We went for a walk in the area around the White House. The fence at the White House is being repaired so we walked to the other side for a better view.
Yesterday we visited the Arlington National Cemetery. We talked with Nora about the meaning of Memorial Day, and it did make an impression on her. She asked lots of questions. We saw many bikers, on the road and at the Cemetery.
We planned a barbecue for the evening but it was raining. I played a game with Adrian to distract him from being angry (he might be teething) and I was holding him in the rain for a few moments -- he liked that.
Recently I've been reading about the history of Arlington and specifically about traffic calming. I saw reference in a newspaper article to this author, who said that he expects that Arlington will regret its refusal to allow HOT lanes through the county (Arlington preferred the real HOV). Turns out that he wrote a book on highways.
There was even a reference to Arlington in the book:
This is the third book I read from Mr. Ellis, after Founding Brothers and American Creation, and it was excellent as always.
I didn't know much about the early life of Washington, and this book gives a good overview of his life as well as his career. It highlights the greatness of the man, without ignoring his weaknesses and gives a realistic portrait of a true hero.
I read this after Nadia and Milan left and Jaap was here.
Today was President Obama's inauguration. Well, the real inauguration was yesterday since the Constitution says that the President has to be sworn in on January 20th, but the big celebration was today. It was also Martin Luther King Day and we had a day off.
During the inauguration many streets in DC were closed of course and there were hundreds of thousands of visitors in the area so it was very busy. In the morning we watched the ceremony and parade on TV. In the afternoon we walked to the Memorial Bridge where we saw a many people returning from the city to the Arlington Cemetery Metro.
A sign in Rosslyn pointed the way.
Nora likes to sit on my shoulders.
The Memorial Bridge was closed for vehicle traffic. We looked at some airplanes from the bridge and then returned home.
Tonight or tomorrow Tropical Storm Sandy will arrive in the DC area, and it's supposed to be a big storm.
A big risk with storms like these is that the power will go out. Last time, when Jaap was here, we were lucky and the power stayed on. Just in case, on Friday I bought some extra batteries and enough water for all of us for a few days.
Today I went to do regular shopping for the week, and water bottles were in short supply in most places. In the Safeway all water was sold out.
Our offices are closed tomorrow, so we will work from home. Provided, of course, that the power stays on.
This morning my parents went to the Arlington Cemetery and in the afternoon I took them to the Great Falls.
We saw the Falls from the various overlooks and were planning to go for a hike. As we were watching a kayak going down the river, it started raining... and raining... and raining! We were soaked within moments.
On the picture you can get see the big clouds gathering above the river, and then Mieke running for (relative) cover under the tree were Jaap and I were hiding.
The last time my parents visited the Great Falls was in August 2005.
On Monday John and Juliana invited us for a boat trip on the Potomac.
Their motor boat is moored in a harbor near the Pentagon and we went for a pleasant trip over the Potomac. It was really cool to see D.C. from the water.
Near the Key bridge we put out the anchor and jumped in the river. After a BBQ on the boat we returned back home, a very nice Monday evening.
Rosslyn as seen from the Potomac river.
The Georgetown harbor.
At the other side of the Key bridge. This is where we had a BBQ.
We had a little bit of snow yesterday. I made a movie to practice with our new point & shoot camera, and to iron out any kinks in the upload and sharing process.
We went for a walk in the area around the White House. The fence at the White House is being repaired so we walked to the other side for a better view.
Sunday afternoon we went for a walk, to the Roosevelt Memorial. It was the first time the boys were at the memorials downtown. We saw a helicopter. 
Yesterday we visited the Arlington National Cemetery. We talked with Nora about the meaning of Memorial Day, and it did make an impression on her. She asked lots of questions. We saw many bikers, on the road and at the Cemetery.
Today was President Obama's inauguration. Well, the real inauguration was yesterday since the Constitution says that the President has to be sworn in on January 20th, but the big celebration was today. It was also Martin Luther King Day and we had a day off. 
Tonight or tomorrow Tropical Storm Sandy will arrive in the DC area, and it's supposed to be a big storm.
This morning my parents went to the Arlington Cemetery and in the afternoon I took them to the Great Falls. 
On Monday John and Juliana invited us for a boat trip on the Potomac. 
