Virginia: The Fifth and Final Chapter

TQT and her patient guides left the Lincoln Memorial. Upon spotting TQT turning back for yet one more look, Eileen said, "You might as well take another picture!" So TQT did just that. What an awesome sight--from any angle.

Poor Albert Einstein. To be famous enough to have a statue, but a statue that everyone can climb and sit on! TQT said she thought that was why he looked so sad and tired!

In case you were having TQT withdrawal, here she is with Albert. Check out the scale! TQT resisted doing something gauche and making Albert look even more sad and tired! But the two kids who came shortly after had no such qualms and were all over the poor man. Let's review: Jefferson has to stand for all eternity, Lincoln get to sit, and Albert gets to be climbed on and over....

Marco, ever the gallant tour guide, went for the car while TQT and Eileen communed with Albert. The three then toured a bit of Arlington Cemetery, saw the Kennedy Center all lit up, the Jefferson Memorial, the Pentagon where the plane hit, the Air Force sculpture and this:

TQT's head was on a constant swivel in an attempt not to miss anything! What a lucky, lucky girl TQT is--and how very kind Marco and Eileen were to take her on this wild ride into the Washington, DC, night! (Oh, TQT almost forgot the final site: the back of the Hilton Hotel across from her hotel--the complete tour!)

TQT taught again on Saturday, imparting her special form of hand quilting to eager students. One student, at the end of the day, said, "You have changed my life!" She had tried hand quilting about a year prior and the teacher had discouraged her and she felt she would never be a hand quilter. But she signed up for TQT's class and did a fantastic job and was justifiably proud. TQT: Changing the world one quilter at a time.

After a toss-and-turn night thinking of the Beltway and possible delays, and after checking on-line and with "Lee" for possible alternatives, TQT decided to bit the bullet and head north the way she had come. It was a rainy, gray day--with no delays until TQT was almost home. A tractor trailer had caught on fire between exits 7 and 8 on I81 North. TQT sat in traffic for over an hour, moving at a snail's pace. Her exit was normally 10, but because of the delay in traffic and drinking too much Pepsi while waiting, she exited at 9, made a beeline to the ladies', and took back roads the rest of the way home.

For your viewing enjoyment, TQT presents:

This sheep was on the back of the elevator door at the hotel. TQT decided that if that elevator was the last one she took before leaving for home, she would take a pic. The caption was "with a baa baa here". It made TQT laugh every time she saw it!

And a bit of skyline and fog on the trip north. TQT actually prefers an overcast day to drive--easier on the eyes and usually cooler.

So there you have it, all wrapped up in five chapters! A memorable trip, friends made, adventures had. TQT will perhaps have more adventures to report upon in the future! You just never know where TQT will be next. Stay tuned!

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon (the authorized biographer of TQT)