Ryan and Cassie's Wedding and North Lake

The next two weeks after Washington D.C. we dedicated to resting and recovering, talking about thinking maybe possibly getting ready and doing some work for the road trip, and get-togethers- in the form of a wedding for Ryan and now Cassie Kelley and an annual family get together.  My cousin Lindsey left on Monday July 21st after a two week stay at Lake James.  I drove to Raleigh to get all of my stuff moved out of my house after dropping Lindsey off at the airport in Charlotte.  Rachel is moving in so I really only had to rearrange my belongings…… bring the essentials home for the trip, pack the rest of the junk and non-essential items at the Lake, and leave some stuff in Raleigh that I want to hoard.  I got home on Wednesday night, in plenty of time for the festivities of the wedding.  First up on the list, a golf outing on Friday morning for Ryan.

On board for the golf outing (8)- Ryan, the best man Josh Yoakum, Groomsman Jordan Vance, Bub, Brandon Loulan, and myself, Ryan's uncle Mike, and his dad Bob Kelley

Location:  Grassy Creek Golf and Country Club, Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Format:  4 person teams, best 2 balls of the group for each hole.  For example- if the 4 people on your team shoot a 3,4,5, and 6- you take the two the two best scores, a 3 and 4 for a total of a 7.  

Teams:  Bob, Mike, Yoakum, and myself

  Ryan, Loulan, J Vance, and Bub

Scheduled Tee Time: 9:30

Actual Tee Time: About 10:00

My group set off first from the tee with the other group behind.  We had trouble deciding how to split up the groups so it ending up putting two carts against another two carts the fairest way.  Our group won the front 9 with what I remember to be a 77-83 and then an 83-89 win on the back 9.  Rounds ranged from good, decent, bad, to what the hell just happened out there, I'm pissed I paid to play golf. (My round)  There was a friendly 5 dollar wage on the round, but that got lost in the festivities.  

Groomsman with Ryan- Me, Bub, Tom Robertson, Brandon Loulan, RYAN KELLEY, Josh Yoakum, Mike Evans, and Jordan Vance

The wedding was in Linville, at a really nice church with a view of Grandfather Mountain.  The rehearsal dinner, reception and festivities were taking place back in Little Switzerland, an awesome mountain resort with great views.  Our group headed to Little Switzerland after the golf round for a place to change clothes   We had the hotel for 2 nights, where everyone was staying for the weekend.  A quick change of clothes and then off to the church for the wedding rehearsal.  The wedding coordinator just told the group "If you mess up during the wedding, just act normal, no one will ever know as long as you don't make a big deal out of it." 

Afterwards, it was back to Little Switzerland for a bad ass seafood buffet- shrimp, fish, crab legs, lobster, scallions- you name, it was there.  After dinner I went down the mountain to pick up Kaysee, who rode over from Raleigh with Rachel to spend the weekend with me.  The rest of the night was spent meeting the out of town guests for the wedding- the family and Ryan's close friends from Notre Dame.  Jordan Vance (An old high school friend and one of the craziest people I have ever met) has recently turned to brewing his own beer and made a batch for Ryan and Cassie's wedding.  Well played Jordan.  (A few years from now, everyone will be kicking themselves for not investing into it)  Everyone swapped high school and college stories of our times with Ryan and called it an early night before the big wedding day.

An early night meant things got started a little earlier than usual

Saturday morning began about 9 am, with a breakfast at Little Switzerland with Kaysee, Jordan and Jennifer.  Jordan and Jennifer both work at Little Switzerland so our group got the good end of the deal on breakfast- Biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, and sausage.  Everyone then began getting ready for the wedding.  People were scrambling around trying to find all the pieces of the tuxes and trying to get everything to fit.  The tuxes came from Men's Warehouse and up until about 2 hours before the wedding, no one had tried on anything.  We all begin piecing the suits together, and found that some suits where just a little off.  Ryan's jacket didn't fit him right, but Yoakum's tux fit Ryan just fine, so they switched- turning Yoakum's jacket into the now famous "Glider".  (Ryan has about 5 inches on Yoakum, so his jacket was just a little big.)  Jordan Vance's shirt collar near choked him- even after he told the people at Men's Warehouse that he wanted a looser neck.  My button-up shirt would have fit someone who is 6'2 and 250 pounds, but this was about an hour before the wedding and there wasn't a reasonable option to turn to.  None of the mishaps turned into anything too serious- other than Jordan nearly not getting enough oxygen during dinner.  

