Reston, Virginia

One of the wonderful perks of living and traveling full time in an RV is being able to go just about anywhere to visit with our family and friends, who seem to be spread all over the country.  The weekend of Father's Day, June 2011, found us within striking distance of Reston, Virginia, where my youngest daughter, Mindy, and her family live.  Mindy, Milan, and Nikolai live on the 18th story of a high rise apartment building with outstanding views, and are just a short drive from Washington D.C. We arrived in Reston on Sunday afternoon, and packed much activity into our two day stay.  We managed to have a little party to celebrate Niko's 1st birthday, a dinner out to celebrate Father's Day Sunday night, and a Monday trip to DC on the Metro.  It was wonderful to be able to see Mindy and family before we started heading back west.

Richmond, Virginia

The State Capitol building in Richmond, Virginia, is over 223 years old, having been competed in 1788. Thomas Jefferson is credited with the design of the Capitol, which was modeled after the Maison Carrée at Nîmes in southern France, an ancient Roman temple. The building also served as the Capitol of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–65).

While Dan and I were walking around downtown Richmond, we couldn't help but notice a most magnificent building. It towered into the sky and had all the majesty of a great church. We discovered it is the Richmond Old City Hall. Wow! Can't imagine what the new one might look like!

Botanical Garden, Richmond Virginia

The next leg of our journey took us to Richmond, Virginia.  In addition to the Capitol tour, we took the opportunity to visit a botanical garden, one of the most lovely I've seen.  Here is a sampling of what was growing when we made our visit.