Fun with Bob and Christine

Over the past weekend, Heather's parents Bob and Christine came to visit our humble abode. One great thing about Heather's parents is that they love to get the real, authentic experience of an area when they travel. As a result, they find the coolest, most interesting stores, restaurants, and sites to visit.
Unfortunately, we were in charge of this weekend's agenda, and while we had a great time, Heather and I both realized that we are sadly lacking as tour guides. Thankfully, as they left, Bob and Christine left us an insider's guide to some great driving routes, historic sites, and other places to see around DC. So now we're properly armed for all visitors of any interest!

I think I've rambled on enough, so let me get on with our weekend. Friday night we had dinner at this fantastic restaurant that Heather found called Tuscarora Mills in Leesburg. The restaurant is actually a restored and converted wheat mill, three stories high and very quaint. The inside decor was great and incorporated nicely some of the old wheels and belts. The area around it is all built up too with myriad shops and other restaurants, the Mill being the gourmet one of the bunch. The best part, though, was the food. It was incredibly good. None of us wanted to share with each other we loved it so much.

Saturday was a fairly laid-back day. We mostly hung around and relaxed. In the afternoon, we went to Great Falls Park and watched these adrenaline junky kayakers brave the falls. Even though Christine thought they were crazy, it kind of seemed fun to me. Maybe one day I'll give it a try, but I won't tell Christine about it. : ) At night we got some awesome ice cream and watched the new movie 9. The movie was kind of weird, but okay. The ice cream was amazing. Christine picked out the best Rocky Road this side of the Mississippi (and the other side, too), and Bob pick out an original flavor that I really loved: caramelized pears and hazelnut.

Here we are at the falls.


Sunday after church, we spent the afternoon at George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon. Since all of us had been there before and had toured the home, we spent a lot of time on the grounds and in the new museums. We toured the forst burial sight of Washington and his family, strolled through the gardens, and relaxed for a while on the back pourch. His home sure had a great view. It's the perfect spot for a leisurely nap. The new museum was great, too. No matter what faults our country's first president may have had, one thing was abundantly clear as I learned about his life: he was an truly virtuous person whose life's pursuit was always to benefit the country and people around him. If you can't tell, I was really inspired by the man and the place. I wouldn't mind going back for a third visit sometime.

Here are Heather and Christine posing as if they're a part of the George Washington family.


At the tomb of Washington and his family.






The greenhouse.


I decided to try out the flower setting on our camera. I think these turned out alright.






That night we played some games and Heather showed Bob and Christine the plays she did in her kindergarten classes last year. It was a great cap to the weekend. The only thing lacking at all with Bob and Christine's visit was that it went too fast. We look forward to when they can come and visit again.