The group took 3 cars down the mountain to the church along the scenic route on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we arrive about an hour or so before the wedding starts.  The groomsman all sit down at a table and we reminisce about old times to keep the mood light- even Father Sullivan told a pretty solid joke or two.  I was first in line to walk down the aisle and the rest of the guys followed with a bridesmaid on their arm.  Next came the maid of honor and then the grand finale- Cassie.  Father Sullivan proved to be quite a character throughout the weekend and even threw a little bit of humor into the ceremony.  Ryan and Cassie smooch and get introduced as a married couple for the first time.  We all exit safely without anyone tripping, falling or messing up along the way- at least to the best of my knowledge.  Everyone then made the drive back to Little Switzerland for plenty of pictures (Somehow I am having trouble locating actual wedding photos), food, a little dancing and the usual things that go on during a wedding reception.  Yoakum gives his speech, Cassie's maid of honor Thea does the same, and then a few of Ryan's friends from Notre Dame give the crowd a couple stories about Ryan.  (One that included Ryan doing someone's homework that he had class with, and that person making a better grade than him.)  Ryan later said his goodbyes as he and Cassie were driving to Charlotte on Saturday night to catch a flight to Hawaii the next morning.  

Ryan and his Family 

Kaysee

The group of people staying at Little Switzerland made it a late night and had a good time.  After the festivities ended for the night, my room for the night was with Kaysee, Bub and Sarah while Fabio and Allen came to hang out for a few minutes before heading to their room. Allen was sure that Jordan and Jennifer's room was nearby, and convinced Bub to go knock on their door to see what they were doing.  Well, come to find out, the room they knocked on was not Jordan's.  This was fairly late in the night, and you can imagine what kind of reaction you get when you knock on the door of someone you don't know well after midnight.  The security guard came barging in a room, which seemed a little excessive, but we convinced him that we weren't trying to cause any trouble and meant no harm.  The guard asked for a few IDs, and in looking at them, he didn't believe that Fabio had a legitimate ID because he was from Brazil. But no worries, everything was settled just fine, Mom.    

The next morning at breakfast (Allen, Fabio, Bub, Sarah, Kaysse, myself, Jordan Vance, Jessica and Jordan Jensen) rehashed the night's events at breakfast and got a good laugh of what the Jensen girls heard from their dad through the security guard.  We then headed down the mountain to Lake James to recover for the afternoon.  This was my first appearance in a wedding party and Ryan was the first of any of my close friends to get married.  (Side bets on who goes next?)  Best of luck to Ryan and Cassie as they start a new journey! 

Next up- my annual visit to North Lake in Wisconsin with Rachel to visit my dad's family.  This tradition has been going on for about 15 years now and some of the same activities are recreated each summer with a new twist every year.  My family has two houses on North Lake and one on a nearby lake.  The two houses are side by side with a decent sized yard, one dock, 2 boats and a jetski for everyone to use.  My grandparents Poppi and Mimi live in one while my Aunt Katie, Uncle John, and cousins Meg and Jack stay in the other one.  My Uncle Mike and Aunt Debbie and cousins Tommy and Michael live nearby on Pine Lake.  Every summer Rachel and I coordinate our trip with my Aunt Dana and cousins Peter and Paul to visit Wisconsin.  As all the cousins get older it gets hard to get everyone together at once- but we hope to as many as possible to North Lake.  Peter was unable to make this trip, but his spot was filled by Tommy's friend Ashton temporarily for the weekend- but we still called him Peter to make it seem like everyone was there.  

Before I get to the family stories, this trip marks an end to what I like to think of Season 1 of my travels before the road trip.  A quick recap with Appearances on my travels to the right.  Ryan's wedding gets him an extra point to put him over the top.

East Asia- 2 Weeks, 3 countries, 4 cities 11 ppl total                                                                                            

US Open- 4 day golf tournament with Rob, his dad Ralph, Ryan K, Bob Kelley, Bub and Steve Hunter                                   

Atlantic City and New York- 6 days with Ryan, Yoakum, and Bub                                                                                                     

Washington D.C.- Weekend trip with Rachel, Fabio, Lindsey, and Rob                                                 

Ryan and Cassie's Wedding- 1 weekend                                                                       

Wisconsin- Rachel along with the whole Wheeler family.

