Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2009 14:03:11 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening 17 - 18

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 17 -- The Smithsonian.

**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.

I had put in for another 6:00 a.m. wake up call, which rudely interrupted a
very enjoyable slumber.  After responding to it, I noticed the boys were
hardly fazed by the loud ring of the telephone, so I went into the bathroom
to shower.  When I came back out, I woke the boys and got them moving, this
time before I got dressed.  They were still a little sluggish and it took
them a while to get ready, but when I threw the lure of breakfast out to
them, they all began to move a little faster.  Once they were ready, we
took off, only to stop at the first decent looking place we saw.  After I
filled their tummies and all of them were satisfied, we headed off to see
the Smithsonian.

As we pulled in and parked, I heard Ricky groan, before he challenged me on
my choice of destinations.  "This is like another school outing," he
complained.  "I thought we finished with all of that yesterday."

"We finished touring the government buildings yesterday," I replied, "but
correct me if I'm wrong.  I thought you enjoyed what we did."

"Yeah, maybe a little," he countered, half-heartedly, "since there was some
interesting crap to see there."

"That's funny.  I don't remember seeing any crap around.  Not even in the
toilet," I joked back.  "Did one of you boys have an accident?"

"No, not that kind of crap," Ricky shot back, barely able to hold back his
disdain for my bad pun and sarcasm.  "I meant, the White House was
interesting, because the rooms were kind of cool and there were some neat
paintings and junk, but I really liked the stuff at the place Lincoln got
shot."

"So why is this any different?" I challenged.

"Because this is just some dumb old museum," he replied, as if that were
enough to convince me we should go somewhere else.

"But the place you liked most yesterday was the Lincoln MUSEUM," I
emphasized.

"Yeah, but they had the gun that killed Lincoln, the knife he used to get
away and even a picture of the bad guys getting hung."

"Well, they might have things like that here too," I informed him.  "After
all, this is the National Museum of American History."

"Yeah, we'll see," he muttered, knowing he wasn't about to change my mind.

It was really a remarkable building, with three floors of exhibitions, so I
felt there had to be something inside the boys would find fascinating -- or
this would turn out to be one long day.  Fortunately, I was right in my
assumption.

The first floor was devoted to 'America on the Move' and detailed the
history of transportation in the U.S., from 1876 to the present.

"Hey, look at this old car," Jay told the others.  "There's no roof on it
and it doesn't even have a steering wheel."

"Well, in 1894 when that was developed, they hadn't worked out all the
details that are now agreed as standard items for cars," I told them.  "In
fact, the seat looks like it might be one that would have been used in a
fancy horse-drawn carriage."

"Damn, they had cars back in the 1800's?" Ricky asked.  "I thought everyone
still used horses back then."

"They did," I assured him.  "Horses to be ridden, horses to pull farm
implements, horses to pull carriages and wagons and the new-fangled
horseless carriage.  The early ones were much like this one."

"Look at this one over here," Brandon squealed.  "It looks like it uses the
same wheels they used on those old big wheeled bicycles, that I've seen in
books."

"You might be right," I agreed.  "They did borrow items from existing
technologies, and bicycles were big at the end of the nineteenth century."

"Man, can you imagine riding in something like that," Ricky sneered.  "Even
go-carts are better than that."

"Maybe now, but back then this was the cutting edge of technology, the best
they had to offer," I replied.

"It says this one was made by Karl Benz," Danny noticed.  "Did he have
anything to do with Mercedes-Benz?"

"In fact he did," I informed him, pleased by his observation.  "He formed
the Benz Company, which later became Mercedes-Benz, then Daimler-Benz and
now Daimler- Chrysler."

We continued to look around at the other classic cars, including a Ford
Model T.  This, in turn, led into a discussion about Henry Ford and his use
of the assembly line.  I explained how that innovation helped to keep the
cost of the vehicles down, so almost anyone could afford to own one.  The
boys all agreed the assembly line concept was really important or "only the
rich would be driving cars now," Jay concluded.

They also had a Southern Railway Steam Engine there, but the boys quickly
lost interest in that display, once they discovered the cars of the future.

"Wow, look what they've got over here," Brandon gushed, eyeing a designers
idea of what the future might bring.  The boys were definitely into these
vehicles, as opposed to the old classics.  Well, I guess that's only right,
seeing they'll probably live long enough to drive such things.

