Sgt Braille felt it necessary to supervise the Bear-Minder-General and his wife on yet another holiday in the USA. Braille had enjoyed the experience last year, and so he packed his few belongings and prepared for the long journey to Alexandria, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington DC.
I was convinced at one point that my trip was never going to happen. The original trip [in April/May] was cancelled due to volcanic ash, and rearranged for May/June. Then, with less than a week to go, the morning flight from Heathrow was cancelled due to the BA strike, and I was re-booked on the late afternoon flight. So eventually I set off from HQ Bears for the short flight to Gatwick, a taxi to the hotel at Heathrow, and settled down for a night's sleep in preparation for a very long and boring day ahead. In the morning, we found that overnight the original morning flight had been reinstated!! We grabbed our bags, rushed to the Terminal and managed to get re-booked onto the flight with just over an hour to spare before departure!
Due to the late change to the schedule, there were only 20 passengers on board instead of the usual capacity of 280 in 4-class fit! As a result we were not only able to grab the best seats on the the upper deck, but the charming Cabin Crew ensured I had my own seat before providing me with light refreshments! During the 7-hour flight to Washington I took a stroll around the galley and explored odd corners of the empty aircraft.
After an uneventful journey, and a 50 minute queue at Immigration at Dulles airport, we picked up the car and headed for our accommodation where I soon settled in. Mrs BMG did a quick run to the grocery store to pick up some essentials, like coffee and ice cream and wine, and I sat down to watch a bit of local TV. It wasn't long before we made our way to the Bar, where I re-established contact with some great old friends from last year and definitely made some new ones (including a real detective) ... and where I was delighted to find that my photo from the last visit was on display behind the Bar!! You are all, staff and customers, such lovely people - I and the BMG and Mrs BMG feel so welcome amongst you all. Hugs to everyone!
I managed to get taken to the Bar most evenings, and even got invited to a small celebration for "Grandpa's" 88th birthday ... the most polite gentleman you would ever meet, bless him!! Eating arrangements were a mixture of dining in the Restaurant or self-catering in our apartment - there was no way you could eat those restaurant portions every day, so a bit of light self-catering helped keep me slim!!
The BMG explained that a lot of their time would be spent shopping for family, especially some small people, which was of little interest to a Bear ... so I took on the role of Room Sentry. I was briefly worried by a small invasion of bikers on huge Harley-Davidsons, until the reason was explained. It turned out that it was Memorial Day Weekend, and that the guys had driven down from Montreal to join around 250,000 [yes, that's 1/4 MILLION] other bikers to participate in "Rolling Thunder" ...an annual "demonstration of patriotism and respect for soldiers and veterans of all wars."
The BMG did not keep me confined to quarters all the time, and I enjoyed being driven around for a bit of sightseeing. The BMG had suffered one of his 'strange' moments, and had rented something called a Dodge Nitro. It looked weird from the outside, but was comfy and spacious inside and well suited for those little American roads! It also offered me a good view of some of the more amusing signs on businesses, vehicles and the roadside! I appreciated the air-conditioning, as the temperatures were around 90F and humidity around 80% - although occasional afternoon thunderstorms helped to clear the air a bit.
On Memorial Day itself, we went to Fort Ward Park for a Memorial Day Jazz Festival which featured the Jazz Ambassadors Dixieland Band (United States Army Field Band) ... where I decided to pass on the idea of eating American Fish & Chips. We also visited Old Town Alexandria for one of their frequent Craft Fairs, and took a gentle stroll around the streets of perfectly-maintained 18th Century buildings.
My very best outing was to George Washington's home at Mount Vernon!
Mount Vernon 1
Mount Vernon 2
Despite the crowds of schoolchildren, I managed a comprehensive look round the estate and the preserved outbuildings, including George and Martha Washington's Tomb. The estate also contains animals and elements of the farm as they would have been in the 18th Century. The Museum on the site has a huge collection of exhibits, although sadly photography is banned in many areas to help preserve the items on display. Did you know that George Washington had terrible problems with his teeth?
On the way home we stopped by the Potomac to view Fort Washington from a distance. Fort Washington Park ... I shall pay that a visit the next time I come over [assuming I'm invited, of course] to see where the British outflanked Washington's defences in the War of 1812 and then burned down the White House 
My 3 weeks was over all too quickly, and it was almost time to come home when, on Friday, BA sent the BMG another email ... our Tuesday return flight had been cancelled and we had been re-booked for a day later. That was quite unsuitable, so a telephone call resulted in us being booked to come home 2 days early, on the Sunday! And then, on Saturday morning, more flights were reinstated, and we were able to rebook AGAIN to come home on Monday. I helped the BMG by working on the iTouch, whilst being distracted by some dolly-bird who mysteriously materialised on my lap.
So we eventually set off to Dulles airport, where I met a pretty cardboard woman on my way to enjoying the facilities of the Club Class Lounge, before boarding our 747 to come home - this time with just 90 passengers on board! Once again there was more food than I could eat!!
I've been half-promised another visit in Sep/Oct ... if I behave!
Big hugs to everyone over there - it was lovely to see you all again. See you in 4 months, with luck! xxx
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Holidays 4 Heroes is an informal group of people that assists wounded service personnel and their families get a precious break from the routine of rehab, hospital appointments and visits to welfare offices by facilitating holidays away from it all in accommodation donated by our sponsors in the UK and abroad. 
Deals with the cases that either lie outside the normal remit of the main Service Charities, or require a faster response than they can usually provide. Sometimes the cases require financial assistance, a little bit of nudging in the right direction for long-term help, or the application of a bit of expertise.