Washington, D.C.

I spent two days visiting the highlights of Washington, D.C. It was 20 years ago when I last spent 2 weeks in D.C. for a class, and although I saw most of these sights then, it was good to see them again. And, it was different because of all the security now. But I was able to arrange a private tour of the capital through Senator Inhofe's office, the senator from Oklahoma, my home state.

Union Station, just a few blocks from the capital building and the mall.

 

Looking at the capital from halfway down the mall. We were there on Saturday when it was quite busy with all the protesters, plus they were getting ready for the dedication of the Martin Luther King memorial on Sunday.

Looking at the Washington Monument across the WWII Memorial.

The stage where the protestors were speaking.

The Smithsonian Visitor Center.

Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Don't know who the little girl is.

Thomas Jefferson's Memorial.

John Paul Jones' Memorial.

Korean War Memorial. By the time we got to Arlington National Cemetary it was closed, so we did not get to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Robert E. Lee's home.

The front of the Russell Senate Building, where the offices of Senator Inhofe are located.

Our own tour of the capital, led by one of Senator Inhofe's aides.

Walking through the tunnel which connects the senate office building to the capital. We only walked part way, then took a train the rest of the way.

Looking up at the rotunda in the capital.

Statue of Sequoya. Each state gets to place two statues in the capital. This is one of the statues for the state of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma's second statue is Will Rogers. He stands in front of the House of Representatives.

Although this looks like sculpture around the walls, it is actually painting. Even in person and up close it is hard to tell it is not sculpture, it is so good.

We also had Senate Gallery passes and was able to hear Senator John McCain address the Senate on the republican's job bill.

Looking at the Capital from the front.

Max standing on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building.

Inside the Library of Congress, looking into the reading room. Not everyone could access this room, you had to apply for a special card first. But the rest of the building was open to the public and was mostly museum.

The Hope Diamond, on display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

One of the displays of gold at the Natural History Museum.

The green looking rock is Amazonite or Microline. This was found in Florissant, Colorado. I used to live at the base of Crystal Peak in Lake George, Colorado, where there was at one time a Amazonite mine. It is a pretty rock, similar to turquoise, but much softer. Because it is so soft it does not tumble or polish well and is hard to cut, therefore, it doesn't make a good mineral for jewelry.

The Archives of the United States. This is where the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are located.

I could have gone back several more times and spent a day in each of the Smithsonian museums, but it's getting colder and I need to start heading south.