Today was such a fascinating look into such a secret organization. This facility is closed to outsiders. I meant to take a picture of the building to show you how non-descript it is. Just the number on the door--no huge "SECRET SERVICE" sign anywhere at all. We had to have our social security numbers cleared before we could tour and were given a big list of do's and don'ts. While we waited outside around back to be admitted a car pulled up. There was a warning buzzer, a door raised, and the big, cylindrical barriers dropped down into the ground for the vehicle to enter. The boys were thrilled! :)
Once we finally got inside, we had to be individually checked through the turnstiles and headed down to the elevators. We passed the room where they store the weapons they take with them on the way to the garage. Here is a picture of the den in front of P-1, which was used in President Bush's inauguration. There are a total of 7 limos. We found out all about how the vehicles are made (from the ground up, by specific design, not retro-fitted later). We even heard how Goodyear shuts down their plant for an entire day each year just to manufacture a year's worth of tires for the presidential vehicles. We learned a LITTLE about the armor, got to look inside the cars, and got to see one of the "Camp David" vehicles that are really SUV's.
It was funny to see such enormous, important vehicles down in a plain, underground parking garage, next to the personal vehicles of the agents.After we finished looking at the vehicles, we got to go up to the museum. It's interesting that the museum is not open to the public. They have a Wall of Honor outside, with the badges and names of the agents who have died on duty since the agency began. Many of them died in vehicle accidents, there were some heart attacks, one died in the World Trade Center. They have a book with their stories next to the wall. And inside the museum is a complete history of the Secret Service. The Secret Service was started in 1865 to crack down on the enormous problem (up to 1/3 of the circulating currency) of counterfeiting. It wasn't until after the assassination of President McKinley in 1901 that the Secret Service starting being used as protection. In fact, until 2003, it still fell under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Dept. We got to watch a movie, check out some counterfeit bills, and follow a timeline of the Secret Service in the museum. They had some articles that were recovered from the World Trade Center that belonged to the agent that was killed, and others who worked there.
Recognize that picture behind Dave? That was taken on Thanksgiving Day, 2003, in Baghdad. Dave was actually probably just about as close when the photo was taken as he is in this photo.
Poor Joshua, though. When we move and he finds a new Cub Scout Pack, he's going to say, what? We're just taking a trip to the local library? You should hear what I did when I was a Tiger Scout! :)
Our den had the privilege of presenting awards to the adults who planned and ran the Pinewood derby this year. They prepared a little song and had gifts and certificates to give. All the boys were nervous so Joshua, by default because he's the den leader's kid, was given the microphone and told to start singing. And he did. He did a great job. In fact, he was really the only kid you could hear. After the song was over, he continued the festive mood by "whoop-whooping" into the microphone as the other boys presented the awards. 
In this photo you can see the Cub Master politely requesting that Joshua surrender the microphone....which he did, reluctantly......
Brand-spanking new Tiger-rank sporting Cub Scouts
This morning we were studying our history. I was thinking about how hard it must be for a little 6-year old to put into context some of the big events we've been studying. It hit home right after that, when Joshua asked me, "Mom, were you alive when they signed the Declaration of Independence?" 
Outside the William Paca house, one of the 4 Marylanders who signed the Declaration of Independence:
On the steps of the State House:
Inside the original senate chamber:
Interestingly, they removed 29 layers of paint and 2/3 inch of plaster to reveal the original bricks in this room. They plan to restore the room completely to its original state WHEN they get the money...
We finished up the tour with ice cream for the boys, who apparently are immune to the effects of freezing cold...... 
This picture is just to make you jealous of my incredibly sweet (and generous!) husband.....
We watched Amazing Race while we had dessert. It's our favorite show and we were so excited the new season started!
Our area officially topped out at 34 inches, by the way. With more snow forecasted for Tues-Wed we are planning on being home quite a while!
We are still under a blizzard warning until 10 pm today. The snow is still falling steadily but I can't tell how heavily because it is blowing so much. It looks like the flakes are smaller than last night which means it's lighter and will probably blow around a lot in the winds. I heard on the news this morning that there was "thunder snow" last night. I am so bummed we missed it! Have you ever heard of thunder snow before?
