My Son, The Pilot!

This is the first day of the Memorial Day weekend. Because Brian, shown above, was coming in late in the afternoon, we decided to go to lunch and a movie. From there, we would drive to Dulles Airport to pick up Brian.

That was the plan. But the best laid plans... First thing in the morning, we did a thorough cleaning of the RV in preparation of Brian's visit. When finished, I took my shower. As I dressed, Mel went to take his shower, when I heard him say, "Oh no!" It so happened that the toilet broke. Fortunately, there was no spillage, but it was not savable. So, off we drove to an RV supply place that we had seen a few days ago. It was about 3 miles away. But it was already after noon. What if they were closed--and on a holiday? With our fingers crossed for good luck, we arrived at the RV dealer. It was still open and they had what we needed. We were so happy, even $200.00 later. We returned to the RV and Mel proceeded to re-install the toilet. But, alas, the connector hose was a bit too short. So, it was back to the RV store. Another $20.00 later, we were back to the RV and Mel was able to finish the job.

All Hail to Marvelous Mel and his Mechanical Fingers! That is why I keep him around (or at least one of the reasons). What was so good about the situation was that Mel stayed calm and cool and worked quickly and efficiently. Minus the travel and buy time, he had the old toilet out and the new one installed in 20 minutes. He can do the job when he puts his mind to it. He is very proud of himself, as am I.

Once Mel finished his work, he showered and it was off to Dulles Airport-no time for lunch and a movie. The airport has a 13 mile dedicated highway that leads to the terminal. They have a nifty feature, a cell phone parking area, where you can park until your passenger calls that he/she has arrived. Then, you drive to the terminal and pick them up. So efficient.

When we had Brian in the Jeep, we decided that we were close enough to downtown to take a ride around the Mall to show Brian the sights. What we had forgotten was that the Vietnam Vet bikers were in town for Memorial Day. Tomorrow, they are having a Mall Ride ceremony, called Rolling Thunder, to honor veterans and Prisoners of War, but they started today. So, there was absolutely no parking available to pull over and visit some of the memorials. We drove around the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Washington Memorial (pictured above) and then we headed toward the many Smithsonian museums and finally, the Capitol.

As we circled the Capitol, pictured above, Mel said, "Let's go to Union Station and have dinner at the restaurant, "America." Somehow, I managed to get us on the right streets and we drove right to the garage. We were able to quickly park and while the station was very busy with travelers and tourists, we were seated immediately. Once we were on the road, I was able to get us to the right streets to get us to I295 and back to the RV park. Basically, we made a circle around DC, known as the Beltway.

And I end this blog with a photo of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial that is perfect to depict the reason for this holiday. While visiting Arlington Cemetery, the guide told us that during the week, they average 25 funerals a day, mostly World War II veterans but with more and more Iraqi War soldiers. Since last Memorial Day, 810 men and women have died in the Iraqi confilict. My hope for next year is that all of troops will be home safe and sound. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!