Harper's Ferry ...

On Saturday we took a day trip to Harper's Ferry to see the town and go tubing down the Shenandoah River ...

The arsenal John Brown raided. Or something like that.

Jefferson stood on this rock and deemed the view worthy of traveling across the Atlantic to see.

Carly, Callie, Melanie and Beth ...

Philadelphia ...

I have wanted to go to Philadelphia since I moved to D.C. I finally made it last weekend before my parents left.

Liberty Bell

Independence Hall, up close.

The room where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed. Definitely my favorite part of the tour.

Apparently Jim's Steaks is the best place in town ...

and I must say, Philly cheesesteaks are surprisingly delicious.

The oldest residential street in America.

The cemetery where Benjamin Franklin was buried.

Amish Country

My Mom loved the clothes lines

A chicken ...

Thanks, parents ...

Appropriate. And very deserving of its own post. See below ...

The long way ...

A sample conversation from the week before I left Salt Lake:

Q. So, when do you go back to D.C.?
A. Friday.
Q. Are you flying or driving?
A. Driving.
Q. What route are you taking?
A. The long way.
Q. (Pause)
A. My Dad does not like to take the same road more than once. And he has moved me between Utah and D.C. four times before now. So he gets creative.
Q. Oh, so your Dad is driving with you?
A. Yes. And my Mom.
Q. Are your parents retired?
A. No. My Dad just likes to drive. Or so he says. He possibly just finds me incompetent to make my way across the nation without parental assistance.
Q. (Slight pause.) So how long will it take?
A. Well you can do it in three days. But we are taking six.
Q. And where are you stopping?
A. Here. (In reverse order. Apparently I am also incompetent at downloading photos.)

Duke Campus, on the last day of the trip, which turned out to be Honor the Siblings Day. Autumn has a bit of a thing for Duke, and we also visited Roman's favorite pizza place in Richmond. Which, for the record, was delicious.

At Biltmore, the Vanderbilt Mansion in North Carolina. Now, I really like my Dad. But I am pretty sure I could like him every bit as much with the last name Vanderbilt.

We spent a day in the Smoky Mountains, which my Dad informed us is the most visited National Park. This trail ends at the highest point of the Smoky Mountains and the Appalachian Trail. That makes this the highest cartwheel in the Smoky Mountains and on the Appalachian Trail. My mother mentioned that antics like this could contribute to my less-than-stellar dating record. I asked her what man would not want a cartwheeling almost-attorney. That pretty much ended the conversation.

We saw a bear.

New pose.

We like Christmas. So we visited this little Christmas store.

We took a long, long, long and very windy road through rural Kentucky, arriving at our hotel after dark. Had we not stopped there we would have missed this beautiful lake.

Dad in Mammoth Cave, the longest (discovered) cave in the world.

In Hannibal, Missouri, where Mark Twain grew up.

Reading stories ...

During my first week of law school, one professor told us that for the next three years, we would be reading stories. Although I soon realized that reading a case never matches the feeling of reading a story, I liked thinking that if law school meant I read stories for three years, my not- entirely-rationally-created plan to enroll perhaps made more sense than I had anticipated. Well, this semester I actually get to read real stories for my Law and Literature class. Which makes me think of my first week of law school, which seems like yesterday ...

The beginning of the end ...

A review of the last six months in the oh-so-fascinating world of Capital C:

Six months ago: Stopped all the capitalization of blog titles.
Five months ago: Stopped all the secrecy of first names.
Four months ago: Stopped all the blogging.

I would say I am sorry about my lack of posts since May, but really, I am not. Because a) no one really cares, and b) since I am being so open with first names now, at least for those of you over age 18, I needed to clear out any potential stalkers. Or something.

But, I will report that I enjoyed a delightful summer at home, living with my family, reminiscing with old friends, playing with my favorite neighbors and determining whether I can someday be a Real Lawyer. That pretty much sums it up, but since I have a) very photogenic friends and b) the most adorable neighbors on the planet, I will show my loyal readers (both of you) the proof:

See. Very photogenic bunch of college roommates. Not so much me, but they talk to me anyway. Which shows they are both pretty AND nice.

There you go. I told you. For the record, I have at least a few other friends, really, really great ones, but alas, I forgot the camera every time I saw them. And that cute girl has a few equally adorable siblings, who I really, really love, but same story, no pictures. So use your imagination. And keep checking Capital C for the next nine months. I am back, but for a limited time. I start my final year of law school in one week, and once I graduate, I will no longer be Callie in the Capital ...

And on the 101st day ...

... I left. I survived the first 100 days of the Obama Administration in D.C. And I am pretty happy to say I will be spending the next 100-plus days somewhere 2,250 miles away ...

New River Gorge Bridge. Or something like that.

I am not much of a night photographer.

Dad in front of the opera house in the darling town of New Harmony, Indiana. For the record, my dad flew to D.C. then drove the entire way back to Salt Lake. Yep, I am a lucky girl.

Two signs for Illinois.

The Gateway Arch

The view from the top of the arch.

We went to the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas. President Eisenhower grew up in this home.

Finally, some blue sky. This must be the place ...