Getting historical in the MidAtlantic

After leaving Rochester, our Dodge Grand Caravan took the 7 hour trip to Maryland to see Jon's family. It's remarkable to me that I ever thought of that trip as being so impossibly long. Why, we made it comfortably in just one day!

Going to Annapolis meant we descended another few hundred feet to near sea level, which meant that my morning runs, already made much easier by the reduction in altitude, became positively exhilarating. And what joy to see even more water! When one lives in dry climates one's eyes become thirsty for the sight of water, as well as for the smell of dirt and growing things. Annapolis was heavy with both.

We enjoyed a day at the dock in downtown Annapolis.

The kids made friends with Alex Haley

Koopa wanted in the water so bad.

See the water at the end of the street?

On another day, we got a train to D.C. to enjoy some Smithsonian museums. We took them so lightly for granted back in the mid aughts!

First, we hit up the Museum of the American Indian, which had only just opened last time we were there. They've done a lot to it, including adding a kids' area complete with kayaking, basket weaving, and other interactive exhibits.

If I'm honest, as much as I love learning about Native culture, my favorite part is the cafeteria. There are foods from all corners of the Americas (we still think southwest is best, though, and got tacos, arroz, salsa, etc) and if you ask at the cafe you can get Mexican Hot Chocolate, which is one of those things which could single-handedly prove the existence of God. I could feel it solving all my problems. We let the kids have some and the rapture on their faces can hardly be described. Point is, get some Mexican Hot Chocolate if you're in a position to do so. Preferably at the Museum of the American Indian in D. C.

Jon actually got us tickets to the Museum of African American History and Culture (below), which was something of an achievement.

I highly recommend this museum. The very structure and setup of the museum is significant, with the history section being the foundation and the culture section stretching over it. You descend to learn about the middle passage and slavery (which was beautifully done and profound), climbing slowly every once and a while through the civil rights era, 1970s, Black Power, Black is Beautiful, and then into current struggles. On top of all this is a section the covers the performing arts, theology, literature, music, and other aspects of black American culture. It is excellent and well worth the wait!

The bricks behind Mr. Jefferson here represent each of his named slaves. The names are printed on the bricks.

This is Frederick Douglass' Newspaper; you can see the publication city "Rochester, NY" below the title.

I loved this image from the Depression era.

Ida B. Wells had something to say that I thought captured the whole spirit of the museum.

This seems to me to be the fundamental answer to our great American original sin: Shine the light of truth on it. Don't stop. Don't shrink. Don't let anyone forget or be ignorant. Only through knowledge and confession can there be repentance. I hope I can do my part.

This room gives visitors the chance to rest and reflect after the slavery section. There are profound quotations on each wall and above the circle waterfall is sunlight. We stayed a while, just to watch it.

Not pictured is a really fabulous section on Black Liberation Theology, once the subject of one of my research papers, so I ate that part up.
We rather hurried through the music section, the one part of "culture" we made time for. The kids were just. done. They were very sweet and patient through most of it, but it's really not yet a museum for little ones.

Miles did enjoy having his picture taken next to Miles Davis' purple jacket.

I was able to take a picture and give some side-eye to the capital building, as they attempt to gut health care provisions that so many rely upon. Our esteemed Colorado senators have been hearing plenty from us this week.

We are, of course, settled back in Pueblo right now, and I'll finish reviewing our trip and then get to Miles' birthday and our summer in town. It's been really good to be back, despite the immediate sense of deprivation I felt when we left St. Louis and I realized no one in Pueblo would care as much about our arrival there as the people we had been leaving over the past week cared about our departure. I really do have only one good friend here. But I have plans to visit with her some more, and we're doing summer reading, and swimming lessons start next week, and I have been to visit my classroom and have met with the other sixth grade English teacher who has helped me get started planning lessons, so we're keeping busy and staving off melancholy very admirably. I'm trying to clean less and read more, but it's hard. There is always some cleaning job to be done that cries so loudly that I can't hear my books. Koopa and I run each morning, an indulgence I treasure. Really, Pueblo has given us so much already.