When you've lived in the DC area as long as we have (more than 13 years, including our Baltimore time) it begins to seem as we've already done everything there is to do here. Then there are times like this weekend where we're proven totally wrong.
We normally avoid going downtown on any major holidays, because, well, it's a complete nightmarish throng of people, but we really wanted to go this year, so we decided to leave our house at 5:45am and try to beat the crowds and...
take some cool pictures with the sun rising over DC while we were at it.
Then we discovered how awesome the memorials are without any other people around...
the same memorials that would be crammed with thousands of visitors in just a few hours.
We even discovered a new memorial that we'd never seen before. Completely off the beaten path of the rest of the monuments was the WWI memorial, built in 1931 and completely empty.
Ever heard of the Declaration of Independence Island Monument? Me neither. It's this little island is dedicated to the memory of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. It was also completely empty except for several cute little duck families who eagerly ate our leftover banana bread.
Even the squirrels were cuter in DC this weekend. With gray and black squirrels everywhere I don't think too highly of the overgrown rodents, but when they're albino and sit there and pose for the camera, even I have to admit it was a little cute.
And who would have ever thought that we could see a cool water bird like this in the middle of DC? I don't know what it is. Maybe a heron or a crane? But in any case it was a cool way to finish off our trip downtown.
We normally avoid going downtown on any major holidays, because, well, it's a complete nightmarish throng of people, but we really wanted to go this year, so we decided to leave our house at 5:45am and try to beat the crowds and...
take some cool pictures with the sun rising over DC while we were at it.
Then we discovered how awesome the memorials are without any other people around...
the same memorials that would be crammed with thousands of visitors in just a few hours.
We even discovered a new memorial that we'd never seen before. Completely off the beaten path of the rest of the monuments was the WWI memorial, built in 1931 and completely empty.
Ever heard of the Declaration of Independence Island Monument? Me neither. It's this little island is dedicated to the memory of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. It was also completely empty except for several cute little duck families who eagerly ate our leftover banana bread.
Even the squirrels were cuter in DC this weekend. With gray and black squirrels everywhere I don't think too highly of the overgrown rodents, but when they're albino and sit there and pose for the camera, even I have to admit it was a little cute.
And who would have ever thought that we could see a cool water bird like this in the middle of DC? I don't know what it is. Maybe a heron or a crane? But in any case it was a cool way to finish off our trip downtown.
We all walked away with a greater appreciation for this great land we live in, the heroes who have sacrificed to make it great, and what it means to be an American.
All before nine o'clock in the morning.
8 comments:
thanks for the DC picture tour!! Never been there and hoping to go there some day!!
You got some awesome silhouette photos in DC! {I love your i heart faces entry!} What a great thing to discover something new in your own city.
And also? thanks for your encouraging comment on my blog! That meant a lot :)
okay...seriously...you get done more before 9 am than I manage to do all day.
I might hate you if you weren't so dang nice...so no hating you...but maybe taking your name in vain a few times...Dang that Lara.
Hope you took all those poor sleep deprived children to IHOP afterwards!!
Seriously, some awesome pictures of a very special day.
Thanks for sharing with us all.
Love, Dad-Mom
Awesome pics! You guys are so lucky to live where you do! :)
You got some very good pictures! I love the squirrel too.
Sounds great! You're really getting me sad that we're away from DC. DC without the crowds is like a dream come true.
What great pictures too! I love the shadowy ones when the sun is just coming up.
Good grief, you left at 5:30 am? With four kids? What are you guys, super family? Was anyone crying at least? I see that Old Navy sponsored your trip! All kidding aside, lovely post. Oh, and the bird, it's a blue heron.
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