dress who do a living history presentation. This will also be on our agenda with the kids, as I think they'll like it. I don't think they'll be much interested in the ancient Bibles and manuscripts, or in the pottery displays, but we'll probably take them through a walk through that section to see how it goes.

My only complaint might be the result of the newness of the museum, as it just opened, but most of the people who work there aren't particularly friendly, and their security staff gives the impression that they are about to tackle you to the floor at any moment. I know they need the security people, of course, but the ones in the Smithsonian museums are generally pretty friendly and helpful and are able to go about their jobs without looking like they're just waiting for someone to slip up so they can pound them into the floor. Again, it might be that they haven't been there long enough to be helpful so all they can do is watch every move you make.

 

Yesterday, we went to the National Archive Museum. We were there last year or the year before, but we were hurried that day, so we went back to see whatever we might have missed. It wasn't as interesting as the Museum of the Bible, but it was okay.

 

Possibly, but they're vigilant everywhere, but they seem to be more approachable and less cold at the Smithsonian museums, or even the government museums, White House, etc.

 

I just got back from our second trip to the Museum of the Bible, and people were a little more polite today, maybe because we had the kids with us. The mock section of a Nazareth village was a big hit with the kids. The other day, they had someone playing the part of a period rabbi, and today they had someone playing the part of a carpenter (not Jesus). That has to be a tough job because they not only have to learn the spiel that they will repeat over and over but also answer questions in character. The kids liked the village, and one movie that we went to and, of course, the play area. We still haven't seen half of the museum.