Memorials & Museum

What a busy day! It was filled with attractions from the memorials and the International Spy Museum. We visited the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. It reminds us to honor those who served and those who serve right now. And as it says at the Korean War memorial, "Freedom is not free."

This is Sam surrounded by World War II Veterans. There were quite a few; it is the 65th anniversary of D-Day. It was a great memorial with a block for every state around the pool, a star for each soldier that died, and the names of battles engraved around the memorial.

This is the Vietnam War memorial Wall (to be exact, just a small portion of it). There are about forty of these segments, each with many names engraved. It was probably the most emotional memorial we visited.

This is inside the Lincoln Memorial. It is just a small part, but the biggest attraction, of the whole memorial. The words above Lincoln's head read:

 "IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER"

This is the Korean War Memorial. Each soldier is in a poncho because of the wet climate they fought in while in Korea. Each of the nineteen soldiers represents a different nationality that fought in the war. We remembered Grandpa at this memorial.

This is what you see on a penny- the outside of the Lincoln Memorial. It is very beautiful and has the states' names engraved all around the top.

This is a pic of the Norris kids taken from the top of the Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument, which we also have visited, is in the background. 

Trevor fulfilled his birthday present from Grandma today as he went on the "Operation Spy" tour at the International Spy Museum. A great time was had doing that, and all of us going around the museum on the normal route was also very cool and informative. Sorry, no pictures were allowed. On the weather side of things, the rain turned  to sun today! It was a very beautiful day in D.C. 

Money, War, Food, Entertainment, & Art

What a day….

Ann, Hannah, and I left Trevor, Rylee, and Sam with Grandma this morning and set out to get hold of tickets for the Holocaust museum. With our tickets secured, and an hour and a half to wait, we crossed the street and visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. That’s where they make paper money. The machinery was fascinating, and the amount of money was amazing. The picture of Hannah equates her height to the value of a stack of $100 bills. 

At the Holocaust museum we were not allowed to take pictures, and once there, photography was not on anyone’s mind anyway. That portion of our world’s history is appalling. Edmund Burke was correct when he said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” It was a sobering experience for all three of us.

We thought it wise to show up with food upon saving Gayle from three of her four youngest grandchildren. We had been gone a long time, so on our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a Farmers Market outside the Department of Agriculture Building. Sugar peas, carrot cake, kettle corn, fresh cucumbers, and cookies won the day.

Next, all of us set out to visit a couple museums on our way to the National Air and Space Museum. It was there that we watched “Night of the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian.” What a hoot! In fact, if you have seen the film, you might recognize the three cherubs that are pictured with Gayle. They actually performed a couple hit songs in the movie.

The last couple pictures are of me. There are a lot of pieces of art around this place. Sculptures, towers, pictures, etc. abound. I think that maybe I could be an artist.  

Footsteps of George Washington

Inscribed on George Washington's tomb:  John  5:24-25.  

The part of our tour that captured the Norris kids' interest today:  George Washington's pig and rooster.  --Ann

Mount Vernon

The big part of today was our time at Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. We took a nice boat ride on the Potomac River to get there. At Mount Vernon, we saw his barn, mansion, and the little outbuildings around his mansion. Mount Vernon was very green and scenic and it had nice trails to walk on. We also saw his tomb and slave memorial. It has been showering today with temperatures in the low sixties. It seems like we have done so much  in our three days here!

In awe

Today we were able to see some of the best art, architecture, and human achievements our country has to offer.   The air and space museum displayed all the best of American space and flight exploration.  Trevor, Rylee, and Sam thought the flight simulator was awfully cool.  The Capitol had fabulous art and architecture and the American Indian Museum was worth visiting just to see the outside of the building.   The National Botanical Gardens were a welcome sea of green and a welcome wet and muddy playground for the kids right before they shook Sen. Murkowski's hand. : )  I think she was sympathetic.  Mother Nature wanted in on the action today so she showed off the blazing sun followed by a pelting rainstorm with lightning.  The Valdezans weren't to be weather-scoffed so off we went to retrieve our sunglasses and water bottles from the Senate office building a quarter mile away while few others ventured out . When I took off my belt for the third time going through security today, my water-logged pants nearly hit the shiny tile floor.  That would have been the exclamation point for the whispers that the delegation from Alaska was sorely underdressed. -- Ann

Capitol Day

Our biggest part of the day was our tour of the Capitol. It was amazing inside, and we also were able to meet Senator Murkowski in the building where the senators work. Trevor, Rylee, and Sam fed a squirrel that ate straight from their hand. We also stopped at Union Station where we walked around a bit and Trevor acted as a mannequin in the Pendleton window. The hot weather tuned into a thunderstorm and lots of rain. We also saw the senate in session today at the Capitol. Also, we visited the Air & Space Museum and a botanical garden. Last night we had a great time around and at the top of the Washington Monument. It was very beautiful with sunset and the National Mall. 

First Full Day

We flew in to D.C. last night on two pleasant flights. Today, our first full day in Washington D.C., has been wonderful. We started off with a White House tour at 9:30. We came back and had a bit of time to relax, and we were at the pool area for much of that time. It has been in the 70s to low 80s. Later, we split up and the girls went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History while the boys went to the Smithsonian Air and Flight Museum. Tonight at 8:00 we will go to the Washington Monument, possibly to the top. We will follow up on that tomorrow.  Overall, we are having an awesome time! 

These are highlights from our day from each person:

Kipp:  It has been a fine day. The White House is nice.

Ann:  I really enjoyed seeing the white house.

Hannah:  My favorite parts of the day were Starbucks, swimming, seeing the white house, and walking around the pretty streets of D.C.

Trevor:  A gray squirrel about two feet long came up and thought I had food in my hand and he touched it. Then we saw a tree full of red and grey squirrels. (the pigeons and squirrels are domestic.)

Rylee:  It was a fun day!

Sam:  I saw  sqrles     resuling.