Washington Pictures

~Arlington Cemetery~

Standing in the middle of Arlington, seeing row after row of gravestones as far as the eye can see, has to be one of the most heartbreaking things I've experienced.

There is a section of Arlington reserved for Supreme Court Justices.

JFK and wife are buried here, marked with the Eternal Flame. After Kennedy was buried here, they had to put stronger restrictions on who was eligible. Everyone wanted to be in the same cemetery as he was.


Another heartbreaking sight. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, memorializing all those who have died defending our country. Despite my feeling about war and violence, I can still be grateful to those who have given their lives to protect us.

~D.C. Monuments and Buildings~
Our first stop was the Korean War Memorial.

Our guide described the Korean War as the "forgotten" war. It is often forgotten there between WWII and Vietnam, but that doesn't make the sacrifices of those soldiers and their families any less important.

Being abused by the Right to justify taking away our constitutional freedoms doesn't make this statement any less true. We have paid greatly for our freedom throughout the years.

The next stop was the Lincoln Memorial.

Walking up those steps was tiring. I relished the ache in my legs and let it remind me how so many struggled and fought for those rights that I take for granted today.

Anywhere the states are listed in D.C. they are put in order of statehood. Until taking this picture, I had never noticed that WI, CA, and MN all fall right in a row. My three homestates.

Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for his "I Have a Dream" speech. It is marked (very subtly) with this engraving.


Definitely one of my heroes. He just LOOKS like someone you could talk to, you know?

From Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

From Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

The Washington Monument standing elegantly behind the reflecting pool. I'm disappointed in how dark this picture turned out, but it's still an amazing sight.


We then went to the Vietnam Memorial.

I love the image of the hand supporting a fellow human. If only we could memorialize more acts of kindness and support and fewer acts of war and violence.

So many names. There were several letters and photographs along its length. The one that got me was about a dog which had been adopted by a soldier. She would greet his helicopter after each run. After he died, she continued to meet each chopper, waiting in vain for his return.

The reality of war. People die. There is pain and suffering. War is bad.

Finally, we went to Pennsylvania Avenue.

The building which houses the executive branch of our government.

The building which houses the legislative branch of our government. The flags above the right and left wings let us know that both the Senate and the House were in session that day.