Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Another Day Out (with update)

Mrs. AOW is running me ragged. She says that she's trying to get me to build up enough endurance for a two-day trip to the West Virginia casinos. Yeehaw!

Today, we are going to two places on the National Mall. Mrs. AOW is crazy about museums!

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens:



The National Air and Space Museum:



On Friday, my friend Steve is taking me to the local VFW again. He does this once a month for the pool tournament. I can't play pool now, of course, but I get to be with the guys in the bar. Good times!

UPDATE FROM AOW (MR. AOW IS EXHAUSTED!):

We did have a GREAT time!

The only fly in the ointment: the brutal heat outside while we were waiting for the paratransit van. For our return home, we had to wait outside for over 30 minutes in 100+ temperatures!

Mr. AOW found some relief by flagging down an ice-cream truck; I, of course, cannot yet have ice cream because of this diet, with which I am almost done now. I haven't been this small size since 1999!

We were both dehydrated (Mr. AOW has to be careful of too much water consumption because of bathrooming issues) and dead on our feet by the time we got back home @ 4:45 P.M. We rehydrated, then ate a small meal. Off to bed before 8:00 P.M.

Best things we saw at Air & Space:

1. The Spirit of St. Louis

2. Some of the space-travel capsules, etc.

3. WW2 aviation. Mr. AOW's father flew bombing missions in WW2 (Pacific)

4. The Tomahawk missile


Best things we saw at the Hirshhorn:

1. One Picasso

2. The rooster sculpture

3. The Calder room

4. Black Box (baseball pitcher)

We spent most of our time at Air & Space.

The security guards at the Hirshhorn were bitches!

Mr. AOW bought an NCIS t-shirt for himself and a sun visor for me.

No museum trips next week because of doctors' appointments -- mine and Mr. AOW's. These museum trips wouldn't be possible if we hadn't bought a scooter for Mr. AOW; we did so before Medicare even kicked in as we got a good deal from a friend of ours whose father had suddenly passed without getting much use out of his little scooter.

15 comments:

Adrienne said...

The Air and Space Museum looks really cool. Have a fun day!!

Woodsterman (Odie) said...

You have fun, and get strong enough for that casino.

Black Sheep said...

That museum building looks exactly like a World War II coastal gun emplacement.

So. When do you start running marathons? I've been waiting.......

Unknown said...

You both have a great time!
Wish i could join you to the Air and Space Museum, looks really interesting.

Z said...

I hope you both had a grand time and that all went well.
VERY cool about going to the VFW to see friends on Friday.
Have a great time, Mr. AOW, you DESERVE IT!
XXXX

Always On Watch said...

I have updated the body of the post.

Always On Watch said...

Black Sheep,
I'm the one in the marathon! Mr. AOW can really zoom along on that scooter. Sheesh. I'm too old to keep up with that speed machine.

Always On Watch said...

When one comes to D.C., Air & Space is a must-see!

FreeThinke said...

Very very glad to learn that you both had a great time, Mr. AOW. It may be tiring, but it's so good to get out of the house -- and the usual rut -- isn't it? Outings like that refresh our spirits.

And I sure agree about hanging out with they guys at the VFW. Even with a terrific spouse like Mrs. AOW, it's probably good to get a little "time off" from being together every once in a while.

What was itt they used to say? "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." (smile!)

I don't envy your having to stay out in that kind of heat waiting for transport, though. WHEW! Not sure I'd be up for that, myself, but good for you for not letting it get you down.

The two of you demonstrate the best of what marriage is supposed to be all about -- for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health to love and to cherish ....

God bless you both!

~ FT

Z said...

Hurrah! In spite of the heat, I'm so glad you had a great day and saw such interesting things!
And I am hoping Dave's outing to the VFW is just wonderful tomorrow..have fun, Dave! xxx

Always, I'm so excited about your weight loss..BLOW on me, maybe it's catchy?!!

Brooke said...

I know you shouldn't wish your life away, but I'll be glad when fall arrives and this heat is gone!

Keep working Mr. AOW out. Tell him it builds character. ;)

Ducky's here said...

Curious to know if you enjoyed the Hirshhorn.

I looked at the current exhibitions and,no kidding, I thought they were a little too far up on the weird scale.

Always On Watch said...

Hi, Duck.

I was wondering if you'd ask about the Hirshhorn.

Mr. AOW doesn't like modern art -- for the vast most part, anyway. Particularly if it's very abstract. He is much more of a traditionalist than I am. A shocker to you, I know.

As I may already have mentioned, I like some of Calder's work. But five white boards pasted together and named White is BS for art, IMO.

Anyway, Mr. AOW and I agreed that much of what is presently in the Hirshhorn is a waste of real estate.

We noticed a lot of people laughing at some of the exhibits -- derisive laughter. We did the same to a certain extent, especially Mr. AOW whose "brakes" are a bit faulty since the stroke.

Of all the exhibits, I loved the rooster sculpture (metal) the most. Unfortunately, it was too hot (101 degrees!) to stroll the garden or even to enjoy the Zodiac exhibit. We were quite dehydrated by that time, too.

The room with the in-motion baseball pitcher was excellent, IMO. That may have been called "Black Box," but I'm not sure. Maybe you know?

Four Colors was nice. But because of Mr. AOW's recent eye surgery, the visit caused him visual disturbance and dizziness; I wasn't affected that way -- now that I've had both eyes done.

The museum shop sucked!

Most of the security guards -- a private company -- were rude beyond belief. I may write a letter of complaint. It was that bad! If I do write the letter, I'll cc the VFW, the American Legion, and whatever Americans with Disabilities organizations.

In sum, I doubt that we'll return to the Hirshhorn anytime soon unless we use it as a drop-off or pick-up point.

Ducky's here said...

Was the sculpture garden accessible? The sculpture collection is probably the best feature of the museum.

Always On Watch said...

Duck,
As far as I know, the garden was accessible, and that was the part that I really wanted to see.

But it was too hot to explore the garden: 101 degrees!