Holiday Visiting, Day Three

Yesterday Paul and I went downtown with my brother, Jim, his son's family, my sister, Jean, and her daughter's family. We were a big group of 16 people with the ambitious goal of seeing the U.S. Capitol Visitor's Center, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Botanic Gardens.

We dropped off most of the group at the Library of Congress while we parked the cars at Union Station. The tree in the Library's Great Hall was very pretty.

The kids, though, really enjoyed running up and down the Library steps and sliding down the handrails.

When the adults put an end to that fun, we walked across the street to the new Capitol Visitor's Center, which you enter underground, an approach which provided an unusual look at the Capitol dome.

After an orientation film, we went on a tour of the Rotunda, the Old Supreme Court, Statuary Hall, and the Crypt.


Our tour guide was lively and entertaining, but little Bradley stole the show with his cute babbling and antics.

We decided it was too cold to walk to the Botanic Gardens, so after lunch in the Visitor's Center cafeteria, we went home to rest. Later, while the children had a party with Grandma, the adults went out for a nice dinner.

Jim is leaving today, but we won't be lonely since my other brother, Glenn, and his family are arriving this afternoon!