Home at Last

As we leave Washington, we have plenty of time to admire the sights along the Beltway as we sit in morning rush hour, or perhaps its still last nights rush hour; I don't know, it never seems to change. We took this picture out our front window in traffic. Notice how I cleverly edited the photo so it looks like we are driving out in the country. This is the Mormon church in Washington. It was opened in 1974 and is over 160,000 square feet in floor area and 288 feet high. Its situated so that you can't see it until you come around a bend in the Beltway and it suddenly appears. Very striking!

After a few hours of driving, we left the heavy Washington traffic behind and enjoyed the rest of the drive to Champion PA, just an hour east of Pittsburgh. Its nice travelling this time of year because there is always lots of room in the campgrounds. Red sky at night is good, right?

We're here for a couple days so we figured we'd take in a famous local site. Fallingwater is a famous home built for the Kaufman family of Pittsburgh in 1934 by Frank Lloyd Wright. They owned land in rural Pennsylvania which included a lovely waterfall that they wanted incorporated in the design of their summer home.

 The property was turned over to a conservancy group in 1963. The home was built as a weekend home for Edgar Kauffman, his wife and son. After the parents died, and because the son had not married, when quite elderly, he donated the property. Each day hundreds of visitors come to enjoy the remarkable building and its location. We're standing on the original driveway to the house.

A beautiful stream runs under the cantilevered main floors with access to the stream from the main living area. Its a small stream coming down from a hill and its volume changes very little whether its very dry or flooding everywhere else. There are 3 bedrooms, each with a bathroom and private deck for lounging. Higher up on the hill is the carport and servants quarters.

Isn't this a beautiful location. The home was only used during the summer and closed up for the cold months. It wasn't insulated and only had summer windows. At the time it cost $155,000.00 to build which is around $2.4 million in todays money. When built, it was considered Frank Lloyd Wrights greatest achievement. We couldn't take pictures inside, but his designs included all the inside furniture so everything matched to create whatever theme he wanted. Its was a lovely spot to explore and spend a few hours.

Our next stop on the way home is north of Pittsburgh and closer to Buffalo and the border. As we head north, we seem to be in a perpetual spring. Each location is budding out with leaves and flowers. The weather has been warm and the plants are responding. When we arrived and set up, there were dozens of people crawling through the trees beside us. Found out that trout season had started that day and the river beside us is teeming with fish, and fishermen. Only a day here so we went down the road to an outlet mall and grammie bought a pair of shoes. Of course it took four hours of browsing before we actually bought them.

The day we get home started cold and clear. I had to scrape the car window so I could see to hook it up. I hope this doesn't mean we're getting home too early and the cold hasn't left. We had a great drive home and no problems at the border which always surprises us when that happens. Got home and hooked up by mid afternoon and now we're ready to greet the grandkids and catch up on whats happened since we left 6 months ago. It seem like we just left but its great to be back, for awhile anyway. Don't expect new blogs for awhile. Not much doing until we hit the road in the fall. Thanks for enjoying our travels; stay tuned for more.

Washington, our last days visit

There were a few places we wanted to visit before we left but they were kind of out of the way and we figured we'd take our last day and enjoy walking around to see them at leisure. Little did we know that mother nature decided to refresh the land with a nice brisk, cold spring rain. We took the metro to Arlington and walked the mile to see the marines monument.

This is one of the largest bronze monuments ever cast and is very impressive. During WWII the marines attacked the Japanese held island of Iwo Jima. After suffering heavy losses, they finally raised the flag on Mount Surabachi, the high point on the island. This moment was captured by a photographer and became the most famous photo of the war. It was also the basis for this statue. All the marines in the photo except 2 died on the island.

Our leisurely walk now takes us across the Freedom bridge from Arlington Cemetery in the background across the Potomac river, to the Lincoln Memorial. Another 2 miles.

