D.C. and MD Vacation

Hi all. Last week Matt and I went on a lovely week-long vacation to D.C. and various places in Maryland. We arrived late Thursday July 31 to D.C. Matt's youngest brother Kevin and his girlfriend Steph live in D.C. about ten steps from a metro stop, so we were all set up to have a weekend of tourism in the national museums and at the national monuments. During the days we went to the National Gallery, The Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, The Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, Georgetown, etc. We had delicious food with Kevin and Steph in the evenings and for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. My favorite meal was the breakfast at The Diner, where I ate the best home fries of my life! Saturday night we had amazing pizza at Red Rocks and then chatted the evening away on the roof of their building, from which you can see most of the city. Amazing! We really had a good time with them. I wish they lived closer. 

Sunday we rented a car and drove up to Mt. Airy MD, where my Uncle Mike lives. Matt met a handful of my cousins, two of my uncles and one of their wives (mom's side), my dad's sister, and my grandmother (mom's side). We had a crab boil--you know where you have to take apart the whole crab--yum! 

We spent the next three days using my grandma's home in Catonsville (just outside of Baltimore) as home base for traveling in Maryland. Monday we went to Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium (really cool! but really expensive). Tuesday my grandma and her fiance took us to their boat house on the Chesapeake for a day of sailing and crab cake dinner. Finally, Wednesday Matt and I visited Harper's Ferry in West Virginia and then drove over to Annapolis. Harper's Ferry is JUST GORGEOUS. I want to go back there. Annapolis was less exciting, but we still had a good time walking around. 

We really go along well the whole time without any conflicts, so the trip was a success on many levels. Of course, I had to spend the weekend recovering from the cold that Kevin gave to Matt who gave it to me. But, it was well worth it. It only makes going back to work that much harder, though I'm glad to be refreshed.