The Cherry Blossoms with Grandma & Grandpa


At long last, Grandma and Grandpa made the trip to Washington just in time for the peak of the famous cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, the weather was not at its peak - featuring cold, rainy days rather than sunny spring weather. Grandma and Grandpa left just in time to miss the 85 degree day on Monday. Timing is everything.
Despite the cold weather, a good time was had by all - especially Anna. It was like Christmas for her as presents seemed to appear daily from Grandma and Grandpa. In addition to a beautiful Easter dress, assorted toys and games, and more new clothes for spring, the grand finale was the sandbox that Grandpa brought for her (look for pictures in future reports). The grandparents also dropped Anna off at pre-school and picked her up, allowing Anna to show them around her classroom and meet her teachers. They also enjoyed playing with Anna. Grandma even agreed to play dress-up with her.
The visit was a present for Joe as Grandpa spent a couple of days assisting him with work on the old house, which will be going on sale soon. Joe has spent the last 5 weekends painting the entire place and doing assorted repairs. Grandpa provided repair and power washing assistance, easily reducing the time Joe will need to spend on remaining projects.
Theresa managed to spirit Grandpa away for a few hours to enjoy the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin. While we just missed the peak, there were plenty of blooms to see (along with tourists to go with them). The added bonus was watching the President's helicopter fly over (note Marine 1 in the background of the picture).
The grand finale for the weekend was a multiple course homemade Vietnamese sit-down dinner, courtesy of Ms. Be and Mr. Fancy. Mr. Fancy held a tea ceremony at the end. We were joined by another family alumni of Ms. Be's daycare. Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed it immensely. Grandpa and Mr. Fancy enjoyed discussing Vietnam in the 1960s since both were in the military at that time. It was a great evening and an excellent cap to the weekend.
Grandpa and Grandma headed back to Ohio on Monday after dropping Anna off at school, but were sidelined by a flat tire in rural West Virginia. Fortunately there were several good Samaritans to assist them. After purchasing two new tires (because you should never buy just one), they were on their way and made it safely home.
A big thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for all of their help over the weekend!

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