Remembering V-E Day

May 8th marked the 70th anniversary of V-E Day (Victory in Europe).  To commemorate this important event the air space over the National Mall was opened and a plethora of World War II planes flew over the city in formation and in order of their appearance during the war.  I really had no choice but to take the boys out of school so we could enjoy the festivities.

The airplanes were amazing and even included the only operating B-29 Superfortress in the world.  This is the same type of plane that dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

 

 Atley adopted a grandma at the event.  She was very impressed with his knowledge of airplanes. She asked him questions all afternoon and he was in heaven. As the P-51 Mustangs were flying over, Nash said, "It's pretty cool to be an American isn't it mom?"  Yeah, it's way cool buddy.

 

The following day we went to the Air and Space Museum at Dulles where the same planes involved in the flyover were scheduled to land at the museum.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate but there were lots of other activities for the kiddos. They learned so much about life during the war.

They learned all about planting Victory gardens and even planted some seeds of their own.

Harley learned all about Rosie the Riveter. They designed and launched their own aircraft and even made paratroopers that they dropped into a war zone.

They played in restored WWII military jeeps, used the sometimes primitive instruments that were the only things available to the soldiers at the time and also learned how to spell their name in Morse Code.

The most special part of our V-E Day experience was visiting with the WWII veterans.  Nash has always had a tender place in his heart for the elderly.  I feel like it is a spiritual gift for him. At one point in our day I discovered Nash with a man named Ernie Krause.  People were gathered in front of him and Ernie was explaining his role in the war.  He was born in 1921. He and his brother both enlisted in the Navy. However, his brother was shot down somewhere over Europe and never made it home. He told some incredible stories and people asked him questions and shook his hand. He was amazing to listen to and as sharp as a knife. During his story Nash quietly slipped behind him and the rest of the crowd.  I noticed Nash silently standing behind this hero with his chubby, grubby, little boy hand resting gently on the old gentleman's shoulder listening intently.  I was so touched by the image that I failed to snap a picture.  I later had him return to Ernie for a quick picture.  It was such a sweet moment and something I will always cherish.

Of course, we spent the rest of the weekend recreating the Battle of the Bulge on our dining room table and streaming war documentaries on Netflix.

Perks of the Job

Every once in awhile we get a call from daddy that he has a meeting at some awesome place and we get to tag along.  Yesterday he took us with him to the Hazy Air and Space Museum which has always been the boy's most favorite place on the planet.  They never get tired of seeing the planes and reading about their purpose or mission. Also, they never fail to ask me to tell them the story of the Enola Gay, which is the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.  I always tell them that the pilots did not know exactly what their mission was that night because their superiors were afraid it would be too difficult for them to complete if they knew the seriousness of it.  They also love to hear why there is glass in front of the Enola Gay and not in front of any other plane in the museum. It is because many people, mostly Japanese tourists, enjoy spitting on the plane as they walk past. The glass is there to protect it from phlegm.  Another favorite spot, the Space Shuttle Discovery.  We watched it fly over Washington on its way to the museum just a few years ago.  We are always impressed at how massive the engines are and how it looks as if it is covered by a giant patchwork quilt. We also love the view from the control tower where we can see planes landing and taking off at Dulles Airport.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute & The Shenandoah Valley

The Smithsonian has a Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, VA.  It is not open to the public but since Scott had some work to do there this week, the kids and I hitched a ride to the Shenandoah Valley for a day of exploration.  I am convinced that it is one of the loveliest places on the planet.  The trees were amazing.

Our first stop was a little diner, on the side of Highway 522, that is famous for its apple donuts, not to mention southern charm.  We scarfed down a dozen donuts in about 5 minutes.

After we dropped Scott off at the farm, the kids and I went to Skyline Caverns.  We discovered what I think is Harley's only fear, Spelunking. She was not a huge fan of the caverns especially when they turned off all the lights and told us if we stayed in such darkness for more than a week we would go blind and if we stayed in such darkness for 10 days we would go crazy. Let's just say she didn't need 10 days to go crazy only about 10 seconds.

One of my favorite things about Virginia is everywhere you drive you will find a historical plaque commemorating some significant event in Civil War History. I love Civil War History and one of my favorite characters was the female confederate spy Belle Boyd who owned a home in Front Royal, Virginia. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that just outside of Skyline Caverns she met up with Stonewall Jackson to trade secrets.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute is essentially a farm. Animals from the zoo in Washington D.C. are taken there to breed, receive medical treatment, be studied or because they cannot get along well with others, like Frog the pony who bit off the finger of a zoo patron last year.  The institute also provides the hay and/or feed that is given to the animals at the zoo. The institute was built on federal property that was formerly used by the army to train cavalry horses. There is still a horse cemetery where famous horses were laid to rest, including Kentucky Derby horses and famous war horses. On our behind-the-scenes tour we saw buffalo, wolves, crane, reindeer, elk, gazelles but those are not the only animals there. There are also red pandas and cheetahs. Unfortunately,  they were about to give birth and were therefore off limits. While the animals were pretty fantastic, you couldn't beat the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

Rocks & Bugs

The boy's interests change just like the weather, but lately their life has been all about Rocks & Bugs.  We feel pretty blessed to be able to live so close to museums where they can learn about almost all of their whims.  Today we went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.  They wanted to see the Hope Diamond and the Bugs.  They even got to hold a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Giant Grasshoppers, Silk Worms, and Millipedes. 

 

Butterflies & Doll Houses

We went museum hopping (Smithsonian Natural History & American) with Harley last Friday.  Instead of spending all of our time looking at the trains and spiders like we would have done if the boys were with us, we looked at doll houses and butterflies.

For the Boys

There is something about flying and space that excites every little boy, occasionally it excites little girls too.  The Smithsonian has two Air & Space Museums in the Washington D.C. area.  One is on the National Mall, the other is in Dulles Virginia. It is referred to as Hazy.  Scott has been working at Hazy for the past few weeks, so we paid him a visit today.  We have been there at least a dozen times but the boys never get tired of it.  They kept asking me to take a picture of this plane and that plane. So, most of this post is full of pictures for them.  I love to see how excited this museum makes them each time we visit and fortunately for me, there were some new things too.

For example the Space Shuttle Discovery arrived last Spring, replacing the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Unlike Endeavor, Discovery actually spent a lot of time in space and you can see the wear and tear.

 

The boys had a 30 minute-one-on-one demonstration on how the space shuttle takes-off, lands, and orbits the earth by one of the docents.

There is a new restoration wing at the museum, where you can watch the restoration of old planes take place. Honestly, it is a little like watching paint dry but what do I know.

 

Another highlight is the observation deck that overlooks Dulles International Airport. Not only can you see planes take off and land but you can even play air traffic controller.

 

 A fan favorite is the SR-71 Blackbird, made even more famous by the Transformers movie.

 

But mostly they just love seeing plane, after plane, after plane and distracting daddy while he tries to work.