A Capitol Weekend

We spent a nice weekend in Arlington, Virginia/D.C. courtesy of my cousin Benny and his wife Anna. Benny was born to be a host, and picked us up at the airport in his sporty convertible. Later, with Anna we got a top-down look around Arlington, including a stop at the Iwo Jima Memorial. Then we were treated to a great Italian dinner and got a night-time tour of the beautifully lit Capitol city. I'd been wanting to visit the new WWII Memorial and that was what we did. Who knew, that at 9:30 PM, tour busloads of people would have the same idea? Benny said tourists come in a continuous stream, at all hours, in the summer.

The WWII Memorial is positioned between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, and with its illuminated fountains, pavilions, pillars and inscriptions, is very nicely done. It's amazing that it took so long to honor the WWII men & women with something tangible in Washington ... but better late than never. More trip photos are here.

Peter, Anna & Benny at the US Marine Corps War Memorial.
At the WWII Memorial ... Washington Monument in the distance.

Also on the agenda was a Washington Nationals game. Benny & Anna have season tickets and they along with lots of D.C.-area residents are happy to have a local baseball team again. Benny lamented the recent play of his team, and once again their lack of offense meant a loss to the Cardinals. But hey, it's baseball, the hot dogs were good and we were able to easily get to and from a game without devoting a whole day to the effort. And hanging around Benny may be rubbing off ... I ended up in a bar after the game.

We really enjoyed reconnecting, seeing the dogs (more below), your nice home and neighborhood. Thanks for a great weekend, Benny & Anna ...

Top-down, tooting 'round, with Benny & Anna	Batter up
We had a good view of Block Island, RI on our return flight.

Send in the Hounds ...

The last week in August was book ended by visits with hound dogs — Clementine & Chloe, basset hounds who were rescued by Benny and Anna; then Cairo and Sarah, greyhounds saved by Arturo & Cathy. From short, chunky droopy-eared girls to tall, sleek former racers — what a contrast. But what they had in common was their affectionate, gentle spirit.

	Left: Chloe; Top: Clementine & Chloe investigate a crime scene. Below: Cairo & Sara.

Labor Day Weekend

We had a good crowd this year and spectacular weather. In addition to our regulars (Kurt, Tina, Erin, Kelsey &Joe), Arthur and Janina came, and as a bonus, Arturo and Cathy were visiting from NY with the dogs.

The kids had to go back to school in the next week and were even doing homework (before classes?) at our house ... they seem ready, even anxious, to get back.

The dogs stayed outside, while Stinky and Lucy were rubbernecking at the window trying to get a better look at the intruders. Earlier in the day Stinky had led a jailbreak: he's figured out how to open the screen door by grabbing it with his paw/claws and sliding it open. If we let down our guard for a minute and leave the door unlocked, he's there and out in seconds. This time Tony and Lucy followed. Not good!

	Left: Cathy & Arturo; Above: the parents

Peter, Arturo and Kelsey floated around in tubes, the kayaks were in constant use, and Joe played catch with Kurt and tried to play catch with some bass to no avail. We had too much food and delicious desserts (brownies and apple pies) provided by Erin and Cathy. It was a good "end" to the summer.

The beach scene. Right: Kelsey with Sara & Cairo.

I couldn't help feeling guilty and very lucky to be home with family on a beautiful day. With so many people (and animals) suffering and homeless on the Gulf Coast, it's hard to comprehend such a tragedy in our own country. A catastrophic natural disaster is one thing; but when man-made chaos and incompetence compound the misery ...

We hope Lori's sisters Avis and Shaun, residents of New Orleans, can find good, temporary homes for their families while they deal with the terrible loss of their community and city. Here are some photos of New Orleans as I remember it.

Until Next Summer