Huaca Pucllana and Museo de Oro

We had a fun morning exploring a couple of cool places. First, we visited the Huaca Pucllana, which is a pyramidal structure used by several ancient civilizations. Afterwards, we headed over to the Museo de Oro (Museum of Gold), which in addition to displaying lots of gold artifacts also housed a bonus Arms of the World Museum. It was pretty fascinating! Plus, on the way there, we got to experience a truly unique street performance. Finally, we headed back to the coast for lunch, and we actually ended up at the same place we ate on our first night here (Mango's) because they have the best patio and their menu is different at lunchtime, so we got to try lots of new things. After lunch, we had some rest time and later went for an evening stroll along the malecon. We are leaving Lima early tomorrow morning, but we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Hopefully, we'll be able to visit again in the future!

Huaca Pucllana

An ancient royal Wari tomb
(The dead were mummified in the fetal position
and stuffed in a basket. Then, a false head was
placed on top.  The tomb was also filled with
things that might be needed in the afterlife and
"guides," which were usually mummified children.)

An example of different kinds of sacrifices

These people are my favorites!

Juggling machetes at a traffic light, on the back
of a flatbed truck that was simply stopped at the light

Clay loved the shields covered in weapons!

Guns disguised as walking sticks

Golden funeral regalia

Golden gloves

Mini desserts on the buffet mean you can try a bunch!

The fog began to lift as we were finishing up our lunch

An evening walk along the malecon

January

This space has been quite neglected this month as I just haven't had the bandwidth to keep up with it. But since it's the main chronicle of our family life, I want to do a broad overview so we don't look back someday and wonder, "What the heck happened to January 2018?" Here are the highlights (not including regular activities and things that were already going on before this month):

• Jan. 1--Polar Bear Dip, South Padre Island

• Jan. 2-3--San Antonio with Mimi and Grandpa

• Jan. 4--I received a life-changing tiara in the mail

• Jan. 5--I started running again; Jeff found out he passed his personal narrative essays, which is the 2nd test he had to pass in his quest to become a Foreign Service Officer (Diplomat)
• Jan. 7--Weston joined a ping-pong club
• Jan. 8--Max started his Ninja Warrior class; Clay started his martial arts class

• Jan. 9--Max and Clay built a cotton gin during History class

• Jan. 10--I started my regular Meals on Wheels route; I took my first writing day out of the house; Clay started swim lessons; I started back to yoga

• Jan. 12--Max turned 10, and we celebrated at the Lego Discovery Center and Olive Garden

• Jan. 13-15--Weston went on a surprise campout with the Boy Scouts, and they got to spend the night on board a battleship
• Jan. 14--Ruth's last IEA horse show of the season

• Jan. 15--Ruth officially became a Civil Air Patrol cadet
• Jan. 18--Ruth started track
• Jan. 19-21--Max got to spend the weekend with Nana and Papa and got to attend a monster truck show

• Jan. 20--Weston attended the Boy Scout Merit Badge College where he got to work on badge requirements with other members of his troop
• Jan. 21--I got to dance with Weston at his last Cotillion class

• Jan. 22--Clay and I got to build castles and shields with the rest of his Cub Scout den
• Jan. 27--Clay got to participate in the Cub Scouts' Pinewood Derby; Ruth completed her first CAP PT test

• Jan. 28--Brunch at Blue Mesa Grill; Hiking at Ft. Worth Nature Center and Refuge

Day Seven in D.C.

Ruth, Weston, and I headed over to the Holocaust Memorial Museum this morning, while the rest of our group went over to the National Building Museum. (The Holocaust Museum has a recommended age of 11 for their main exhibit, which is why we decided to divide and conquer today.) The Holocaust Museum was chilling but was beautifully done, and we were able to take our time and really appreciate it. 

A hauntingly beautiful exhibit

Broken Jewish gravestones

When we were done, Jeff and I exchanged text messages, in which he declared the younger boys were so happy in the hands-on room of the Building Museum that they hadn't even been willing to have lunch, and they certainly weren't interested in leaving any time soon. So, we agreed to just meet them there. The Building Museum is housed inside a lovely building, and truly the hands-on exhibit was fantastic. We ended up staying until closing time. (The boys did eventually scarf down their sandwiches as quickly as possible, so they could get back to playing.)

The National Building Museum with an impressive CANstruction display

This boy loves to build!

Clay's little house

Getting in a good workout

Weston's car

Max's fortress

Clay's canon-firing dune buggy

Upon leaving the museum, we headed over to Busboys and Poets for dinner. It was such a cool place--a bookstore/coffee shop/bar/restaurant--with a really fun vibe. And the food was excellent! Sadly, this was our last day in D.C. There is always more to see and do in this city than is possible on such a short trip, but I think we've made the most of our time and did pretty well. I hope we'll have a chance to visit again!

Busboys and Poets bookstore

 

Crab cakes over crab grits with lobster sauce

A parting treat: banana bread pudding with coconut ice cream

Day Five in D.C.

After a leisurely morning, we headed over to Mt. Vernon to learn more about America's first president. The property was absolutely beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the mansion and exploring the grounds and outbuildings.

Washington's Home

The grounds at Mt. Vernon were gorgeous!

George Washington had terrible teeth and had to have
several sets of dentures made. He was self-conscious of this,
which is one reason he always looks so serious in portraits.

The swearing in ceremony

A meeting of the great minds

From there, we made our way to Old Town Alexandria for a late lunch at Virtue Feed and Grain. The food was delicious, and the little town was lovely!

Virtue Feed and Grain in Old Town Alexandria

Weston's lobster pot pie

Our next stop was Arlington Cemetery, and truly I have no words. It completely took my breath away, and I walked around with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes the entire time we were there. We were just in time to observe the last changing of the guard for the day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was a beautiful and moving thing to behold.

So incredibly thankful for the sacrifice of these brave souls

The changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Finally, we stopped to pick up "dinner" at Dangerously Delicious Pies and Coffee. I would not really recommend having chocolate pecan pie for dinner every night, but sometimes when you're on vacation, you've just got to go with what feels right.

Dinner

Day Four in D.C.

Today we visited the National Museum of the American Indian and spent several hours there seeing the exhibits, having lunch, and playing in the super fun, interactive kid's area. Later, we walked down to the White House. It was cold and windy out, so after that, we decided to come back to the apartment to warm up and rest, before going out to dinner in Chinatown.

National Museum of the American Indian

Clay loved the softness of the alpaca fur

Max worked and worked on making it through this relay game

Counting with Khipu

The boys loved the quiz game

Clay got to practice weaving

Cooking in an earthen oven

This Trump hotel is very near the White House, and
Clay was convinced this was Trump's real house--
afterall, it does have his name on it!

Max sporting some Benjamin Franklin glasses

My crew at the White House

The front of the White House

There is always something interesting to see in Chinatown

Watching the famous Chinatown noodle maker