Probably not what you expected, and a twist

 So one comes to the DC area and does what you expect. Get on bus/metro/circulator (takes all 3 sometimes) and goes to the National Mall. All sorts of monuments and museums worthy of your time and effort.

 Well, we like to color outside the lines so to speak. On day one we did NONE of the above. What? Pray tell what did we do. Well we took a short little trip down the road.

 

Now that is how to spend the day. We not only took the obligatory tour of visitor center, we also opted for a guided tour of the "yard" as it is called. Very knowledgeable docent led us around and gave us history lesson when appropriate but also explained a lot about the lives of the midshipmen. Do you know why they are called that? It was/is commissioning week, the week plebes are no longer plebes and seniors attain their rank. I did not know that Marine Corp officers also attend here. Knew Marine Corp was part of the Navy but never considered that aspect

 The Naval Academy came to be when Teddy Roosevelt was secretary of the Navy. It was originally on just 38 acres, now 330 or so. And it is right downtown of historic Annapolis Maryland. Many old building dating from the 1700's surround it.

 The following beautiful old building has been many things, including a hangar. It exist now as sort of a student center. Student life here is NOT like another college.

 The next several photos are of the dorm, the only dorm. It is HUGE covering some  30 acres in its footprint. Those massive doors you see in the middle slam shut when the plebes pass thru. That is the last time they can go thru them unless for special occasion.

A couple of midshipmen passed by and she stopped them for us to see insignia depicting class status

There are of course reminders of those alumni who died in action. A staggering number for WW2.

Look close at the waves of this monument. It is dedicated to those in the submarine service. Those "lost" are considering still serving under the sea and are represented by the human faces. Dolphins are of course a sailors friend and are shown in the waves as well.

They have a beautiful old chapel here as you would expect. Different than the modern one we have seen multiple times at the Air Force academy.

This pew is for the fallen. Even if standing room only, no one sits on this pew. The candle is lit for services.

 You may remember John Paul Jones for your history lessons. He volunteered for service and was quickly promoted. He never lost a naval engagement. Lost some ships but never the engagement. After the revolutionary war was over he did not wish to be a common Captain of a boat in peace time. Our ally at the time was France and they knew of his record and wanted him. He went to France where he died. They performed a crude mummification on his body and sealed him in a lead coffin. When Roosevelt was spearheading construction of the Academy he asked where Jones's body was. Some where in France. They found his body and the mummification worked well enough for positive identification. He is in the tomb you see, in a crypt under the Chapel. All the marble and tomb you see are from France, provided by France

 All in all a very informative day.

Wait, I promised you a twist...

Mary had quit Texas Book company because of too much travel as a regional manager. She left on excellent terms and actually returned to work for them in a few years. In that interim period Rene Griffin, one of the owners at the time called Mary with a job offer. They discussed it at length but a sticking point was the need to be in Greenville. Mary eventually declined the job. What job you might ask? Director of their Military division. Texas Book has the bookstore at West Point, Air Force and the Naval Academy. Todays visit could well have been a return to a work place so to speak.

Never give up the ship...