I am sure a lot of you are aware of this, but following the Forum, Michael, my counter-part in St. Paul, stayed with me Friday and Saturday night before heading back home. He was on his own on Friday as I was working with one of my teams all day and when I got home I was exhausted from all the work and fun I had during the week. On Saturday we drove down to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. It is absolutely incredible and well worth the drive. Little did Michael and I know it would take five hours to get there because traffic (not construction) would cause us a two hour delay. I will never complain about traffic delays in MN again! It is a cake walk compared to D.C. The house is built on top of a mountain and the grounds that surround it are stunning. We had one of the best tour guides who showed us the house, new everything about Jefferson and then some, talked about the grounds and the surrounding area. Michael and I walked around the grounds and the cemetery, which is still being used by family members today, before walking back to the museum/parking area about a half mile down the mountain.
On Sunday, we went to the Zoo, it was a cloudy semi-rainy day. Not a lot of people at the zoo and the animals were not all that active but it was still a great zoo. Like the Smithsonian's, it was free! That has to be one of the best parts about D.C. The zoo has a little bit of everything, from zebras, monkeys, giraffes, amphibians, big cats, large lily pads, a huge tortoise and cows! Michael and I ended up in the Columbia Heights neighborhood for a late brunch at the Heights restaurant, which we both agreed was very good and we would return to some day. We went back to my place and Michael took off for the airport. I cleaned up, did laundry and called it a weekend.
