My dad takes all of his grand kids on a 1 week trip to a place of their choosing when they reach 13. My son decided he wanted to go to Washington DC. The first place he wanted to go was Arlington Nat'l Cemetary. When asked what he thought, he said it made him sad. "All these people died in wars protecting the interests of our country, and they all had families that missed them. Kind of takes the glamour out of war movies and games."

My dad is a retired high school history teacher and regularly goes to DC as part of his job as a disaster relief coordinator, so he knows all the sights. Hunter should be in for a treat, and he couldn't have a better guide. Go figure, a kid who wants to learn something on his summer vacation. They go to the spy museum tomorrow.

Damn, that's cool. I wonder if they have a MAD exhibit.

You dad is way cool, and Hunter and the rest of the grandkids are lucky he is.

Sg

i agree, your dad is a stand up grandfather. i'm more than impressed. my dad refuses to meet my 2 boys.

Good insight from Hunter.

Sounds like your a good parent Dogfish and have been rewarded with a good kid.

BTW, Best Avatar Ever!

Andy,

Back in the day, when I attended all the V.A.R.E. parties, I would very much look forward to chatting up your pops. He was always a pleasure to have a conversation with, and always had great stories about his latest travels.

Your kids are very lucky to have a grand-dad like him, and it sounds like the qualities he instilled in you are reflected in the kind of kids you have, Andy. Quality grandparents and quality parents are what led to your high-quality kids.

Congrats to all of you.

Even going as a child, Arlington National Cemetary is one of those places that stuck with me after I went. Quite a somber place. It brings home the reality of war and the lives lost. To me, it was a physical example of why going to war should be the very last option and only be done it the most desperate of situations. The fact that presidents could be so close and yet seemingly not reach the same conclusion is mind-boggling.

On a slightly side note, the holocaust memorial in Berlin is one of the only other places where I've felt the eerieness of Arlington National Cemetary.