After I dragged them away from there, we hit the 'TV Objects' area, which
probably meant more to me, than to them.  The boys thought Jerry Seinfeld's
'Puffy Shirt' was 'ugly and they'd never wear anything like that,' so I
explained that it was precisely why it was designed that way.  They didn't
understand, so I had to explain the joke part of that episode to them, that
Jerry was conned into wearing a shirt no one else would have.

Moving on, I also ogled the 'phaser' from the original Star Trek series and
the signpost from M*A*S*H, but my companions weren't as enamored with these
items as I was.  Therefore, the boys quickly dragged me away from there and
prevented me from languishing in the memories these items rekindled.

When we reached the second-floor, Jay became confused.  "What do they got
all those old dresses here for?" he wanted to know.

"Jay, those aren't just old dresses, those are the First Ladies' Inaugural
gowns, from Martha Washington, right up to Hilary Clinton."  I guess that
answer sufficed, but the boys weren't much into women's fashion, so we
moved on.

"Man, that's a big, but funny looking flag hanging there," Ricky announced,
while pointing at a well-worn version of Old Glory.

"Guys, that's not just any flag," I told them.  "I'm pretty sure that's the
flag that was flying over Fort McHenry the night Francis Scott Key wrote
the Star Spangled Banner.  It was just a poem then, but it eventually
turned into our National Anthem."

"I understand the fifteen stars," Danny told me, "because there were only
fifteen states then, but why did it have more stripes."

"That was during the War of 1812, and until 1818, when five new states were
added to the Union, it had been expected that a star AND a stripe would be
added for each new state.  Once they reached twenty states, though, people
began to feel the flag would have really looked strange with twenty
stripes, so Congress passed the flag act, stating there would be one star
for each state, but there would only be thirteen stripes, one for each of
the original colonies."  The boys thought that made great sense and were
pleased those early lawmakers were smart enough to come up with that idea.

When we came to the 'Pop Culture' area, I had a great time filling the boys
in about my favorite displays.  Although they recognized Michael Jordan's
game-worn jersey, and Judy Garland's Ruby Slippers from the 'Wizard of Oz',
they were only vaguely familiar with Fonzie's leather jacket, from 'Happy
Days', and didn't know who Archie Bunker was or why his chair would be here
-- until I told them about 'All in the Family.'  They also didn't know
anything about the Lone Ranger, or why a good-guy would wear a mask.  I
also enjoyed seeing Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves, which started the boys
shadow-boxing with each other.

After leaving that area, we hit the 'History of Money and Medals' area,
which of course fascinated my crew.  "Man, I didn't know they had $100,000
bills," Ricky announced, with his eyes bulging from their sockets.

"They don't any longer," I explained, while staring at the bill with
Woodrow Wilson's portrait on it.  "They only made them for a short time and
stopped in the 1930's, when the Great Depression hit.  It didn't make much
sense to have $100,000 bills in circulation, when most people found it hard
to even come up with a dollar."  The boys shook their heads, while thinking
about how hard life must have been then.

"I wonder how much I could get for that, if I stole it," Jay mused, while
staring at a gold nugget.

"Oh, probably ten to twenty years in prison," I informed him, which got a
glare from him and giggles from the others.

"No, I meant how much money," he corrected me, although too late.

"I'm not sure, but the price of gold isn't as high now as it has been in
the past," I advised him.

Over the next few minutes, we also saw many strange looking forms of money,
including currency printed by banks, and not the government.  That's when I
had to stop and answer their questions about why banks had been able to
print their own money, before the federal government came up with a formal
currency standard.  Once that had been clarified, we came across a Nobel
Prize Medal and then a US Civil War Colored Troops Medal, which piqued
Danny's interest.

"They had a medal for the black soldiers who fought in the Civil War?" he
asked.  I quickly read some background info, before giving him his answer.

"It says here that their commander, General Benjamin Butler, was so
impressed with the fighting ability of his black troops that he commission
this medal and had it made, specifically to honor their service.
Unfortunately, the federal government would not authorize its use, so those
men were never allowed to wear it on their uniforms."

