July 8, 2013
Waking up at 2 or 3AM has become a regular occurrence as we've gotten older. Tonight we awoke to the gentle rocking of the boat. Since we’re up, we check the anchor alarm and outside to make sure we are still anchored in the same spot. The only light was provided by a multitude of stars. We marvel at the change. The night before, we were watching man-made lights, the 4th of July fireworks in DC!
Yesterday as we left DC, motoring down the Potomac River we reflected on our month long stay. We have a friend who at the end of each day of sight-seeing would ask, “What were your 3 favorite things we did today?”
Waking up at 2 or 3AM has become a regular occurrence as we've gotten older. Tonight we awoke to the gentle rocking of the boat. Since we’re up, we check the anchor alarm and outside to make sure we are still anchored in the same spot. The only light was provided by a multitude of stars. We marvel at the change. The night before, we were watching man-made lights, the 4th of July fireworks in DC!
Yesterday as we left DC, motoring down the Potomac River we reflected on our month long stay. We have a friend who at the end of each day of sight-seeing would ask, “What were your 3 favorite things we did today?”
One of our favorites was having our son Jim coming to visit and seeing the National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in one afternoon. A couple of days later, our son Patrick and his wife Kristine came to visit and took us to a Nationals baseball game. Both also wanted to visit Arlington National Cemetery.
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Another favorite was visiting the capital along with a morning “meet & greet” with our state senators. Francie called Senator Durbin’s office to arrange a tour of the capital building with one of his interns. She also discovered that there was a senate hearing with Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI. The hearing was fascinating as different senators asked questions about the phone records scandal, drones, and the IRS investigation. It was interesting to see what the media chose to report and the words they used to make the headlines for their story. The stories were technically accurate, but sensationalized selective answers. At 9AM the following morning, we were drinking coffee and hobnobbing with our government officials. Senator Dick Durbin asked if anyone wanted to introduce themselves or talk about an issue, Francie raised her hand. Senator Durbin glanced over; did a double take and said, “Hi Francie, It is nice to see you.” Francie knew Senator Durbin when she was a college student in Springfield, Illinois. Mike spoke in support of the immigration bill based on his experience as a high school teacher in a largely Hispanic school. We were the first in line to have our picture taken with Senator Durbin and Senator Kirk.
Washington DC
Our final favorite was the Capital Fourth!!
The main reason we went to Washington was because Dave Shack, whom we met in Cortez, FL, invited us to be his guests for the Capital Fourth celebration. We have known Dave and his wife Nancy since our first winter on the boat. We have managed to keep in contact and renewed our friendship this winter.
We met Dave and Nancy on June 30 for breakfast and received our Production Passes. The passes would allow us back stage. Two days later, we met Dave for a tour of the stage area, and met some of the people he works with. There seemed to be miles of cable going everywhere! It was fascinating to see all that went into the broadcast of the show. All we can say is wow!! The amount of equipment was just mind blowing. When Dave was called away to trouble shoot a problem, he passed us on to Tad Scripter who is the engineer in charge of the entire show. He showed us the sound truck and discussed the technical aspects of the show. Tad introduced us around and praised the highly qualified people that work on this show, as well as those that work with him on the Academy Awards and at the Kennedy Center. As we prepared to leave, we thanked both Dave and Tad for the time they spent with us in spite of their very busy day.
The afternoon of July 4th, we made our way back stage to be greeted by Nancy. We were invited to join in the meal that was being prepared by the crew. We met more of the crew, including Dave and Nancy’s son, and watched the performers begin to arrive.
Our seats were about 25 feet from the stage. We were next to the teleprompter and between two rows of VIP chairs. Behind us were lighting towers, spot lights, TV cameras and thousands of people on the Capital lawn and stairs. Excitement and anticipation filled the air.
At one point in the show Barry Manilow walked into the audience and handed the mic to the woman in the chairs next to us so she could sing with him. We missed our chance at fame --?? The singing and dancing was terrific. The best view of the fireworks was on the other side of the band shell. Using our Production Passes, we went backstage to Grant’s Memorial to watch the fireworks. The only people out there were some of the cast members from Motown who had performed earlier and soldiers holding all of the state flags. On the other side of the pool were the canons for the 1812 Overture. The cannons, the orchestra, and the fireworks bursting over the Washington Monument were spectacular and something we will never forget!
We thanked Nancy, recovered our bikes and road home. After arriving at the boat we secured the bikes on board and finished a couple of tasks that would allow us to leave first thing in the morning.
The main reason we went to Washington was because Dave Shack, whom we met in Cortez, FL, invited us to be his guests for the Capital Fourth celebration. We have known Dave and his wife Nancy since our first winter on the boat. We have managed to keep in contact and renewed our friendship this winter.
We met Dave and Nancy on June 30 for breakfast and received our Production Passes. The passes would allow us back stage. Two days later, we met Dave for a tour of the stage area, and met some of the people he works with. There seemed to be miles of cable going everywhere! It was fascinating to see all that went into the broadcast of the show. All we can say is wow!! The amount of equipment was just mind blowing. When Dave was called away to trouble shoot a problem, he passed us on to Tad Scripter who is the engineer in charge of the entire show. He showed us the sound truck and discussed the technical aspects of the show. Tad introduced us around and praised the highly qualified people that work on this show, as well as those that work with him on the Academy Awards and at the Kennedy Center. As we prepared to leave, we thanked both Dave and Tad for the time they spent with us in spite of their very busy day.
The afternoon of July 4th, we made our way back stage to be greeted by Nancy. We were invited to join in the meal that was being prepared by the crew. We met more of the crew, including Dave and Nancy’s son, and watched the performers begin to arrive.
Our seats were about 25 feet from the stage. We were next to the teleprompter and between two rows of VIP chairs. Behind us were lighting towers, spot lights, TV cameras and thousands of people on the Capital lawn and stairs. Excitement and anticipation filled the air.
At one point in the show Barry Manilow walked into the audience and handed the mic to the woman in the chairs next to us so she could sing with him. We missed our chance at fame --?? The singing and dancing was terrific. The best view of the fireworks was on the other side of the band shell. Using our Production Passes, we went backstage to Grant’s Memorial to watch the fireworks. The only people out there were some of the cast members from Motown who had performed earlier and soldiers holding all of the state flags. On the other side of the pool were the canons for the 1812 Overture. The cannons, the orchestra, and the fireworks bursting over the Washington Monument were spectacular and something we will never forget!
We thanked Nancy, recovered our bikes and road home. After arriving at the boat we secured the bikes on board and finished a couple of tasks that would allow us to leave first thing in the morning.