Ryan Kelley- 3

Rob- 2

Bub-2 

Rachel-2

Steve, Bob Kelley, Yoakum, Lindsey, Fabio, Ralph, the Wheeler family, Asia Group and everyone at Ryan's Wedding- 1

Rachel and I left from the Raleigh Airport on Thursday afternoon to begin our the weekend.  We flew through Atlanta (the most trafficked airport in the world, believe it or not) on the way to Milwaukee.  We arranged our flights to arrive as the same time as Aunt Dana's flight and cousin Paul's train from Chicago.  My flight with Rachel arrived on time as did Aunt Dana's.  Paul's train got delayed about an hour and a half so we went to a local pub near the train station.  (Somehow, one of the Terracinas get delayed or have problems with their flight every year.)  This was 5:30 on a Thursday night and imagine what kind of people are at a bar at this time.  Being with two good looking blondes, we definitely stood out.  My aunt asks if they have an appetizers, and the lady mumbles something along the lines of "Hold on, let me see."  She comes back about 15 minutes later with Ritz crackers, salami (How old the salami was is very questionable, but it still tasted really good), cheese, and 3 small slices of cucumbers- a very odd display of food at a bar.  Even funnier, I think the lady gave it to us for free.  After finishing a drink apiece, we pick up a McFlurry and coffee from McDonalds for Paul, pick him up, and then head to North Lake.  

We arrive just as the food is almost done on the grill and say our hellos to everyone.  Food is very important on this trip as Wisconsin is known for its meat, cheeses, and fish.  First meal- Brats and burgers along with beans (I'm still waiting for the recipe Aunt Katie) and fruit.  Everyone catches up a little bit and then the cousins start watching a tv series "The League."  The show is about a group of friends and their Fantasy Football League and how it intertwines into their daily lives.  Hilarious to say the least, and we were addicted really quick.  What would we have done without an NFL Season this year.  

The next morning Meg, Rachel, Aunt Dana and Uncle John all went skiing while Jack, Paul and I slept until about 10:30 and watched tv with Mimi.  Next up, a round of volleyball.  All the cousins used to play baseball when we were younger, but that requires a lot of sprinting and chasing balls in the water- now volleyball is the name of the game. 

Volleyball on the Water

After a few games, we move on an essential part of the day, lunch.  My Aunt Katie is always nice enough to go to the store before we come and gets liver sausage, salami, turkey, and cheese before we come and then there is a free for all- make as many sandwiches as you can.  She even sent out an email a few days before asking if anyone had requests from the store.  I like to make one with liver sausage and then one with liver sausage, salami, turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and mustard…. but that's just me.  Paul somehow managed to put down 3 sandwiches at lunch, followed shortly by a nap. 

Sometime during the afternoon, Tommy decides to bring a potato gun out to the water.  This was a pretty serious gun and would shoot potatoes a couple hundred yards on a good shoot.  I took a turn on it, as did Poppi.  After we made enough noise, the moms shut down the operations before we actually did some damage.

Uncle John showed off his Olympic style diving ability in the afternoon and later the group headed for our annual meal at Chenequa Country Club for a fish fry.  In Wisconsin, restaurants have a fish fry every night- Lake Perch, catfish, whitefish- just to name a few.  Like every country club, this one has a club championship.  My family have been family of the club for some years now and my dad won the club championship 5 out of 7 years in the late '70s.  Check out the plaque below. 

He won 3 years in a row, lost one, won the next year and then had a few year break before winning again.  On the old plaque inside the country club, the first four say James H Wheeler 3 and then the last one says Dr. James H Wheeler 3 MD.  He won four out of five years, took some time off to become, you know, a doctor, and then went back to his winning ways.  But the new plaque sticks with Jim Wheeler 3.  

