Mr and Mrs Gumby in Washington
We flew in on Friday night through thunderstorms, high winds and rain - the first time I'd ever flown with lightning flashing all around the plane, which was all a bit hairy.
After two days of walking, walking, walking, we're absolutley buggered (it's Sunday night now), and on top of that, Dave has a bout of gout and my poor old arthritic hips are creaky and cranky in the cold and damp. And I think I'm jetlagged - so I've been waking up for two or three hours after midnight since we got here - so much fun!
But are we complaining? No! And are we loving every minute? Yep!
We have seen gracious boulevards, malls, museums, monuments and marble columns galore, and gasped at the cherry blossom everywhere, a stunning contrast to the bare branches of the winter trees. What a city!
We spent all day in the Smithsonian American Art Museum today, which also houses the National Portrtait Gallery. I've seen paintings and photographs of all the presidents, civil war leaders and heroes, Native American chiefs, lots of poets and writers, and inventors like Morse and Edison. As a treat, in a quiet little room, there was a touching display of love letters between famous couples and photographs of them. I saw my first Oscar - well, four of them to be honest, all won by Katharine Hepburn.
I've had the most wonderful couple of days.
Tomorrow, we're off by train to Penn Station in New York, a trip of just under three hours, then on another train up the Hudson to stay with our friends, David and Cathy, in Garrison, NY. I'm so looking forward to it - I love train rides and there just aren't enough of them in Australia.
:: My Dad is doing well and has been shifted to a smaller hospital, Osborne Park, where he can get specialist rehabilitation therapy. He misses our daily visits, and Mum in particular, so he says he'll work really hard to get back on his feet and home again.