Across the Continent for Ben-time

Our latest adventure was a trip to Washington, DC for some grandparent time.  Jerry bought Bennett a set of tools and we found that he enjoyed the taste of his new saw.

On Wednesday, after lots of hugs and kisses for Bennett, we enjoyed a lovely, and relatively warm, day in DC.  Cheryl always has wonderful suggestions for places to go and things to do.  Every Wednesday, at noon, the Shakespeare Theater has free performances.  We laughed at an hour-long performance by the Clown Cabaret.  Not normally fond of slapstick, we found their Shakepearean-pun-filled performance most enjoyable.

After the show, we walked over to the American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery for an exhibit of Matthew Brady’s photographs of the Civil War.  Brady’s pictures brought the reality of war into homes on both sides of the conflict.  An additional exhibit on painting during that time was also excellent.

The next day was our day to spend with Ben.  We took the Metro to the Botanical Garden for a “Snugglers”* tour. 

This tour was on plants and their pollinators.  Dave the entomologist would have loved it.  Ben slept most of the time but we enjoyed it.

*Children three and under carried in back packs or baby bjorn.

It was Valentine’s Day and our gift was spending the evening with a loving boy while his parents had a date night.

The next day was Cheryl’s birthday which we celebrated with a trip to his and Zaidy’s favorite store, Costco.  Last year we discovered a wonderful restaurant in Silver Springs, MD so we returned there for a birthday dinner.  Society was even better the second time.  The steak, lamb and crabs were delicious.  Cheryl ordered an appetizer of fried Mac and Cheese. 

 The birthday bread pudding was fabulous and enough for four people to share.  And the service there was excellent.  We will be back and maybe next time Ben will be awake to join in.