1. Our Trip to Washington Calamity on Constitution Avenue

2. To celebrate the coming of Spring, we decided to meet at Kelly and Dave’s and see Washington D.C. as a family.

3. Upon our safe arrival, Jasper greeted us with her usual unbridled enthusiasm

4. The next day, following a hearty (albeit challenging) lunch, we set off for our family adventure…

5. Our first stop was to the new World War II monument. There’s Dad pausing, in a moment of reflection… wondering where he might find himself a beer.

6. After finding said beer, Dad coaxed us into this off-center shot with the Washington Monument* in the background. *Notice the marble is two different colors? Watch the History Channel, to learn why! Hint: It’s not due to weathering…

7. But following our afternoon of fun… …we found Kelly’s car had a flat tire--

9. And you know Mom… Everything’s funny to her! So Kelly and I took charge of the situation…

10. Grabbing the cell phone, we began our search for a lug wrench. Kelly also called for backup in the event our mission failed…

11. Lucky for us, Dave was at work just blocks away – he rushed to our rescue armed with the missing lug wrench!

12. But, alas, it was not the right size… …so I took a break from the game to give him a hand.

13. Thankfully, the Triple-A Man arrived, but the clock was still ticking… …if it wasn’t fixed by 4, we’d be towed*! *All parked cars – broken down or not – must be cleared by 4 in order to accommodate rush-hour traffic… What silly Republican made that law???

15. It’s just 4:01 and he’s already writing tickets! This is when I offered to chain myself to the bumper, but there was no need for civil disobedience: our tire was fixed!

16. “Thanks, Triple-A Man*!” *Course, we’re not sure who he was-- the guy had no ID and drove an unmarked van... But the $20 he charged to fix the tire was a heck of a lot cheaper than the $80 to tow it!

17. While Mom and Dad distracted the cop, Kelly and Dave hurriedly stashed the unused jack and golf clubs…

18. Finally…we were able to return home – And just in time, too!

19. – much to Jasper’s obvious relief!

20. Where’s everyone wanna go next year??? XOXO, Laurie April 2005