A new chapter

Update: there have been no reoccurrences of the soft palate issue. The Claritin may have helped; I'm not sure, it doesn't matter. I think I panicked unnecessarily because these days everything is suspect. Let us now move on.

My half-sister, Tracy, has come for a visit. Though we have known about each other for some time, this is the first time we've ever met. Wendy, Tracy, and I have been enjoying a very comfortable "getting to know you" weekend. Yesterday we visited Washington DC (Tracy's first visit to Washington) and got to see the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the house where Lincoln died, and took a trolley tour to other points of interest. We made a quick stop at the American history Museum. It was interesting for Wendy and me to play tourists; we are so accustomed to these sights as we have grown up with them and have worked around them most of our lives. It was fun to see the nation's capital through the eyes of someone who has never visited. The trolley tour was Wendy's idea, and really made a huge difference.

Through a pure stroke of luck we got to witness a presidential motorcade. Having worked near the White House for so many years, I find them irritating and inconvenient. Tracy and her daughter, however, were tickled to witness what Washingtonians consider a big pain in the butt and impediment to already congested traffic!

This morning before everyone got up, I headed out to the battlefield for a 6.2 mile wog. It felt great -- despite the humidity -- and I expect this great feeling to last the entire day.

Today we will visit George Washington's boyhood home at Ferry Farm and perhaps a few other historic homes in Fredericksburg. I'm looking forward to it because I've only been to one in the 20 years I've lived here. I should be ashamed of myself!

If anyone thinks to bring a camera, perhaps we will have pictures. I'm not optimistic.