And I'm so excited for you.

I want to come back to the post you just wrote, but I want to send you that list of things to see in D.C. that I promised so long ago. I didn't realize you were leaving so soon! (Let me know how the Arkansas diamond-mining thing goes. My son's been wanting to go there. Poker, diamond-mining -- he's always on the lookout for some quick way to make a buck, and he thinks we ought to pack up and camp out in Arkansas until we've mined enough to fill New Paint from stem to stern.)

(Question -- it sounds like you were personally affected by the Oklahoma City bombings? I'm a newbie to BWS, so don't know you as well as the other ladies do, but it sounds like you experienced the trauma of that day firsthand?)
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Washington D.C. ideas -- No particular order, and I'm not even going to try to be neat or pay attention to grammar or punctuation. Just a brain-dump. For phone numbers, area code is 202:

1. Obviously, all the Mall must-sees -- White House, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian (www.si.edu ) and all the great, free museums. National Archives with the REAL Declaration of Independence (Alex should get a kick out of that), the Air and Space Museum
( www.nasm.edu ) -- every kid's favorite (and, I've read, the most visited museum on earth). The National Museum of American History (americanhistory.si.edu) has lots of fun exhibits for kids - George Washington's tent to Oscar's Sesame Street garbage can. The Washington Monument, which is once again open. You can climb to the top. The Vietnam Memorial is incredibly moving. Just walking slowly and reading and touching the thousands of names has a powerful impact.
2. A good way to tour the city is via the Tourmobile. you can hop on and off all day long, and it's narrated, so you know what you're looking at.
3. The new National Museum of the American Indian. On the Mall. Given your Cherokee heritage and your knowledge of native cultures, you can help Alex connect with his roots.
4. The National Building Museum ( www.nbm.org )-- This is a giant indoor space with colossal columns and, if it's raining, kids can roam around free in here, like being in a cathedral without having to be quiet.
5. Union Station - 15-minute walk from the Mall. - A giant, fabulous architectural wonder. Modeled in part on the Baths of Caracalla in ancient Rome.
6. Capital Children's Museum ( www.ccm.org ) - Lots of hands-on fun for kids
7. National Zoological Park ( natzoo.si.edu ) - Stork-feeding at 10:30 am, elephant training at 11 am, pelican feeding at 1 pm, and so on.
8. National Museum of Natural History ( www.mnh.si.edu ) - dinosaur bones, geodes, IMAX theater, major jewels and gems (compare your haul from the Arkansas mine to the Hope Diamond...) [Smile]
9. C&O Canal Towpath -- out of the hubbub and heat of the city, it runs from the Georgetown section of D.C. to Maryland. You can bike, walk, jog, etc.
10. Rock Creek Park - More green space. 3,000 acres of streams, meadows and woods.
11. Rent rollerblades. What a cool way to cruise the mall and take in the sites -- Go "inline!" - $15/day rentals at Ski Center, 4300 Fordham Rd., N.W. ( www.skicenter.com )966-4474.
12. Bike the Sites -- ( www.bikethesites.com ) - A three-hour, 8-mile bike tour, including bike and snack. (966-8662).
13. DC Ducks - ( www.dcducks.com ) - About $25/head. Ride in an original WWII amphibious vehicle. See sights on the Mall, then plop right into the Potomac for a cruise.
14. Rent a canoe or kayak and cruise the Potomac on your own steam - Rent at Jack's Boathouse (337-9642), below the Key Bridge in Georgetown.
15. Theodore Roosevelt Isalnd - ( www.nps.gov/this ) - A little island oasis in the city with 2.5 miles of paths, including the Swamp Trail, where you should see birds and such.
16. Flea market on Saturdays and Sundays (check first) at Eastern Market ( www.easternmarket.net ) - 7th St. & N. Carolina Ave., SE - silver, trinkets, rugs, jewelry, vintage stuff. you can eat lunch at Eastern Market, too.
17. National Geographic Society Headquarters (hey, Smile, you can get ideas for that WORLD TOUR here) --
( www.nationalgeographic.com/explorer ) - 1145 17th St., NW. - 18-foot replica of the Titanic, cool exhibits, awesome photography. Like walking through the magazine from its early days to today. (I tried to leave writing samples around the joint but left without a job offer.)
Old Town Trolley Tours - another hop-on/hop-off deal. (832-9800) - ( www.trolleytours.com ) - Two-hour tour, or get on and off as you wish all day.
18. Arlington National Cemetery
19. Alexandria, Virginia -- go to Old Town. Looks just like it did in colonial times. My friend Terry used to live in a townhouse on Duke Street, one of the oldest. She said it was amazing to live here.

I am not even going to check this for typos. Just hit send. Back later.