After crossing the river we enjoy a relaxing moment to catch our bearings and enjoy the view. After 2 hours in the rain we are so wet we might as well finish our grand tour. After all, as grammie says, "we won't melt". Die of pneumonia maybe, but won't melt.

Our next stop is the Viet Nam Memorial. This black granite wall list the names of all the American soldiers who died in Viet Nam. There are almost 60,000 names on the wall. The Viet Nam war wasn't popular at the end and there was no pressure on the government to create a memorial, so one man started the drive and other vets got involved. Vet groups and corporate donations paid for the whole memorial and Jimmy Carter signed over the site so it could be built.

A little more walking takes us to the Korean War Memorial. This is one of the more visually interesting memorials because it replicates a troop of soldiers on patrol. Notice they are wearing slickers; wish we had thought of that.

Its as if a real patrol has been caught in an instant of time. They are looking around for threats, watching the ground for mines, chatting with their buddies and looking generally miserable in the rain. Its so lifelike that we examined a number of them to see what they were doing and carrying.

By this time we were wet and miserable and found the nearest metro station and headed back to our warm cozy palace where we dried off and had a warm drink. We had planned to revisit the botanical centre because of all the beautiful plants and flowers there, but it was another 2 miles in the rain. So here are some of the pictures we took last time we were there, instead of taking new ones today. Hope you don't mind a little cheating.

They have a large area featuring plants that we use for nourishment. This is perhaps the most important plant that has ever grown. Its the cacao plant of South America. As we all know, thats where chocolate comes from. Ahh chocolate! Its the only addiction that I'll admit to.

At the time of our visit, the arboretum was having an orchid show. There were hundreds of different kinds of all different shapes and sizes. It was like walking through the garden of Eden. Thats why we planned on going back; just to see the orchids. Guess we'll have to be content with the pictures we have.

The displays were done up in fanciful montages and streams and artwork helped set off the plants and their colours. It was a beautiful place to visit.

A stroll through the verdant greenery is good for the soul. Birds chirping and water falling adds to the peaceful ambiance. If we hadn't been so wet and cold this would have been the perfect tonic for what ailed us. And so ends our exploration of Washington and all its treasures. We both have wanted to explore the area for years and haven't been disappointed. Its been a good 2 weeks. Now, homeward bound.

Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon

Arlington House is the original home standing on the property that would become Arlington Cemetery. General Robert E. Lee lived here for over 30 years but when the civil war broke out, he resigned his commission in the Union Army and moved to the south. At the start of the civil war a number of battles near Washington flooded the city with dead soldiers so they started looking for a burial ground. The government annexed Lees property and started burying soldiers on his land. That was the start of Arlington Cemetery. Anyone who served can be buried here even if they die years after leaving the service. Soldiers from all the wars since the civil war are buried here including Korea, Viet Nam and Desert Storm. There are many burial services a week here as WWII vets die off.

Directly below Arlington House is the burial site of JFK, his wife Jacqueline and 2 of their kids. Here is the eternal flame as well. Robert, JFK's brother is buried nearby as is Edward Kennedy, who recently died.

There are over 650 acres of graves with 100's of thousands buried here. Every grave is on a grid line so they are in straight lines from whichever angle you look. Thats to represents soldiers at attention. Any new grave will automatically fall somewhere on that grid line.

The cemetery is beautiful with manicured lawns and lots of trees and flowers. You can walk wherever you like. Every location is recorded so you can find the grave of anyone buried here. For years after the great wars, bodies were being exhumed from the sites in Europe and re-interred here.

The Tomb of the Unknown is a monument to the soldiers who died in battle but were never identified. There is a body here from WWI, WWII and Korea. The body from Viet Nam was identified a few years back using DNA. An honour guard maintains a vigil 24 hours a day. A soldier paces back and forth constantly even during blizzards and pouring rain. When the last hurricane came through with 100 mph winds they were offered to maintain their vigil indoors but refused. The vigil has gone on without interruption since 1921 when the tomb was established.