I arrive with the cousins before dinner and have a drink out on the balcony overlooking the local lake and waited until the rest of the family arrived.  We are seated and quickly make our way to the appetizers, where we devoured the salad bar that included salmon, salami, chicken quesadillas, and a few other items before getting the main dish.  I ordered Lake Perch, the usual for my visit to Chenequa.  After going over some logistics of the road trip with Uncle Mike, Paul and Aunt Dana- my uncle wanted to know what our route was and who was driving each day, my cousin wanted to know where we planned on going in the wilderness and my aunt was worried about our well-being and us being hungry- the expected responses from an uncle, cousin, and aunt.  The night concluded with a great ending to the Brewers game (Right fielder gunning a guy down at 3rd base) and a few episodes of The League.

The cousins- Tommy, Jack, Rachel, Meg, Paul, and me with a tucked in shirt

Plus Michael, not sure how he got left out of the cousin's pic

Tommy on the left and Ashton- The fill in cousin for the weekend

The Girls Enjoying a Laugh

Meg, Mimi and Rachel

Saturday morning started with a quick bite to eat and then on the lake to ski.  About half the family can drop a ski and ride on one, so I decided to give it a try.  Now, I can operate perfectly fine on two skis, but one is a whole other issue. The thing with dropping a ski is that you have to actually take your foot out of one ski, drag it in the water for a little bit, and then slip it in the back foot slot on the single ski.  To maintain your balance going from two skis to one is pretty difficult but to make things easier, you can just drag the foot that was in the dropped ski to keep your balance.  My first three tries were entertaining, I would get my foot out of one ski, drop it, and then crash violently.  Each time was better, and on the fourth try, I dropped a ski and rode for a few hundred yards- with my right foot dragging in the water to keep balance.  I tried to put it in the slot behind my left foot, but that ended with another non-gracious fall.  I'm not sure if it technically qualifies as riding slalom, but I think it should.  For lunch- 1 liver sausage sandwich and one sandwich with contents that remain unknown.

In the afternoon, my dad's childhood friend Kerry Deschant stopped by the lake to catch up with Rachel and I and the rest of the family.  Kerry has a place on North Lake and even helped lay the foundation to one of the family houses some years ago with my dad.  Next up, my Uncle Mike and I are in charge of getting gas, and then drinks and ice for dinner at his house.  We talk a little business and then blackjack strategy for the road trip.  The initial plan for the trip is to try and pay for gas with blackjack winnings, but we will see how that turns out.  Gas is not cheap, and the new truck is not eco-friendly.  All the cousins along with Aunt Dana go out for a boat ride while Poppi, Mimi, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Debbie attend to the food.  On deck for tonight- Chicken, salad, and a few other items.  After dinner I go through the planned route for the road trip with the family (Subject to change daily)

Kerry with Rachel and I at graduation

Leave Marion NC, through the Shenadoah Valley north, through D.C., Baltimore, up to Philly and NYC, up the coast to Boston, Maine and loop around through Vermont and New Hampshire through New York again to Niagara Falls, to Toronto and then through Canada to Michigan to my Mom's place in Grand Rapids, through Indy, Chicago, Milwaukee, then to South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, back up North someway eventually to Seattle and Vancouver, down the Pacific Coast of the U.S. to San Diego all through Washington, Oregon, and California, to Las Vegas and then through to Texas and back around to NC through Tennessee.  Sounds easy, right?      

I tell everyone that we don't really plan to drive more than a few hours (2-3) a day which quickly gets thrown back in my face.  "Are you even going to make it through North Carolina?"  "Where will you be around Thanksgiving…. D.C. maybe?" "It will take you months to get down the California coast and the width of Texas"  Ok so the original plan wasn't to drive all that much, but on the road- if you like the place you're at, stay- but if not, let's get moving closer to the next place.  Ok so maybe I underestimated the amount of time spent on the road. Uncle Mike and Aunt Debbie you guys called it.  

So throughout the trip, Paul claims that he bowls once a week and wants to go while the group is together.  Paul also claims that he is a better bowler than me.  My response, "Paul, I would destroy you bowling.  I took a class like 4 or 5 years ago in school.  Do you even know how to bowl."  As we are deciding this after dinner, we don't really have time to go back and change so wear what you have on.  My attire- a Marquette t-shirt with a swimsuit.  The bowling alley was a hole in the wall place with 6 lane and a bar with a few regulars.  Let's just say that I looked a little out of place in a bright swimsuit on Saturday night.  We went for three rounds, Paul won 2 rounds and had the best overall score while I won 1 round and swallowed my pride in the process.  Rachel snuck in a 2nd place finish ahead of me in the 2nd round and bowled a solid few rounds.  Meg and Jack both had their ups and down during the round, and Jack finally got a strike at the end of the 2nd round.  We watched the beginning of Season 2 of the League after arriving home and called it a night. 

