The beginning of October finds us in the lakes region of New Hampshire again. This time, we are trying to get our act together for the trip south to Key West. Jym's sister hasn't kicked us out yet as we busily ship excess stuff home, get an idea of our route away from the cold weather, and watch the fall arrive heralded by brilliant color changes wherever we look. We are also taking short day trips (as in to the Loon Center) while trying to attend to business. We just wish the weather prognosticators actually had a clue (it would make planning easier)!

On our way out of New Hampshire, we stopped at Saint-Gaudins National Historic Site. One of America's greatest sculptors, Augustus produced many major monuments in stone and cast in bronze. Starting as an apprentice cameo cutter, he also created metals, coins and portrait reliefs in marble, bronze, wood and plaster. The grounds surrounding his home and studios are gorgeous.

In Vermont, we visited the American Precision Museum, touted as the birthplace of the country's modern system of design and production. In the 1840s, machines were designed and made that would then build parts for other machines (mass production and true part interchangeability were the result).

We ended up crossing Vermont through the Green Mountains (route 9) at the peak of the fall colors. Too bad pictures don't begin to capture what is really put before you as you round each bend and look across each new valley.

After a rainy trip down the Hudson River Valley, and a frustrating search for a needle in a haystack (or in this case a poorly market park in the woods), we went to the Mercer Museum in Doyletown, PA.

Henry Mercer (who made his fortune making specialty tiles), eight workers, and a mule finished building this concrete castle to house his growing collection of artifacts in 1916.

Mercer was fascinated by, and sought to collect and preserve, objects that were used in everyday life of pre-industrial America. More than 50,000 objects are packed in every nook and cranny of the building. This museum (and his tile works and residence) is definitely worth a trip from anywhere in the country to see!

After arriving in the DC area, and driving around the Mall area, we decided the only sane way to get around the capital was to use the Metro. For our Bay Area friends, it's like a cleaner, more orderly version of BART. The traffic notwithstanding, the area surrounding The Mall is clean and hassle free. It doesn't hurt that from anywhere you stand, you can see at least two security personnel (federal, city, park, or private), and that doesn't count the plainclothes types.

Our first visit to the memorials was accompanied by a fast moving, cold rain squall, but the rest of our week in DC was with great weather.

Although simple in design, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is moving in it's impact.

The squad of individual statues that make up the Korean War Memorial causes one to reflect on the personal nature of war.

The Smithsonian Institution is the worlds largest museum complex, with 16 museums and galleries. The Smithsonian was established from funds from a British scientist (James Smithson) who never saw the result of his bequest. The 'Castle' is the central headquarters of the Institution.

The Air and Space Museum is the most popular of all the Smithsonian Museums, and not without reason. The displays span the entire range of flight, from the Wrights to the space shuttle and beyond.

The Columbus Statue in front of Union Station, and the interior of the station which is filled with shops, eateries, and a train station.

Across the street from Union Station is the Postal Museum which includes a tribute to Ben Franklin, the first postmaster. Among other displays are various vehicles used to carry mail, and an exhibit devoted to the Titanic which also carried a mail facility with five postal employees (all of whom were lost).

The Capital Building (with added wings) is impressive both inside and out. We visited the office of our Senator and got passes to sit in the visitor's gallery while they were in session (pretty boring stuff, but we guess someone has to do it). The fun part was riding the underground electric tram the congress people use to get from their office buildings to the Capital Building. The interior paintings, statues, frescos, and friezes are fascinating and more interesting than the business carried out.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The guard changes every half hour.

This view of the Washington Monument across the length of the Reflecting Pool (which is only 30 inches deep) is from the foot of the Lincoln Memorial.

After a delay of a day (while the elevator was being repaired) we managed to get a ride to the top of the Washington Monument. Actually, the observation level is at the 490 foot level (out of 555 feet and 5 1/2 inches). The views from the small windows were spectacular.

Although you can walk around the block that the White House is on, unless you are on a tour (with all the security checks) this is about as close as you can get.

On our way out of DC, we stopped at Fort Washington, a fort that was built to protect Washington from attack via the Potomac River. No attack ever came.