"That's a shame," Brandon shot back.  "If they fought well enough that the
guy in charge had it made for them, then they should have been able to wear
it whenever they wanted, even on those dumb old uniforms."  We all agreed,
but it was a moot point.  They had all died a very long time ago.

Before we left, we also saw George Washington's Revolutionary War uniform,
Lincoln's top hat and Alexander Graham Bell's phone, along with numerous
other items, and I thought it time to see if Ricky had finally changed his
mind about the value of this stop.

"Well, Ricky, do you still think this was a waste of time," I prodded him,
as we were getting ready to leave.

"Nah, it was okay," he conceded.  "You know, history isn't so bad when you
can actually see things and not just read about them in some stupid book or
hear some boring old teacher yak about it for hours and hours."

"Some boring old guy, like me?" I asked, causing him to whip around in my
direction.

"I didn't mean you, Dad," he announced, startled.  "You aren't boring,
well, most of the time you're not."  The other boys couldn't help but snort
and chuckle at his response.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," I teased him back, but he was
correct.  By actually being able to see some of these items, they suddenly
had more meaning for them and made it easier to understand the importance
of certain things.  All in all, we had spent about an hour on each floor,
so now we decided it was time to grab a quick lunch in the cafeteria,
before moving on to our next stop.

During our meal, the boys talked about some of the things they'd seen and
shared their impressions with the others, but they spent most of their time
trying to find out where we were going next.  Using every trick they'd ever
learned, they continued to try to wheedle this information out of me, but
their only flaw was that they hadn't considered my resolve.  I was able to
remain tight-lipped and not ruin the surprise, although I did tell them our
next destination would be another part of the Smithsonian.

After eating, I guided them to the National Museum of Natural History.
This is where various natural science exhibits are housed, including the
anthropological materials, which tell about the early people who inhabited
this land.  There were also botany displays, featuring various forms of
plant life, entomological presentations, about the vast number of insect
species, and geological displays, showing different gems, minerals and
rocks, as well as information about meteorites and volcanoes.  In addition
to those things, the largest attraction is probably the zoological or
animal materials, which would encompass various exhibits and replicas of
numerous forms of animal life, including dinosaurs.

Not meaning any harm, I jokingly teased our redheaded friend.  "Hey, Jay,
please stay away from the skeletal displays and not touch any thing.  I
don't want you to accidentally break or wreck anything."

This elicited an immediate response from the other boys, as they laughed
hysterically, thinking my comment was extremely funny.  The problem was, I
don't think Jay saw it that way.  He gave me a dirty look and I could tell
I had hurt his feelings, so I immediately apologized and tried to defend
myself by explaining I was just joking.  Not totally buying in to it, he
forced a weak smile and shrugged it off, but I took note that I had hit
upon a major sore spot for him.  I pulled him aside later, and apologized
again, privately, telling him that I hadn't meant to hurt his feelings or
upset him.  This time he told me it was all right, although I insisted it
wasn't, and I promised to do nothing more that might ridicule him, even as
a joke.

The boys were totally blown away by the dinosaur exhibits and stood in awe
of the size of these gigantic creatures.  Even at their age, and having
studied dinosaurs in school or seen television programs about these
behemoths, they got a whole new perspective concerning the former 'rulers'
of the world.  It was nearly impossible NOT to be intimidated and feel
dwarfed by the skeletal recreations of these monsters and this was enough
to make all of us realize that, as far as pure physical stature was
concerned, we were just insignificant slugs on the evolutionary ladder.

"Can you imagine getting chased by something like that?" Danny asked, while
staring at one of the displays.

"It would be just like in 'Jurassic Park,' when the T-Rex and raptors were
going after everyone," Jay added, with a great deal of enthusiasm.

"Actually, man didn't come along until long after the dinosaurs had
disappeared," I informed them.  "I'm not sure if humans would have survived
among those eating machines.  They devoured even more than you boys, but
not by much."

"Hey, we don't eat that much," Brandon challenged.

"You certainly wouldn't say that, if you had to pay the bills," I teased.

"Okay, so maybe we do eat a lot," Ricky conceded, "but there's no way all
of us together could come close to eating as much as just one of them
could."

"Okay, so I exaggerated a bit," I admitted, with a grin, "but you boys are
no slouches when it come to packing away chow."  The four of them let it go
at that, or this debate might have lasted for the rest of the evening.

