Surviving Frankenstorm “Sandy”

As a low pressure front was coming at us from the West, a Tropical Storm/Hurricane was predicted to turn West from the Atlantic Ocean and create this “Frankenstorm” when they merged.  I don’t know if they called it that because we are so close to Halloween but the name seems to have fit. 

The crew of Jay Sea Dee had enjoyed many museums and sights here in Washington DC and it was time to move on.  That was our plan as of Thursday morning.  We deposited our marina key in the overnight box and planned on an early morning exit…then we watched television.  Well it would take us two days to get back down the Potomac and if this storm changed at all we could be right in the middle of it.  Soooooo…we stayed.  At that point we were anchored out in the river.  By Friday morning the storm was more defined and predicted to head straight for us.  At that point we called and got our T-Head spot back at the docks of The Capitol Yacht Club at the top of the Potomac River.  Although it costs about 5x the amount spent to anchor…Safety First! 

On Saturday, we noticed much more air traffic (we are just across the river from Reagan National Airport).  We were told by the Dockhand who has been here for decades that we would know it was a Presidential helicopter if it was travelling in a threesome.  Then we noticed that Obama must be coming home to weather the storm from the White House.  We also prepared Jay Sea Dee to weather the storm by taking down all the canvas and put anything loose inside the boat.

Last night Hurricane Sandy finally hit.  The worst of the winds hit around 10pm and our wind gauge read 60 mph.  That is the highest wind Jay Sea Dee has ever seen.  The boat vibrated quite a bit as the dock lines held it taught to the dock.  The wind was noisy but not overwhelming.  We were some of the lucky ones as we didn’t even lose electricity.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were more personally affected, including those crew members on the HMS Bounty who had to get rescued as the ship sank and they lost the Captain.

Today, I got up and took a photo from the deck of Jay Sea Dee.  We could see The Washington Monument behind the office building ahead of us even though it was still raining.  They say we might even get snow today…amazing.

Today Jay Sea Dee is “dressed” again with the canvas back on and ready to go.  We will attempt to leave in the morning barring a lot of debris in the river or major flooding as predicted.

Gallery of Art, the Post Office, the Supreme Court, the Capital

Today was another marathon but extremely interesting.  We started off in the National Gallery of Art West.  As you enter the Gallery you walk through a massive rotunda.  We saw a lot of Renaissance Style work, a Leonardo Di Vinci, and a Section of American Artists.  There were artists painting reproductions…how I wish I could do that!

Moving on we trekked to the Postal Museum.  What a fun place with lots of interactive exhibits such as scanning mail and being a Truck Driver for the Postal Service.  Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was Postmaster in Philadelphia in the 1730’s? 

I learned about the Postal Mascot Dog, Owney who (in the 1880’s) walked with the Postman on his route every day in Albany New York until he moved away and then Owney followed the scent of the mailbag with other Postmen who would “tag” him with their route tag.  He became so popular among the carriers that when he died, they took up a collection to preserve him.  He has been in the Smithsonian since 1911.

As you can see they are doing some repair and cleanup work on the Supreme Court building.  There are two grand figures on the sides of the front stairway.  On the left side is the female figure representing Contemplation of Justice and to the right is a male, the Authority of Law.  We walked up through the Great Hall and into the Court House. 

Truly magnificent!

Last stop was The Capitol.  This is the center of the greatest Democracy on earth.  As you walk in, there is very intense security.  When they say no food, they mean it.  I had half of my Chipotle Burrito wrapped up in the bottom of my bag from lunch and they made me go all the way back outside, throw it away and start the process all over again.  I know, this is for my protection.  Once you get inside Emancipation Hall you must get a “Timed Ticket” for your tour.  Lucky for us we were able to catch the next tour which was just beginning.  All tours start off with a movie about the history of Congress.  Our first stop after that was to The Crypt Room where under the center of the floor is a crypt that Congress wanted to bury George Washington in.  His family had to produce a will entailing his wishes so he could remain at Mount Vernon with his wife Martha.  Throughout the Capitol there are marble and bronze statues.  Each state gets two statues to represent their state.  We found one of ours for Colorado, an astronaut.

Next stop, the room where John Quincy Adams died.  Our tour guide also demonstrated how there are specific spots in the room where the acoustics are such that you can hear what others are whispering from across the room…very handy in certain situations I’m sure.

Finally, the Rotunda.  This is an architects dream.  The painting in the dome and the frieze that surrounds the room took the artist 25 years to complete. 

American History, Natural History, American Indians

Yes, Day Three we pulled out all the stops and toured three more museums at the Smithsonian.

The American History Museum was very interesting.  My favorite area was the Inaugural Gowns worn by the first Ladies.  Also in the same corridor was the White House China Patterns.  I liked Hillary Clintons best.  It was gold and yellow…very classy.

Because the Presidential elections are on everyone’s mind, I thought you would enjoy seeing the ballot box used in the 1800’s.  It boggles the mind to think where technology has taken us.

The Natural History Museum was pretty typical of many across this great country.  One of my favorite areas was the Butterfly Pavilion…but beware, you get a full body scan as you leave since the butterflies tend to hitchhike out the doors attached to your hair or clothing .

I didn’t get any photos at the American Indian museum but remember this…the café there has authentic American Indian food and it is delicious (a bit expensive though).

E Pluribus Unum…Out of Many, One

The meaning of this motto on our US currency has come to mean so much more to me as we tour Washington DC. It’s meaning comes from the way our Government was created to represent many people in one unified Government.

Day Two in Washington DC we hiked to The National Mall.  It is about a 20 minute walk from the Yacht Club.  Our mission today was the Air & Space Museum.  I really enjoyed the section on Lindbergh.  We went to an IMAX 3-D show about the Hubble Telescope.  It was excellent…highly recommended!

What a zoo!

Day One we went to the National Zoo, most recently in the media because of the Panda cub that died.  Sadly that part of the zoo was closed.  We were lucky to spend the day with Johns folks, our local nieces, nephews, spouses and children .  They were fixin’ it up for “Boo at the zoo”.

The Potomac River

 

We cruised up the Potomac so we could visit Washington DC.  It took us two days to get there.  The second night we anchored in Mattawoman Creek.  We were all alone and saw this beautiful sunset with the Quarter moon.

Cruising up the river was such a treat.  Fall was finally hitting the coast with a passion.  The old Woodrow Wilson Bascule Bridge (clearance of 50 feet mhw…we need 65 feet) is now long gone and replaced by the beautiful new one with a clearance of 70 feet.  Can you see the Washington Monument through the bridge in the photo?  We could also see the dome of the Capitol from quite a distance away.  And the planes taking off and/or landing were a treat to watch.  The last photo is our view as we approach the Capital Yacht Club where we were docking for a few days ($2 per foot per night) and then we would anchor out in the Potomac for a $16 per night fee for use of the dinghy dock and yacht club.  The Yacht Club provides pump out service every Monday and Wednesday and it has great a great laundry room with 5 washers and 5 dryers that only cost $1.50 per load. 

Oh yeah, they have an AWESOME fish market right next door to the Yacht Club.  It was our first experience with “Blue” Crab.  It was only $5 per pound.