National Gallery of Art

Even when it's hot as the sweat lodge that never ends, you've got to get out of the house and stretch the legs. Sure there are all kinds of typical fun summer locals to check out: the pool, the water park, the squirt spots, etc.  But once a week you need to stimulate the mind.  Somewhere with air-conditioning.

Lucky for us folks in DC, even with the debt crisis and recession threatening all government services from libraries to defense spending; they've still kept the museums open and chilled.

We met some friends for an event at the National Gallery of Art.  It happened to be too old for my kids and they were not allowed to participate.  But we had a good day exploring the various modes of public transportation and perusing the museum.

Our diesel Jetta gets average 50mpg, but paying for parking in DC can run up a bill.  We took the bus:

Taking the opportunity to practice reading numbers on buses

That's a bumpy road...  We get to talk about what we're seeing, hearing, feeling

kaio discovered the wind out of the vent turned the propeller

to the metro:

Watching a pigeon beyond the tracks

To DC:

More wind making the propellers move

Walking with our buddies in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

Who says that preschoolers are too young to appreciate art?  Kaio especially loved all the naked butts!  He's got a thing for butts (it's a Brazilian thing).

Nala tagged along with the stroller, playing mommy.

The gallery is beautiful.  The kids took to the statues and fountains.  We discussed what is "Art" and they agreed that they like it.

throwing a penny in the fountain

The long metro ride home, and I ended up with two sleeping puppies.  When the train arrived at our stop I had to wake up Kaio and carry Nala.  Bench pressing her can count as my workout for the day.