All of us had been so enthralled with the displays that we didn't realize
it was nearly closing time.  However, that was quickly made evident when we
began hearing the announcements.  Reluctantly, we began to make our way
toward the exit, even though the boys kept looking over their shoulders to
see if they could discern anything we might have missed.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 18 -- Washington, D.C. By Night and Day.

We didn't get out of the museum until after 5:30 and could immediately see
the traffic was already miserable, so we chose to stay in the area for
dinner.  My human garbage disposals decided they wanted to go Italian
tonight, so I went along with their request.  After making a few inquiries,
we were told about a suitable restaurant and made our way there.  After we
arrived, we started filling up on antipasto, pasta and other Italian
delights.  The dinner was quite good, there was plenty of it and I felt
completely stuffed when we left.  However, it appeared my crew wasn't quite
done yet.  As we exited the restaurant, they suggested we go somewhere for
ice cream.  After a brief discussion, I reluctantly gave in, and found a
place nearby where they could indulge their sweet tooth.  After watching
them inhale dessert, I concluded it was time to do some more sightseeing,
so we could walk off some of the calories we had just consumed.

Leaving the ice cream shop, we made our way to the Washington Monument.  As
we approached it, we noticed it didn't appear quite the same at dusk, since
the spotlights illuminated it differently than the sun did during the day.
However, the boys didn't have time to contemplate that, as they were too
excited about going to the observation deck and viewing the city at
twilight.  We were immensely disappointed to learn that no visitors were
allowed in at night, so we couldn't go up to the top, but I promised them
we'd do it another time.

Still somewhat disappointed, we walked across to the Lincoln Memorial,
strolling beside the reflecting pool that lies between the two landmarks.
As we did so, I thought it was the right time to remind them that this was
where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech.
He stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, while more than two hundred
thousand people listened to him as they mulled around the reflecting pool.
As we continued to move along, we discussed the implications of that speech
and talked about what it might have been like to have been here on that
particular day.

"We've seen black and white movies of that," Brandon told me, "and his
speech was really interesting, but it looked like the whole situation was
pretty tense."

"Well, it was during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's and
desegregation was still in its infancy in the south, so I'm sure there were
some nervous moments.  During that same time, other Civil Rights gatherings
had been broken up by police wielding nightsticks, using fire hoses or
utilizing attack dogs, so those in attendance might not have been sure what
to expect."

"No wonder they might have been worried that something bad might happen to
them," Jay added.

"Yes, those were unsettling times and you could never be sure about what
might happen next," I agreed.

After walking up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial, we stopped, turned and
stared out from the spot Dr. King would have been standing when he looked
upon those who came to hear him.  It sent chills up my spine.  After that,
we went to view the magnificent marble sculpture of Lincoln, which only
heightened my feelings.  Here we were, standing at the monument dedicated
to the one who freed the slaves and was assassinated for his part in the
Civil War, while thinking about the other person who helped advance what
Lincoln started and take it to the next level, before he too was
assassinated.  All of this only enhanced the awe-inspiring visions I was
seeing in my mind's eye.

We finished up our brief tour by going over to the Jefferson Memorial next.
The architect who designed it drew his inspiration from classical
architecture and was even inspired by Jefferson's home, Monticello, which
Jefferson had designed.  Once we got inside, we could see the 19-foot tall
bronze statue of the third President and various passages from Jefferson's
writings, which are engraved into the walls.  As we finished looking at the
monument, it was apparent we were all pretty beat from the long day and all
of the walking we had done.  That's why I suggested it was time to return
to the motel and no one objected.

Once we got back, I made sure Brandon and Jay called home first, so they
could let their parents know they were still all right, and they excitedly
recounted their travels up to this point.  While they were on the phone, I
turned on the TV and found a baseball game, which Danny and Ricky soon
became engrossed with.  I told them they could watch the game, but they
needed to take their showers too and get them out of the way, so once
Brandon and Jay finished their calls, the younger pair decided they'd hit
the shower first.  Now that they were alone, more than just the water
heated things up in there.

"Jay, do you want to try something new tonight?" Ricky asked, eyeing his
friend.

"Like what?" Jay shot back, curious as to what his buddy had in mind.

"How about a blowjob?" Ricky suggested, hoping Jay would take the bait.

