We enjoyed the many interactive and compelling exhibits the Newseum had to offer. Some of the top sections that we enjoyed were:

• Athlete: photos from legendary sports photographer Walter Iooss
• The largest glass elevators that take you to the top floor where they have a great view of the US Capitol and the Pennsylvania Avenue Terrace
• News History Room where they had over 500 years of newspapers in glass drawers
• The Internet, TV and Radio Exhibit
• Today’s Front Page Gallery, where they have more than 80 newspapers from across the U.S. and around the World

Russell and I are out on the Pennsylvania Avenue Terrace with a great view of the U.S. Capitol in the background.

I was so amused by these artifacts at the Newseum!

The last thing we did at the museum (except check out the gift shop which is always a highlight) was go to the Interactive Newsroom and I actually had a chance to read a teleprompter and be a television reporter. If you ever have a chance to go to the Newseum, I highly recommend it. When you go you can choose from 6-8 different backdrops ranging in topics from sports, weather and even landing on the moon. I chose a prompt that was about the latest exhibits going on at the Newseum; I felt it was appropriate so I could remember the day. Russell wanted me to give a special shout out at the end, so take a look and see how I did.

Russell took a picture of me in action.

And with that this is Kristina, signing off!

The wedding was supposed to start at 6 but the snow had been coming down all afternoon making for some slick conditions. The snow might have changed some plans, but it didn’t stop everyone for having a good time. Lindsay and her now-husband Luke went ahead with the ceremony. The ceremony was beautiful and the couple even managed to get some pictures together outside in the snow. Of course this was the end of the night and the snow was a good 6 inches deep.

The next morning we took in the view from the hotel room and started our voyage back home.

We didn’t get too far as the roads were still rough as the storm progressed northward to Maryland. Interstate 81 was backed up for miles and we passed dozens of abandoned cars; some of which were in the middle of the road. After being on the road from 9:30am to shortly before 5pm, we had gone a whopping 121 miles. We pulled off in Salem, Virginia, at a hotel for the night where I’m writing this thanks to the free wifi. Its back on the road tomorrow to complete the rest of our journey. I hear there is 21 inches of snow waiting at home in Glenmont!

This jester was a hoot doing visual gags with his fingers.

We saw a glass blowing demonstration and these were some of the finished products hanging outside of his shop.

The jousting match was the most exciting part of the event. One of the knights even fell off his horse during one of the routines.

This queen was one of the many different costumes we saw people wearing throughout the day.

The longest line at the Maryland Renaissance Festival was for the ATM though some shops accepted credit cards.

Kristina sure had a fun time! I did too I just couldn’t get a picture of myself enjoying everything.

I can’t believe how far some people get into the renaissance time period but it is fun to experience a bit of history for yourself. And we didn’t have to worry about fighting a dragon and crossing a moat to get back home!

We had to take the tourist shot of sitting in the zoo sign.

Baby Ella enjoyed posing for pictures in her stroller with her favorite hat.

She also brings a spare when walking around.

This lioness was out from her den to see all the people gawking at her.

I never realized tigers have such beady eyes which makes them look like they are always staring.

This baby elephant took a dip in the pool to play with the giant floating ball. At one point it jumped on top of the ball turning it into a floating device.

Kristina captured some moments in the ape house. This little guy was playing with his mother.

And this orangutan wanted everyone to see his teeth.

The Clarke’s blogged about their day at the zoo as well as put up a photo gallery.

Stepping into the butterfly habitat was overwhelming as it was impossible to avoid groups of butterflies zig zagging all over. Some would even perch on your shoulder. Places like this are great to practice macro photography. Here are some of my shots.

After an hour of dodging various winged creatures (and packs of people for that matter) we decided to continue on outside. There was plenty of different wildlife hanging out around the pond. Like this family of turtles…

Kristina spotted this big, black, Rat Snake and while she wanted to run away as fast as she could, I wanted to take it’s picture.

We found a tree that was a caterpillar hotel. This one was chowing down on a green leaf.

The highlight of our day was spotting this Great Blue Heron up close. I stalked it for a long time and managed to snap 200 pictures just of this guy alone.

Of course we had to take a picture of just the two of us. In the background to the left is the Japanese Teahouse on the other side of the pond.

We had a great day visiting an exhibit we had never seen before, getting plenty of exercise in, and even enjoying our packed picnic lunch in the Japanese Teahouse that Kristina packed for us. It was just what we needed to get a break from the wedding planning.

In the morning bike riders are welcome on the boardwalk so Kristina and I rented some bikes and took a stroll from 28th street to the beginning of the boardwalk and back. It took us just under an hour.

Jolly Rogers Amusement Park offers unlimited mini-golf on their two courses until 6pm. Their mini-golf was alright, but it was no Old Pro Golf course.

Every year we hang out and play with some family friends on the beach. I was in the middle of digging a really deep hole with the youngest one, Gracie.

Kristina and I tried our hand at boogie boarding though it was hit or miss. Taking this picture sure was easy though.

One night we watched the cops tow away a car whose alarm was going off every 5 minutes all night long. The owner eventually came out after it was hooked up to the tow truck. The tow truck took a half-an-hour to turn around in the small street. The car owner didn’t look to happy but we were all cheering from the balcony.

All you can eat crab feast at the Crab Bag. I ordered a steak and was finished before anyone got their first plate of crabs.

Group picture of the gang after gorging crabs.

Before heading out to the fireworks we had to take a patriotic picture on the porch of Katie Emery’s beach house. From left to right (Katie Emery, Ben Miller, Pammy Smith, Kristina Naude, Russell Heimlich)

One of my favorite parts of the trip was lounging around on the grass waiting for darkness to fall so the fireworks could begin.

This was one of the few years in recent memories that the weather cooperated for the fireworks. They were mesmorizing as they exploded in the sky especially the grand finale.

We certainly had a great getaway filled with friends and fun. I can’t wait for what is in store for next year.

Posts from previous years:

• 2007
• 2008

Russell and Kristina pose with their snowboards at Whitetail ski resort.

Kristina spent the day with her former college roommates on the easy trails. Kristina was getting comfortable switching between heelside and toeside while helping her friends get the hang of slip-sliding down the slopes. Kristina’s friend’s boyfriend and I tackled the more advanced blue and black diamond trails including a bumpy double black diamond course on the other side of the mountain. Later in the day we met up with the girls again and goofed around on the green trails with them. That’s where this video came from:

I was having fun videotaping everyone at the beginning but towards the end I decided to cut loose from the group and turn the camera on myself as I raced down the hill.

Kristina's friend Jeanette is smaller than Russell's snowboard.

The whole crew going up the lift at Whitetail ski resort.

Around 3pm we had had enough snowboarding. It felt so good to get out of our boots and wet jackets. Even though the high temperature was 38℉ I was drenched in sweat. Before heading home we decided to fill up on some good-old country cookin’ at Crackerbarrel. It was good!

Today we were both a bit sluggish as the soreness had set in. However it was worth it because our trip to Whitetail was a blast.