Summer Trip ~ Washington D.C. at last!

Our Nation's Capitol!

Our final summer vacation destination was Washington D.C.  The weather cooled slightly, making it possible for us to walk and enjoy seeing the remarkable museums and monuments.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Chevy Chase and the subway to downtown D.C. was right across the street.  One of the smart things we did was get the hop on, hop off passes for the tour bus.  If nothing else, it provided us with transportation (and a few minutes to rest) between spots, but the first time we rode it we were also able to get our bearings on where everything was located and how far apart sites really were.  Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures we took.

The Jefferson Monument was one of my favorite places. 
 I have such an admiration for what he accomplished.

Thomas Jefferson.

The Lincoln Memorial has square sides, rather than the round shape of Jefferson's Monument.

Looking down the mall from Lincoln's Memorial.

The size of Lincoln is breathtaking.

We walked down the mall from Lincoln's Memorial to the WW II Memorial.  
With all my heart I wish my dad could have seen this in his liftetime.  I was moved to tears 
by the love and respect for our WW II vets that this memorial represents.

My dad served at Peleliu.  He shared his stories of the war in the autobiography he wrote in 
the last few years.  It was incredibly moving to see Peleliu represented at the memorial.

Remembering my Dad's brother, Bill, who was killed in WW II....

So many stars, representing those who died in the war, and I couldn't even get them all in.

Washington's Monument was closed to the public due to the earthquake they had.

The Newseum was a fascinating look at our world through the eyes of journalism.

We could have spent an entire day in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.

We had arranged for a private tour of the Capitol on our last day there through Congressman Sam Farr's office.  We took an underground tunnel from the Congressman's office building to the Capitol.  I can't even describe the history and the beauty of what we saw, we saw so much, and our tour guide (an intern) was full of interesting details.

As a member of the DAR I couldn't skip seeing the DAR Headquarters while there!  This is their library, full of geneology records.  You can't see the beautiful sky lights in this photo.

The National Cathedral

Not included among all these photos were our visits to the Spy Museum, the Natural History Museum (another one we could have spent a full day in -- it's fabulous), and last but not least -- the National Archives where we got to see the original Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution.

It was one fabulous vacation and I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend such quality time with my daughters and see all of these fantastic sites.  And now our summer vacation 2012 is a very sweet, beloved memory.