"You mean sucking each other's dick?" Jay asked, a little uncertain as to
whether he was ready to try it.

"Yeah, that's what a blowjob is," Ricky replied, stating the obvious.

"Well, I've heard about them, but I don't know how to do it," Jay admitted,
slightly embarrassed.  "I might mess up or something," he added, hoping
that would take the pressure off him.

"No, you won't," Ricky assured him.  "I'll do it to you first and then you
can do the same thing to me."

"You mean you've done this before?" Jay asked, astonished.

"Yeah, with Danny," Ricky admitted.  "We wanted to know what it was like
and it feels really good."  Jay thought for a second about what Ricky had
told him, before posing his next question.

"Does it taste bad?" Jay asked, while wrinkling his nose.

"No, not at all," Ricky confirmed.  "The wiener doesn't have hardly any
taste at all and the spunk is just a little salty."

Jay thought for a minute.  "Okay," he finally agreed.  "If you've done it
and you don't think it's that bad, then I'll try it too."

Ricky didn't waste any time or give Jay a chance to change his mind.
Before Jay could blink, Ricky knelt down in front of him and grabbed his
flaccid member.  Ricky started by playing with the foreskin first, pulling
on it, squeezing it, and sliding it back and forth over the head.  When he
exposed the head, he noticed some white gunk under the lip of the helmet.
"Eeeeewwwwww.  What's that stuff?" he asked.

"My dad calls it smegma, but some people call it cheese.  Dad says it
moisturizes the head and keeps it smooth and soft.  It's not dirty, and it
helps keep my dick clean and healthy, but dad says I should clean off the
excess build up when I shower.  He also says smegma does for your dick what
tears do for the eyes, keeps them moist and healthy.  If you want to get
rid of it, just let the water run on it for a minute and it will wash down
the drain."

Ricky did just that, and turned Jay's penis around in his fingers, to make
sure he rinsed it off on all sides.  Once he was sure everything had been
washed away, he started to lick on the exposed head.  Jay twitched
immediately and let out a moan, as Ricky's tongue came into contact with
his sensitive glans.  He moaned again, as Ricky's tongue flicked out and
delved the little slit in the middle of the crown.  This attention caused
Jay's member to swell to life in no time at all, as it reacted to the feel
of the little blonde's tongue swirling all around his shaft.

Eagerly, Ricky licked the entire surface of Jay's penis, before opening his
mouth and letting his lips slide down the outer surface.  Once Ricky had
Jay's cock in his mouth, he began to move his head back and forth, letting
his lips and tongue provide pleasure to his friend's organ.  Ricky ran his
other hand between Jay's legs and under his scrotum, to stimulate that area
as well.  While he continued to pump his mouth on his friend's cock, he
continued to let his fingers roam around and toy with Jay's balls and
fleshy sac.  Jay was wild with excitement, relishing all of the new
sensations that were coursing throughout his body, and instinctively began
to thrust his hips back and forth, to match the motion of Ricky's head.  It
wasn't a conscious act, but his body seemed to move on its own, as if it
had done this before.

Ricky tried to increase his suction, as Jay's pole slid in and out between
his lips.  He could tell by Jay's actions and from the noises he was making
that he was enjoying this new activity.  "Oh, oh, this is great, Ricky.  It
feels sooooo goooooooood.  Oh, yes, suck on it.  I'm almost there.  I'm
going to squirt.  Yes, yes, I'm gooooooooing to squiiiiiirt."

Immediately after saying that, Jay's juices reached their boiling point.
The pressure that had built up in his loins now catapulted his semen up his
shaft, and those precious liquids soon flooded Ricky's waiting mouth.
Ricky slurped up the boy juices and swallowed them as quickly as he could.
Not missing a beat, he continued to suck on Jay's tube until it was
completely drained, and then Jay literally collapsed on top of him.

"I'm sorry, Ricky," Jay told him, once he realized what he'd done.  "I hope
I didn't hurt you?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Ricky told him.  "Things like that happened sometimes,
especially after you shoot a big load."

"I didn't know that," Jay admitted, "but thanks for not getting mad.  And
thanks for the great blowjob too.  It was fantastic.  I've never felt
anything that good before.  Get up and I'll do you, but be sure to tell me
if I do anything wrong."

