Nick and Chris go to Washington

Hello Friends,

Sorry for this large delay between posts. We are safely home now. We got back to NY in time for Thanksgiving dinner, which was as good as expected. However, We both wanted to tie things together with regards to the blog, which I never got around to doing last year. So im going to write this one about our last stop, Washington, DC, then Chris is going to write his final entry whenever he gets around to it, after which I will write my concluding entry. So for those of you who are still with us, stay tuned...

When we were in touch last, we were hanging out with Shaunee in Chapel Hill, NC. From there we went up the dreaded I-95 to Washington DC. DC was one of the places that we had most been looking forward to visiting the whole trip, so we did not relegate it to lame-duck status, road trip wise. We did up DC like we did up the whole rest of the country, Two Guys and a Chevy style.

We stayed with my cousin, and resident guest blogger, Courtney, for the first night, and went out with her and her roomates. While out, we were followed by a very creepy older man with a moustache, who actually turned out to be one of our best friends, Mr. S.P.F. Winstanley. We hadn't seen him since he started law school, and the reunion was quite heartfelt (mostly because he didnt think wed make it that far). It was great to see him, as he should have been the third guy in the Three Guys and a Chevy family. Next time buddy, next time.

The next night we went out to my Aunt Lisa's house for a great dinner and a meeting of the neighborhood homeowners association, which they very graciously always schedule so that I am able to attend. It was great to see her and my Uncle Clay, who had recovered from the hip pointer that he was struggling with last time I saw them. It was just really nice to spend the last couple of stops of the trip with family, a perfect reintroduction back home.

Even in the face of rain, which usually causes me to pack it in and call it a day, Chris and I were determined to see the sights in DC. We spent a day at the American History Smithsonian, which is really incredible, and free, and then spent the next day checking out all the monuments. The highlight was probably the FDR memorial, which I didnt even know existed before we randomly walked right through it on our way to the Jefferson Memorial. It is really moving and quite idylic, out of the way from the bustle of the mall.

The next day I got to go into Courtney's class and speak to her first graders on life and the way things are. She has the greatest group of kids and has done a fantastic job so far. They were incredibly respectful and had great manners. I read them my favorite children's book, The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Suess, and then told them an even more incredible tail, one of great adventure, about two guys and a chevy traversing the good old US of A. When I was about halfway through the story of our trip, talking about the west coast, a first grader wise beyond his years raised his hand and asked quite sagely, "Why didn't you just take a plane?" They really are making them smarter these days.

After class, Courtney, Steve, Chris and I, braved the largest traffic jam of the year, I-95 between DC and NY on the day before Thanksgiving, to finally make it home. Steve, the naive Canadian that he is, had graciously offered to drive the whole way at the beginning of the trip, thinking it would be a nice 4-hour drive. Well, 8 hours later we were finally there, ready to sit on our throne as the Princes of Just About Everywhere.

Before I finish, I want to thank Courtney for dealing with us road weary travellers yet again, she was quite essential to the road trip. Thanks to Steve for putting us up for a night and for making that drive, which the rest of us barely made it through and we werent even driving. And finally, a big shout out to my Aunt Lisa, who cooked us a great home-cooked meal and didn't even make fun of my unkempt hair, which everyone else in the family did when they first saw me. I love all of you very much!

Keep it real,

Nick