The sentry is relieved every 30 minutes and an elaborate ceremony is performed each time. Its quite solemn and very stirring. Each new sentry is ceremonially examined for proper attire and look and his rifle is scrutinized to make sure it is clean and fit for sentry duty. After approval he then starts his 30 minute duty.

Just behind the Tomb of the Unknown is an amphitheater made completely of marble used for ceremonies and dedications at Arlington. Very impressive. 

From the tomb, you can look across the Potomac river and see the sights of Washington. The Washington Monument stands in the centre. The bridge on the left leads from the cemetery to the Lincoln memorial. Lincoln was seen as the greatest president to bring equality and the bridge symbolizes the equality of all who are buried in Arlington.

About a mile and one subway stop away is the Pentagon, the largest military building in the world. Let me tell you, its huge. Security around it is very tight. Might have something to do with the 911 plane crash I suppose.

A memorial has been erected to those who died when the terrorists crashed a passenger plane into the Pentagon on 911. Although all kinds of signs say no photography of the pentagon, its hard not to when taking photos of the memorial. Oops. Look closely at the pentagon building. You should be able to see that the centre area of the building is slightly whiter than the ends. Thats the area where the plane hit. In person you can see the new joints in the stone easily.

There is a "diving board", sorry, I don't know what else to call them, for each person who lost their lives in the crash, both passengers and those in the Pentagon. Some are pointing towards the Pentagon and some away. It took us a while to figure out the symbolism. Those pointing towards were in the plane, those pointing away were in the Pentagon. They are in rows based on year of birth.

Each individual monument has a name inscribed on it, located either towards or away from the Pentagon and in the year of their birth. This is an example, obviously a military person who was in the Pentagon when he died. Its been a moving day for us. Quite solemn and reflective. These are persons who lost their lives both in war, at Arlington, and innocent victims here at the Pentagon. As we walked, we reflected on how lucky we are to have had these tragedys pass us by as well as our families and those we care for. If you are reading this, that includes you.

Washington Zoo

The Washington Zoo is supposed to be one of the best in the country so we would be remiss if we didn't check it out. As usual we drove to the metro station and took the metro into town. The traffic downtown is horrible and very few places to park. The subway is fast and clean; its a perfect way to get around.

Grammie was less than impressed by the escalators going up to the zoo. Its the farthest underground we've been and the escalators were long and steep. She closed her eyes when we came back down.

Its a beautiful time of year here in Washington with so many trees blooming as well as spring flowers. Its been hot here and everything is blooming. The zoo is very old and all the buildings and trails are well looked after.

China donated 2 giant pandas to the Washington zoo a few years back. Mei Xiang, the female, is pregnant so she's being kept in seclusion to prevent stress. Sort of a maternity leave. Tian Tian, the male, was hiding so I borrowed this picture of him from the Zoo's website. There's more than one way to take a picture.

This is the giant ape building. You can see what nice buildings they have with great enclosures for the animals.

Gorillas seem to behave like humans in some ways and are fascinating to watch. The little baby would run back and forth between the adults, poking and pulling at them, just to get a rise I suppose. They have much larger outdoor enclosures but aren't let out until after lunch. I assume thats for the visitors, not to benefit the gorillas.

The Orangutan got tired of people gawking at him so he climbed up on the window ledge and sat with his back to everyone. I think I'd feel the same.

 As with most zoos, it is divided into areas featuring different species. In the reptile area all the usual snakes and amphibians were there. This is a juvenile Komodo dragon. They have been known to eat people so they stopped letting kids feed him, at least I didn't see any kids in there. Hmmm.

Scorpions are another collection that they have a lot of. Zoos love creepy crawlys and so do all the kids.

What zoo would be complete without a nice Bengal tiger or two. The zoo is one of the best I've seen for having large lifelike enclosures for the animals. The downside is they seem to find places to lay where they're not very visible. A lot of the animals we wanted to see, either we didn't or saw just a glimpse. Even the elephants were out of sight. How do you hide an elephant?

