Vacation in D.C.

Tillie and arrived in D.C. late on Saturday night and checked into the JW Marriott, which is literally a block from the White House. For all of you who travel, check out priceline.com. I've been able to book amazing hotels for very cheap prices. The next day in D.C. we walked around and saw all the main sights. My parents always tried to take us to D.C. for vacation as kids, but Anne and I never wanted to go there. I was missing out. Despite the high crime rate and ridiculous traffic, D.C. is an amazing place. It is so close to so many other cities, and the monuments and attractions are neverending. We picked two great day to be there as the Cherry Blossom Festival was going on. Right about this time every year the cherry blossom trees bloom, and the Tidal Basin area of D.C. is absolutely gorgeous. People were everywhere, and the weather was amazing. We finally got pretty worn out and traveled up to Columbia, Maryland to stay with Bronk and Jess Harms. Bronk is a chapter brother of mine, and it was great to see he and Jess, along with their new Boxer Poncha. I would love to live out in this area, but property is so expensive. You definitely pay for all of the opportunities in the area. The next morning Tillie and I woke up and traveled to Annapolis, Maryland (the home of the Naval Academy) Annapolis is a neat town and we took a boat cruise to see the harbor that it lies on. From Annapolis, we drove to Mount Vernon, the retirement home of George Washington. The estate is huge and it would take a long time to see everything. It's very odd to see old slave houses and how they were used to do much work. I'm not used to seeing that stuff in Iowa. We ended up the day back in D.C. walking the Mall area and going to Captiol Hill. I'm amazed by the security in that area. Bronk met Tillie and I at the MCI center to see the Wizards take on the Milwaukee Bucks. Not the best game, but I'm able to check that venue off of my list. Overall, the vacation was awesome and it was great to see Tillie, who I don't see enough on my travels.