We left the next morning before noon, but not before Kerry made a surprise appearance that morning with doughnuts.  The family get togethers come and go so fast that by the time you have caught up with everyone, it's already like time to go.  We all have a great time together and have some good laughs along the way.  Good thing I am catching most everyone along the way on the road trip!  We stop by the resting place of my dad on the way to the airport.  RIP Big Guy

So one quick story that is worth telling in his honor.  When my parents were moving in together some years ago, my dad approached my mom on the subject of house cleaning.  Now, if you didn't know my dad, he wasn't the neatest person in the world.  A very smart guy, but not the most organized individual.  So my dad brings cleaning up to my mom. and according to my mom, these are the highlights of the conversation (Hearing her tell the story is even better)

He tells her that there are 3 options on the subject of cleaning. 

Option 1- My mom cleans the house

Option 2- The house doesn't cleaned at all

Option 3- They hire someone to clean the house

After giving my mom these 3 choices my dad says something along these lines……

"I want you to know that out of these 3 options, me cleaning the house isn't an option.  And if the house doesn't get cleaned at all, I'm perfectly happy with that, too.  Either one of the three is fine me, you decide"

My mom went with the cleaning lady…. and a pretty good story to go along with it.  

Washington D.C.

Since my graduation in May, I have 3 trips under my belt..... Asia, the U.S. Open, and Atlantic City.  Next up, our nation's capital- Washington D.C.  The crew for the trip, my sister Rachel, my cousin Lindsey (who was at the end of her annual visit to NC), and Fabio Lemos. (He was an exchange student of our family in 2006 and was in the middle of a 5 week visit back to NC.)  I wanted to take Fabio somewhere cool during his stay, Lindsey loved the idea from the second she heard it, Rachel had never been and wanted to go, and I just love D.C.- great idea for all parties involved.

Me, my sister Rachel, cousin Lindsey, and Fabio in front of the White House

Fabio arrived at the end of June and Lindsey arrived on July 11th for a 2 week visit.  On Wednesday the 13th, the 3 of us began the journey to Raleigh to pick up Rachel (Who was somehow continuing her studious ways in Raleigh.... I thought we graduated Rachel??? Just kidding, I know you need the classes) We stayed in Raleigh on Wednesday night and headed out for D.C. on Thursday evening.  The drive took about 4 and a half hours and Rachel and I decided to switch off driving.... I took the first leg because Rachel needed to study.  After a refueling stop for the car, our stomachs and Cal (an inside joke) I continued to drive.  About the halfway point, I just decide that I'm driving the whole way and about an hour from D.C., Rachel's mouth is open and she is dead asleep.  "Some people just weren't built for life on the road."  We got on the outskirts of the city around midnight and a drive through D.C. at night is awesome, everything is lit up and you can see all the monuments.  We arrive at the Renaissance Hotel at about 12:30 on Thursday night.  Rachel booked adjoining rooms for us and.... nope, no adjoining rooms- not that big of a deal, but one of the few times we were lied to on the trip.  We call it a night after catching an episode of Friends in the hotel room with Fabio.  (Did you know that the 6 main cast members made a million bucks an episode in their last season?  Thanks Wikipedia)

Friday morning started about 9 am followed shortly by an awesome breakfast.  We decided to buy a 48 hour bus pass that covered 3 routes through the city.  They went through almost all of the major monuments and museums, the White House, the Capital Building, Arlington National Cemetery, and plenty of cool places throughout the city.  The pass allowed us to hop on and off as many times as we want until the buses stopped running at night.  (Little to my knowledge, they stopped running at 6)  We started off on the wrong bus line, but quickly got the train back on track and headed out to do the the tourist thing.  First stop- the White House.  The perception everyone gets is that the White House is off by itself away from everything.  Sure, it sits back a little from the road with a huge front yard, but it is pretty close to everything else.  Interesting to think that arguably the most important person in the world lives in the middle of a city.  

