Larkin Traveler: Day 4-5 ...June 8-9

Under threatening skies we found the Yorktown Battlefield and a Park Ranger beyond compare! She clearly loved the site and shared the pain, disappointment and exultation of the various combatants . Seeing the deep, wide trenches as well as the size of the siege and infantry canons...hearing the strategy of the 8,000 French and Patriot troops ...we could feel Cornwallis' frustration at having chosen a defensible site only to be outwitted by Washington and the Colonies' new ally, France, this, the pivotal defeat of the British effectively assured independence even though the Treaty of Paris was two years away.
Harrison was impressed with the variety of canon balls and the soldiers' ability to make some that explode independently. None of us immortalized the canons...but the view of our history was memorable...

Don't know her name, but the Ranger brought tears to our eyes...for Cornwallis as well as the Victors.

We drove on to DC...in pouring rain and monumental traffic, arriving at the Driscoll's about 5.

So gracious...the kids had been " a little nervous" about meeting new people and ...immediately felt at home and like family. " they are very nice, with a beautiful home and they can turn a rainy day into a sunny one" to quote Victoria.
Their backyard was, as ever, lush and warm

After dinner we walked around their Capitol Hill neighborhood, saw where "the boys" ( youngest is 52!) learned to swim...went to their church ...wonderful choir ( Bill is in it!). Viewed the Capitol at night...only blocks from their house...magical ( of course I was standing in the middle of the street...Tom just loves it when I do that)

The Kennedy Center for Brunch! Who knew??
The dining room is spare and almost Spartan...but the food was Fantastic...and plentiful

The buffet was in the KITCHEN

We DID check out the desserts on the way to the real food....ultimately sampling all...the Creme Brûlée was amazing, however the chocolate on the lower right was a killer