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Some of you know the reason for this blog but for those who don’t, here is a short review.  In 2011, I started writing emails to my sister, Annette, so my then 95-year-old mother could keep track of the travels of her baby boy, Robert.  Soon after I started, my sister-in-law, Fayla, told me “Annette doesn’t get up until 10 AM, send me the emails and I will read them to mom.”    Other family members asked to be included in the email.  Then friends asked to be included.   I soon had a very bulky email list and decided to turn my travel emails into a blog.

Today the reason for starting these emails/blog has left us.  Yes, my mother, Irene Reiss died today at the age of 102 years (and 5 months).  She had a wonderful life surrounded by many friends and relatives who loved her dearly.  She will be missed but never forgotten.

My mother was a very caring and honest person.  She taught me important life lessons that I have tried to pass on to my own children.  I am a very lucky man to have had three wonderful children and a caring wife.   My parents were fantastic role models for me.  Although neither one of them went to college, they taught me more than any of my medical school professors about how to be a good doctor.  You don’t learn compassion in school, you learn that at home.  Thanks, Mom and Dad.  Thanks for helping me become the person I am.

Love you,

Robert

Only one day left but so much left to see. What should we do on our last day in D.C? After a brief discussion we decided on The Spy Museum. The place was very kid oriented and our kids seemed to like it. They especially liked the gift shop where they found “Light Bugs” which were a huge success.

After the Spy Museum we went to the National Portrait Gallery. We viewed the portraits of all the former Presidents. Of interest to me was that Richard Nixon’s portrait was painted by Norman Rockwell.   One of my least favorite Presidents painted by one of my favorite painters.

There was a huge line to get in position to take a photo or selfie of Barack Obama’s portrait. Instead of waiting I settled for a shot at a slight angle.

Then I was off to find Michelle Obama’s portrait. That proved to be a more difficult task since all the First Ladies were not displayed together. We looked all over and couldn’t find it. I finally I gave up.

But not really.

After the portrait gallery we headed to dinner at Farmers and Distillers (600 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001). Since we leave very early tomorrow morning we decided to celebrate David’s birthday tonight (his birthday is actually tomorrow).

As usual we ate too much so we walked back to the hotel. On the way we got to see Charlie’s favorite activity that he enjoyed many times during this trip.

As I said we leave very early tomorrow so it’s off to bed.

See you soon.

We again started our day with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel.  Well that is not exactly true.  We received a message that Julian was awake and his parents wanted to sleep.  So……………….   see below.

After playing with Julian we headed down for breakfast.  By now, we are superstars in the dining hall.  The employees here are fantastic.  They are incredibly attentive which is a big help when you are traveling with 3 young children.

We had a great day today visiting the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.  No pictures allowed (Are they worried that we will start printing our own money after we take a selfie?).   Next we headed to the Newseum.  This is a museum dedicated to the news.  They have the front pages of newspapers representing every state in the country and more countries than I could possibly name.  These are changed daily.  It was very interesting seeing the coverage from the various cities around the world.  Here in D.C. the Washington Post had the Capital’s Stanley Cup victory on the front page.  I know it is hard to beleive but no other paper thought that was worthy of first page coverage, not even the Qatar Tribune (is that really a newspaper?).   Owen seemed less than enthused (see below)

But then we went to a area of the Newseum that was much more kid friendly.  Here they had an activity where kids could video themselves as newscasters.  It was fantastic and Owen and Charlie loved it.

After the Newseum we headed over to the National Archives to view the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence  and the Magna Carta.  We had limited time there so it gave us a reason to return some day.

Then it was back to the hotel.  Like I said this place is very classy.  The staff members go out of their way to say hello to us and are always asking if they can help in anyway possible.  In addition the concierge was very helpful in getting us the almost impossible to obtain tickets to the newly opened African American museum.

The place is old, for example we saw this on our first night.

I really didn’t care much about the security bar since I rarely, if ever, use it.  But this is what I noted upon return to our room later in the day.

This place is so classy they even gift wrap the toilet paper.

And in case you get thirsty when you are sitting on the toilet, no problem at this hotel because………………………..

I failed to mention that after touring we had dinner with some wonderful friends of Robyn, who live in D.C.   I won’t tell you about that since I have already embarrassed myself enough for one night.

See you tomorrow.

After another great breakfast we headed to Capitol Hill to visit the seeds of American government.  We had a tour that included the Senate in session.  We heard one of the Senators from Tennessee talk about “National Seersucker Day”.  He was talking about the merits of the material during the hot Washington, D.C. summers.  This was received in a reserved manner by his fellow Senators since no one else was in attendance.  Now I know why they don’t allow cameras in the hall.

We also got to see the various statues in the Congressional hall.  Each state is allowed two statues to represent their constituents.  California is represented by Ronald Reagan (with part of the base being composed of fragments from the Berlin Wall) and Father Junipero Serra.  We didn’t get to see all the other statues but I do remember a few.  We saw Thomas Edison (Ohio), Robert E. Lee (Virginia) and Jefferson Davis (Mississippi).

