Swiss Miss Has Pix, by Mary

Here are some of the pictures from my memory-filled trip to Switzerland. I had a wonderful time!

(Bill concentrates too hard to take self-portrait.)

Jammin' with the Capitol Bs, by Sue

We’re back in Asheville and missing Allison who is back in Kansas. But our jammin’ trip to Washington DC was a success! More highlights?
• A 21-stop Tourmobile tour of the National Mall.
• Our heated hike to Ford’s Theater and the coolness of the lecture and museum there.
• Our wonderful Alexandria hotel which was luscious but cheap.
• Riding the DC subway.
• Meeting and photo with North Carolina Congressman Heath Shuler and a tour of the Capitol with his staff member Alex.
• Seeing the House gallery on the Capitol tour and a farm bill vote.
• Eating lots of ethnic Italian dinners.
• Some of us visiting the Air and Space Museum while others visited the National Gallery.
• Sack lunches on the National Mall lawn in 90 degree heat.
• The 3D shark movie at the Museum of Natural History.
• Allison’s extreme excitement over the National Archives Experience.
• Seeing the ruby slippers and Lincoln’s top hat.
• Three hours in the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
• Confirmation on America’s “First In Flight” claim.
• Double the time to Richmond due to DC traffic jams.

Jammin' in DC, by Sue

An unprecidented number of truly Jammin' Banmans have reunited for a road trip to Gettysburg and Washington DC.

The highlights so far?

* The five-hour drive to Gettysburg which included Apples to Apples and donuts.

* A very scary ghost tour of Seminary Ridge.

* A two-hour customized tour of the Gettysburg battlefield with Tom, our guide.

* Junior soldier camp for two of our most junior soldiers.

* Battlefield recreations by Pickett's Best.

* A two-hour drive to Alexandria, Virginia.

We look forward to the fun in Washington DC starting bright and early tomorrow morning!

Pickett's Charge, by General Pickett's Best

Sailing on the Bounding Maine…er…Main, by Jim

Riccardo asked an important question in an e-mail last evening: “Did my girls actually learn to sail?”

Absolutely, Riccardo. Our Intergenerational Elderhostel camp for five days included a lot of boring sea lore stuff our bearded seaman named Harry poured onto us. Such as a rope is a line; the left side is the port side and the rear is the stern. Plus Harry showed us how to tie a clove hitch, bowline and sheet bend knots.

Then on three days we adjourned the classroom and went sailing in our Rhodes 19 sailboat on Linekin Bay. We sailed with Nick, our college freshman, and Ben, our 15-year-old sailor around the bay. We watched to make sure the sail wouldn’t luff and made one tack after another. Judy, Natalie and Audrey took turns at the helm while I sort of made directional “suggestions” (ahem). On our final sail, the wind rose and we heeled until the gunwales just about took on water. That means the boat tilted until water almost cascaded into the boat. Judy couldn’t watch and began to whimper.

Audrey and Natalie got a bit squeamish about one lunch – freshly cooked lobsters. Especially when a veteran lobster gourmet demonstrated how to behead the lobster and goo oozed out.

Two of our evenings included dancing. On the first, a pro tried her best to teach us Celtic dance steps. Judy and I flunked. The next evening, one of our waitresses conducted a class in the samba and all 10 teen girls starred in the show, especially Audrey who shocked the girls when she took the floor in her dance shoes.

Late one afternoon we four boarded the resort’s Pearson-class sailboat. We had fun watching the huge sails fill in the wind.

In between all this we had rousing games of hearts, rummy and something with a name in Portuguese we shortened up to DVD.

Day 3: Not Knockin' New York, by Sue and Natalie

Yesterday was another hot day in New York. Natalie and I started out at the Statue of Liberty on very low batteries but revived on Ellis Island and were ready for anything by lunchtime at the World Trade Center site. We then enjoyed free entrance to both the Museum of Modern Art and the American Folk Art Museum before we ended the evening with successful shopping for school clothes at Old Navy. We passed the walking limit of the day before, yesterday on our feet for 13 hours straight. Today we’re hoping to make it 24 hours without sitting down.

Day 2: Not Knockin' New York, by Sue and Natalie

Our second day in New York was a big one. We walked for 11 hours straight, stopping to eat and drink only when absolutely necessary. We started by going to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. We then went to Macy’s, the world’s largest store. The world’s largest store? We believed it was so after wandering for an hour in its retail maze. After a few hours in Times Square, we took a refreshing break for coffee we tried to take the subway to Little Italy but found ourselves on an express train by accident and ended up at the Brooklyn Bridge. What else could we do but cross it, taking silly pictures as we went? We then finally found Little Italy and Chinatown. After dinner in a small diner near our hotel, we were fast asleep by 10.

Day 2: Natalie's New Best Friends