Cheryl's Notes:

We have spent the last couple of days walking the streets of DC. Sunday we went to all of the monuments around the National Mall, and hit the Museum of Natural History. Monday we spent the morning at the Air and Space Museum and the afternoon at the Museum of American History. Both were impressive and very crowded. I think that the movie "Night at the Smithsonian" has really caused a resurgence of interest. And, I have to say, that tourism might be down in this economy, but you wouldn't know it by the crowds here.

Yesterday (Tuesday) we spent the morning doing laundry and working on boat chores. For the first time we had plans for an evening event. Wow, what an event. Together with Wes and Deann of Liberty, we took the Metro out to Arlington National Cemetery and walked the path out to the United State Marine Corps War Memorial. The memorial is a tribute to the flag raising on Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima. The monument on its own is very impressive. It is 78 feet high and a 60 foot flagpole flies the American flag 24 hours a day.

What we came to see was the "Sunset Parade" that is performed every Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. through the summer months on the grounds in front of the memorial. The performance lasts one hour and we found you need to get there early to get a good viewing spot. There is a viewing stand with seats, but it is reserved for special guests of the Marine Corps. The four of us found a spot of grass and settled in. At 6:30, a Marine stepped up to us and asked if we would like to sit in the viewing stand. We don't know if they took pity on us because we were older, or if he somehow recognized that both Wes and John were former military. We were ushered into comfortable seats and settled in for the show.

The U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps came marching out from around the monument and proceeded to perform for twenty minutes. They were impressive to watch. This was followed by the Adjutant's Call, the Presentation of the Colors, and the Parade Units Report. The troops also came marching out from around the monument. The most impressive sight was an exhibition by the Silent Drill Platoon. The marines performed a rifle drill without any call signals to keep them in sync. The troops then performed the "Pass in Review" for Brigadier General Kenneth J. Lee who is the Inspector General of the Marine Corps. The next portion was a memorial tribute for all those who had given their lives for their country. A bugler stood on the memorial base and played Taps, which then was followed by the firing of three rounds. The ceremony ended with the Retirement of the Colors and then the troops marched off of the field. I have to say that it was one of the most impressive events that I have ever witnessed. Note to Jeff Lynch: You are lucky to be part of such a proud tradition.

We ended the night by taking the Metro back into downtown, and then we found John an Irish Pub in, of all places, Chinatown. It was a very late night by the time we got back to the boat. Today has been spent stocking up on groceries, and getting the oil changed on the boat. Depending on weather, we will probably be heading out tomorrow for places farther north.

John's Notes:

If you read the above, you have pretty much all the information we have to give. Last night was incredible. Wes and I were very impressed. Cheryl asked why we didn't want to see something like this ceremony, only from an Army prospective. I told her that all the services have similar ceremonial units but only the Marine Corps can put on a show like this. They are so steeped in tradition. If you look at a Marine in dress blues from last night, he pretty much looks like a Marine in dress blues in 1943. Wes and I doubted that a typical field grade Army officers could pull off the ceremonial routines and commands of the Marine officers. An Army officer would probably stab himself with a sword. Wes and I don't mean to disrespect our fellow Army officers but last night was a great show.

The Air & Space Museum was great. I especially liked the WWII exhibit. These were the planes that I grew up with. The P-51 Mustang is absolutely my favorite. If I were a WWII fighter pilot, that would have been the plane that I wanted to fly.

I suppose we could stay here for another couple of weeks to see everything. We are only paying $15.00 a night to anchor off the Capital Yacht Club. We get to use all the facilities including the bar, laundry, showers, etc. It is a pretty eclectic group of members. Tons of liveaboards here. I'll bet there are a million stories in this place. They pride themselves that they are kind of exclusive. Although, you wouldn't know it by the way they dress. You are never sure of the background of someone you are talking with. The lounge and joining bar are full of people using computers all day. Some, I'm sure are government employees or consultants. Some are just weird. Others are active military or retired. It's a potpourri of Washington life.
I heard one story that they turned down the former owner of the Washington Redskins for membership. He insisted that he wanted to bring a boat in here that was in excess of their maximum. He just figured that if he put up enough money, they would accommodate him. NOT! I've talked with a couple of people who seem, for all intents and purposes to be very well off but give you the impression that they are all hat and no cattle. One guy is about 10 years younger than me and seems to have had been involved in about three or four major careers. What he does now is work on boats. You can't dismiss him though because he owns a custom 60' ketch that is in absolutely pristine condition. Just hard for me to get a grasp of the players here. They look just like us, but we are probably just so much boat trash to them. Time to move on I guess.