Day Six
Today we packed up early and left the Bronx for Washington, D.C. We ended up with about 3 ˝ hours to spend at the National Mall before we had to head on to Bowie, MD for our evening performance. Everyone went off on their own in small groups to get a sampling of all that the Mall has to offer – Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery of Art, National Archives and the Capitol on one end, and monuments and memorials on the other end. As in New York City, there was only time to scratch the surface of all that Washington has to offer. My photos from D.C. are a little limited, because I also left the battery charger for my camera on the bus in New York, so my batteries finally ran out. Everyone was back to the bus on time, so we were able to get to Bowie in plenty of time.
Bowie is Aaron Rendahl’s home town and his parents did an amazing job of publicizing, arranging a performance space, and coordinating home stays. Woo Hoo!! Showers! Soft beds! Showers! Supper awaited us at the church, and a large enthusiastic crowd gave the group another standing ovation and generous donations. Then we all left with our host families for the night. Did I mention that we got to take showers?