Last Day in Virginia

This was back to a work day and Papa’s cousin was going to be away most of the day to bring her daughter to a sewing class. It was our last day in town, but there were still things on our list we wanted to see. Not enough time! Make a list for our next visit…

So Papa and Nonna took off on our own in the Mustang that we had decided was “school bus yellow.” We were going to be ok, because we had “Jack” to guide us.



We went to Arlington first and saw J.F. Kennedy’s grave site. The cemetery was filled with people, but everyone was quiet and reverent. We were told there are about 30 burials a day there and we could hear the 3 gun salute often as we walked. We reached President Kennedy’s grave where people only whispered or were silent. What was also impressive was the photography display in the main building.

We drove over to the Washington National Cathedral which “Jack” had no trouble finding. It’s the 6th largest cathedral in the world. It is massive and beautiful. We visited the entire Cathedral including the 7th floor observation tower. From up there we could see the entire city. The National Mall was at a distance, but you could see the landmark buildings: The White House, The Capital, and the Washington Monument.






It was our turn to cook, so we went to The Giant grocery store near “home” to pick up Italian Sausage, pasta, and wine. It had to be an early evening since our flight was at 6am the next day, but it still gave us time for a lovely evening and conversations that continued to connect us and “cement” our new found friendship. Papa and his cousin keep reminding each other of the 27 years that had passed without seeing each other and how much they had missed. Maybe it just hadn’t been the right time then. It is now and I’m grateful for that.