I took most of the shots with the big lens on the good camera, but a few with my phone, too.
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Monday, May 27, 2013
DC National Zoo
We spent our last day in Washington at the zoo and it was great. We saw so many interesting animals - giant pandas, anteater, lots of amazing birds, large cats, an interesting small mammal exhibit, Asian elephants, seals and sea lions, and much more.
I took most of the shots with the big lens on the good camera, but a few with my phone, too.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I took most of the shots with the big lens on the good camera, but a few with my phone, too.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, May 25, 2013
DC Saturday, American History, another picnic, White House, swimming
We got back on the Metro and went back to the Smithsonian, this time to the National Museum of American History. Well, that one is monstrous, too, so we only scratched the surface. Saw a few exhibits, took in the viewing of the huge flag that was flying over Fort McHenry in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words to the national anthem. No pics allowed in there.
By the time we left there, we were needing a snack again, so we got hot dogs and pretzels and noshed on the mall. Lots of people out enjoying the beautiful, a bit breezy but not nearly as cold as yesterday, weather. Seemed very American. Lots of different people, doing lots of different things, all peacefully coexisting for the moment. Very nice.
From there, we walked to (or rather, near) the White House and took what picts we could. I think we may actually have a shot of the Presidential motorcade leaving the White House for Oklahoma (to view the destruction caused by the terrible tornado that killed 24 earlier this week). The big black SUVs were parked out back then someone got in and they all pulled off. Could have been nothing - we were so far away. Neat to think it might have been something, though.
We walked around to the front of the White House and took more pictures, then took the Metro back to DuPont Circle, and walked the few blocks to our hotel. We are surely getting our exercise on this trip!!
Tonight, we got back in time for the manager's reception, so I had the special, which was a drink called 'Jamaican Mi Crazy'. It was a rum punch that was very good. Mitch and I sat there and waited for Bill and the girls to join us from their candy bar run to the hotel gift shop. Then, later we all hit the swimming pool and frolicked about like wild - reviving old favorites like 'Barnacle!' and 'Submarine', both of which they are much better at now than they used to be. Barnacle is the game where they hang on to you and you try to wrestle yourself away. Submarine is another hanging on game that is self-explanatory, I imagine.
Awesome day. Great trip.
Kids are pros at the Metro, now
Thanks, photo-bomber dude, you're super-cool. ;)
Cool money exhibit
We went into Transportation exhibit, and a couple of others, and the dreaded gift shop, of course, but I was getting low on fuel I guess, not many picts to post.
Drummer outside American History museum using various 5-gal buckets for toms, a large trash can for bass drum, and a shopping cart for cymbals - neat setup and kept a decent rhythm, too.
Lots of cyclists assembling for the Memorial Day Rolling Thunder event (to highlight veterans' issues by simulating the noise of war)
If you zoom in, there's what looks like an official motorcade happening at the White House in the distant background
The kids playing on the '(Lawn next to) The White House Lawn' =)
Huge Commerce building
Old Executive Office Building (Eisenhower)
Kids weaving through posts, having a blast
More of the Old Exec. Ofc. Bldg., beautiful, stately structure (new one further up the street is painfully plain, not photo-worthy - probably more efficient in every way you can think of, but not very pretty)
Kids in front of WH gate
Taken with camera lens between bars of the gate
West Wing!! One of the best tv shows ever!!!
Blair House
My date for the reception
Timing off on this shot, just missed Mitch's spread-eagle, feet-first jump into the water. When he came up, he giggled and said he felt a 'stinging sensation in his privates'.
We'll end on that one, today. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
By the time we left there, we were needing a snack again, so we got hot dogs and pretzels and noshed on the mall. Lots of people out enjoying the beautiful, a bit breezy but not nearly as cold as yesterday, weather. Seemed very American. Lots of different people, doing lots of different things, all peacefully coexisting for the moment. Very nice.
From there, we walked to (or rather, near) the White House and took what picts we could. I think we may actually have a shot of the Presidential motorcade leaving the White House for Oklahoma (to view the destruction caused by the terrible tornado that killed 24 earlier this week). The big black SUVs were parked out back then someone got in and they all pulled off. Could have been nothing - we were so far away. Neat to think it might have been something, though.
We walked around to the front of the White House and took more pictures, then took the Metro back to DuPont Circle, and walked the few blocks to our hotel. We are surely getting our exercise on this trip!!
Tonight, we got back in time for the manager's reception, so I had the special, which was a drink called 'Jamaican Mi Crazy'. It was a rum punch that was very good. Mitch and I sat there and waited for Bill and the girls to join us from their candy bar run to the hotel gift shop. Then, later we all hit the swimming pool and frolicked about like wild - reviving old favorites like 'Barnacle!' and 'Submarine', both of which they are much better at now than they used to be. Barnacle is the game where they hang on to you and you try to wrestle yourself away. Submarine is another hanging on game that is self-explanatory, I imagine.
Awesome day. Great trip.
Kids are pros at the Metro, now
Thanks, photo-bomber dude, you're super-cool. ;)
Cool money exhibit
We went into Transportation exhibit, and a couple of others, and the dreaded gift shop, of course, but I was getting low on fuel I guess, not many picts to post.
Drummer outside American History museum using various 5-gal buckets for toms, a large trash can for bass drum, and a shopping cart for cymbals - neat setup and kept a decent rhythm, too.
Lots of cyclists assembling for the Memorial Day Rolling Thunder event (to highlight veterans' issues by simulating the noise of war)
If you zoom in, there's what looks like an official motorcade happening at the White House in the distant background
The kids playing on the '(Lawn next to) The White House Lawn' =)
Huge Commerce building
Old Executive Office Building (Eisenhower)
Kids weaving through posts, having a blast
More of the Old Exec. Ofc. Bldg., beautiful, stately structure (new one further up the street is painfully plain, not photo-worthy - probably more efficient in every way you can think of, but not very pretty)
Kids in front of WH gate
Taken with camera lens between bars of the gate
West Wing!! One of the best tv shows ever!!!
Blair House
My date for the reception
Timing off on this shot, just missed Mitch's spread-eagle, feet-first jump into the water. When he came up, he giggled and said he felt a 'stinging sensation in his privates'.
We'll end on that one, today. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
DC Saturday, Library of Congress
There is a tunnel from the Capitol to the Library of Congress, so we went over there and looked around without doing an official tour. Gorgeous interior, fabulous quotes, beautiful frescos, marble everywhere. And books! There were a couple of places where you could see some actual books!! :) I assume most of what they do now is electronic, given the volume, but we didn't do the tour and I haven't taken time to look it up, so I'm not sure. One of the exhibits was Thomas Jefferson's library. No pics allowed in there :( but it was very neat - lots of volumes, various languages - very impressive.
We were getting tired and needing lunch, so we had decided to leave the Library of Congress in search of some grub. As we were leaving, the building was evacuated, evidently because of a suspicious, unclaimed package. Interesting to have that experience, felt sort of 'authentic', in a way. Nothing came of it, probably happens with some regularity (careless tourists, or parents busier than busy trying to keep baby/toddler/stroller gear together and just dropping things) - of course there is the occasional nut job, so they have to take it all seriously.
We got out of there and walked east (beyond one of the President's favorite spots, according to our Capitol tour guide, a place called 'We, the Pizza') to a tiny grocery store that had a deli counter in the back. We got sandwiches and subs and had a picnic in a sweet little place called Seward Park. The starlings were very happy to see us coming. Played us like songs and fed their huge, whiny babies (who could fly and seemed like they should've been off the teat, but whatever).
View of LoC from front (taken before we went on Capitol tour)
Tunnel from Capitol to LoC
Ceiling of LoC
Ceiling of LoC with camera set to show skylit panels
So colorful in that main entrance area
Plate under window says 'Science is organized knowledge'
Fresco for Zoology
Police beginning to arrive to assist with the evacuation
Seward Park picnic
Maybe not what she was expecting? Love the look on Sam's face, but have no idea what that was about - it was just a random shot of the picnic setting. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We were getting tired and needing lunch, so we had decided to leave the Library of Congress in search of some grub. As we were leaving, the building was evacuated, evidently because of a suspicious, unclaimed package. Interesting to have that experience, felt sort of 'authentic', in a way. Nothing came of it, probably happens with some regularity (careless tourists, or parents busier than busy trying to keep baby/toddler/stroller gear together and just dropping things) - of course there is the occasional nut job, so they have to take it all seriously.
We got out of there and walked east (beyond one of the President's favorite spots, according to our Capitol tour guide, a place called 'We, the Pizza') to a tiny grocery store that had a deli counter in the back. We got sandwiches and subs and had a picnic in a sweet little place called Seward Park. The starlings were very happy to see us coming. Played us like songs and fed their huge, whiny babies (who could fly and seemed like they should've been off the teat, but whatever).
View of LoC from front (taken before we went on Capitol tour)
Tunnel from Capitol to LoC
Ceiling of LoC
Ceiling of LoC with camera set to show skylit panels
So colorful in that main entrance area
Plate under window says 'Science is organized knowledge'
Fresco for Zoology
Police beginning to arrive to assist with the evacuation
Seward Park picnic
Maybe not what she was expecting? Love the look on Sam's face, but have no idea what that was about - it was just a random shot of the picnic setting. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
DC: Saturday, the Capitol
Our first stop after third breakfast was the Capitol. We took the Metro to Capitol South, and walked a couple of blocks to, surprise surprise, the south end of the Capitol. Beautiful blue skies made for some great outdoor shots today. We walked past the iconic building of the Library of Congress (there are multiple buildings to it) - we would tour it later - and on up to the US Supreme Court, which is hidden under scaffolding for renovations to the marble exterior. But, they've done a nice job of draping the scaffolding with some kind of weather-sturdy material that is supposed to look like the front of the US Supreme Court, so it's not too bad (but still a bummer, there's no way around that). The kids did get to walk up to the front door, but that was it.
We then went in to the Capitol building and took the tour, which was great. We had a spunky tour guide who knew a LOT of information, very impressive young man. The kids got Junior Capitol Police sticker badges from the officers outside the main entrance, they were very personable. Everyone who has seemed 'official' in DC has been so nice. Everyone else has been nice, too! We've had such a great experience, so far. Great vacation.
Approaching the Capitol from the south, Capitol was on the left...
...Library of Congress on the right. Neat to have a city so jam-packed with neat buildings and amazing history.
Behind the curtain and lots of scaffolding, the US Supreme Court
Door of US Supreme Court
Getting ready to enter the Capitol required 1) consumption of all our snack foods I'd tucked away in my bag for later, 2) drinking some of and emptying the rest of the water bottle I'd also tucked in my bag for later, and 3) Sam throwing away her prized pocket knife because she was honest and told them she had one after seeing a sign that said no pocket knives of any size were allowed. She fought back tears afterward and I assured her we'd replace it. And I did right after our tour, with my own pocket knife which had been in my bag the whole time! I was thumbing through my bag looking for something else and found it - I had totally forgotten it was in there. Oops! :)
Plaster mold of Statue of Freedom which was used to create the bronze atop the Capitol dome
Room under the Rotunda - all of these columns are supporting the huge dome above
Magna Carta (which just got auto-corrected to Magma Carter, which we all found LOL funny)
The stairwell Presidents go down to exit to west side of Capitol where inaugurations happen
Looking up into the Rotunda
Part of side of Rotunda
Base of Reagan statue in Rotunda, thin layer of black and white chips above the plaque area and just under the brown wood molding at top are pieces of the Berlin Wall
Statue of Major General and President Andrew Jackson
Rotunda is where Congress first met. The plaques like this show where these early folks sat. As more states were added, they needed more space. Now, it is where folks (former presidents, others) are laid in state for a time when they pass. No one is buried in the Capitol.
Your tour guide has a mic, and everyone in your group has a headset set to the guide's frequency. Numerous tours happen simultaneously - it is very well choreographed as groups move past each other from point-to-point. It lasts an hour (when neither chamber is in session), so it's a great way to get the basics down.
The most recent and the last statue to be added to the Rotunda area - Rosa Parks. Guide said no more would be added.
White spot in center of floor (and center of photo) is where coffins are set when it's time for that
Great start to the day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We then went in to the Capitol building and took the tour, which was great. We had a spunky tour guide who knew a LOT of information, very impressive young man. The kids got Junior Capitol Police sticker badges from the officers outside the main entrance, they were very personable. Everyone who has seemed 'official' in DC has been so nice. Everyone else has been nice, too! We've had such a great experience, so far. Great vacation.
Approaching the Capitol from the south, Capitol was on the left...
...Library of Congress on the right. Neat to have a city so jam-packed with neat buildings and amazing history.
Behind the curtain and lots of scaffolding, the US Supreme Court
Door of US Supreme Court
Getting ready to enter the Capitol required 1) consumption of all our snack foods I'd tucked away in my bag for later, 2) drinking some of and emptying the rest of the water bottle I'd also tucked in my bag for later, and 3) Sam throwing away her prized pocket knife because she was honest and told them she had one after seeing a sign that said no pocket knives of any size were allowed. She fought back tears afterward and I assured her we'd replace it. And I did right after our tour, with my own pocket knife which had been in my bag the whole time! I was thumbing through my bag looking for something else and found it - I had totally forgotten it was in there. Oops! :)
Plaster mold of Statue of Freedom which was used to create the bronze atop the Capitol dome
Room under the Rotunda - all of these columns are supporting the huge dome above
Magna Carta (which just got auto-corrected to Magma Carter, which we all found LOL funny)
The stairwell Presidents go down to exit to west side of Capitol where inaugurations happen
Looking up into the Rotunda
Part of side of Rotunda
Base of Reagan statue in Rotunda, thin layer of black and white chips above the plaque area and just under the brown wood molding at top are pieces of the Berlin Wall
Statue of Major General and President Andrew Jackson
Rotunda is where Congress first met. The plaques like this show where these early folks sat. As more states were added, they needed more space. Now, it is where folks (former presidents, others) are laid in state for a time when they pass. No one is buried in the Capitol.
Your tour guide has a mic, and everyone in your group has a headset set to the guide's frequency. Numerous tours happen simultaneously - it is very well choreographed as groups move past each other from point-to-point. It lasts an hour (when neither chamber is in session), so it's a great way to get the basics down.
The most recent and the last statue to be added to the Rotunda area - Rosa Parks. Guide said no more would be added.
White spot in center of floor (and center of photo) is where coffins are set when it's time for that
Great start to the day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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