"I will," Ricky told him, "but just remember to keep your teeth back and
not let them scrape on my wiener.  If you remember about your teeth, then
you'll do fine."

Jay noted the advice and reached out for Ricky's penis.  He grabbed it with
one hand and, cautiously, stuck his tongue out to touch the exposed head.
He let it stay on that one spot for a few seconds, while he tried to
determine what kind of a taste it had.  Finding almost no flavor at all, he
became more aggressive and let his tongue move to other areas.  Concluding
this was not going to be as unpleasant as he had originally feared, he
started to lick up and down Ricky's pulsing hard-on.  Jay treated it like a
Popsicle, licking it on all sides before trying to take the entire shaft
into his mouth.  Cautiously, he let his lips slide down the length of
Ricky's rod, until his nose touched Ricky's pubic patch.  Once he felt
those wiry hairs begin to tickle his face, he pulled back again.  He
repeated these motions over and over, sending bolts of ecstasy racing
throughout the young blonde's torso.

"That's it, Jay.  Yeah, just like that.  Umm, umm, you're doing really
great.  Keep going.  Do it a little harder.  Yeah, that's it.  Work it.
I'm going to cum.  Get ready.  Here it comes.  Uuuuungh."

Ricky unleashed his hot load into Jay's waiting orifice.  Jay gagged
slightly, before he overcame this reflex and began to swallow the fluids.
He lapped up each drop, until there was nothing left, and then stood up to
face Ricky, who was leaning back against the shower wall, using it to help
him keep his balance.

"That was kind of fun," Jay said, grinning and breaking the silence.  "You
were right.  Your dick didn't have much of a taste and your jizz was a
little salty, but none of it tasted bad."

"See, I told you," Ricky replied, smiling weakly, still drained from his
recent orgasm.  "Thanks, Jay.  That was great, but we'd better get out of
here, before Danny and Brandon get suspicious."  The boys finished washing
up quickly and then hopped out of the shower, turned off the water and
dried their bodies.  When they walked out of the bathroom, towels in hand,
they were surprised that nothing was said.

The older pair had decided to keep quiet, since they would probably be
doing something too and didn't want to face retribution.  Therefore, Danny
and Brandon merely stood up and passed the other two as they went into
shower.  Once they got inside, they were happy to repeat their previous
performance and eagerly humped their bodies against each other again, until
they fired their respective loads.  Exhausted, not only from a long day of
walking, but also from this most recent exercise, they nearly collapsed
after their climaxes.  Taking a while to recuperate, they finally cleaned
up, dried off and returned to join the rest of us.

Tonight, when I announced it was time to go to bed, no one argued with me.
Instead, they each thanked me for everything we did today and confessed
they'd had a very good time.  After I told them they were welcome, they
crawled into bed and soon fell into a deep slumber.  All of us slept very
soundly that evening, but Ricky must have been totally spent, because he
didn't move the entire night.  I curled up next to him when I turned in and
found myself in that same position when my 6:00 wake up call came the next
morning.  After going through my normal preparations, I woke the boys, and
before long, we were on the move again.

After breakfast, we headed back to the Smithsonian, this time to visit the
National Air and Space Museum.

"Look at those old-fashion planes," Jay announced.

"I think that one is the Wright Brothers plane," Danny told him, "but I'm
not sure what the other one is."

"It says it's the Spirit of St. Louis," Brandon added, reading the markings
on the plane.

"That's the plane Charles Lindbergh used to make the first non-stop flight
across the Atlantic," I informed them.

"Wow, I guess man has always wanted to fly," Ricky noted.

"Probably since he first saw the birds soaring freely above him," I
suggested.  "Have you ever heard the Greek Myth about Icarus?"

"Isn't that the boy who flew too close to the sun?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, he and his father built wings from bird feathers and wax," Brandon
added, "but he supposedly flew higher than his father and got too close to
the sun, which melted his wings.  Then he fell to earth and died."

"But I thought it got colder the higher up you go," Jay pondered.

"It does, Jay, but the ancient Greeks didn't know that," I explained.
"They thought the closer you got to the sun the hotter it would be, but
that isn't until you get out of the earth's atmosphere and much closer to
the sun."

"Yeah, like the planets Mercury or Venus," Ricky offered.  "They're hotter
than earth."

"They certainly are," I agreed.