The White House

We then paid a visit to the White House Visitor's Center, one of the underrated places in D.C.  It gives you a glimpse of what life is like inside the White House for the family of the President.  You can see the layout of the White House and follow its transformation throughout history.  Below is a fun fact about Abe Lincoln's son

Really Tad?  Your Dad didn't save the Union or anything

Next up was a trip to the National Archives, where the original Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution are all held among many other cool things and tidbits of history.  No pictures were allowed inside because the flash from the cameras can ruin the material.  To be honest, they were really cool to see but you couldn't hardly read what they said.  What if we have been following the wrong rules for 200 plus years?  Our founders probably messed up a word during the document, realized they didn't have erasers or a new piece of paper and just said screw it, let's just figure this out later- I would rather fight those assholes from Britain anyway.

During our tour, the bus had an audio tape narrating the ride around the city.  While passing by the Japanese Internment Memorial from World War 2 and not actually seeing the memorial, the audio tape went something like this... (After they bombed Pearl Harbor, we put some Japanese living in the United States into internment camps because we were going to war with Japan.)   

Tape:  And on the left is the Japanese Internment Camp Memorial.  The memorial is two Japanese cranes entangled in barbed wire to signify their ability to rise above anything.......   

Me:  So, what a minute, what was their Memorial and what did it mean?  And where was it anyway?  Are they talking about cranes to building something with?


During the late afternoon, we made a stop at Union Station- the huge train station in the city.  Next came the Air and Space Museum, my favorite museum in D.C.  Anything dealing with space exploration, the planets, airplanes, time travel, and you know, air and space- it at all rests here.

The planes hanging from the ceiling

Rolls Royce Engine anyone?

Rachel beside a few astronauts

So after getting done with the Air and Space Museum, we went outside and waited at our stop for the bus to come for about 25 minutes.  Lindsey was about positive the buses weren't still running.  This was about 7 pm and I was sure the bus was still running routes.  "It's 7 o'clock, we are in Washington, and I have done this before."  I was the only one who had done the bus tour before so I had to be right, right?  No, not quite.  I check out the website for the bus tour company and sure enough, the bus doesn't run after 6 pm.  Lindsey gave me immortal hell for the rest of the trip and probably deservingly so.  

Nope, that bus isn't coming

So we walked over to the Washington Monument, the tallest building in D.C. (No buildings are allowed to be taller than 110 meters, or about 10 stories).  The monument commemorates the state of Washington and how they won their independence from China.  Or maybe it was built in honor of George Washington, our first president.  The monument can be seen from so many places within the city.  We tried to go to the top of it, but tickets were impossible to get, so the bottom was as close as we got.

Washington Monument from the bottom

Right in the same area as the Washington monument is the World War 2 Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.  The Vietnam Memorial is the famous black wall with the names of everyone who died during the war.  I wasn't even alive during it but walking past it is a moving experience.  Every name on there was a person just like you or me.  The Lincoln Memorial is awesome and has the Gettysburg Address and his 2nd Inauguration Speech on the walls right by Lincoln sitting in his huge chair.  From the Lincoln Memorial, you can the see the Washington Monument and then in the reflecting pool between the two. (But it was under construction so the view wasn't as good as usual)  We walked around and saw these 4 items and caught an interesting picture of the front of the White House somehow during this walk.  (Yes you can see the White House from there)  If you look closely on the upper balcony, there is someone sitting up there.  By process of elimination and the people who are even able to hang out up there, it might have been Obama.

2nd floor balcony in the middle..... Has to be Barack

World War 2 Memorial

Vietnam Memorial 

Rachel and Fabio in front of the Lincoln Memorial

Abe Lincoln

Me crushing the Washington Monument from the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial

Rachel holding the monument with the moon behind her

We watched the sun set from the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, took about 75 pictures of me crushing the Washington Monument and then set off to find food.  Our phones found a pizza place about a half mile away, Bella Pizza.  We followed the GPS to the pizza place to find..... nothing.  We asked around and no one had ever heard of a Bella Pizza.  Hmmmm, so we found a cool restaurant and ate outside on the streets near George Washington University.  We grabbed a cab back to the hotel afterwards and Fabio and I had a drink at the hotel bar.  We attempted to get on the roof shortly afterwards, but unfortunately the door was locked that led to the roof- probably a good thing.  Day 1 ended with plenty of walking and quite a few places visited.  Fabio and Lindsey both claimed to have very sore legs but to their credit, we were all pretty damn tired.  

