Nine Days to Go

The countdown is on...nine days until we leave.  Most of our stuff has left, including our car, so now it's just Mark, Cosmo, and I and whatever we can carry with us (well, two checked bags, a carry one, and a personal item each - plus I think we'll have one extra bag for purchases we may make in Paris).  We have our housing assignment, social sponsor, and work sponsor; Cosmo's paperwork to travel to Paris and then Bamako is in process; we have our Malian visas; I've got hard copies of all relevant and important documents that will go in my carry-on luggage; and we've (hopefully) got our airline seats all worked out.

One last training course to go:  Foreign Affairs Counter Threat training - aka Crash & Bang.  Here'a a clip from CNN about it:

During July and early August we've had some DC-area fun.  We visited some Virginia wineries

We went shopping for consumables at Costco

Day trip to Annapolis, MD

David visited us

We took a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building - we went to the House of Representatives Gallery, too (but no pics allowed of that)

BTW - I follow Frederick Douglass's Twitter @FDouglass2020

The inventor of American Beer - right?

The Apotheosis of Washington on the Capital dome 

 The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis

Declaration of Independence 

Embarkation of the Pilgrims

It was sunflower time in the DC area.  These were blooming at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville, MD

We went to see the new Ai Weiwei exhibit at the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

We went to Monticello in Charlottesville, VA (unfortunately, no pics allowed inside the house)

 This is the University of Virginia Rotunda, also designed by Thomas Jefferson

The Man himself - Thomas Jefferson

 One last bike ride on the Arlington Loop with one last shot from Gravelly Point

And finally, one last stop at our local wine bar, Bistro 360

I'm pretty sure the next update will be from Bamako, so stay tuned!