PerchBerry of Zenith

Haha . . . once again I am too tired, even though we were dropped off at the hotel much earlier today. Tron picked us up this morning for a brunch with the Lumberjack's parents. They and we split the bill so Tron and the Lumberjack didn't pay for their breakfast. Then we drove into DC and visited the Botanic Gardens. It was raining as we walked from Tron's parking spot, past the Rayburn Building and the Library of Congress, with various views of the Capitol. Tron had provided us with umbrellas. I quite liked the rain, because that meant it was cooler than usual, and the foliage was lush green, glistening with wet. The plants in the Garden were very gorgeous and so interesting in their variety. However, it was super crowded and eventually the stress of crowds got to most of us. We walked across the street to the Native American museum. Either this museum was weirdly empty and poorly curated, or I was just too tired. Possibly both. It was kind of a disappointment. We poked around a little bit, but eventually the Sparrowhawk admitted he had done too much. Tron walked back to the car and picked us up on the corner next to the ice cream truck broadcasting Arab music. We went to a small French restaurant where we had some food that could have been delicious, but was only pretty good. We're spoiled by a week in Europe. We did enjoy our meal and the camaraderie that went with it. The Lumberjack's parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary, and we decided to celebrate Tron and the Lumberjack's anniversary, because it's coming up but they'll be busy that day. Again the parents split the bill so the celebration wouldn't burden the kids' bank accounts. To tell the truth, we were not unhappy to be taken back to the hotel. I think the kids needed some down time. This PhD stuff is exhausting!