Our final day in DC was
quite nice. We had a last breakfast with Samantha at the Silver Dollar Diner on
Wilson in Arlington. This is a fun place to eat – they have it all decked out
like the old rail road car diners. There was a long line, but it moved fast. The
food was tasty and moderately priced.
Holly and I spent the
afternoon in the DAR Library. We both had breakthroughs in our research, but no
time to pursue them! I found out these interesting facts about Constitution
Hall. Ground was broken for DAR
Constitution Hall on June 22, 1928. The cornerstone was laid by Mrs.
Calvin Coolidge on October 30, 1928, using the trowel George Washington used to
lay the cornerstone at the Capitol in 1793. Mrs. Herbert Hoover was the guest
speaker at the formal dedication on April 19, 1929. Quite a legacy!
Don and Bob walked for four
hours while we were working. They saw all the War Memorials on the Mall – the Vietnam,
WWII, Korean War, Martin Luther King and more. They made it as far as Roosevelt
Island before they pooped out!
So, we joined up again
at 3 and drove back out to Clara Barton NHS. We had the tour and learned all
about her extraordinary life and commitment to the American Red Cross. She
founded it based on the International Red Cross, but she wanted it to help not only in
times of war but also for natural disasters and epidemics. We saw all three
floors of her home which was all wood and interesting levels. The ceilings of
the rooms were made of muslin – cheaper than plaster and she had lots of it
around for bandages.
We got home yesterday
(June 30) about noon. Our son picked us up and we were all happy to see each
other (including our dog).
