We had a family reunion too, but I won’t share the majority of those pictures here. It just doesn’t seem fair to post pictures of other people on the web without their permission. So I won’t. But there were some really cool things to see in DC and they were definitely picture worthy!
First of all, was the drive in.
We took the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The mountains were beautiful! It surprised me how much of the countryside was undeveloped, miles and miles of forested land that made my ears pop with the up and down elevation. When we came to the top of one of those mountains and were afforded the view of the valley below, it just took my breath away. I would have pictures, except we didn’t stop and the view between the trees didn’t last long enough on any given stretch for me to get my camera booted up and ready to shoot.
We went through some tunnels.
And then we turned a corner and there was Pittsburgh! The homes were built into the mountainsides, and bridges were everywhere! There must have been some construction going on as well, for nearly everywhere I looked there were cranes. Really huge ones!
Then when we arrived at the reunion site it was late in the evening. Solomon Islands, Naval Recreation Center in Maryland, was wonderful! They had a beach, a pool complex that actually contained a baby pool a wading pool, a lap pool and diving pool; with a slide in both the lap and diving pools. On the grounds they also had put-put, paddleboat rentals, playgrounds and camping, both tent and RV. We who were there for the reunion however, stayed in the lodges. They were duplex cabins that had three rooms each; an open living, dining and kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom that had a set of bunks and a double bed (plus the couch in the living room was a hide a bed). Each cabin came with comforts like: an iron, microwave, coffeemaker dishes and utensils, a TV and a DVD player. I could have stayed a month there and still not run out of interesting things to do. All the pictures of the cabins I have though, have other people in them. So, you will have to just take my word for how beautiful they were.
The beach … the beach is a source of wonderful stories and pictures to share with you though! The first night we got there it was near dusk. We’d been in the car for what seemed like forever and the weather was just hot. After check in and a mad dash into bathing suits, and attempted to get into the pool. Our luck, they closed at 7:00 and it was only 10 minutes till that time. Undaunted we descended the small hill path to the shore. There weren’t many people around, but the few that were all stood at the waters edge looking into the lagoon. Apparently, a stingray had wandered into the swimming area and wasn’t frightened off by the splashing. On top of that, there was an infestation of jellyfish! Most of us waded in about knee deep, and some refused to enter. We Michigan folk were used to our fresh water lakes that didn’t have things that want to bite or sting you waiting under the waves. It was depressing. We felt like wimps at first, but then a little boy got stung by a jellyfish and well, it was easy to just say no after that.
I couldn’t get a picture of the ray, but I did get a couple of the jellyfish.
And here is gross one of a horseshoe crab that washed ashore and fed the flies.
Here is a picture of some wildlife that flew in and floated on the lagoon.
This one will be my next desktop wallpaper. The sunset was so beautiful; I just wanted to breathe its orange light right into my soul.
During the reunion, we had a slide show, a silent auction and lots of time for conversations. It was over too quickly, the hugs and pictures cementing into spirit and film this slice of time. We took many upon many family photos, told stories and wished time could stand still for a while longer.
Then we drove the couple hours back toward DC from Maryland. We rented a hotel, dropped our stuff and got on the Metro. This train went both underground and above. Sometimes it went deep enough to make my ears pop! About half of the stops were above ground though, so I don’t think it was a true subway. In anycase, there are several “lines” all color coded and intersecting at various points. There is also a tram that can take you on tour spots and deliver you from one end of the city, Metro entrances as well, to the other. So between the two, it’s entirely possible to walk all of DC. We were only able to hit a few spots and in the heat, it was enough!
Here is a picture of the interior of the Metro.
My picture tour starts from the “Mall” area where I was able to get great shots of the Capitol, White House and Washington Monuments, all from a distance.
Here they are:
Our first up-close view was of the WWII Memorial. This is an impressive structure of sculptures, fountains and inscriptions on the walls. I was whelmed, and not just by the heat.
It’s roughly in an oval shape with two towers that anchor either end and a fountain between.
One says Atlantic
And the other says Pacific.
All along the edges are columns that contain the names of each of the states. I like this picture because it was framed to get a closer picture of the columns and read what’s inscribed on them, but it had the Washington Monument and a flag also, balancing the picture.
It was the hottest part of the day. We’d just trekked from the metro station to this memorial and I was cowering in a sliver of shade and dearly blessed the architect that had fashioned benches along the edges. Bill and three of the girls went to the edge of the fountain and slipped their feet into the water. He told me later that while he had them there, and the power of the place held him in its thrall, he explained how freedom felt from tyranny by using the heat of the day and the cool of the water as his metaphor.
After I had recovered a little, I noticed that all along the edges of this monument, there were quotes that had been etched into the stone. Being a lover of words the quotes held a power over me that eclipsed the architecture. Here is a picture of but one of them.
From there, we went to the Lincoln Memorial. Another long trek, but this time, someone had thoughtfully planted a double row of trees along the edge of the reflecting pond with a pathway between. While still about halfway there I took a picture, knowing that once I was closer I would not be able to frame the entire building.
And here is the statue of the great man himself.
Carved into the pedestal that he sits on is this inscription. It reads: “In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”
For me, the coolest part was reading the Gettysburg Address out loud from the inscription along the side of the walls, and hear my voice echo words from our past.
Jessica thought it was pretty cool too. That or maybe she was just tired.
Here is another very cool picture that I took there. The reflecting pool, doing it’s job of reflecting.
