Grandma Helene and Grandpa Barry

My parents came to visit for almost a week. In D.C., we explored the National Archives, and Mom and Dad checked out the Library of Congress while Sam and I went to the Jim Henson Exhibit at the Smithsonian. After seeing Bert and Ernie (in the fleece) and getting his own Ernie doll, Sam was smitten. He now believes that Ernie lives in every museum, in some other room we're not seeing.

Mom and Dad were thrilled that one of their favorite restaurants from London, Nando's, had opened a branch in D.C. Dad tried to use his Boy Scout orienteering skills to find the restaurant without an address or a map, but in the end a cellphone and 411 were better suited to the terrain. :) Nando's is in D.C.'s Historic Chinatown, where very few of the businesses are Chinese in nature, but they all have to have Chinese signage. Bizarre.

That night we caught the end of services at the temple where we're spending the High Holy Days, and then got takeout from Peking Gourmet (world's best duck; ask the Bush family!) The next morning, we took the opportunity to travel to Colonial Williamsburg. If you have the time, I strongly recommend going in the Fall. Very few crowds, comfortable weather, short lines... There are historical reenactments, treated matter-of-factly by park staff. We asked about the governor's mansion, and were told that it was closed "because of the Revolution. Until tomorrow." The nice thing is that during presentations the interpreters can break character to make allusions to modern concepts and are more about education than just "being period."

Sam was entranced by the sheep, the horses being ridden ("Beh?" "Nope, not a bear. Horse." "Dah?" "Uh-uh, not a dog. Horse." "Hus?!" "Yep, horse."), the many rocks to be found (including one special rock that had, in fact, come from a horse. Yuck.), and the tour bus from the visitors' center to the old town ("Uh buh! Uh buh! Uh buh!" "That's right, a bus!"). We played Mexican Train Dominoes (Helene's Rules, TM) at night in the hotel, and bought Sam a tri-corner hat.

My folks' last night in town coincided with Mark's parents first night, so we all headed over to Ted's to try to convince Grandma Helene, Grandpa Barry, Grandma Nancy and Papa Jack to eat bison. Mixed success on the bison front, but a nice dinner. Sam even got "a moon" (balloon). There was a tearful sendoff at Dulles the next morning, but now Mom and Dad are planning a visit to India. Yay!