My Biggest Mistake While Visiting Washington D.C.

Did you travel this summer? The pandemic has prevented a lot of people from going too far, but Emily reminded me of something funny that happened to me after visiting Washington D.C. a few years ago.

Between songs, Emily was telling me about her experience growing strawberries and giving up on the project after squirrels kept eating all her crops.

"Stupid squirrels," I agreed. "But I can do you one better!"

It reminded me of a trip out to Washington D.C. I had taken a few years back with my buddies during one of our summer baseball trips. As I've written about multiple times, I try to travel to a different city to see a ballgame every year, hopefully, to see the Cubs.

While I have a lot of great stories from this particular adventure, I was reminded of our stop to see the White House. It was 2006, and even after 9/11, my buddy had gotten us passes for a tour of the White House.

It was very cool and I enjoyed seeing everything first-hand and imagining the history that has happened there.

Leaving, we got out towards the front to do the touristy thing of taking pictures in front of the building.

As we circled around one side (and what I think was a security building), I noticed a large Oak tree and a million acorns scattered around it.

Sure you can buy t-shirts and postcards as souvenirs, but I thought it would be even cooler to go home and plant an acorn that came FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, so I could have my very own WHITE HOUSE TREE!

My mind immediately flashed forward to my grandkids on my knee, telling them about how grandpa planted an acorn that became that big 'ol oak tree on my property... all the way from the White House in Washington D.C.!

When I got home I took some premium soil and a nice pot from the shed. I delicately laid that little acorn into the pot, watered it, and set it in the sun to watch my dream blossom.

Each day I would put it out on the porch for the morning sun, then move it to the back of the house for the afternoon.

I can't quite remember how long this went on, but eventually, I remember seeing the tiniest sprout! I was so excited.

A few days later I returned home and was ready to move the pot to the backyard for the afternoon sunshine, but quickly realized I couldn't see the pot.

As I got up on the porch I saw the pot on the ground, tipped over with soil spilled out. The worst part? I found just a fragment of the acorn.

Yes, a pesky squirrel had come along and eaten my precious acorn.

I was devastated! But the worst part? My biggest mistake? I only took one acorn.

Yeah, of the two million acorns all over the sidewalk and yard at the White House, I was only smart enough to pick up one, itsy bitsy, teenie weenie acorn. I could have easily picked up 50 of them and stuffed them in my pocket, but didn't!

A few years later I went back to D.C. and thought about trying again, but due to some foreign dignitary visiting at the time I was unable to get close enough to the White House to get any acorns.

I guess it still makes for a great story... I hope my grandkids like it.

~Chris Farber