We also got to see the Supreme Court.  They were not in session but it was interesting seeing the hall lined with portraits of numerous justices of the past.  I was surprised how few I remembered.

Charlie seemed very interested in our visit.  See below.

 

Dinner was at Zaytinya (701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001) an excellent Greek restaurant found by our daughter-in-law, Robyn.  Robyn has been doing an awful job finding us restaurants.  She has found lots places with excellent food and I am eating much to much.

Tomorrow we are going to ………………….. wait I need to check with Patrice.

Sorry but I was too tired to post late last night but we had a spectacular dinner at Filomena in Georgetown (1063 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007). Portions were huge and yummy. The dessert menu showed a series of pictures appropriate for a high end bakery.  Each one looked like it could feed a family of 10. We had 8 people (if you count baby Julian) so we ordered 4 desserts.

Today we took a tour of the monuments and memorials (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Korean War, and Vietnam War).

At the Jefferson Memorial Charlie was feeling tired and asked if I would carry him. This was only our first stop but how could I turn down that request? While I was carrying him I said “I think I need a Charlie kiss to keep my strength up”. At that point I received a barrage of kisses. We were headed back to the bus and the little guy was starting to feel heavy and my back was evoking a major protest. But there was no way I was going to put him down. I made it back to the bus and Señor Cuteness said the most precious thing, “I want to sit next to grandpa so I can keep kissing him”. I told him I was very grateful but I’d carry him and he didn’t need to give me more kisses. Luckily David unknowingly bailed me out by saying he wanted his son to walk.

 

After the monument/memorial tour we went to the African American Museum.  Of course slavery was prominent among the exhibits.  Lindsay tried to explain to Charlie what it meant to be a slave. First she looked and me and said, “Dad help me with this one.” Then she went on to say, “Well, imagine if there was a person who did everything for you and you didn’t have to pay then. They would get you your food, clean your clothes, straighten your room and anything you needed done they would do. Also THEY would go to work but YOU would get the money “. She then paused and looked at me for my input to which I added “Sounds like you just described your parents”.

Time to watch the NBA playoffs.  I am happy to report that Owen has become a basketball fan.  Now I just need to figure out how to make him an SC fan.

 

We greeted the boys at the entry of the hotel last night. Owen, Charlie and Julian were excited to see Patrice, Lindsay and me. David and Robyn seemed relieved. Travel from SF to DC with 3 young children and have your flight delayed?  My reaction would be  “#^+%{{” but David and Robyn seemed to be handling things just fine.

This morning Patrice and I were awakened by young children screeching next door. No, it wasn’t our crew but some other people who obviously were not on California Time. I finally had had enough. I banged on the wall and yelled “Keep quiet, my wife is trying to sleep and I’m playing Words With Friends”. That seemed to do the trick.

After resting a little longer we headed down to breakfast. This hotel (St. Regis 923 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20006) is very special. It is old so you would expect some things like poor insulation between the walls (we learned the hard way) but it is extremely classy. All the employees are falling all over themselves trying to make us happy. The hostess in the restaurant pulled the chair out for me and I thanked her and then she thanked me (not sure what I did other than thank her and sit down).

The check-in people were also great. They informed us that breakfast is included with our room. Then they said since we are platinum level guests, breakfast is included. Does that mean we can have breakfast twice? It was obvious we the only Californians in the dining hall. There you had a bunch of men wearing suits and ties. Then you had me (See below)

 

Breakfast was great. I had Salmon Benedict (see above) and Patrice had Crab Cake Benedict. Yes, we are not at the Residence Inn this trip.

This morning I got a text from my sister-in-law, Fayla, asking the plans for the day. I said “I don’t know, I just do what I’m told”. To which she replied “Another perfect Reiss man. Do what you’re told”.

Dobyn and crew joined us along with Lindsay as we were finishing breakfast (they are much better sleepers than we are).

After breakfast I was told I wanted to go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  We had a great tour and saw the Spirit of St. Louis (Charles Lindbergh), Glamorous Glennis (Chuck Yeager), Friendship 7 (John Glenn) and host of other historic aircraft.  I have seen all these vessels before but I really enjoyed seeing them again.  Also visiting a place like this with young children takes advantage of my vast experience.  Yes, I am an invaluable travel partner.  See below.

After the Smithsonian we headed to Georgetown.  This a lovely area of the city and the home to Georgetown University (who would have guessed it?).   We happened onto a sign that explained some of the history of the area dating back to meetings between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  The sign also noted that a young U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and his wife (John and Jacqueline Kennedy) used to live there. see below.

More tomorrow but first I need to decide what I want to do.  I will be told soon.

Today was supposed to just be a travel day. Dobyn (aka David and Robyn) were not due into D.C. until after 9 pm. They were flying in from the Bay Area and we were coming in from LA so we hoped for smooth flights and maybe a quick hello prior to getting to bed.

Prior to boarding Lindsay asked if she could switch seats with me so she could sit next to her mom.  I said sure but what if the person sitting next to me is Ryan Gosling?  She replied “He is married and has a kid, so that would be fine”.   As it turned out it was not Ryan Gosling.  Nor was it Cameron Diaz or my new personal favorite, Charlize Theron.  Instead it was………………  see below.