Day 2 began with breakfast at the same spot as the day before.  Then it was on to the American History Museum, which houses the American flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the war of 1812 with those damn Brits.  (But no pictures) This inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner as the British retreated.  Also inside are exhibits on the history of the food packaging industry, our water transportation system, and info about some famous assassinations and other crazy events in our nation's history.

Making a cameo appearance for the D.C. trip for Saturday afternoon and evening, drumroll................ Rob Olson, aka Rob on the Cob.  I went to stay with Rob for the US Open in Northern Virginia a few weeks ago.  Now he decided to be a tourist for a day and joined us for the afternoon.  We got a tour of the Capital Building, where the legislative body of our nation does business.  The House of Representatives and the Senate are here and we got a short tour of the place.

The Capital Building

Rob in the background, and definitely my best look

The old business room for Congress.  It got too small so they put statues in it and let us go in, not a bad deal for tourists. 

Rachel really wanted to go to the Holocaust Museum, one of the better museums in D.C., but I had been a few months earlier.  Rob and I decided to go the American Indian Museum and then onto the Natural History Museum while Rachel, Lindsey and Fabio attempted to go the the Holocaust Museum.  Come to find out you need a tour time- so a no go at the Holocaust Museum, at least for now.  We met up at the Washington Monument and then went to the Jefferson Memorial and then the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial along the Tidal Basin in D.C.  The Jefferson Memorial has a huge statue of Thomas Jefferson in the middle (Imagine that) along with a famous speech or words of wisdom on 4 walls.  We met a friend on the trip, Charity, who was from Columbus.  Lindsey made small talk with her and she joined us for a few hours.  Charity was in D.C. for the summer and gave us the rundown on living in D.C.  Charity, I hope you hold true to your promise to read this.

Rob and I giving Fabio the rundown on Borat, he had never seen the movie until this point.

Jefferson Memorial

Thomas Jefferson Quote- Something to think about

Fabio following asleep, Rob, Lindsey, and Charity at the Jefferson Memorial 

Next, we wandered onto the FDR Memorial, my favorite in D.C.  It is secluded along the Tidal Basin (Small body of water that comes inland from the Potomac River) and covers a few acres.  He is the only president to serve more than 2 terms, and has a different section for each one of his terms in office.  Every other memorial has about two or three things to look at, while the FDR has plenty of famous quotes and statues along the memorial.  Right by the Jefferson and FRD Memorial is the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial that is still in the process of being built.  

FDR Memorial Entrance

Bad times in the Great Depression

The view from the FDR Memorial

Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in process of being built

After the run of memorials, we went to a pizza joint in the downtown area near the Verizon Center where the Washington Wizards play.  After eating, Rob says his goodbyes and catches the metro back towards his place.  Fabio and I decided to go into a bar that I had been to earlier that year with Rob, Bub and Josh Yoakum.  It was a huge sports bar below another building so it had a basement bar like feel.  After 1 drink, we decided to roam the streets and see where the night took us.  As we are wandering near Chinatown, a guy approaches us who claims he is homeless.  Now, I have seen plenty of homeless people in my life, and this guy was the cream of the crop of homeless people.  He was dressed in decent looking pants and a nice t-shirt.  Hell, he even looked like he had shaved that morning, and on top of that, I might have even smelled cologne on him.  He didn't hardly make direct eye contact with us at any point and it seemed like he was watching out for someone the whole time, like he was doing something wrong.  Our conversation went something like this.....

Supposed Homeless Guy:  Name any country in the world and I will tell you capital and the major political events.

Me:  What?  

SHG:  Name any country and I'll tell you the capital

Me:  (Slightly startled) Any country in the world? (He nods) Ok, France?

SHG:  Paris, French Revolution, WW2

Me:  Spain

SHG:  Madrid, Spanish American War, mumbles a little more.  Come on test me a little bit

Fabio:  Colombia?

SHG:  Bogota

Me:  South Korea

SHG:  Seoul, Korean War, Cold War

Fabio:  Azerbaijan 

SHG:  Sarajevo 

Me and Fabio:  Laughing, that can't be right can it?

SHG:  Look it up, I promise you it's right.