Then it was time to move on. The next closest memorial was the Vietnam Memorial. There was a retaining wall triangular in nature made up of panels of dark stone each etched with the names of those died or are missing still onto the wall. At the bottom of some of those panels were flowers, pictures and mementos that people had left behind. One person even left a medal of honor there at the base. Where the WWII memorial shouted it’s victory with statues and statements of stone. The Vietnam Memorial whispered the names of those who paid their lives. This was not a temple, it was a wailing wall.
When we left there, we went off for the final long walk of the day to The White House. It was a walk made much longer by the fact that we were carrying children by this time. The heat had sapped our energy and the kids held up so well for so long, but it was near evening and they had just had it. We finally made it though, and the view was beautiful.
Here it is
I have this little quirk I’ve noticed in my photography. I like to get pictures of the girls with Bill from behind. It measures their growth, it cements the moment from their viewpoint in terms of what they are looking at, but it also shows the kids my viewpoint as I am often the caboose to Bill’s engine. This is how I remember them, hand in hand with their daddy who walks them through life. It is precious to me. This is Bill with Megan on the left, and Jessica on the right.
That was the end of our tour for the day. We went the next day to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
The building and even inside was simply too big to get good pictures. By that I mean compositions that held enough of one thing to be able to identify what it was you were looking at. It was ginormous! They had the first airplane, Apollo capsules, missiles, an Imax theater and flight simulators, along with exhibits that were very hands on and kid friendly.
Here are a few pictures
I think my favorite exhibit was one in which a working model plane is suspend from wires over a bank of fans. The station had all the working levers, pedals and joystick of a plane that allowed you to control the pitch, roll and yaw of flight.
I can’t resist putting this one in as well, even though it’s not in focus I love the lighting, the wind blowing through Megan’s hair and Kimberly looking on.
Next came the National Archives Museum. If you have ever seen National Treasure, the building on the inside is not quite like the movie portrays. But I am ahead of myself! Here is a picture of the outside of the building. It is so large, that this picture is taken from across the street and halfway down the block.
Here is a picture of the carving at the peak of the roofline.
On either side of the massive stairs is a statue on a pedestal. Around the left side of the building (looking on) and under the stairs there is the tourist entrance. Where you are filed through a metal detector, just like at the airport. Here is a picture of the statue and the inscription, which reads: “The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future”
We had been standing in the bright sunshine and oppressive heat, waiting in line to get into the building. Once inside, it was blessedly cool and dim. I swear I could have plopped right down on the floor and snored until the next day. Then the realization hit me of just how dim it really was! There were hundreds of us lined up inside the foyer with signs posted that no flash photography was allowed. The ceiling of the entrance was lit up, and I snapped a picture of all of us in the crowded foyer waiting to view the documents.
That was the best picture I could get in the building. The movie National Treasure made it look much brighter than it really was and I won’t even bothering posting the other pictures I took. For one the light was too low, but also because the documents were so very faded, that it was difficult to read them, even with my nose pressed to the glass. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and a number of other documents were on display there. There was a definite aura of reverence in the room, with paintings in banners along the edges of the wall, marble columns and brass accents. I hate to compare it to a mausoleum, since the heart of our country, the documents that structure it are housed there, but that is the feeling I left with. I think the wall paintings may have come out, I will post those pictures too but I am sorry of you aren’t able to see it well. I haven’t done any retouching yet.
Our last stop for the day was at Arlington National Cemetary. So off we went to the nearest Metro station and descended the escalator. By this time we were pros at the Metro and while the kids thought it was fun on the first day to try to stand up and hold the rails, by this time our feet and backs hurt and we would gladly have sat down. It was rush hour of a weekday though and they were all crammed. Here is a pic of our group looking down the tracks to see the train coming.
We’d lost our stamina, but not our sense of humor. Here is a picture of the train from the outside:
At Arlington there are rows upon rows of headstones in perfect formation. I discovered that Robert E. Lee originally owned the property and two of our Presidents are buried there, John Kennedy and Robert Taft. There are memorials scattered throughout to honor generals and distinguished people. The most impressive part of it to me, was to see the hillside ripple with headstones as far as the eye could see.
And here, if you look between the branches of the tree, you can see the hillside beyond it as it too is spotted with headstones.
Then while there, we were in time to catch the changing of the guard for the unknown soldier. The “Old Guard” watches over these three tombs night and day, rain or shine and has kept continual vigil since the practice began. They take exactly 21 steps in front of it. Pause for 21 seconds and turns to take another 21 steps. Every half hour the Guard changes and does so with a ceremony. This picture is of the commander who comes out to explain the ceremony and the significance of the number 21.
Then he walks back in that peculiar ceremonial gait to greet the new guard. There they go through an arms inspection.
After the new guard meets his approval, he marches him up to trade places with the previous guard and both of them walk back into the interior of the amphitheater that the ceremony takes place in. This whole time, no one in the audience speaks.
It was very moving for me, the air practically crackled with the crispness of the event. It had the feeling of being very intense and precise in purpose and reverence. When the reality that this ceremony has happens 48 times a day, every single day and has done so for decades… I was awed. For those of us who have lived for some of those decades the weight of the years hung in the air and provided a depth to the service – a layer that shimmered as in shadow. We ask a lot of our men and woman who risk their lives for their country. But we also honor them.
Here is the marker: “Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God.”
And that, my friends was our tour of the Capitol. I will never forget it.
