Fairfax, Virginia

Dear Friends:

At the finish of my time at the National Scout Jamboree, my family took a short four-hour drive to Virginia...near Washington, D.C.  We spent time with my brother-in-law and his family.  It was a short visit for me, but I was able to see some great things - and visit with some awesome family.

We started the day at Duck Donuts.  This is a small chain of donut shops that I believe had their start in the Outer Banks.  As an unofficial donut connoisseur, I had to see if this place stood up to some of my favorite shops back in Austin.  I'm more than happy to report that it did:

The donuts are made-to-order...and they come out hot and fresh.  Amazing flavors, which required multiple samples...just to be safe ; )  I loved watching the kids, watching the creation process through glass:

We then headed to one of my favorite spots in the Fairfax and Dulles area - the Udvar-Hazy Center.  It's an addition to the National Air & Space Museum (also a favorite).  This is where they keep most of the actual aircraft that's part of the overall aviation collection for the Smithsonian.  It's a huge, open hangar with dozens and dozens of aircraft both on the floor, and suspended up above.  Here's a quick look at some of my favorite:

Navy Corsair from WWII

F-14 Tomcat

This is perhaps my favorite aircraft - of all time.  It's the SR-71 or "Blackbird".  It was a high-altitude spy plane for decades.  It's speed, design and reputation made it endlessly fascinating for me as I grew up.

Space Shuttle Discovery

P-40 Kittyhawk 

P-47 Thunderbolt

The Enola Gay - a B-24 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb in WWII

We took all the kids to see a 3D IMAX movie about space exploration, which was great.  Exactly what you'd expect at a museum like this.

We all had a wonderful time...and it just left me wanting more ; )  The family was kind enough to let me walk slowly through the entire museum - reading as many plaques of information as I could.

Cousin Time!

That's it for this quick visit.  I'll head back to Austin to get back to work, while my wife and kids get to spend more time with family.  We're lucky that we can visit and renew all of the relationships...as that's what will endure.

Thanks for reading!