Abraham, Martin and Tom

Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

I thought I saw him walkin' up over the hill

With Abraham, Martin, and Tom

Hi Blog, Happy New Year!  Do you believe it is January 1, 2015 already? We have been retired now for three full years. Wow! How time flies. We're just getting started.

After a great Christmas in the Philly Area, it is time to head south to avoid the cold weather. We are currently camped in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which puts us close enough to visit Washington, D.C. After spending New Year's Eve in Georgetown, we decided to spend New Year's Day visiting all our old friends over by the National Mall. But first, we had to get there.

Have feet will travel! Here is our route.

The weather was sunny and bright, but very cold. It was still early on New Year's Day, so there were not as many people walking along the boardwalk by The Washington Harbor as you would normally see on a beautiful sunny morning.

The Georgetown Waterfront Park, a national park, contains a number of historic themed sculptures. Here Kathy looks down at an old map of Georgetown etched into marble blocks.

We were able to follow a series of bike paths along the Potomac River, including the the Rock Creek Park Trail, all the way from Georgetown to the National Mall. Here we are at the Kennedy Center looking back to Georgetown. The stately looking building with the pointy spire is part of Georgetown University.

In all the years we've been coming to D.C., this is the first time we have ever approached the National Mall from this direction. This is the back of the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument beyond it to the right.

We stopped by for a quick chat with our old friend Abe.  He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good die young.

We continued our trek past the Korean Memorial. We stopped to pay our respects. No silly selfies here.

The most striking features are the ghostly reflections of the soldiers in the highly polished marble. It is a very personal and moving tribute.

From the Mall, we struck out around the Tidal Basin.  Here we caught up to our old friend, Martin. He freed a lotta people but it seems the good they die young.

Here is a good view of the Washington Monument from across the Tidal Basin.

Here is our next destination - the Jefferson Memorial.

In all the years we've come to DC, we never realized that there is a small museum and book store under the Jefferson Memorial. We took the opportunity to browse the displays and watch a short video on the life and times of Mr. Jefferson.

Here we are visiting with our old friend Tom. He freed a lotta people but it seems the good they die young.

After having watched the Ken Burn's special on the Roosevelts earlier this year, we were eager to explore the Roosevelt Memorial. Here we are visiting with our old friends FDR and his dog, Fala.

Dedicated on May 2, 1997 by President Bill Clinton, the monument, spread over 7.5 acres, traces 12 years of the history of the United States through a sequence of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR's terms of office. Other sculptures depict scenes from the Great Depression, such as listening to a fireside chat on the radio and waiting in a bread line.

A bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the United Nations emblem honors her dedication to the UN. It is the only presidential memorial to depict a First Lady. Here she is.

Our time visiting old friends had come to an end. We had to make it over past the Capitol Building to Union Station in order to catch our train back to Fredericksburg. We trekked a total of 5.5 miles. We made it with plenty of time to spare. We even got a chance to check out some of the Christmas decorations, including this miniature train display.

And so ends another day of adventure. Tomorrow we head further south.  Next stop, Shawboro, North Carolina. Outer Banks here we come!