Saturday, the day of the Brewers Association Savor beer and food event. Yum! But first, some sightseeing....
Duke and Susan came down from Mt. Vernon, OH for the weekend as well, and we met for breakfast Saturday morning at our hotel, the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Blah. Paid too much for a rather bland and crappy breakfast buffet. Oh well. From the we hopped the Metro to Arlington National Cemetery as Susan registered her mother there in the National Women in the Military Memorial. We stopped to check the final draft of her registry and see the display. It was rather touching for Kimberly and I, as we have no personal connection with anyone in Arlington. Susan did a really great job for her mom and it was genuinely moving.
From there, back on the Metro. We thought of hitting one of the many many museums, but it was such a nice day it would be a shame to be cooped up inside somewhere. 
So we traveled to the Eastern Market for their Saturday street fair. Tents of paintings, sculptures, knick-knacks, produce, all sorts of trinkets and whatnots. Inside the Market, besides the butchers and bakers and florists, there is the world-famous Market Lunch counter. Sadly, a fire at the old historic brick building forced a move across the street into a temporary spot. But in 2 years or so, the old digs should be completely remodeled and repaired, so the market can move back to its older venue. Luckily, North Carolina Ave SE borders the outdoor market, so Kimberly was forced to pose underneat the signage. She's a good sport when Chris has the camera...
We then left the Market to meet Monica and James at the National Sculpture Garden, another outdoor venue to soak up some sun. A leisurely afternoon by the fountain, strolling around the gardens to view the sculptures (some odd, some basic). It was nice to be on vacation and not have to "be" anywhere.
The Gordons, Brannons, and Miglins just hung out and took pictures and talked and whatnot. Then, it was time to head out and get all gussied up for our main event: the Savor event. So we walked from the Garden across the Mall to the hotel while James and Monica took the Metro back to Alexandria to get changed.
The Savor event was held in the Mellon Auditorium in DC, yet another easy Metro ride away. A gorgeous interior as you can see. 49 breweries with 2 beers each, plus interesting and "modern" food pairings to go with each beer. Three sessions were held (Friday night, Saturday afternoon and evening) with 700 tickets for each. 700 people in one auditorium juggling sampling glasses, programs, and food...and keeping vertical. 
The food in some instances was frankly lackluster. As this was a beer AND food event, we thought Kimberly would find plenty to enjoy as she is not a "beer person". $85 for her ticket wasn't worth it, but reeally, ahead of time, who knew? But for beer geeks, this event was stellar! Brewers pouring their wares, giving you direct access to talk to them and ask them questions and just be a groupie. It was a lot of fun. A late-night Kimberly-planned bar crawl of the Dupont Circle area after the event fizzled out a bit as the ladies were becoming tired and sleepy. So Duke and Chris took it upon themselves to keep the flame alive and go out. Stops at District Chophouse and Brewery for a bite to eat (and some beers) and then The Brickskeller's sister bar RFD's for a few more pints were in order."How can you go out when you're tired?" was asked. Duke and Chris look at each other and respond, "We just do."
That's wisdom right there.
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