"Mission Accomplished"

Tomorrow is the 5th Anniversary of the "Mission Accomplished" banner. Now in its sixth year, the War in Iraq has claimed the lives of at least 4,100 members of the U.S. Military plus hundred and hundreds of military and civilians in Iraq. And there is no end in sight.

Monday, April 21 -- Vacation Day 11

My son and daughter-in-law dropped us off at National Airport. Catherine had a Tall Caramel Frappacino while I tried to figure out the location of a Virtual Cache. It seemed rather complicated to get to the location so I gave up. I had a lemon poppy seed muffin (my all time favorite) at Starbucks. I purchased a small box of Junior Mints at Hudson Group so I would have change to purchase our mini-lunches during the flight. We left about 9:45 AM, changed planes in Chicago, and arrived in Portland about 3:00 PM. It was cold and rainy.

Sunday, April 20 -- Vacation Day 10

I woke early and read the third book of the “Jewel in the Crown” series. I had a cup of tea as I worked a Jelly Bean puzzle. We had a delicious brunch.

We visited the Monticello Visitor Center where I found a Virtual Cache and then walked around the grounds of Monticello. We had a 3:50 PM tour of the house. Afterwards we saw the outer buildings and cemetery, and walked downhill 1/3 mile back to the car.

We ate hamburgers and fries at Five Guys in Charlottesville. We found Christmas Tree #2 Cache. We drove back to Virginia during a rain and lightning storm.

Saturday, April 19 -- Vacation Day 9

I read a novel in the glass enclosed sun room overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains until lunch. Catherine was ill so she stayed at the house.

My son, daughter-in-law and I went geocaching. We went to Mint Springs Valley Park where we followed the Upper Lake Trail to the cache. They hiked up further on the trail to find another cache so I walked back on a different path. I found "Sole Survivor" (Virtual Cache) nearby at the memorial for the Piedmont Airline Flight 349 Crash.

We went to a community college in Charlottesville where we found the Claudius Crozet Cache. We stopped for treats at Dairy Queen. We drove to Waynesboro where I got photos and coordinates for a Cracker Barrel Restaurant Waymark. We stopped at Wal-Mart at 5:30 PM where we got a few groceries. We drove back along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Incredible scenery!

Friday, April 18 -- Vacation Day 8

Catherine and I visited Smithsonian National Zoological Park. We saw leopards, giant pandas, elephants, tigers, Iguana, meerkats, Great Apes and other primates, reptiles, Golden Lion Tamarinds, and many other animals and birds. I found Tiger Paws (Virtual Cache). It got too hot and way too crowded so we left the zoo about 2:00 PM to go across the street from the Zoo entrance to Starbucks where we had lunch. We boarded the Metro train only to have it break down. We boarded another Metro train and traveled to the Pentagon Station where we caught the bus.

Thursday, April 17 -- Vacation Day 7

Catherine and I rode to Crystal City. Fifty airplane statues (25 fighter jets and 25 vintage planes) had landed on the streets of Crystal City. The airplane at the Metro Station was called "Barnstorming" by Artist Matt Wuerker. I got a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit at McDonalds. We took the wrong Metro to the National Archives so we had to walk several blocks. I forgot the pink forms so we had trouble finding the correct entrance. We had a great tour.

We ate lunch at the National Gallery café near the waterfall. I had a lemon tart for dessert and Catherine got a single gelato. We toured the National Gallery of Art West Bldg. and then the East Bldg. As we were walking south to the Federal Center Metro Station we saw an accident between a cab and van at the corner of 4th and Independence Ave. SE. I left my name, address and phone number with the van driver as a witness.

We rode the Metro to Pentagon City. We ate early dinner at the Nordstrom café of Chinese Chicken Salads with crostinis. I purchased an ice cream dessert set of four bowls and four plates at Williams-Sonoma at 6:30 PM as a gift for my daughter-in-law. Catherine got a Tall Caramel Frappacino and I got shortbread cookies and tea at Starbucks. We rode the Metro to the Pentagon Station where we caught the bus.

Wednesday, April 16 –- Vacation Day 6

Catherine and I saw three deer on the way to Crystal City. We caught the Metro to D.C. We walked to the Jefferson Memorial and stopped briefly at The Castle. We walked through the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. I photographed the sculpture "Ad Astra," (Virtual Cache) in front of the National Air and Space Museum.

We walked to the circle in the center of “The Potomac” lobby to hear the echo at the National Museum of the American Indian. We had lunch in the Mitsitam Cafe. We watched a 13 minute film in the 120-seat circular Lelawi Theater titled “Who We Are” about contemporary Native life. We saw a mother duck with her four ducklings outside the museum. We walked through the outdoor garden and saw the entrance to the botanic garden (Virtual Cache).

We went to Senator Maria Cantwell’s office to take the guided tour of the Capitol. During the Capitol tour, I photographed two NGS Benchmarks: Center of Crypt – a 20 Point White Marble Star -- and Center of a Brass Grate located just north of the crypt. After the tour we walked to the Hart Bldg. where we saw Alexander Calder’s “Mountains and Clouds.” We walked south on 1st toward the Metro Station. I took a photo of the Library of Congress dome (NGS Benchmark). We counted the eyes at the Library of Congress building and then divided by two (Virtual Cache). We rode the Metro to Pentagon Station where we caught a bus.

Tuesday, April 15 –- Vacation Day 5

We rode to Crystal City where we took the Metro to the Smithsonian Station. We saw the WW II Memorial (Virtual Cache). We walked completely around the Tidal Basin while doing Virtual Caches: First Japanese Cherry Trees Plaque, MLK Plaque and FDR Memorial. We saw the Jefferson Memorial (Virtual Cache) which lies on the southeast side of the Tidal Basin.

