How bored are you?

Well, I've heard my wonderful father-in-law say on more than one occasion say "He must not have been that hungry." He often says this when mentioning how someone says something to the effect "I'm hungry," then refuses to eat whatever is presented to him. For example, our cat Angus prefers to drink warm water from the faucet. I've said that he won't drink anything else (even though we all know that he really will), to which my f-i-l says "He must not be that thirsty."

Monday, I had a private pity party in my luxury, Trumpesque hotel room. J was at work all day, and I watched more NCIS than I ever have in my life. Tuesday, I rolled around in the bed while Kathie Lee and Hoda spouted some nonsense about something (I still don't know why they earn a paycheck). I took a field trip to my new neighborhood to pick up the keys for the PO Box. Then I fixed dinner in our gourmet kitchen. Today, I decided I was "that" bored. I heeded my father-in-law's unspoken advice and decided today was the day to take a field trip and explore the fantastic city in which I was deposited. I decided that with the plethora of free, public institutions at my disposal in the city, it was time to explore.

I settled my mind on the fact that I was going to have to venture well outside my comfort zone and drive to an unknown location, catch a foreign mode of transportation, then walk (unaccompanied) around our nation's capital. I succeeded in the aforementioned activities and found myself outside the Metro stop, standing in the midst of the Washington Monument and the Capital building.

"Holy crap," I thought. "That's the freakin' Washington Monument on my left." "Holy crap, again," I thought,

again. "That's our nation's Capital building on my right."

Once I had relished in the greatness of the city in which I was standing, I proceeded to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. This was my destination because I have always been fascinated by American History, and J wants to visit the Museum of Natural History together. Since this was more of an exploratory expedition, I only had about an hour and a half to spend here. However, I could spend more time in that museum than Claudia Kincaid did in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (thanks, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). I spent the entire amount of my limited time in the "American's at War" exhibit. All I can say is that it was breathtaking! Here are a few of the pictures that I was able to take. I'm sure I'll have more from my next adventure.

General George Washington's Dress Uniform, often worn for paintings.

A replica drawing of the first flag. Three pieces (left) taken from the original, on display elsewhere in the museum.

The Nazi flag of Germany and the Japanese flag flown in those nations during World War II.

I wonder if this kind of propaganda would work today?

"Carpool, or bin Laden wins!"

I bet they changed this slogan after the end of this war...

I'm sure this is exactly why my grandfather signed up!

Does this sound like Dale Jones, or what?

Pieces of the Berlin wall, which fell in 1989.

Wreckage recovered from one of the World Trade Towers after the attacks on September 11.