Maryland/DC trip day 3: July 5th

My Aunt Rita was a wonderful host for Kate and I, getting some great fruit ready for breakfast in the morning before we ultimately got on the road to the Metro. Below is my Aunt Rita and my cousin Hope's handsome son, Justin. In his arm is Pengy, a stuffed penguin that my Mom bought for him for Christmas this past year.

We decided to go to the Air & Space museum because Kate had not seen it, and we thought Justin would probably enjoy it as well. I went when I was probably in Junior high. It seemed much the same as I remember it, however Hope who is able to go more frequently pointed out several new exhibits. Snoopy above was part of an exhibit detailing flight and its impact and portrayal on the entertainment industry. (I'm a big Peanuts fan... I went through a few stuffed snoopy dolls as a kid). Below is Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, which embarked upon the first non-stop flight from NYC to Paris.We had a light lunch at the food court there which is something that has changed since I went. Gone is the cafeteria, replaced with several chains anchored by McDonald's. I can't complain, Kate and I split a ten piece chicken nugget meal, and Justin was really enjoying his first nibbles of Mickey D's cheese burgers (with his Mom, Hope below). He's going to be an addict now.

After a nice day in D.C. we returned for a relaxing evening in St. Leonard. My Uncle Fritz cooked up some tasty steaks and crab balls and Aunt Rita had baked some fresh bread. We also had some sauteed mushrooms, green beans from the garden, and home made bread and butter pickles which were really nice.

Hope had to work the next day, so we said our goodbyes to her and Justin. It is a shame I did not get to spend more time with them.

After dinner we lounged out on the front porch for quite a while watching the fire flies, and my Aunt and Uncle's cat Friday walk around indecisively... as cats do.

To close out the evening Aunt Rita, Kate, and I headed downstairs to their home theater and watched Gran Torino. It was the second time I've seen this movie, and it really is one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

Another great day had gone by and we were looking forward to our next day in Annapolis, however a little sad that it would be the last to spend with my Family.