"So the Wright Brothers were the first to fly?" Jay asked.

"They were the first to successfully build an aircraft that flew," I
corrected, "although there are others who also made claim to that title.
However, there were others who soared above the earth before that, but in
balloons."

"Who did that first?" Jay wanted to know.

"I don't think they know for sure, because it's been suggested that might
have been the way the ancient people in South America could have observed
and constructed the images on Nazca Plains in Peru," I advised them.

"You mean those huge drawings in the ground?" Brandon asked.  "I think
there's a spider, a monkey and other stuff."

"That's the place," I confirmed.

"Wow, they've been there like forever, haven't they?" Ricky inquired.

"Pretty much," I agreed.  "I think most scientists put them between 200 and
600 BC or BCE, however you refer to it now."

"So, there have been hot air balloons all that time?" Jay followed.

"Not really," I answered.  "People have just conjectured that was probably
the only way the natives could have appreciated the images they dug into
the ground.  However, it was a pair of French brothers who are usually
credited with the first hot air balloon flights, in the late 1700's."

"That's a big difference in time," Brandon remarked.

"Yes, but there may have been others before that, but there is no way to
prove it or know for certain," I countered.

Following our little discussion, and continuing throughout the day, we saw
many more stages in the history of flight and more examples of the various
advancements made throughout the years.  I think the boys were most
impressed with the section on the U.S.  Space Exploration program and
seeing the Apollo 11 space command module.  If you remember, it was Apollo
11 that made the first manned moon landing, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz
Aldrin.  In fact, the boys got to see the actual spacesuits they wore and
were able to touch a lunar rock too.

During this time, we also talked about the risks of venturing into space,
commenting on how many early pilots died trying to perfect flight, as well
as the deaths of astronauts, as we ventured farther out in space.  We
talked about the fire in Apollo 1 and the Challenger tragedy, before
hypothesizing how much more man would be willing to risk and what the
future might hold for space explorers.  I was very impressed by the
knowledge and interest level of all four young men, as this was quite an
in-depth and insightful discussion.

>From there, we went to see the National Cathedral, which is an Episcopal
church that reminds you of a massive, medieval Gothic cathedral.
Construction on it was started in 1907, during Theodore Roosevelt's
presidency, but the last finial, or ornamental decoration on the exterior,
wasn't finished until 1990, when George H. W. Bush was President.  It is
the sixth largest Cathedral in the world, the second largest in the US, and
well worth a visit.  It has a multiple chapels, a huge organ, whose pipes
completely surround the choir area, an impressive altar and stained-glass
windows.

"The organ didn't look that big," Jay announced, after we walked out of the
cathedral.

"That's because its pipes are mostly hidden," I informed him.  "If you
could see everything used by the organ, you'd realize just how big it is."

"I guess," Jay conceded.

"I wish our church looked like that," Ricky announced.

"It would be nice to be able to see something like that every Sunday," I
admitted, "but I don't think God really cares how fancy the church is, as
long as we worship."

After leaving the cathedral, we took a bus tour of the city, so we could
get a better feel for the entire area.  After the tour ended, the boys
agreed that the old town of Alexandria, with its historic buildings, was
the most intriguing part of the trip.  Once the tour ended, the boys began
pumping me for more information about my plans for tomorrow, hoping they
might learn what we were going to do in advance.  Of course, they weren't
successful, so it drove them crazy and made them more curious about what I
had up my sleeve.  Even though they were having a good time and enjoying
the itinerary I had laid out for us, they just couldn't deal with not
knowing what was going to happen next.

We ended the day by having a very late dinner, because we spent some time
walking around the area, before we went to eat.  By the time we got back to
the motel, it was very late, so I sent the boys straight to the shower.
All four boys enjoyed the pleasures of yet another round of sexual
experimentation, before proceeding to parade around the room in their
birthday suits.  I was beginning to feel as if I was the odd man out at a
nudist convention, but I'm not complaining.  Far from it, but I am
intelligent enough to realize a slightly out of shape principal can't
compare to the pure, angelic, unadulterated beauty of these naked young
men.

We went to bed a few hours later and Ricky wrapped himself tightly around
me, like a drowning man clinging to a life preserver.  I slipped my arm
under his head and cuddled my little darling against me, and we stayed that
way until the phone rang the next morning.


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