I think we’re in the home stretch with the museums. Grandma Beth arrives today at Washington’s Reagan Airport, so we spent last night at Becky’s house in D.C. so we could have a quick look around before picking her up. The government has been closed for about a week now so it will be interesting to see what’s going on. We exited the Metro at the National Archives stop next to the United States Navy Memorial. There were no fences or guards here, they must have run out.
Our stroll down the Mall took us in front of the Smithsonian Castle. According to Wikipedia this building houses the Smithsonian administrative offices, a visitor center and the tomb of James Smithson. So here’s a bit of interesting Smithsonian trivia, James Smithson never visited the U.S., he willed all his money to his nephew unless his nephew did not live and had no children, then he said…
“I then bequeath the whole of my property, . . . to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men.”
This is the Smithsonian’s mission statement.
On this day an immigration rally occupied the lawn in front of the Smithsonian. We got to discuss immigration issues as well as budgets with the kids today.
The Washington Monument was closed like everything else, but this closure was due to an earthquake in August 2011. The Washington monument is a 555 foot high Obelisk, the tallest structure in D.C. On our history adventures the obelisk is a popular shape for monuments. I googled around trying to find a reason for this and got all kinds of whacked out answers. The best was the explanation a lady at the Monticello children’s discovery center gave me. She said that Egyptian exploration in the 1800s popularized the obelisk shape for monuments. Wikipedia gives a list of notable modern obelisks around the world and sure enough there are 10 in the 1700s, 29 in the 1800s, and 46 in the 1900s.
The White House was a popular photo op. The first President to live here was John Adams our second president.
The National WWII Memorial was gated and closed. This memorial, situated between the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool, is a plaza with fountains and a commemorative wall honoring the people who gave their lives during the war surrounded by pillars and pavilions. A week after the memorials were shut down, a few park rangers we’re in attendance with the gates ajar to allow access for tourists.
It was up to the individual to mind the sign, or not. We opted not to walk in past a sign, but to enter where no signs or gates were present.
The Lincoln Memorial is a favorite of mine. At the top of the steps sits a 19 foot high statue of Abraham Lincoln seated in a chair with inscriptions of his Gettysburg Address where he restated the principles of the Declaration of Independence, and his second inaugural address. On these steps Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Out front to the right is the Korean Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial on the left. The Vietnam Memorial is a 246 foot Gabbro (aka black granite) wall with over 58,000 names on it in chronological order of when they were either missing or killed.
By now our day was running out so we scurried back to the metro passing Ford’s Theater where in 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
And the house across the street where he died the next morning.
Back at the Marina in Solomons we started a five day soaking of constant downpours or misting. The Calvert Marine Museum was a great place to spend a rainy day.
We didn’t get to fully explore the museum, but had fun in the discovery room where the girls poked their faces out of the lighthouse for a picture.
We learned about horseshoe crabs, turtles, and shells.
They found more fun places to get their pictures taken.
Outside Bubbles and Squeak played in their enclosure. When we arrived they were napping, but luckily they woke up to check us out. So what do most creatures have to do when they wake up? Yes, go to their potty spot. I’m mentioning this because if you’ve never seen a river otter pee, which I never have, it’s quite entertaining. They do this little potty dance the entire time they’re doing their business. Someone posted this dance on YouTube.
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Besides watching them potty, Roy had fun catching their attention with his yo-yo. Their little heads would go up and down following the yo-yo. When Roy moved to another window, they followed him for more up and down entertainment.
The next inside activity was visiting Mount Vernon. On our way to the entrance the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down in rushing, rising riv’lets. We wore ponchos and umbrellas as we stomped in puddles and trudged through the river coming down the sidewalk at the entrance. Inside the first First family, George Washington, Martha and their grandchildren greeted us.
Mount Vernon is about ten miles from Washington DC on the Potomac River. The museum emphasized George Washington and his personal history as a surveyor, farmer, general and president. It was interesting to learn that after he had finished his term as president, he preferred to be called General Washington. I understood that one reason for his election was that he was a great general and after the war his strength was important to protect our new freedom and keep us together.
We had a guided tour of his Mansion. The building’s exterior surface is faux stone blocks. George Washington used rustication by carving the wood to resemble blocks then covering them in sand and painting.
A few days later we went Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello.
Thomas Jefferson’s wife died early but his house was always full with his daughter, twelve grandchildren, and a few hundred slaves. Thomas Jefferson list of achievements goes on and on, as a founding father he wrote the Declaration of Independence in 17 days and served as our 3rd president as well as Secretary of State for George Washington and Vice President for John Adams. He doubled the size of our country with the Louisiana Purchase and sent Lewis and Clark out to explore.
We always have fun looking for critters. This cat in the parking lot paid no attention to passers by.
We saw several huge praying mantises.
We walked through the gardens along Mulberry Row. This road was the center for Jefferson’s industry and home to dozens of slaves. I just finished the book Jefferson’s Sons about his slave family with Sally Hemings. It gave great insight to his struggle between freedom and slavery and how the slaves felt about their situation. The Monticello slaves were treated well but they still didn’t have their freedom.
The cotton plant has a beautiful flower.
Wooly Bear Caterpillars were everywhere. I found that they are a fall larva and can freeze and thaw several times before pupating. However in this warmer climate they probably become an Isabella Tiger Moth quickly. The Farmer’s Almanac explains a legend that the larger the brown band is, the milder the winter will be. A narrow band predicts a harsh winter.
Thomas Jefferson’s obelisk tomb stone lists the achievements he wanted to be known for. Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and John Adams died a few hours later. Five years later James Monroe, our fifth president, also died on July 4th.
Thomas Jefferson was constantly studying and learning. He knew 7 or 8 languages and owned hundreds of books.
That evening we drove until after 11pm to our hotel in South Carolina. In the morning we made a quick stop at the Darlington Raceway, a famous stock car track built in 1949.
The afternoon tour was of the Charleston, SC museum. The kids had fun dressing up and looking at the fashion exhibit.
After breezing through the displays about wars and slaves they ended up back here in their hoop skirts.
