Oh, say can you see?

The National Museum of American History (part of the Smithsonian) recently reopened after some major refurbishment. We took Gram B there and toured through a small portion of the exhibits. By far the most touching of the exhibits was the first one when you walked in: the Star- Spangled Banner, the flag that hung over Fort McHenry (in Baltimore) that Francis Scott Key praised in his like-named song. The nearly 200-year old flag has been through some lengthy conservation and now resides in a darkened clean-room in the center of the museum. Every one of us teared up as we gazed upon the symbol of our nation and enjoyed the private, spiritual thoughts that came. Even Domba said she "felt like crying so it must be the Spirit". Only Mini-Me was unfazed as she is afraid of the dark and was ready to go back to natural lighting... :)
Another fun sight was the random items in the display cases lining the hall walls. Mini-Me really went for the old Barbies and had to read more about them in her guidebook.
Dh had his teeth cleaned that morning before we went to the museum, so we got a pic w/the antique dentist chair. I wanted to try out those ginorm pliers on the tray...
Dh & I have long been fascinated by miniatures ever since seeing some in the Phoenix Museum of Art. This house by Faith Bradford took the cake. The girls, of course, were inspired and decided then and there to start their own miniature collection... We'll see how long that last. ;)
What a letdown when we finally reached the Ruby Red slippers--the girls had all thought they would be sporting REAL rubies. Sorry, guys, they're just plain sequins, but they are a size 5 1/2 which made me wonder how tall Judy Garland was anyway...
Domba and I agreed that we both love Oscar the Grouch because he's so grumpy. And I like his pet worm, Slimey.
And we had to get a pic w/the authentic Kermit since Jim Henson is a University of Maryland-College Park alumni! We've been catching up on the old Muppet Shows that were just released on DVD (or at least, just purchased by our lousy library system). Truly fun for the whole family entertainment. You should hear the Muppet's Glee Club singing Perry Como's "Temptation" or our personal fave, "Mahna Mahna".
After our Christmas train table acquisition, the steam engine got a little more attention than normal.
We especially enjoyed the "Invention At Play" exhibit. Dh has some connection to IDEO that my brain has lost, but we did get a pic to prove he was there... :)
Far and away the most awesome part of this exhibit was the part on Kevlar. I knew about flak-jaks and body armor, but how about snakebite gaiters, boat hulls, cut-resistant gloves (Think chainsaws--the Kevlar fibers get entangled in the chain and stop it within a millisecond! That's almost as good as the table saw!), firefighter clothing, tires, fiber-optic cables, even mountain climbing equipment. Thanks, Stephanie Kwolek, for one of the most practical scientific applications this past century!
We tested out the canoe and then had flashbacks to our 2+ hour trip down the Snake in Idaho w/ALL the kids in 68F weather (only wearing swimsuits and life vest for protection and dragging 3 tubes). Not a memory I care to dredge up...
Bub and her creation. They had air blowing continuously so you could test your fans for strength and ability.
We also got about 1/8 of the way through the Price of Freedom exhibit (have to dedicate an entire day and lots of emotional energy to that one) and then briefly looked in at the American President's exhibit. I mostly wanted to see the bit about Abraham Lincoln. A week after our visit, they opened up an exhibit dedicated just to him that I'm greatly longing to go see (after the Inauguration crowds dissipate). I have long had a deep reverence, love and respect for that man and his complex life. One of the most special moments last year was visiting the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall. There is no doubt in my mind that Lincoln, though a man, was a man led by God.
Okay, I guess I'll let you go (if you haven't clicked off already)... :) Think of this as promotional advertising to make your next vacation in our neck of the telephone polls and plan to bunk down w/us!