Washington, DC

I've always loved DC and it's the only place I've ever moved to twice! Mini Bear visited my alma mater and had a quick visit with an old Peace Corps friend.

 

It was a gloomy, rainy day but I headed to the Mall to visit some of my favorite monuments.

 

The Lincoln Memorial. Last year I showed a few of my students that if you looked very closely, you could see Lincoln inside the monument on the tails side of the American penny. For the rest of the day, they proudly showed off this factoid to their peers.

 

The Washington Monument. Ever since last summer, the monument has been closed due to minor earthquake damage.

 

The Vietnam Memorial. This one is my favorite. I love its subtlety and dignity.

 

The WWII Memorial. Dedicated in 2004, it's one of the newest monuments on The Mall.

 

By now it was really starting to rain so I hurried to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. They had a great exhibit on the American flag and the national anthem.

 

No visit to this museum is complete without seeing Dorthy's ruby red slippers and, one of my all time favorites, Kermit the Frog.

 

Typical DC, there was a massive downpour, booming claps of thunder, and lightning so bright it called to mind the nuclear bomb. I was drenched by the time I reached the metro and was happy to sit on the couch eating pizza with my friend for the rest of the night.