Its off to Washington DC to visit with my friend Jean from my semester abroad in Grenoble France.

She is now a foreign service agent and is back from a stint in Afghanistan and is headed to Bogota Columbia after this.  She gets put up in a nice hotel but no RV parking so I park in front of her friend's house just outside the city limits.

 Her friend Leslie has 3 dogs, one a recent rescue from being on someone's dinner table in China.  Tucson and Scout become fast friends.

 We visited the Zoo

and toured the Spy Museum

 Bond, James Bond

 Lots of cool spy stuff

Mata Hari

Who knew Julia Childs was a spy?

While Jean was in a class, I drove out to Arlington National Cemetery to visit my Grandparents' Grave

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Memorial amphitheater

Abner Doubleday

Arlington House.  The Robert E. Lee Memorial.  The residence of Robert E. Lee and his family 
before the Civil War, Arlington House has a 
unique and interesting story, with connections 
to many important figures, issues and events 
in American History. Built by GeorgeWashington 
Parke Custis and his slaves between 1802 and 1818, the house and grounds have served 
many purposes over the last two hundred years: a family home for the Lees and Custises, a plantation estate and home to 63 slaves, a monument honoring George Washington, a military headquarters, a community for emancipated slaves and a national cemetery.

Pan Am 103 Marker

 

The Kennedy Memorial

 

A somber day for a somber visit.

Continuing on down the road I decide I want to see some of the actual Baltimore Painted Screens.  I was introduced to the art form back in 2011 at the RV park in LaFeria Texas by my Canadian friend, Shirley. 

I had sent an email to the Baltimore Painted Screen Society to try and find where some of the screens were located but go not response so pulled into Baltimore and went to an intersection that came up when I googled it. 

Manage to find parking for the RV and went for a walk.

 

Really enjoyed seeing these and got into the mood to make some more myself.

Of course, the day after I leave Baltimore I got the call from the Painted Screen Society. 

 

From the Cape I headed to Stamford, CT to visit my friend Robin. Got stuck in traffic on a Sunday no less went 5-10 miles and hour for 2 hours.  Then I got the Merritt Parkway and found out after the fact that there are bridges well under the 10 feet height that I am, fortunately not on that stretch.  The entry sign only said no commercial traffic, nothing about height restrictions, plus they put the signs with the next bridge height AFTER the exit before the bridge.   

Anyway, once I got there I had a really nice time but again no pictures.  Going to take me awhile to get back into this blogging thing.

Spend the night at the Lee rest area on the Mass. Pike and wake up to torrential rain.  

Arrive at my Sisters house.

The rain finally clears and we are able to walk the Beach in the Town of Harwichport.

The storm has washed thousands of Slipper Shells ashore.

 As well as hundreds of Horseshoe Crabs

We also go to visit Paines Creek Beach in Brewster an old favorite from years past.  They finally decided to stop fighting Mother Nature and took out the original parking lot that was always being flooded by the tides and put in a huge culvert to help restore the marsh land there.

 The Tide is going out

 A long line of boulders protect the area from erosion

 Tucson looking his usual handsome self.

 An unusual sighting - an Egret

 Must be migrating South

 Tucson loves the Beach!

 and is having a ball!  Good Bouy!

I neglected to get pictures of my Sister and me.  So here is one at Paines Creek back in 2001 with my then wonder dog Kirby (10 at the time)

 

I did get pictures of my Sister's Furry friends

Raisin

 Big Boy

 and Starfish

It was a nice visit but time to move on.