Washington DC Day One

Now that we are old pros with the trains and subways up here, we made short work of finding one to take us into Washington DC. We were staying Woodbine Virginia..and when we first got there Jane and I saw a Black Bear and she had three cubs with her...it was so exciting! Woodbine is a little far from Washington, so next time we will stay closer, but for now..this will do. The last train stops in Shady Grove Va. so we decided to choose that one as our on and off..the last train is the easiest...so...off we went to Washington DC... the first stop was the National Mall, this mall is centrally located in Washington, DC, stretching over 2 miles from the Lincoln Memorial on the west end to the U.S. Capitol..which is on the east end. 

The National Mall contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institutions, art galleries, cultural institutions and various memorials, sculptures and statues. Now....I am I'm not a very patriotic person...but to see this and understand how it was built..well I was impressed! For more than 200 years, the National Mall has symbolized our nation and its democratic values, which have inspired the world. The National Mall - the great swath of 1000 acres of green in the middle of our capital city and stretching from the foot of the United States Capitol to the Potomac River - is the premiere civic and symbolic space in our nation. We started at the Capitol and walked to the Lincoln Memorial. First stop was the Washington Memorial. Built to honor George Washington, the United States' first president, the 555-foot marble obelisk towers over Washington, D.C. we could see it from the train station...

 then it was on to the the Reflecting Pool, this pool was modeled after the grand canals at Versailles and Fontainebleau. It was constructed in 1922 and 1923, following the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, it is approximately 2,029 feet long, 167 feet wide, it is very shallow, only 18 inches deep and it holds 6,750,000 gallons of water, I really wanted to put my feet in the pool, but it was so green and slimy...I didn’t. Kinda a let down, but there were a few brave ducks swimming around! 

The 19-foot statue of Abraham Lincoln sits overlooking the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument from his permanent seat on America's Front Yard. Dedicated in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated 57 years after Lincoln died. Abraham Lincoln's contemporaries did not require historical perspective to recognize his monumental impact on the nation. Lincoln not only saved the Union, preserving both its government and boundaries, he reinvigorated the nation's founding principle - that all men are created equal!

we left the Mall and walked downtown to see the White House! You can't get very close anymore and I was surprised, I thought it would be kinda standing off on it's own..but it's not! The White House is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800.  During Thomas Jefferson's presidency, the White House was opened to the public. Not anymore..there were armed guards even on the roof! Each week the White House receives up to 30,000 visitors and 65,000 letters, plus nearly 3,500 phone calls, 100,000 emails, and 1,000 faxes. There is a bowling ally in the basement, Nixon loved to bowl so he added that and there is a  Situation Room, where the president powwows with advisers during crises,  there's a flower shop, carpenter’s shop, and a dentist’s office. You think the president has the time to step out for a filling? I think Not! Here is a interesting fact about the White House, before Theodore Roosevelt, it was as the Executive Mansion..

more to come!

Pennsylvania..again

After so much fun in New York, we returned to Pennsylvania, ....Lancaster to be exact, the heart of Amish Country. Now, I am fascinated with the Amish, maybe because we have some real close friends who are Mennonite, Gayle and Isreal, they are two of the most wonderful, beautiful people I know! So I guess that is why they fascinate me! 

Every afternoon the Amish from the surrounding areas came to the campground to sell their stuff, baked goods, fresh vegetables or fresh fruit. I bought some apples from them and asked them if I could feed it to their pony, he was pulling the cart. She thanked me for asking and said yes he would love the apple! Well, I had Navi with me on the leash and I didn't think anything about it, as I walked up to the pony, he saw me coming with the apple in my hand and he started towards us (to get the apple)..Navi had a kitty stroke.. the pony scared him.. from that day.. till we left, if even heard the clopping of the horses going by, he hid...I think I scarred him for life where horses are concerned! 

I did get a hex sign for our house! Swedish and German Dutch settlers first came to Pennsylvania in the 17th century, and they brought with them the cultural tradition of Hex Signs, they are created to commemorate special life events. Dutch Hex signs are always painted in a circular format or on circle plaques, I bought one that has the 4 point star, this represents, The Morning Star, The Christian Cross, Star of Bethlehem and the Native Americans also believed the morning star is a sign of courage and purity of spirit. Colors are also a subtle way to add additional symbolism and variance to traditional hex designs. 9 colors are predominately used and each color has a different symbolic meaning:  

Black: Protection, Blends & Binds Elements Together
Blue: Protection, Peace, Spirituality, Calm
Brown: Earth, Friendship, Strength
Green: Growth, Fertility, Success, Ideas
Orange: Abundance
Red: Emotions, Passion, Charisma, Lust, Creativity
Purple: Royalty, All Things Sacred, Religion
White: Purity, Moon Power, Free Flowing Energy
Yellow: Health, Love, Sun, Connection To God

When we leave here we are headed to Washington DC! Whooo Hooo!

New York Day 3

DAY THREE

Well I'm sad..my time in New York City is coming to a close..last day and there is still so much more to see! I did want to go to the American Museum of Natural History because I wanted to see the Venus Of Wellingdorf

I wrote a paper on her during my college days and I wanted to see her in person, but sadly, she is no longer there she is back home in the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

They did have a copy of her! Better than nothing.

Now the subway will take you right to the Museum, there is an underground passage that takes you to the side door..I was so impressed, and it is free! That's right free, this museum contains over 33 million specimens of animals, plants, rocks, fossils, minerals, meteorites, human remains and human cultural artifacts, they have so much that only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time. The building, which houses all these wonderful exhibits occupies most of a Manhattan Square, this Victorian Gothic design building first cornerstone was placed in 1874 and was opened in 1877! Of course my favorite was the dinosaur exhibits, they have lots of dinosaurs! 

The one mission statement of the American Museum of Natural History is: "To discover, interpret, and disseminate—through scientific research and education—knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.  This museum averages about five million visits annually. The Museum was excellent but before we knew it it was getting later and I still hadn't got to see Central Park. Central Park is one of the world’s most renowned green spaces, the spacious and magnificent Central Park spreads across 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways, manicured gardens, a lake and a reservoir Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States and it is also one of the most filmed locations in the world. Created in the 1860s and ’70s by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux on the marshy northern fringe of the city, the immense park was designed as a leisure space for all New Yorkers.

We decided to walk back to Penn Station so I could soak in some more New York City cultural and we walked back through Times Square so we could see the Naked Cowboy again...he is a New York Legend. Robert John Burck is an street performer who performs in Times Square, he wears only white briefs, a cowboy hat and boots. His wife is also one of the naked cowgirls! 

I was so sad to let this go...I will be back!