Duck Butts, Santa Anarchy and a Supreme Court Associate Justice in D. C.

I took a break from novel revisions, parenting and pet care to spend a glorious long weekend in D.C. with Hubby.

Don’t we look relaxed? Well fed? And happy? We had actual conversations that weren’t interrupted every third word.

And we walked and walked. And walked! And saw amazing things.

The Lincoln Memorial

The White House (from really far away because of security fences)

The Washington Monument (“Hello, up there!”)

The Capitol (I was in awe that the laws of our land are crafted and debated here.)

We were humbled by the WWII Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Then we strolled through a park with a pond full of ducks.

DUCK!

But most of the ducks had their heads in the waters, so it was actually a pond full of . . .

DUCK BUTTS!

As if that weren’t funny enough, when we reached the Smithsonian "Castle," a hundred people dressed as Santa marched to the carousel. They were delighted and let up a whoop when they found out they could all ride the carousel for sixty bucks. When asked by a bystander what was going on, one of the jolly santas said, “It’s like anarchy, but with Santas.”

SANTANARCHY

They provided lots of laughs and candy for nearby children.

We explored a few Smithsonian museums and saw the Hope Diamond, Archie Bunker’s chair, one of the first airplanes, an incredible nature photography exhibit and so much more all for free.

The man who started all of this, James Smithson, had never set foot in the United States, yet he loved our country and wanted to promote the "increase and diffusion of knowledge." He did all this with an initial investment of $508,318. Thank you, James Smithson!

The next day, it was off to the National Zoo where I saw . . .

ZEBRA BUTTS!

And pandas, iguanas, an octopus, lions, a baby hippo and a tarantula so large it eats small birds.

And butterfly butts! (Okay, I don’t think butterflies have butts.)

In South Florida, these are called rat snakes. In D.C., they're called politicians.

This is Lucy, a friendly orangutan who interacted with visitors and enjoyed eating.

Before we knew it, we were enjoying our last meal in Georgetown – pizza -- and heading home.

It turns out that a Supreme Court associate justice shared our plane from D. C. to South Florida. Can you guess which one? (Hint: I think I saw him sipping a Coke in first class.)