We found the Virtual Cache at the Forest Service Info Center. We saw the tomb of James Smithson (Virtual Cache) in the Mortuary Chapel at The Smithsonian Castle. We had lunch at The Castle. We saw the world’s largest stuffed elephant and the 45.52 carats Hope Diamond at the Museum of Natural History. We visited the Sculpture Garden and Butterfly Garden. We walked to the nearest Metro Station.

Monday, April 14 -- Vacation Day 4

My daughter, Catherine, and I rode into Crystal City and took the Metro into D.C. I photographed “Freedom,” Thomas Crawford’s 1855 Statue (NGS Benchmark) standing on top of the Capitol cast iron dome. We saw The Summer House on the Capitol grounds by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (Virtual Cache).

A walk down Pennsylvania Avenue took us on the same route followed by presidents on Inauguration Day. We passed the National Gallery of Art East and West Bldgs., National Portrait Gallery, and the Tariff Bldg.(Hotel Monaco). I found “Neighbors” (Virtual Cache). I discovered an Inukshuk by Artist David Rubin. We passed the recently opened Newseum, National Archives, Department of Justice, and F.B.I. Building.

The restored Old Post Office Building (NGS Benchmark) had a great view from the tower. I took a photo of the Washington Monument 1913 (NGS Benchmark). Farther up Pennsylvania Avenue was a plaza laid out as a map of the old plan for the city (Virtual Cache). I found the statue of a General (Virtual Cache). I laid my geocaching and benchmarking papers on a bench to take some photos only to chase after a few of the pages on a very windy day. The Department of Treasury completed the view; behind it was the White House.

We found a NGS Benchmark near the Old Executive Office Building. We wandered past Lafayette Square and walked south to The Ellipse. We were not able to get near the Zero Milestone Marker (NGS Benchmark) and the Colorado Blue Spruce (Virtual Cache) as the area was blocked off for security. The Meridian Stone (NGS Benchmark) was fenced off for construction.

We saw the historic building at 17th St. NW and Constitution Ave. NW (Virtual Cache). Catherine and I split a Club Sandwich at Constitution Gardens while sitting on a park bench. We walked to the Lincoln Memorial (Waymark) with Daniel Chester French’s massive seated Lincoln. We were way too tired to climb the stairs. We walked back past the Korean War Memorial (Virtual Cache), Reflecting Pool, Declaration of Independence Memorial (Virtual Cache), and Washington Monument to the nearest Metro Station.

Sunday, April 13 –- Vacation Day 3

After breakfast we drove to Harpers Ferry. On the way we stopped at Monocacy River Valley Viewpoint (Frederick). The weather was on the cool side which kept down the crowds in Harpers Ferry. We went to the B&O Harpers Ferry Railroad Station and then wandered around for a couple hours. We saw John Brown Fort (Stronghold) Monument, Arsenal Square, Lower Town, Harpers Ferry Tunnel 1931, C&O Canal and Towpath Lock 33, St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church 1833 (NRHP), and Jefferson Rock.

We looked high and low for the cache “A Tale of 2 Cities – Harpers Ferry” but could not find it. I did find NGS Benchmark: P1 on a cannon base near the Harpers Ferry Bandstand (NGS Benchmark). We found a cache in a small community park – “A Tale of 2 Cities - Bolivar.” There was a small brick Pre Civil War Spring House at the front of the park. It evidently provided water to both the North and South during one of the many battles to occur in these two towns during the Civil War. We had dinner at Mountain View Diner in Charlestown, WV.

Saturday, April 12 -- Vacation Day 2

After breakfast, we drove north to Annapolis, Maryland in the pouring rain. On Route 50 a SUV hydroplaned in the far left lane. It spun and then spun around again, shattering the guard rail. One of the wheels rolled across the highway, hitting our car on the passenger front fender. We pulled over to the side of the highway. The SUV driver was only slightly hurt but his lab dog was flung out the back and had vanished. His vehicle was totaled. My son and the man tried to find the dog but were not successful.

We had lunch at the Federal House Bar & Grille in Annapolis. We walked up the street to the front of the State Capitol Building where we saw the statue of Roger Brooke Taney, Chief Justice of the United States of America (Dred Scott case). I saw the Maryland State Capitol Building Dome (NGS Benchmark) but failed to take a photograph. We walked through a couple museum-style gift shops. We drove through the Annapolis Naval Academy. On the way home we found the “Dark Side of the Moon (micro) Cache #6.”

Friday, April 11 -- Vacation Day 1

Friday, April 11 – My daughter, Catherine, and I traveled non-stop from Portland International Airport to Washington/Dulles Airport. We got our luggage and met my daughter-in-law in front of the terminal. We traveled to Crystal City. Catherine and I went up to the revolving rooftop lounge at the Doubletree where we had snacks and drinks. The lounge boasts the best view of the Washington DC Skyline. We could see the Capitol, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, White House, Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy Center, and National Cathedral. We walked several blocks to meet my son and daughter-in-law. We drove to their house for a nine day visit.

Afternoon Tea at Whole Foods Market, Portland, Oregon

This afternoon I attended a Traditional Afternoon Tea class from 1-4 PM given by Chef Steve Gazda at Whole Foods Market, 1210 N.W. Couch Street in downtown Portland. We had three kinds of tea sandwiches, scones with lemon curd and clotted cream without my favorite strawberry jam, banana bread, custard tarts (see photo) and choice of four loose leaf teas.