Virginia Beach - Virginia!

Left Washington tired but happy......

Onward to Virginia - we stayed in the Schooner Inn on the beach..

Nice views from the balcony..

As part of the advertising for Virginia they use this logo...

At the Schooner Inn we were staying next to a 'jacuzzi room' and they took the States motto to 'heart' and jacuzzied all night!!! With the TV on max and the jacuzzi on its noisiest setting...

By 4.30am I became a mad woman and banged on their door and asked them politely to shut the .... up!!

The naff heart shaped offending article....

Apart from that noisy night we had a lovely rest and walked the boardwalk daily and chilled out

Oh and stopped for the odd beer...

The boardwalk is 3 miles long and they had the Xmas lights along the the length of it, took rubbish pics at night, but took a few videos, will post them totally out of sync at some time in the future after we have sorted them out!!

Left VB and have driven nearly 500 miles with a stopover in Fayetteville in North Carolina, arrived at Charleston in South Carolina today, staying a couple of days before going to Savannah in Georgia - only another 500 miles to Panama City Beach!!!

Mole...

We had a mole in the garden last year... I tried all the humane things to discourage him to go away, ie castor oil, moth balls, Pete our neighbour said playing music near their runs helped, tried that..

After watching my plants fall into holes and die - it was WAR - we bought a mole trap and the results as follows....

Looks cute eh??

How can something this small do so much damage???

Whats worse it seems we have another mole running around in the garden....

These look like mole mounds to me:(

Arlington

Only a few more pics.....

Arlington - a very moving place..

TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels of the Third United States Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"

Q: How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?

A: 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

Q: How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?

A: 21 seconds, for the same reason as answer number 1.

Q: Why are his gloves wet?

A: His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

Q: Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?

A: No, he carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

Q: How often are the guards changed?

A: Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

Q: What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

A: For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30".

Other requirements of the Guard:

They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. They cannot swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way.

After TWO YEARS, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.

JFK's memorial and Everlasting Flame...

The Memorial Amphitheatre...

The Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., was dedicated on May 15, 1920. While many ceremonies are conducted throughout the country, many consider the services at Arlington's Memorial Amphitheater to be the nation's official ceremonies to honor all American service members who serve to keep the United States free.

Washington DC

Arrived in DC .... "Walking" 9-5 (for those who know Dolly's song......)

Went to the National Archive to see the original document for the Declaration of Independence passed in Congress in 1776 - it sounds a dry visit but it was really 'awesome' seeing it in the 'flesh' so to speak...

"the original was engrossed on parchment which is an animal skin specially treated with lime and stretched to create a strong, long-lasting writing support."

The Capitol at night..

During the day.....

The White House

Not so secret service outside!!! (look at the writing on the bottom of the car)

Couple of shady characters outside...

Having a coffee break and this little fellow was hanging out..

White House from the Oval Office side..

Spot the man on the roof.....

pics around DC

Washington Monument and World War 2 Memorial

Silly pics...

We heard a rustling sound in the tree and saw squirrels making a nest!!! Brilliant watching them running up and down the tree with nesting materials ...

Lincoln Memorial

Looking from the Lincoln Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

A well deserved lunch by the side of the Potomac river...

If you all feel exhausted looking at these pics - imagine, we had to walk for hours to take them!!! Then upload them.... and there is still Arlington to do!!!

There are so many more I could have put on but phew ......

Seriously we had a fabulous time, Washington is the city devoted to the past, it is the seat of power and the Capital City, it is also very beautiful!!!

In Virginia Beach at this time - but thats another story......