continued… We moved on to the exhibit that Eric really wanted to see, Fossils. It covered 600-million years of history, and it was quite large. Eric was really interested and keenly read each and every display. Christi was ambivalent and half-heartedly read the displays that caught her attention. Keith was grossed out by skeletons and didn’t even want to be in the room. Keith constantly asked if we could leave yet and was frustrated when Eric kept saying no.

Since it was believed that life on Earth began in the ocean, it wasn’t surprising that the display on ocean creatures was large. Like in the Ocean Hall, they explained the evolution of many specific types of species. Scientists believed that in the early days of Earth, the world was very hot. Species evolved from simple organisms like algae and plankton into all kinds of complex species. The evolution helped them to adapt to their surroundings better, as well as to changes in their surroundings — either the species changed locations for one reason or another (ie to find food) or there was an environmental change (ie a salinity change). Some species left the water for land.

Tuesday, Sept 30 — After we finished school in the morning, we ventured farther east up The Wharf than we’d been before to have lunch at Gordon Ramsey Fish & Chips, conveniently located across the way from Gordon Ramsey Hell’s Kitchen. Due to her allergy, Christi generally can’t eat at restaurants where the food is prepped prior to cooking, so we were dubious that she could eat there. But much to our surprise, they prepared the food upon ordering, and making the fish and chips without pepper was not a problem for them. The food was really good. No wonder he’s a celebrity!

We’ve seen a lot of these cute little birds around DC, but they usually fly away the moment we pull out the camera. After more than a week of trying, we finally got a photo!

After lunch, we caught the free shuttle to the National Mall. We took a slightly different route into the grassy area, taking the walkway at the Smithsonian Castle instead of our usual route along the walkway at the Arts & Industries Museum. This walkway was even prettier than the Arts & Industries walkway, with a large grass area, walking paths and benches.