The Special Joys of an All-Girls Bus
I haven't much time; I'm off in the morning - back to Washington DC! I was there just last week on tour with a large group - 83 people and 2 buses. Though only 3 days long, the trip was a memorable one for sure! Before the trip, the school had decided to split the buses boys and girls. Because the lead teacher was female and I was the lead tour guide for the trip, I was privileged with the darling and far less stinky girl bus while my friend and coworker was tasked with the far more rambunctious and might I say obnoxious boy bus! :) I was already counting my blessings, but the special attention my bus received at every turn only compounded my thankfulness and merriment!
Our first run in was at Arlington National Cemetery: our group of 44 ladies was making it's way down the crooked walk towards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier when we came upon a unit of Army boys rehearsing for a rather impressive funeral later. We of course had to pause to watch their precision and marvel at the large howitzers the boys were dry firing. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect - we had arrived just in time to see their final run through. As soon as the last order was hollered, the commanding officer invited the girls over to talk and ask questions and OF COURSE to take selfies with the young men! :) The girls were elated, and I don't think the Army boys minded the attention too much! ;)
That night we stopped off to see the White House. Believe it or not, most of the stuff from the inaugural parade is still set up - media booth, 1st Family booth, and all the chain-link fencing around Pennsylvania Avenue. I backed the girls into a corner - the closest we could get to the WH - near the Lafayette statue. A few minutes into my spiel, I caught a glimpse of a young man on the other side of the fence just behind me. Before I could say a thing, several of the girls blurted out their most burning question for the cute, 20-something man in black who'd approached us: "are you Secret Service?!" Without a word he reached for his jacket to pull back the flaps - Superman style - to reveal the words "secret service" on his Kevlar vest beneath. I quickly got out of the way as the girls surged forward and pressed against the fence for a better look at this real life hero. ;) They giggled and pestered him with questions while the chaperons and I sat back and giggled at the scene. Thankfully we had a dinner engagement to make, or we might still be there chatting away, enamored! :)
Our final incident on our three-day tour was at George Washington's Home, Mount Vernon. It was a SLOW day there that Friday, so the staff were a bit under-taxed. One in particular, the young man servant of George Washington (a costumed interpreter) named Christopher, apparently had nothing better to do than to amuse the lovely young ladies! After the first half of my group exited the Mansion from their tour, there he awaited to entertain and enlighten - a usual thing on a usual day, but with no one else to talk to, the girls had his undivided attention! The girls did move on eventually to explore the rest of the grounds; Christopher, however, stayed put in anticipation for the soon arrival of the second group of 22. Just like he knew they would, they tumbled out of the detached kitchen right into his presence! :) Where he made quick friends! He touched on many giggle-inducing topics: curtsying, matrimony, dancing, dress, musical entertainment. The girls were glued and tittering uncontrollably: all the while Christopher calmly continued his teaching with a smirk - quite aware of the sensation he was making! Again, the chaperons and I were more amused by the girls and their delight than they were by the subject of their delight!
Anyway. It was a great way to start ACTS Tour Season 2017! :)
*sorry for typos: this was written in great haste, but it will be more thoroughly proofread later ;)
** Sorry no pics - my phone's been on the fritz! But it's been mended, so stay tuned ;)
Our first run in was at Arlington National Cemetery: our group of 44 ladies was making it's way down the crooked walk towards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier when we came upon a unit of Army boys rehearsing for a rather impressive funeral later. We of course had to pause to watch their precision and marvel at the large howitzers the boys were dry firing. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect - we had arrived just in time to see their final run through. As soon as the last order was hollered, the commanding officer invited the girls over to talk and ask questions and OF COURSE to take selfies with the young men! :) The girls were elated, and I don't think the Army boys minded the attention too much! ;)
That night we stopped off to see the White House. Believe it or not, most of the stuff from the inaugural parade is still set up - media booth, 1st Family booth, and all the chain-link fencing around Pennsylvania Avenue. I backed the girls into a corner - the closest we could get to the WH - near the Lafayette statue. A few minutes into my spiel, I caught a glimpse of a young man on the other side of the fence just behind me. Before I could say a thing, several of the girls blurted out their most burning question for the cute, 20-something man in black who'd approached us: "are you Secret Service?!" Without a word he reached for his jacket to pull back the flaps - Superman style - to reveal the words "secret service" on his Kevlar vest beneath. I quickly got out of the way as the girls surged forward and pressed against the fence for a better look at this real life hero. ;) They giggled and pestered him with questions while the chaperons and I sat back and giggled at the scene. Thankfully we had a dinner engagement to make, or we might still be there chatting away, enamored! :)
Our final incident on our three-day tour was at George Washington's Home, Mount Vernon. It was a SLOW day there that Friday, so the staff were a bit under-taxed. One in particular, the young man servant of George Washington (a costumed interpreter) named Christopher, apparently had nothing better to do than to amuse the lovely young ladies! After the first half of my group exited the Mansion from their tour, there he awaited to entertain and enlighten - a usual thing on a usual day, but with no one else to talk to, the girls had his undivided attention! The girls did move on eventually to explore the rest of the grounds; Christopher, however, stayed put in anticipation for the soon arrival of the second group of 22. Just like he knew they would, they tumbled out of the detached kitchen right into his presence! :) Where he made quick friends! He touched on many giggle-inducing topics: curtsying, matrimony, dancing, dress, musical entertainment. The girls were glued and tittering uncontrollably: all the while Christopher calmly continued his teaching with a smirk - quite aware of the sensation he was making! Again, the chaperons and I were more amused by the girls and their delight than they were by the subject of their delight!
Anyway. It was a great way to start ACTS Tour Season 2017! :)
*sorry for typos: this was written in great haste, but it will be more thoroughly proofread later ;)
** Sorry no pics - my phone's been on the fritz! But it's been mended, so stay tuned ;)
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