Our Red Dress World Tour – Chapter Eight

Another year…another birthday! And Karen presented me with another surprise gift! I have to watch what I say to this child of mine as she remembers and then Surprise! I’m getting to experience it!

What was the surprise you ask? Monuments by Moonlight! D.C. is such a great city with so many interesting attractions and things to experience, day or night, I’ve seen the monuments in the daytime. I have pictures of them on my living room wall. Now, I will get to add a couple more pictures to the grouping but totally different than what is currently hanging on the wall!

My birthday surprise began with Kenny, our driver for the evening, picking us up in a BMW sedan and whisking us away to our first monument as he sang Happy Birthday to me. Our first stop was the Air Force Memorial. From there, we headed to the Marine Corp Memorial aka Iwo Jima and drove past the Carillion Bell Tower, a gift from the Netherlands. A bonus stop was to the Pentagon Memorial, aka 911 Memorial. I have wanted to visit for a long time. We drive by it all the time but never seem to be able to find the right time to check it out. Even in the dark, this memorial is very sobering. A great deal of thought went into the planning and development of this memorial. A gentleman told us many interesting things in a short time, which just makes us want to return in the daylight for another visit. Isn’t it amazing when you bump into a random person who happens to be retired military and is so willing to share his knowledge at 8PM! I hope he’s there during the day the next time we visit.

Interesting Fact – the original ground-breaking of the area of the Pentagon that was damaged took place on September 11, 1941.

Next up we headed to the Tidal Basin, I was surprised to see so many buses and people after dark! It was a beautiful Sunday and the cherry blossoms were making all kinds of comments and pictures and memories. I just figured everyone would be tired and heading home. Karen aka Shutterbug was snap happy with her camera, attempting to capture just the right image. Nighttime photography can be a bit difficult…it’s a learning curve.

We ended our time with driver Kenny with a quick trip to catch a picture of the U.S. Capitol building at night. Then home for a late night birthday cake and ice cream snack. It was a special birthday as I received not 1 but 2 home-baked cakes! Both delicious! And both made with love. Special thanks to MC – loved the exploding cake!

The Tidal Basin as well as the rest of Washington, D.C. is handicapped accessible. The sidewalks and crosswalks are smooth for the most part. There are accessible bathrooms available (no porta potties needed!). Handicap parking is available but in demand. Your biggest challenge will be navigating the other tourists who are there to see the same things you are! Patience and slalom training come in handy especially during peak tourist times.

Fill your life with adventures, not things, Have sotries to tell, not stuff to show.

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Be watching for Chapter 9, coming by the end of April.