ok, so mm is back from a trip that lasted less than 48 hours from the getting up on sunday morning to the going to bed on tuesday morning....i am exhausted in the 'feeling like i have been beat up/old' kind of tired........my feet hurt, my eyes are swollen from pollen or mold, and my head is pounding......but i did have a good time.......turns out the highlight of the trip to d.c. was the side trip to dedaleus book warehouse that is on rt. 32 between bwi and my in-laws house.......i bought 3 books at $4.98 each and could have purchased more but i knew that i had no room for them in either my purse or small satchel........all three books are travel essays/we bought this house in france/ireland/sicily and this is how we labored to fix it up and get along with/be accepted by our neighbors.......you know the year in provence formula.........but this is my fanatasy...to buy a house in europe and fix it up.........the mall in dc was dreadfully hot,,,with intermittent showers.....steam rose from the sidewalks after each rain......lots of security....besides the book warehouse, my trip highlights include....the terrace outside the botanic gardens that was done up in a martha stewart kind of 'this is how you can do pot/containers at your house with heirloom vegetables and flowers......it was a stunning array of clever ideas........julia child's kitchen at the smithsonian (american history), whistler's peacock room from the frick.........the big naked guy from the hirschorn........not the naked part...just the realness of the piece of art......the birdcage guy sculpture by rene magritte at the hirschorn........the gem exhibit at natural history...........and last, but not least, visiting my in-laws extensive gardens, especialy sitting by the fountain in the older fish/lily pond reading the paper, drinking coffee, and watching the lilies open........in my nightgown and robe......there is nothing more deilcious than that level of leisure......did jpon have a good time......hard to tell, as he said maybe 20 words in 2 days, despite courageous efforts on the part of my in-laws to get him to say more than yes or no........my sister-in-law whispered when we left that she will pray for us.........