Panagals Take D.C.

The Pana-Gals In Front of Spot Where Obama Will be Sworn In

Yesterday was an exhausting but ultimately supremely fulfilling day in the nation’s capitol.  We started out a couple hours late (at least they are consistent).  I’m told it stemmed from staying up until 2:30 am chatting with our hostess.

We made a quick stop in our old neighborhood in Virginia and dropped in unexpectedly on our old next door neighbors.  They were shocked but immediately ordered the whole group inside and made us extremely welcome.  These are the parents of the family we dropped in on in Monterrey in similar fashion.  They were equally as welcoming.  It was a lot of fun – nothing like spending time with old friends.

We saw the house next door we lived in for four years.  The huge tree that used to be out front was gone and the back yard looked different but it was a favorite house of ours; in large part due to the great next door neighbors.

We journeyed into the capitol area and I was astounded by the massive changes in the road network in just the seven years we’ve been gone.  You can tell traffic is still a monumental problem and justified my decision not to live there after I retired.

We descended on Arlington National Cemetery where we visited JFK’s grave and saw a changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  My wife was warned twice by the guard at JFK’s tomb that she was being a little too noisy as she attempted to gather the gals.  It was a blast of nostalgia there as I remembered walking these same paths innumerable times as a young captain.

We then crossed the river into Washington and immediately ground to a halt in traffic.  After ten minutes we figured the road was blocked up ahead and I correctly surmised the president was shortly going to be travelling by.  My wife was telling me (approximately every 3 minutes) that I should do a u-turn and go another way.  To mitigate with the building tension this “assistance” was engendering I told the Panagals to dismount the vehicle since we were right outside the White House.  They went for photo ops there while I waited another 15 minutes fro Obama to finally pass by (didn’t help my falling opinion of him).

I then took a tour of the greater DC metro area looking for a parking spot.  The place was inundated for the upcoming inauguration ceremony and all my usual haunts were occupied.  My last gasp was going by the Jefferson Memorial and as I drove along the Potomac I spied an open spot on the other side of the road with several other parking spot seekers slowly approaching.  An aggressive U-turn later I was the proud possessor of a free parking spot.  My joy was short lived as I started to figure out how far I had to walk to reunite with the beautiful Pana-Posse.  Well at least I got to pass by both the FDR and MLK memorials. 

 

While I was dialing the phone to contact my wife I attacked by an especially aggressive cherry tree.  I immediately checked the area to see of anyone (there was only a couple thousand people around) saw my lack of attention to low hanging branches.  I earned a pretty good slash on the forehead that luckily only bled a little.  After finally linking up with the girls we headed to the national mall where the preparations for the inauguration ceremony were in full swing.  We went as far as the Air and Space Museum which made a big impression on the group. 

We decided to head back towards the car by hitting the WW2 memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.  This involved a lot of walking and I could tell some of the gals were not loving the foot leather they were donating to the nation’s capitol.  They still seemed to have a lot of fun though and were really impressed with the sights.   When we got the Lincoln Memorial my sister in law and cousin’s daughter were the only ones who made the climb to the top which offered breathtaking views of the city.

When we got to the bottom the rest of the group had discovered a nearby shopping opportunity which would not be ignored.  I left the group next to the Potomac because they were just exhausted from all the walking.  I wasn’t doing a lot better but there was no way I was going to admit weakness in front of these ladies.  I walked the mile and a half to the car and we were shortly headed back to our home base for a party of the Washington chapter of the Panamanian mafia.

This was yet another chance to get together with old friends we hadn’t seen in a very long time.  The long walks and drives kind of caught up to me and since I have another 8 hour drive ahead of me today I hit the sack around 10:30pm.  The rest of the gang stayed up partying until after midnight while I slept like a baby.  It will be fun waking them up soon.

Our Old Home In Fairfax

The Greatest Next Door Neighbors Ever

The Gals Arrive at Arlington National Cemetery

The Christmas Wreaths Were Still Out

At The JFK Gravesite

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Lee Marvin and Joe Louis Gravesites

Tribute to my Old Division - Hooo Ahhhh!!!

Stuck in Traffic Waiting for Obama to Pass By

Where my Walk from the Parking Space Started Before my Attack by Cherry Tree

The MLK Memorial

Inauguration Prep - the CNN Desk

My Sister in Law in Front of Smithsonian Castle

Hot Dog Lunch

My Wife and I on the Mall

My Wife and Her Sister at the Air and Space Museum

Sister in Law at The Washington Monument

The Gals Deciding Whether to Test the Water at the Reflecting Pool

On Top of the Lincoln Memorial

The Conquerors of the Lincoln Memorial Climb

They Weren't Going to Miss a Shopping Opportunity