Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Just drove through Baltimore. We are now in our way to a rest stop in Delaware. :)
We began our trip ( on very LITTLE sleep) on June 14th. Out the door at 5am and on to Midway Airport for an 8am flight to DC!
Arriving at 11, we were than taken to dc by a wonderful, funny, shuttle driver from Ethiopia.
We got to our hotel, The Rennaisance Downtown by about 12:30.
Beautiful!
We then picked up tickets from the Concierge, and headed to The National Holocaust Museum.
At about 3:30, emotional and physically exhausted, we headed back (2.5 miles) to the hotel.
Caitlyn collapsed and I headed downstairs to the welcome reception. Spent about 10 minutes there, saw that there were a bunch of kids Caitlyn's age, a great amount of seniors, a few my age and 3 or 4 young ones.
51 in our group...diverse...lovely!
Back up to the room and to sleep!
June 15th...great breakfast buffet at the hotel and then on to stops at The National Mall where we had our pictures taken in front of the White House.
We met a man there, in a pup tent, who was part of a group protesting nuclear war since 1981!!!! An 81 year old woman has led this protest 24/7, rain snow or shine for all that time!!!!!
She has a crew of volunteers... Much needed because a mistake in the initial permit which left the expiration date blank. If the person "on duty" nods off for even a moment, the government can consider the permit "abandoned"!
This, in fact, happened 2 years ago...but the public raised such a outcry that the nuclear tent was allowed to stay!
Talk about dedication! This is definitely not just a once a year charity 10K! UNBELIEVABLE!
Highlight: I talked to the man there at the tent! He had dred-locks down to his hips and had been volunteering at the tent for 15 years!
We then went on to the Korean War Memorial.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. It was dedicated on July 27, 1995. The memorial commemorates the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed services during the three-year period of the Korean War. The war was one of the most hard fought in our history. During its relatively short duration from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, 54,246 Americans died in support of their country. Of these, 8,200 are listed as missing in action or lost or buried at sea. In addition 103,284 were wounded during the conflict.
The 19 stainless steel statues were sculpted by Frank Gaylord of Barre, VT and cast by Tallix Foundries of Beacon, NY. They are approximately seven feet tall and represent an ethnic cross section of America. The advance party has 14 Army, 3 Marine, 1 Navy and 1 Air Force members. The statues stand in patches of Juniper bushes and are separated by polished granite strips, which give a semblance of order and symbolize the rice paddies of Korea. The troops wear ponchos covering their weapons and equipment. The ponchos seem to blow in the cold winds of Korea.
The Mural Wall was designed by Louis Nelson of New York, NY and fabricated by Cold Spring Granite Company, Cold Spring, MN. The muralist, sculptor and architect worked closely to create a two-dimensional work of art adjacent to the three-dimensional statues. The wall consists of 41 panels extending 164 feet. Over 2,400 photographs of the Korean War were obtained from the National Archives. They were enhanced by computer to give a uniform lighting effect and the desired size. The mural, representing those forces supporting the foot soldier, depicts Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel and their equipment. The etchings are arranged to give a wavy appearance in harmony with the layout of the statues. The reflective quality of the Academy Black Granite creates the image of a total of 38 statues, symbolic of the 38th Parallel and the 38 months of the war. When viewed from afar, it also creates the appearance of the mountain ranges of Korea.
We then went on to the World War II Memorial where Caitlyn enjoyed the fountain and I, after speaking to a vet about Papa reaching the combat zone in the day the war was over, realized...this was Fathers Day.
Moving on, we then visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Caitlyn and I took time out to feed the ducks and squirrels....they love peanut butter granola bars!
Back to the bus to then visit the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetary.
EXHAUSTED. We did all this before 1:00!!!
While KK and I previously had BIG ideas for the Air and Space Museum for our free time, we gave in and had hot dogs and ice cream at one of the MANY food trucks along the Mall.
We were given the wrong directions and it doubled our walk back. Thought Caitlyn was going to cry! Lol!
After arriving at the Hotel we laid down.
Caitlyn got really sick but recovered within about 3 or 4 hours.
Meanwhile I went to Dinner with the group. We ate at "Carmine's":). Family style Italian. Salad, apps, 4 main courses and 2 desserts..,OMG. The waiter have me a doggy bag for Caitlyn...it weighed at least 10 pounds!!!!
- comments