Farm Boys in D.C.

Little did I realize back in January, 1948 when we stopped to take a picture of the Jefferson Memorial, that years later, I would take this route past it for 18 years. My brother Don, Bub, Ed, Don A. and I drove my '41 Chevy back to Quantico, VA to get the Plymouth parked behind my car. Don A's brother was an Officer in the Marine Corps and his giving the car to his younger brother provided us "farm boys" an opportunity for a fantastic trip. We saw a professional basketball game and spent a day seeing the sights of Washington, D.C. We went down town early where a cab driver offered to show us around. For a modest fee, he took all 5 of us in his cab. He would drop us off and be back to pick us up at an appointed time. He knew just about how long it would take us at each stop. We must have stopped 8-10 times during the course of the day. He gave us a running commentary while driving and pointed out things for us to see at each stop as he dropped us off. It was amazing how much we were able to see in about 8 hours. By the

time we moved back to the D.C. area 14 years later things had changed considerably. And, they continue to change. We were back 2 years ago last summer for a family reunion, to celebrate a wedding anniversary, and go to a baseball game. There were nearly 60 years between my first visit and the last. I don't know which changed the most-the city or me. Without evaluating my change, I can say that our Nation's Capitol is a Beautiful City. The new buildings, the new memorials, and the transportation system are all fantastic. But how lucky we were to see it when it was a sleepy little southern city.