Me:  Well i'll be damned, good call.

SHG:  You know, i'll tell you boys, knowledge isn't about how much you know, it's how much you remember.....

Me:  (Thinking.... Thanks for the words of advice, homeless guy)  Looks like you have it all figured out man.  How bout Equatorial Guinea.

SHG:  Come on man, you're pushing the limits, how the hell am I supposed to know that?

Me:  Gotcha!

SHG:  How about a few bucks to help a brother out, come on guys.

Me:  Ok, that was pretty impressive to be honest with you, here's 3 bucks.

The supposed homeless guy saunters away and Fabio and I look at each other and just start cracking up. We rehash the event like 10 times on the walk back, laughing the whole way.  I'm not against giving the homeless money, but if they stand out or do something unusual, I'm much more likely to give them money- you know, like knowing the capital of every country, singing really good, having a good sign, (One in Raleigh said, "Dying for a cheeseburger, help me out") or having a cool hat.

Definitely the 2nd best homeless guy experience in my life.  The best being in downtown Atlanta at 3 in the morning with Bub and Allen Bradley.  We can't find a cab and after about 20 minutes of searching, we decide to walk a mile and a half to our hotel.  A homeless guy we had been talking to claims he is going to sleep on the other side of town so he can wake up in a good area to ask for money and joins us for the 30 minute walk.  I score a pair of bright yellow sunglasses from the guy for a few dollars and he provides the entertainment for the walk, telling stories that couldn't possibly be true, singing, and making jokes about us.  About halfway through, he says he is going the other way, bids us goodnight and walks the opposite direction.   

We went to sleep on Saturday night fairly late, but not without attempting to get on the roof again.  After failing miserably one more time, we call it a night.  Rachel and Lindsey decide to check out the Holocaust Museum on Sunday morning (For the 3rd time), while Fabio and I sleep in until check out time.  I grab the vehicle and meet them nearby for lunch in Georgetown (The super nice area in D.C.) where we can watch the final of the U.S. Women's soccer game against Japan.  Well, needless to say, I was highly disappointed by the outcome.  (We were up a goal with 10 minutes left in regulation and let them back in, and then we were up a goal with 8 minutes left in overtime and Japan scored again.  It came down to penalty kicks and they beat us)  Rachel and Lindsey went to the D.C. cupcake shop during the middle of the game, (supposedly they have a tv show on some random network) and brought a few back.  I have eaten plenty of cupcakes in my life (My mom and Rachel do make pretty damn good cupcakes) but these were incredible.  Carrot cake anyone?  

Following the disappointment, we headed to Arlington National Cemetery before the haul back to Raleigh.  Arlington is the site of Robert E Lee's old house that overlooked the city. Following the Civil War, it was turned into a national cemetery.  It is the resting place of John F. Kennedy and some of his family including his brother Robert Kennedy, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (To commemorate any soldier who went missing in action or any soldier whose body was not found in war) as well as thousands of soldiers, military members and their families.  Arlington is such an amazing place to visit and we got to witness the changing of the guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It is patrolled by a guard at all times of the day and supposedly the training is very intensive and a couple month ordeal.  I have a good video of it, but finding a good connection on the road it tough.  I will upload it when I can.   Rachel and Lindsey both said it was their favorite part of the trip.

The Cemetery

JFK Quote with Washington Monument and the city in the background

JFK Tombstone

After Arlington, we set back towards Raleigh on Sunday night.  Lindsey, Fabio and I dropped Rachel off, stayed Sunday night, and then drove to the lake on Monday afternoon.  We spent Lindsey's week at the lake riding jetskis, learning how to do backflips into the water, relaxing, and playing plenty of board games.  What a great trip and thanks Dad, for making it all possible.  (You screwed me on that round of golf before I took off on the road trip by the way, I had been playing good as of late.  Hell, I haven't shot that bad since the '90s. )  D.C. is one of my favorite cities in the world and visit it if you have the chance, it's only about 5 or 6 hours from NC.  It has a cleaner feel than most big cities, and best of all, all the memorials and museums are free.  Stay tuned for the post from Ryan and now Cassie Kelley's wedding, my annual trip to Wisconsin to see my dad's family, and the post for week one of the road trip.  I am a little behind in the posts, but hopefully I will have a few out in the next week.  So long for now.