"It'll be a cold day in hell..."!

In 1976, Mom, Nancy, Aunt Rachel and I headed off for an adventure from Georgia to Washington, D.C. We were going there to get ready for Nancy's wedding which was going to take place in September at the Washington, D.C. Temple. There was paperwork she needed to pick up and other arrangements to be made, so we all took off to our nation's capitol. I took Aunt Rachel along with us because she'd not been too many places and I loved her a lot.

Of course we wanted to see and do as many things as possible and one of the stops we made was at Arlington Cemetery to see the grave of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy.

(Aunt Rachel and Mom looking at some of the many headstones in the cemetery)

Then, we wanted to go by the White House and check it out but didn't know how to take a tour. While we were stopped at a red light, we noticed a guy with a sign saying he would give tours of Washington, D.C. for a fee and take you wherever you wanted to go. We all laughed thinking that would be a great idea, but who in their right mind would turn their car over to a complete stranger and trust that all your stuff wouldn't be stolen. But as we circled the block, we got to talking about the possibility and decided we'd be those people who lost their minds and take him up on the offer. We actually went back, found the guy and made him promise to us he was legitimate. Somehow, we took the man at his word. I actually turned the keys of my Mach I Mustang over to this guy, with all our luggage and let him become our guide.

True to his word, he got us tickets to tour the White House, dropped us off, told us where we could meet him after the tour and he did everything he said he would. So, we all have toured the White House and even saw Susan Ford out by the guard shack. We then bid the driver a fond goodbye with a nice payment and tip of $10.00 if I remember correctly.

(Nancy, Mom and Aunt Rachel outside the White House)

For our last stop before heading out of town, we decided to tour the Capitol building. We parked in one of the parking lots and headed up all those steps. Once inside we got to see a display of the Magna Carta which was dated 1215 and had been loaned to the U.S. in celebration of our bicentennial. We even got to go into the Gallery where the Congress conducts its business. You had to be very quiet and no pictures were allowed to be taken.

After we'd done all the sightseeing in the Capitol we wanted to do, it was time to leave the building. When we exited, we discovered we were on the wrong side of the building. Rather than have everyone go back through the building, I suggested that I go get the car and meet them on this side. I told them and showed them where to meet me as it would be impossible to park or to stop for a long period of time because of the traffic.

It was a very warm day and by the time I had climbed back up those steps on that side, go through the entire building, down the steps on other side and then find the car. When I finally got it and went to pick everyone up, they weren't where they needed to be. I had to circle the entire block and come back and then they still weren't there. Finally on another pass, there they were. Needless to say, I was rather "hot under the collar" by this time and it was then that I pointed my finger at both Mom and Aunt Rachel and exclaimed very loudly "It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever take you ole biddies with me again"! No one said a thing, but they did get into the car rather quickly.

I don't remember the rest of the trip, but that quote has stuck with everyone even up to this time.

Star Spangled Banner Day

I received this email today from my good friend Tricia...

Carol,
Did you know that TODAY is STAR SPANGLED BANNER DAY?? Woohoo!
And, since you and I saw THE ORIGINAL flag, being refurbished at the Smithsonian, I just couldn’t resist sending you this commemorative email!
God Bless the Red,
God Bless the Blue
God Bless America
And God Bless You!

Yes, Tricia and I got the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian and see the original American flag on one of our visits to Washington, D.C. when we were project managers for the Air Force Project for child care providers. What a fun day we had spending most of it in the various parts of the Smithsonian. My favorite building though was the American History one. Almost immediately upon entering that great building we were able to stand under the flag that had hung at the Pentagon the day of the 9/11 bombings. It was hanging so low that Tricia and I both stood on our tiptoes just to touch the edge of the flag knowing that we were touching a piece of history.

As we continued our tour, we came upon the section where the original "Star Spangled Banner" was being restored. I had never really realized how large that flag would be and was and it is quite large. Read on...

The original Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song that would become our national anthem, is among the most treasured artifacts in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Quick Facts about the Star-Spangled Banner Flag:

- Made in Baltimore, Maryland, in July-August 1813 by flagmaker Mary Pickersgill
- Commissioned by Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry
- Original size: 30 feet by 42 feet
- Current size: 30 feet by 34 feet
- Fifteen stars and fifteen stripes (one star has been cut out)
- Raised over Fort McHenry on the morning of September 14, 1814, to signal American victory over the British in the Battle of Baltimore; the sight inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner”
- Preserved by the Armistead family as a memento of the battle
- First loaned to the Smithsonian Institution in 1907; converted to permanent gift in 1912
- On exhibit at the National Museum of American History since 1964
- Major, multi-year conservation effort launched in 1998

We were able to observe the progress of the restoration, as well as view an exhibition about the history of the 185-year-old flag. Although the flag restoration work was conducted behind glass walls, we had a great view of the restoration taking place.

The restorers worked in a climate-controlled, pressurized lab inside the museum, inspecting, repairing and cleaning every inch of the flag, without touching it. They worked on their stomachs, from a scaffold suspended just six inches over the wool and cotton banner, which is being rolled out, a little at a time.

I remember being so excited about what I was seeing that I called Mom and Dad on my cell phone just to have them share that experience with me.