A Summer Get-Away To Get Lost, Sometimes

While in Washington, DC

We were there

the weekend of August 2012

taking a summer break

away from home, sometimes.

We visited our son Andrew

and his newly-found temporary abode

another house in a neighboring state 

while working in DC.

We checked into a hotel

where we're used to stay

each time we go there

to sight-see and just be there.

We decided to just leave our family van

at the hotel where we had free breakfast

and to just have Andrew's five-passenger car 

on the way to the tour of The White House.

We passed the security checks

prior to the self-guided tour

as security men did their job

with utmost care and vigilance.

We toured The White House

the famous house and residence

of the powerful President of the United States

and his loving and supportive family members.

We felt so lucky and fortunate

so delighted and excited

to have seen the inside and out

of The White House, a museum to me.

We have seen the beauty and repository

the artifacts that have been a part of history

all the portraits of the past presidents

and the fine furniture, utensils and paintings.

We have seen photographs of events

happy moments of those past presidents

and their families who were with them

all along in their journey to lead the nation.

We had a lot of walking and picture-taking

after the watchful tour of The White House

while sweating the summer heat and humidity

as we mingled with other tourists and visitors.

After the tour of the highly-secured White House

we walked a long walk to the paid parking garage

where we couldn't believe and remember where it was

somewhere in the corner of Franklin and 14th Streets.

It took us almost an hour going around the block

to finally find Andrew's car in the paid parking garage

what a day of reckoning and reflecting our experiences

while sight-seeing and vacationing  in Washington, DC

Again, as always, we visited the magnificent Basilica 

of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

where we had lunch inside the restaurant there 

and then attended that solemn Mass at 5:15 pm.

Yes, we had fun and learning experiences

while vacationing in Washington, DC

on the second weekend of August 2012

a summer get-away to get lost, sometimes.

(c) 2012 by chris a. quilpa