Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

Photo: Lincoln Memorial

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It's nearly back to real life for us after spending the week having all kinds of vacation fun. We were in a very fancy French hotel two blocks from the White House and went on many tours. Scott's favorite was the Capitol and Supreme Court tours, which were excellent. My favorite was without a doubt the spy museum. I had so much fun at the spy museum that I spent most of my souvenir budget there and now Liz, Phil, and I are planning to attend the International Spy Conference in Raleigh when it comes in 2008.

Photo: Ali and Kermit
Location: American History Museum

I also learned that the Bureau of Engraving tour was lousy and the tour people forced tourists to stay outside in dangerous 100+ degree heat when there was plenty of space in the waiting area inside. We also learned this week that this will be our last major vacation in August as long as we live in the South. Despite the fun we had, there were dangerous levels of heat the entire vacation.

Photo: Scott
Location: US Supreme Court

After we got back home we did some local things at our own pace and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Thursday we went wafting on the Eno River in Durham, a must do when coming to visit. An interesting guy named Riverdave, who is a naturalist and who has traveled some of the world’s most exotic rivers, leads this tour. He also told us that he once wafted from the Eno River to the ocean, a 250-mile trek that Scott now thinks we must to before we die. He took us to the best swimming hole I've ever been too for a lovely and relaxing swim/float (I was still wearing the life vest per Riverdave's instructions).

On Friday we spent a lovely afternoon at the Morehead Planetarium to learn about the history of the space program. It was so interesting since we had already spent the majority of our week studying the space program and spying during the cold war. The two are interrelated despite what you might think. I've decided that the next time my nephew, Derek, is in town, I will be taking him wafting and to the planetarium. It seems like it might just be his speed.
Last night Scott took me to see Stardust after a two year wait. The author of the original book is my favorite ever and the movie was not a disappointment. It deserved all of its four stars.

Today we are relaxing and running some errands. I might do a sewing project for fun. I am thinking of experimenting with a gift for Liz who cat sat for us while we were gone. She accidentally got locked out of our house for 5.5 hours on the hottest afternoon of the year. I think she deserves a medal. I don't have one, so I'll make her something cool instead. I have been very dependent on her as of late and Liz never complains and is always willing to help me out. All I got her was a Spy Vs. Spy t-shirt at the spy museum. It hardly seems adequate for her efforts on my behalf.

Aside from the heat this has been an A+ vacation. I can't wait to go on vacation next year. Tentatively there will be beach house rental with the gang in May and "Yeagley Mega Blowout Christmas in July 2008" in Portland, OR. Woohoo!