It was not a quiet week (or two)

You may (or may not) have wondered why I didn't post anything last week. I was on the road, soaking up experiences and seeing things I hadn't before.

One item I've wanted to see for quite some time is the Declaration of Independence. It's just one of those things that's been on my proverbial bucket list. It's such a well-known document, I felt it my duty as an American to look at it myself. Pictures are fine, but there's nothing like the real thing.

But I digress. The majority of my immediate family, with the addition of a cousin and her family, met in Washington, D.C., over Thanksgiving to spend some time together. And it was a good time. I don't know if a good time was had by all, because I didn't ask everyone, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We walked a lot. And I'm not exaggerating. We walked a LOT. Getting out of the car at stops on the way home was a hilarious adventure, let me just say.

We got to see a lot a cool stuff, though. We visited the Smithsonian, the National Mall (which included the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial), the Library of Congress and the National Archives, where I got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta. We also got to tour the Capitol, which was incredible even with the scaffolding. So, below are some of my pictures from the trip. I'll see if the Independent will let me post my column here in a day or two.

They weren't exactly three coins in the fountain, although Emma, Hannah and Erin did manage to collect quite a pile of change.

I'm thinking it's safer not to ask what this role reversal was about.

The art at the Capitol was definitely worth seeing. This is the underside of the rotunda.

You want worth seeing, though, the Library of Congress certainly fits the bill.

Your tax dollars at work

Art could be found all over Washington, D.C. Could this be classified as a modern installation?

Brenden and Mom on the train before Bren started making goofy faces

Looking up ...

at this ...

was an activity for everyone.