This was one of the weirder animals that we came across. This is also a photo off the zoos website because although we did see it, it was never in a spot to get a good photo. Its called a maned wolf from South America. So whats so weird you ask? Its smells just like a skunk. I didn't think anything smelled like a skunk but this guy sure does. We thought a skunk got into the zoo until we reached his enclosure and read his bio. It doesn't say why he smells, it just says he does. Its a big animal, about the size of a large german shepard.
So, there's really nothing special about the Washington zoo. We've all been to zoos and this ones typical. I actually think the Toronto zoo has more animals and the Winnipeg zoo is laid out better, but thats just my opinion. It was a nice day walking around a beautiful park so, no regrets.

National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian Museum consists of 16 different buildings all having museums with different themes. There is a mile long grass park called the National Mall that stretches from the Capital Building to the Lincoln Memorial. Along that strip of grass, most of the Smithsonian museums are found. Yesterday we visited the building next door. Today its the NMofAH which focuses mainly on events affecting America since it became a nation.

The biggest areas cover the War of Independence from Britain and the Civil War. The civil war ended when General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. These are the actual table and chairs which they used to sign the surrender.

 General Tecumseh Sherman invaded from the north and burned and destroyed his way through Atlanta to Savannah which split the confederacy and hastened the end of the war. This is the horse that he rode during that campaign. It was stuffed 150 years ago and still looks great. I'm not sure how it feels.

Another big section of the museum covered how the Americans won all the wars they entered, saving the world from Fascism, Communism and "having oilism". The vignettes are well done. Here is a Huey helicopter which was used in Vietnam to rescue injured soldiers shown doing its job.

Enough about war, except perhaps the cold war. Here is an actual section of the Berlin wall showing marks where it was broken and pushed over. For our generation, that was one of the defining moments of the fall of the Soviet Union.

On February 1st, 1960, 4 young African Americans sat down at a lunch counter in Greensboro North Carolina and asked to be served. They were told to leave because the lunch counter was for whites only. They refused and staged a sit in which was one of the events which precipitated the civil rights movement. This is the actual counter and chairs involved. It is so neat to get to see these things which were pivotal in changing our world.

In the 1930's many families lost their homes and moved into portable trailers which became their home, sometimes for many years. Kinda sounds like Grammie and I doesn't it. Although its hard to see, they had a lot of the amenities we have, except for running water, toilets, electricity and HD TV. Otherwise, quite similar.

In the music history area, they have lots of items like original Fender guitars and the ancestors of many of our current musical instruments. We found the display of Stradivarius violins and viola the most interesting. Not only are they worth millions, they are unique. He only made 11 violins with ornate inlays and here are 2 of them. They had music playing which had been recorded from these instruments. With my tin ear it could have been an organ grinder box for all I knew, but it was nice to know we were hearing the best it got.

Now on to the contemporary culture area. This is Archie Bunkers chair and hat from the show. If you never saw the show, it doesn't mean much does it, but if you did, ain't this cool?

How about Grammies find! Now everyones seen the Wizard of Oz. These are the slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the movie.

I think I can outdo that. How about Fonzies jacket from the show Happy Days. And I'll throw in Minnie Pearls hat for added impact!

Ouch! Grammie countered with the original Kermit the Frog. Everyone knows who he is so I guess she wins the award for the most recognized find here.

For those of you who have ever shopped, thought of shopping or have heard of shopping, you should recognize this: its the very first shopping cart. Until this was invented by a grocery store owner, he noticed that people stopped shopping once their little hand basket was full. By developing this, his customers could buy much more and browse longer because their cart held more and their arms didn't get tired. You could set this in the small top section of most shopping carts now.

Don't think that 12 hours of constant adventure and discovery doesn't come with a price, because it does. Those with sharp eyes will see the ankle brace and knee brace Grammies wearing. Now you know the price we are paying to inform and enlighten you. Hope you appreciate it.