Well, we are back in Alexandria. Not a bad trip at all. The usual time, with good traffic, is about 5 hours. Today it took us 6, and that included a 15 minute rest-stop, for ourselves and doggies to stretch our legs and do the necessary. So really not at all bad, much better than I had expected. They didn't charge the usual toll on the Chesapeake Expressway, just waved everyone through so as to keep the traffic moving.
Got home, went shopping - grocery store almost completely out of milk, of all things, but ample supplies of everything else. I bought things that we can eat even if the power goes out. We may be living on peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, sitting around in the dark. ;-)
Other than that - found out that the earthquake knocked one picture off the wall (didn't break the glass, fortunately, as it fell on carpet), knocked some candles out of their sconces, a little knick-knack fell off a shelf. Nothing serious at all. THEN - discovered a jagged crack under one window, from the window sill to the floor. Phooey. That will have to be fixed, spackled, re-painted. And good luck matching paint, after 10 years... Sigh.
So now we hold tight and wait for Irene. I guess we're ready.