1. There's no fun like an interactive exhibit that allows a Natural History Museum tourist to visualize how she'd look as a Neanderthal.

2. At sunset, the Reflecting Pool is filled with hundreds of Canada geese who are all staring reverently toward the Lincoln Memorial. Meanwhile, flocks of teenage ducklings pay no attention to either Lincoln or their mothers.

3. The flocks of visiting Safety Patrol kids who appear everywhere in downtown D.C. seem to be more obedient than ducklings are.

4. Strange things to discover about one's husband after knowing him for 25 years: Tom was once a Safety Patrol captain. Who would have guessed?