Taking in D.C.
Brian has always dreamed of taking the kids to Washington, D.C., to show them the history of our nation. This spring break, rather on a whim, we finally made it happen. Time was of the essence; we had one child out of the house and two nearing the end of high school!
We didn’t have a plan or an itinerary beyond what we cobbled together during the 12-hour drive; kind of how we roll. After experiencing D.C. as the adult-in-charge, I think that (un)plan worked just fine. You have to roll with it half the time anyway. Perhaps our whirlwind three-day tour of the capitol can help you take this journey as well. There’s nothing as meaningful, as sobering, or as inspiring as history.
Did you know that nearly everything in Washington, D.C. is free? Paid for by your tax dollars, I should say. Before we planned this trip, I had no idea. Now, mind you, lodging and food in D.C. are extremely expensive, but the museums, the monuments, and the tours are all free of charge. I think that is pretty freaking fantastic.
Our first stop was the National Mall. The Washington Monument was impressive, of course, but the first emotional moment was at the WWII memorial. We discussed our grandfathers and how their survival (mine in the U.S. forces and Brian’s opa as a German soldier and POW) led to generations of descendants. How the thousands, millions, who died represent exponentially more who were never born. We counted the stars, 4,048, representing more than 400,000 American troops who never came home. So many more from the other nations; soldiers, civilians, and children. Staggering.
Here are two of the great-grandchildren of William Thorson who returned to Minnesota from his time of service. He would later build a family numbering over sixty, including these two. So many lives that could have never been.
I may never have been here with my beautiful daughter.
Or these people I love so much.
The Lincoln Memorial is really just a beautiful, history-rich work of art. I stole this moment of my son when he didn’t see my camera. I love the juxtaposition of the past and the future.
Our 17 and 11 year old sharing a moment. Priceless.
The human creativity and art you see everywhere you go in D.C. took my breath away.
Isaiah was ever patient with his mom and her non-stop photo-taking.
Okay, maybe he got a little sick of it. LOL
We took the D.C. Metro everywhere. My kids had never taken a subway if you can believe that. By the last day, Alayna was in charge of navigating like an old pro.
Touristing in D.C. is among the most tiring things I’ve done. Anytime we paused, we looked like this.
Arlington Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, JFK’s grave site . . . were all incredibly moving. I only snapped a couple of photos. It is a very beautiful and meaningful place.
Our resident book-worm loved the Library of Congress more than any other thing we did. I thought a photo of her on the steps, reading the book she had with her at all times, was highly appropriate.
My budding apprentice trying to photograph the beautiful ceiling; there were so many incredible details in this entire building. Yes, she actually laid down to get her shot. That’s my girl.
Day three it rained and rained and rained. We were not deterred!
We waited for an hour to get into the National Archives. This was one of my favorite museums we visited. No photos of any kind are allowed inside. Many really cool displays, videos, and stories. Worth the wait!
Kickin’ it old school with a real paper map. 🙂
See those shoes at the bottom of the image? That’s the only photo of me from this day. Moms don’t get in photos enough! Am I right?
To be continued . . .
