A day of mammals, mummies, bones, archives, and art.

The radar last night showed strong storms for today. So I cancelled my hike and made it a museum day. I set out to visit the Museum of Natural History, the National Archives, and the National Museum of Art.

The Museum of Natural History was very cool yet very creepy. Every animal you can imagine was stuffed and on display. There were mammals, mummies, amphibians, and black widows oh my! My favorite part due to my medical background, no doubt, was the bones exhibit. They showed bones post mortem (after death) affected by disease, repaired with metal rods, and afflicted by different types of fractures. I found this quite interesting. If I went through this in the 7th grade, I sure don't remember it.

My next stop was the National Archives. I do recall this. Viewing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights just never grows old. They had such nice handwriting back then. No pictures from this stop, but no worries I asked the question that was most important. I questioned the armed guard at the entrance of the rotunda. My question was "so in the movie National Treasure, it was stated that the above three documents are dropped 25 feet down into a bomb shelter and highly guarded with multiple security vaults, is this accurate?" Her reply was vague but per protocol, no doubt. "Many years ago, yes that was accurate. But due to new technology and new security protocols, I cannot comment on what happens to them at night." My response, "Oh, so if you told me you would have to kill me?" She replied, "If I told you I would lose my job and yes then I would kill you, because I love my job." No problem lady, I get it. Very cool to see John Hancock and George Washington's signatures. How come it is always, can I get your "John Hancock" and not your "George Washington?" I am going to start a new trend.

My last stop was a surprise. It was the National Museum of Art. I arrived about 45 minutes before closing, thinking it wouldn't much interest me. I was royally wrong! I already have plans to return. I really rushed through it. There were cool busts scattered about mixed with naked statues and cool paintings. Really an unexpected liking on my part.

Now I am enjoying a very cool thunderstorm from my balcony. Back to work tomorrow. This work nonsense is really putting a wrench in my tourism plans. I am thinking the zoo and back to the art museum on my next day off. I gotta get some bike riding in too.