Planning preview

Just to get started, here's the letter that I sent around on email to let people take a peek at planning in the early stages. Don't like what you see? Tell me what you'd like it changed!

Dear Family,
We in the DC area are excited to be doing some serious thinking about the reunion this summer. I thought I’d give you a look at planning while still in the idea stage, because I’d love to get feedback on what YOU want to do. i.e. how much touristy stuff vs. hanging out with the family vs. outdoor adventure, etc.

I am trying to find things that are inexpensive and, where possible, indoor because it will be really, really hot and humid. Also, I’m hoping maybe this preview will help push some of you who are on the fence into the ‘yes’ column! I figure we can use our house as Ground Zero for hanging out and staging outings. It’s close to the city, cool, and our neighborhood pool is nearby for use anytime. There’s a trickle of a creek in back for the kids to explore, and a small fishing hole within walking distance. There’s always the slip’n’slide. A Wii in the basement. And maybe we can scare up a moonbounce or somesuch. We have two grownup bikes free for the taking, and coupla kids’ bikes. And Mom will be staying here. There are lots of nice bike trails for winding all over the place from here. And a nice nature walk closeby. We can put up a tent or two in the backyard if we want. Schedule (all very tentative and subject to change.)

FRIDAY DAY:
Happy to organize groups to downtown museums (free!), art galleries (most free!), the zoo (free, except for $5/hour parking); Mount Vernon (it’s not cheap; but it has lots of fun outdoor grounds for kids to explore; $15 for adults; (http://www.mountvernon.org/); our local pool (dtpool.org), or other local sites. Do the earlybirds want to get in a temple session? (Temple will be closed on Monday.) Dinner at our house – something simple.

FRIDAY NIGHT:
We have 50 tickets reserved for the Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks downtown. A not-to-be-missed event. Free! (If we need more tickets, there is a general admission line that forms for unfilled seats.) The performance runs late (8:45-10:15), but we took Christopher when he was about 3 and he was mesmerized. We can also line up babysitting at my house. Parking is do-able around the barracks. Check out the Website:http://www.marine-corps-video-evening-parade.com/the_evening_parade.html

SATURDAY DAY:
I recommend an early-morning kayak outing on the Potomac River. We did this for our Relief Society one Saturday at 8 a.m., and it was an awesome experience, even for people who had never kayaked before. It’s fairly cheap, too. $10 an hour for a double kayak, and an hour is probably plenty for novices. You’re kayaking right near the memorials and Georgetown. (And early is blessedly cool, relatively speaking.) They also rent canoes, sailboats and bikes, for anyone interesting in biking along the Potomac, or even all the way to Mount Vernon. Parking is do-able early in the morning. I think there is an age requirement (maybe 12?) but I can’t find it on the Web site right now. http://www.thompsonboatcenter.com/boatrent.htm

We also have put in multiple requests for White House tour tickets on Saturday. We probably won’t know what time or even whether we’ve got the tickets or how many til a few weeks out from the reunion. (Has anyone besides Ellen heard back from their congressional office yet? She got a maybe for 20 tickets.) This could be a day for museums on the mall for whoever’s interested. They’re free and cool – no small matter in DC in July/August!

Another nice and free close-by outing is Roosevelt Island. It’s in the middle of the Potomac, but you’d never know you’re right by the city. Lots of trails winding through woods and wetlands, which keep it cool, and not too huge for getting lost. A very fun place for kids to explore and run around, and good for a picnic. There’s a big central pavilion w/ a giant statue of Teddy Roosevelt. Parking is easy. http://www.nps.gov/this/

Great Falls Park is a little bit further of a drive (half-hour) but is a fun place to picnic, climb on rocks, look at the Potomac as it crashes over huge rocks, watch the serious kayakers getting banged around. http://www.nps.gov/grfa/ For those planning to plow ahead with a full day of museums/monuments/sights, the TourMobile circulates all around and you pay one fee to ride all day. But it's pricey: Check out http://www.tourmobile.com/tours_cemetery.php

