Nate took Clayton and Isaac to Washington D.C. for Spring Break last month and I've finally pieced together all the pictures from his phone and my camera. For the past little while have been living vicariously every detail and moment of their adventure. It was a dream come true for history buff Isaac and scientist Clayton. These guys seriously had the time of their lives.
Here they are heading out on planes, trains, and automobiles. . .
On the first day they visited the Library of Congress and the United States Capitol. . .
where they found the statue of Sam Houston.
and took lots of pictures of the architecture for me.
Did you spot Clayton and Isaac in all these?
The United States Supreme Court Building
Isaac kept a running journal of his trip. He was good about using every spare moment to write. His journal will be a treasure.
Here are the boys trying to break into standing in front of the (huge) doors of the National Archives.
Okay, I love these next pictures of Isaac's first moments inside the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
The Air and Space Museum was definitely the highlight of the day. Isaac and Clayton spotted all their favorite airplanes. For reals.
Like the actual Wright Flyer.
They visited the National Museum of Natural History.
Here they are at the Smithsonian Museum of American History
George Washington's sword.
Seeing this section of the Berlin Wall was so much more meaningful after Isaac's research project on Berlin.
This was a cannon pulled off the bottom of one of the Great Lakes.
They found a Nauvoo Temple plate on display at the museum.
Here's a picture of the Apotheosis of George Washington the dome in the rotunda of the Capitol building.
The boys loved riding the metro around town.
Here they are talking with me on the phone the first night and checking out their souvenirs.
The next day they headed to the Lincoln Memorial.
and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Clayton is looking at the Challenger Memorial.
Isaac was fascinated by the USS Maine Memorial.
Arlington Cemetery.
Here they are in front of the bridge across the Patomic to the Lincoln Memorial.
Clayton and Isaac are watching a helicopter headed to white house while crossing the bridge.
The Vietnam Memorial
More journal writing. . .
Here they are standing in front of "Texas" at the WWII Memorial.
Isaac in front of the Black Civil War Monument.
They visited the DC temple that afternoon.
The weather turned chilly as they headed back to the hotel that night.
Here are the boys warming their fingers when they returned.
In the hotel.
They woke up Monday morning to snow. Here they are getting ready to head out into the cold.
To see this much snow in one place was pretty exciting for these Texas kids. It was a Christmas dream come true for Clayton.
I love this picture of the Capitol and snow and these guys all bundled up.
Here they are in front of the White House.
Some neoclassical architecture in Federal Triangle.
Can you see the boys waving?
They quickly discovered that the government was shut down because of the weather and everything was closed. Oh well. . . the snow became the main attraction anyway. And these guys definitely made the most of it. . .
I think that's Nate making snow angels there. . .
That's Isaac.
Here's a snow ball in midair headed right at Nate. I love the "Ice Age" poster in the background. So fiting.
Another midair snowball. This could be the reason my camera lens came home smudged.
It turns out, everything was closed except for the National Portrait Gallery. It was a good place to dry off, warm up, and enjoy some history and art. The boys were (surprisingly) fascinated by this place. You can see it in every picture. I love it.
General Knox
Lousia May Alcott
Brigham Young
Ulysses S. Grant.
Hurcules wrestling the ox - Midwest style.
a Western landscape
some abstract art.
love this picture. . .
The boys picked their own presidential look alikes. Lincoln for Clayton.
Theodore Roosevelt for Isaac. What do you think?
Here's a picture for me. It's the famous engraved Steinway piano with "America Receiving the 9 Muses" painted on the inside.
On Tuesday they headed to the Air and Space Museum Annex out at Dulles. It's official name is the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Again, a dream come true for these aviation and history junkies. They could tell you all about these planes. And if Isaac were writing this, he would. But for now, here are just the pictures.
On their way back, they stopped in at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and met up with one of Nate's friends for a VIP tour.
They even printed copies of real patents.
Both Clayton and Isaac were very inspired. They each came home and got started right away creating their own patents.
Heading back to Texas. Goodbye Washington D.C.
This turned out to be a fantastic trip - one these boys will always remember. Nate said they were troopers about walking everywhere without complaint even in the freezing cold (when not even the locals came out of doors). And that was with soaking wet shoes and socks. And of course, I have been relishing in all their stories and adventures! Next time, hopefully, I'll go!
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