So I sat next to former presendential candidate, Bernie Sanders, the entire flight to D.C.  We talked about his presidential aspirations, Donald Trump, the future of America and the world.  We talked about movies, sports, books, foreign policy, economics and I can’t begin to list all things we discussed………………….. IN MY IMAGINATION.

In reality we spoke very little.  I now know why he didn’t beat Hilary in 2016.  The man doesn’t have any charisma.  We did talk a bit and it was fun but not earth-shattering.

Unfortunately Dobyn and the boys are not in town as yet.  Their flight was delayed leaving San Francisco.  Imagine that, what are the chances a flight leaving SFO would be delayed?  Correct, 100%.

Enough excitement for one day.

Tomorrow we leave for a week long trip in Washington D.C. with David, Robyn and their 3 sons.  Oh yes, Lindsay is coming too.  But first we had a big day planned here in Los Angeles.

Today was the annual “Take Steps Walk” for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.  Each year Team Reiss raises money to help fund the research needed to find the cure to Crohn’s disease.  As you might know 2 of our 3 children have Crohn’s disease.

We had a great turnout for Team Reiss.  Thanks to so many kind and generous people we were the #1 fundraising team this year.  We also had an excellent turn out of team members for today’s walk. See below.

In addition to some great exercise walking there were lots of fun activities.   We had live music, face painting (a kid favorite) and my personal favorite, pseudo-sumo wrestling (See below).

The Walk is over but it is not too late to join Team Reiss.  If you have not donated yet please follow this link to the Team Reiss page.

http://online.ccfa.org/goto/robertreiss2018

If you donate I will get an email notifying me and I will send you a personalized thank you as soon as we arrive in D.C.    Or possibly sooner.

 

Unfortunately our trip must come to a premature end. Rae Elster, Patrice’s mother, died last night at her home. Followers of this blog who knew Rae, are aware of what a special woman she was. Those of you who did not know her missed a very special person. She will be sorely missed by everyone. She was 91.

Patrice and I are ending our trip today and returning home.

Today was the final day of judging. This was the big day.  This was the day when all the champions would be crowned.  Judging categories are Ribs, Shoulder and Whole Hog. On arrival to the judge’s tent Patrice and I were assigned to judge Shoulder. I don’t really care about the category. What I like is going onsite (where you go to meet the competitors) rather than blind judging (when you just receive boxes of product).  It is when you really get to taste the flavor of the competition.  You cannot begin to imagine how important this is for the people who participate unless you are an onsite judge.

As you pass the various tents on your way to your assigned tent, all competitors are on the lookout because they don’t know which passerby might be their judge.  When you arrive at the tent to which you are assigned  you are typically greeted by the captain of the team (not necessarily the head cook).  The first team I met was an experienced team but still seemed very nervous when talking to me.  For example their greeter introduced himself and forgot my name 3 times (not a problem for me).  He introduced me to his team, Billy Bob, Billy Ray, Billy Joe and Daisy (yes, they are from the South) and then escorted me over to their cooker and explained their cooking method.  Then Billy Ray (or was it Billy Bob?) brought the pork over to a small table which was set with a table cloth, napkin (with a napkin ring), plate, but no silverware (any judge who uses any cutlery is immediately labeled as an “Idiot”.   Also on the table was a glass of water and a sorbet to, in Daisy’s words, help cleanse the palate before trying the meat.  Billy Ray then started to pull pork off the bone hoping to satiate my appetite so I would not even bother going to the other booths.  When I was done tasting they handed me a moist hot towel to clean my hands.  Then as I left I received, the always embarrassing, round of applause accompanied by the chant, “Thank you Judge Robert! Thank you Judge Robert!.

Then it was on to my second team.  They too tried to kill me with kindness.  Again they seemed like they were nervous.  I am the one who should be nervous.  They are just in a silly barbecue contest.  I am the Jew who will burn in hell for eating all this pork plus I have to face my vegetarian niece and try to explain my actions.   Team #2 was a much larger team and I can’t remember all their names.  They did have a nice touch by serving me (in additional to some amazing pork) some of “Aunt Phoebe’s” lemon tart as a little dessert.  I didn’t have the heart to tell them I am a chocolate lover and lemon is just not my thing.

I then visited my third and final team.  Here I met Sam, David and his wife Sarah.  This had my worried.  Had my rabbi sent this trio to kill me?  I have never seen a team with less than a small army (rather than a team of only 3) and these names definitely had me freaked out (these were not southern BBQ type names).  I was offered some pork but before I tasted any I insisted they eat some first.  Much to my amazement the pork was spectacular.  This team was also unique in that instead of giving me a moist towel to wash off they gave me a dipping bowl.  I said, “Wow feels just like Passover”.  My joke was followed by complete silence.  I realized this was the wrong crowd for that joke but at least I knew it wasn’t an Israeli death squad sent to eliminate an infidel.

The festival is now over and it is time to move on.  It has been a rough few days in Memphis due to all the heat.  But I will be up and ready to go in the morning.