SATURDAY NIGHT:
I’m thinking 5 p.m.-ish pool party at our private neighborhood pool – it’s a small and friendly setting. Cost is $5 per swimmer; non-swimmers and children under 3 are free. (Maybe we’ll get lucky and the pool will waive our fees, since I’ve been on the board the last 3 years.) Maybe some kind of karaoke or American Idol-type show at the pool pavillion. (Jenny has volunteered to plan some sort of event). We can throw burgers on the grills or do takeout – KFC, pizza or whatever. Pool closes at 9. Then we can move back to my house. Or we can pay extra to keep the pool open longer just for our use. All it will cost us is the guards’ hourly fees.

SUNDAY:
We can shop around for a church with a good start time. (My ward meets at 3 p.m. and is so overcrowded that we fill the choir seats every week. Yuk.) My bishop said the handbook doesn’t allow private services for family reunions. Maybe go to Nancy’s ward – hers is at 2 p.m??? Or pick an earlier, less-crowded ward in my building. (Nancy is checking to see if her bishop will OK doing our own service.) Afternoon: perhaps a trip to the temple visitor’s center? It's cool and free. Or maybe we stroll Roosevelt Island today. Or check out the new 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_MemorialOr the new Air Force Memorial is close by in Arlington.http://dc.about.com/od/monuments/a/AirForceMemoria.htm We can do simple lunch and dinner at my place. Night: I’m not sure yet, but there’s a good chance there will be a free outdoor concert somewhere around DC. A lot of the military bands play at different venues like the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Washington Monument, etc. Or we could arrange our own fireside. I could line up a speaker who does something DC-ish. Or we could make it a family home evening-ish gathering. Or, I’m a big fan or doing a monuments-by-night tour. It’s less crowded, cooler, and I love the ambiance that comes with seeing them at night …

MONDAY
I have a historian friend who does a fabulous in-depth tour of the Capitol. I thought I could ask him if he’d do one if people are interested. (not sure he’s around yet. If not, we can get a Senate staffer to do one for us.)

There’s Arlington Cemetery and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

There’s an incredible playground called Clemyjontri (you can see it on the web.) Think of the biggest playground you’ve ever been to and multiply by four and add a carousel. Free. Only downside is that it may be really hot. About a 20-minute drive. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/clemyjontri/

For the truly ambitious, there is Harper’s Ferry, WV. About an hour and a half drive. A neat place to explore, and there’s also tubing on the river.

IMPORTANT: If anyone thinks they want to go up in the Washington Monument, let me know NOW, and give me the preferred date. We can request timed-entry tickets in advance for $2 each – if they’re not already gone. (Same-day tickets are free, but get snapped up instantly each morning.)

Other possibilities:
--Baseball: The Nationals are on the road during our reunion, but there is a Carolina League farm team in the area if anyone wants to stage an outing to the Potomac Nationals on Friday night. About a half-hour drive from my house. They're away on Saturday night.
--Wolf Trap, a gorgeous outdoor music park (think Ravinia, only nicer.) On Friday, it has “Blue Planet – clips from the BBC/Discovery television series, shown on giant screens with full orchestra and choir.” Cost: $20 for lawn seats. On Saturday, the National Symphony Orchestra is doing “Broadway Rocks.” Cheapest seats are $20 on the lawn.

General notes: We can line up babysitting at my house anytime people need it.I’m happy to stock lots of generic food at my house, and people can pitch in to a kitty as warranted.We’re a 15-minute drive from the Metro. We can ferry people to the Metro, since parking downtown ain’t easy.We will fit in as many people here as we can for accommodations. And I will try to line up extra bedrooms at neighbor’s homes, and identify an affordable hotel nearby. Even if you’re not staying here, you can always put babies to bed/nap here. (FYI, the Ashurst clan is coming in early for their own reunion, and has lined up cottages near Nancy’s house. About a half-hour drive from me.)