DC - Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon is George Washington's old home, and it's all very well kept. Here's his carriage.

It's still kept up as a model farm.

And here's a barn that George Washington invented to process wheat.

DC - National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art has many classic statues and paintings. I don't pretend to be knowledgeable about artwork but I still find it very impressive in real life. Here's Auguste Rodin's The Thinker, something that may be familiar to viewers of a certain recent movie.

I don't recall the name of this painting but I think it was by Rembrandt.

Here's the famous painting by Claude Monet, The Houses of Parliament, Sunset.

And another Monet, The Banks of the Seine, Vétheuil.

Vincent van Gogh, The Orchard.

I find paintings like these far more impressive in person than any picture can ever express.

DC - U.S. Botanic Garden

Also on the National Mall, very near the Capitol, is the U.S. Botanic Garden, a beautiful, relaxing spot to get away from the crowds.

DC - Arlington Cemetery & WW2 Memorial

That afternoon we visited Arlington National Cemetery, a very sobering reminder of those who gave their lives so we can enjoy our freedoms. John F. Kennedy's grave is shown here, with its eternal flame.

Here's a view of the National Mall from the cemetery.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The changing of the guard.

And rows and rows of graves.

In the evening we took a walk around the mall at night. Most of those shots will go up when I put up pictures of the various monuments and memorials, but here are some of the World War II Memorial. Due to weather we didn't get back to that one in the daytime. Please bear in mind that I had no tripod, so these are hand-held night shots.

Many thanks to our veterans and those who are currently serving our country. This day really brought home what you are all doing for us.

DC - National Zoo

Lions

and tigers

and bears...

and even a komodo dragon, quite a large animal.

DC - National Air and Space Museum

Our first real stop in DC was the National Air and Space Museum. The collection of artifacts they have is truly outstanding, making it a must-see for anyone with any interest in the subject.

John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth, and he did it in this Mercury Friendship 7 spacecraft. This is the actual spacecraft.

Two complete Skylab orbital workshops were built. One was launched into space, and the other is at the museum. You can go inside it, but here's a shot of the bottom of the vehicle.

Assorted rockets are on display.

This is a mockup of the Apollo command and service modules, docked with a Soyuz spacecraft.

Here are a couple of views of the original Wright Flyer from 1903. The canvas was replaced in 1985, but this is the actual airplane that made the first powered flight.

I don't remember which plane this is, but I thought it was an interesting view from a perspective that isn't seen every day.

This is the Spirit of St. Louis, in which Charles Lindbergh made his solo transatlantic flight.

And finally, here's a view into a rocket exhaust.

I find it absolutely amazing that you can see all this history up close. On our last day we went to the Udvar-Hazy Center (an extension of the Air and Space Museum outside the city) where they have more historic flying machines, and that will be a separate post.

Washington DC

I just returned from a trip to Washington DC with the family, and I've got enough pictures for many blog posts. We visited many of the tourist sites, including numerous Smithsonian museums, many of the memorials and monuments, Arlington Cemetery, Great Falls Park, and the National Cathedral. I'll put up separate posts for many of these landmarks over the next few weeks or months, but to start with here are a couple of sites where I only have a couple of views to show.

First up is the White House.

Next are a couple of views of the Capitol.

This is the Hirshhorn Museum, which contains modern styles of art. I won't be putting up pictures of the exhibits, as most of them are still copyrighted by their creators. I find much modern art indecipherable, but there were several pieces that I thought were awesome.

This is a courtyard within the Hirshhorn Museum.

And finally, a view of the subway, called the Metro. We rode this a lot.

I used to live in the DC area, and it was interesting to see how it had changed and how it had stayed the same. The World War 2 Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and FDR Memorial were all new since I'd lived there, but much of the rest was exactly as I remembered it. All in all it was a fun trip.