Odds and Ends

Hello,

The count down to going home in now being measured in hours. It is hard to believe that I will be home soon.

But until I leave, there is still time to see a few more sights--like the Postal Museum. This is another one of those places that sounds a little weird but is actually an interesting place to spend an hour. It is located right next to Union Station so it isn't hard to get find. It has been so hot and humid here lately that after spending the day with the trees we needed to go somewhere that wouldn't require a lot of energy. This fit the bill.

Also, Tom wanted to see the inside of the Freer Gallery and the Native American Museum. He has been looking at my book about Smithsonian architecture and these two buildings interested him. The Freer Gallery is mostly Asian and Egyptian art, but it also has the famous Peacock Room. It was originally a dining room, but it was dismantled and put in the museum. I can't even imagine being able to dismantle a whole room and move it! We walked around The Mall and then went in search of the Octagon House. It is located near the DAR, Red Cross, and Organization of American States buildings. (Hey, did you know that the Organization of American States has an art museum? I didn't either! It takes about 2 minutes to go through it, but there are a couple of interesting pieces there. By the way, the Organization of American States was originally called the Pan American Organization and its purpose is to foster good relationships between the countries in the Americas-North, Central, and South America) Back to the Octagon House, I have been at the DAR more than once so you would think I would have seen this before--Nope!! It was originally built by John Tayloe, a friend of George Washington's, as a retreat from his plantation. It really isn't shaped like an octagon, but the foyer is circular and to create that effect they framed it as an octagon and then plastered it smooth so it looks like a circle. The doors leading off of the space are curved to fit the walls which is kind of interesting. It was in this house that James and Dolley Madison lived after the White House was burned during the War of 1812. They also signed the Peace Treaty ending the war in this house. It only took about 30 minutes to tour, but it was on my list of places to find so it feels good being able to cross it off. I also crossed off the Adams-Hays hotel. I have actually walked by it about a dozen times but because it has been undergoing a renovation there has been scaffolding covering it up so I didn't know I was actually seeing it! It was one of the premiere places to stay in the Roaring 20's.

Tomorrow is my last day in DC. I am not sure how I am going to spend it yet, but I know some packing is going to be involved!

Tami