DC

Jill usually goes to the AWP conference this time of the year. But this year she wanted to take a break, so we went East to visit her publisher friend in the DC area. 
Here we are about to leave Austin:

Reb, Chris and Gideon live on a picturesque wooded lot in Reston. Gideon is Jill's godson:

Jill has a childhood fascination with Montichello, so Chris rented a minivan, and we made the 2 hour pilgrimage to Charlottsville. The grounds were beautiful:

I learned a few things along the tour. For instance, the African workers are called 'enslaved people' by the tour guides; Jeffereson died deeply in debt (a million dollars by today's standards); and he only freed 5 slaves in his will.

We also had a chance to visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's annex at Washington Dulles International Airport. Growing up, I had a fascination with WW II airplanes. The Udvar-Hazy Center allowed me to geek out a bit in that regard. Some of the more interesting displays include:

All, in all, it was a really nice trip with really good people. It was relaxing, we ate a bunch of good food, and drank some nice spirits.

And then we flew home: