Trip to DC

This past June, we drove up to Washington, DC early in the month to do some sightseeing. On Friday, on our way up, we stopped at Mount Vernon--George Washington's home. Unfortunately, the outside of the house was being repainted, so scaffolding obstructed the view a bit.

From the "back porch," you got an amazing view of the Potomac River.

And here is Phoebe enjoying the view.

The kitchen

Early Saturday, we drove into DC (we were staying in Alexandria, VA) to see some of the monuments. The weather was reasonable, so we parked and walked to Lincoln, Washington, King, Vietnam, Korea, and WW2.

Washington Monument

Looking at Washington Monument from Lincoln Monument

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Korean War Memorial

World War Two Memorial

We happened upon the National Academy of Sciences building, and, since it was World Knit in Public Day, Phoebe decided to knit with Albert Einstein, who was lounging outside.

Then we moved the car and went to the American History Museum to see the superhero exhibit.

Lynda Carter's outfit from the 1970s TV series

Captain America's shield (from Winter Soldier) and Wolverine's claws.

The Batmobile (from the original Batman movie.)

 We also went to the National Archives, but they don't allow pictures. We saw the founding documents and walked through their exhibit on the 100th anniversary of Women's Suffrage.

On Sunday we went to the Jefferson Memorial, which was also having work done on the outside. There were a lot of ducks and geese outside, and we had to navigate their territory to get to the memorial, but we managed to get through unpecked.

Inside Jefferson Memorial

View from the Jefferson Memorial

Some feathery friends near the Tidal Basin

Juvenile Canadian Geese

Grown-up and Gosling

Within walking distance of the Jefferson Memorial is the George Mason Memorial. Mason was also a Founder, and he was the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was the basis for the Bill of Rights.

George Mason

Afterward, we drove back to Virginia to go to Arlington National Cemetery. The weather was not particularly good, but we walked to the Kennedy gravesite and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we were able to catch the Changing of the Guard.

Kennedy Gravesite

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

One of the last things we saw in DC was the statue of Joan of Arc. She lives pretty close to the Obamas, but it took some sleuthing to find her! It is the only equestrian statue of a woman in Washington, DC. It was dedicated in 1922 and was a gift from the French Women of New York to the women of the United States.

Interestingly, her sword was stolen in 2016, and the neighborhood raised the funds to get her a new one.

 

We drove around Alexandria a bit as well. This little blue house is known as the Spite House. It was built in 1830 by John Hollensbury to keep people out of the alley next to his house, which was either the red or the white one. It is 325 square feet and 7 feet wide. Believe it or not, it is currently occupied.

 

 Also in Alexandria is the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. You can see it from pretty much everywhere, and I thought the architecture was pretty cool.