Farewell, DC.

DC is a wonderful, historic city. I'm glad we were able to spend a full week in our Nation's Capital.

DC Vacation - Day 7

On our final morning in DC, we went to the Washington National Cathedral. This Cathedral is immense and beautiful. Anyone and everyone are welcome to worship at this Cathedral.

Here's a picture of the inside:

The stained glass windows in this Cathedral are stunning:

Here's a view from the tower of the Cathedral:

DC Vacation - Day 6

Day 6 of our vacation was spent at the National Zoo. I really wanted to see the Giant Pandas I had heard so much about. The Zoo has three Giant Pandas - Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Tai Shan.

Giant Pandas weren't the only animals we saw at the Zoo. We also saw:

Elephants:

Gorillas:

Meerkats:

Lions:

And, one of my favorites, a Capybara:

DC Vacation - Day 5

On day 5 of our vacation, we visited the National Archives. We saw the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase; among other historical documents.

After the Archives, we were hoping to visit Ford's Theatre, where President Lincoln was shot, but unfortunately, it was closed due to renovations. We were, however, able to tour the house across the street where President Lincoln died at 7:22AM on April 15, 1865. Here are two pictures of the room where he died:

On our way back to our hotel that afternoon, we passed basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the sidewalk. I did not recognize him, but Tim did. As far as I'm aware, this was our only celebrity sighting while in DC.

DC Vacation - Day 4

By now, the weather had cooled off greatly, so our day 4 visit was to Arlington National Cemetery. This Cemetery is huge, and its grounds are covered with thousands and thousands of gravestones.

Among the most famous people buried here are:

John Fitzgerald Kennedy:

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis:

Robert Francis Kennedy:

While at Arlington National Cemetery, we were able to visit the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Tomb is engraved with the words, "Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God." The Tomb is guarded 24 hours-a-day and 365 days-a-year by specially trained members of the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard).

After Arlington National Cemetery, we walked through Union Station. Union Station was bigger than I expected. It was full of stores, restaurants, and even had a movie theater. This picture overlooks the food court. If you notice the lights on the left-hand side, near the bottom of the picture, these lights are made by Tim's company, Electronic Theatre Controls, in Middleton, Wisconsin.

DC Vacation - Day 3

Day 3 was a busy day for us. We started the day by touring the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where we saw lots of soon-to-be-spent money being made.

After the BEP, we walked through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This Memorial Museum is informational, yet heart-breaking. It's impossible to understand why all these people were murdered because of who they were, and where they came from.

After the Holocaust Memorial Museum, we took a walk to the Jefferson Monument. It was a picture-perfect day, so we were able to snap lots of great shots of this Monument. Here is one of them:

After visiting the Jefferson Monument, we walked back to the National Mall, where we saw these next two Memorials:

Korean War Veterans Memorial:

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall:

DC Vacation - Day 2

Because the weather was sunny and in the upper 90's, day 2 of our vacation was spent at the Smithsonian Institution. We visited the Air and Space Museum that morning and the Natural History Museum that afternoon.

This picture is of a space suit worn on the Moon by an Apollo 15 astronaut in 1971. This suit was on display at the Air and Space Museum.

This is a picture of the Hope Diamond from the Natural History Museum. The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carat, deep blue diamond. Tim is just happy this jewel is not for sale.

DC Vacation - Day 1

From September 13 - September 20, 2008, Tim and I visited our Nation's Capital. Here are some highlights from our trip.

When we arrived Saturday afternoon, we got settled at our hotel and then went on our first journey. We walked to the White House and then visited the many monuments on the National Mall. Here are some pictures from day 1 of our trip:

The White House:

The Washington Monument:

The World War II Memorial:

The Lincoln Monument:

Motorcycle Mania

Labor Day, 2008, brought us to my in-law's house in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. It was a lovely day, so we decided to ride our motorcycles. When we arrived, we saw that my brother-in-law had also taken advantage of the warm weather and rode his motorcycle. Here's a couple of pictures of the three bikes in my in-law's driveway: