FDR

"I never forget that I live in a house owned by all the American people and that I have been given their trust"

"Freedom of speech
Freedom of worship
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear"

The monument to my favorite president, the FDR memorial is a little harder to get to but is definitely worth the short walk from the Lincoln Memorial. The quotes are two of my favorites from the memorial which makes great use of flowing water, sculpture and quotes to create a powerful memorial to the man who helped lead our country through one of it's most difficult times as a nation.

Lincoln and Washington Memorial

Canadian Goose? In D.C.? Hope it brought it's passport, they're really cracking down on stuff like that.

I tried to explain to Rick that it is Un-American to not take stupid pictures with monuments where you play with scale and pretend you're touching them, he didn't buy the argument so I guess he obliged me just because he loves me!

The Lincoln Memorial is always crowded, and with good reason, it is a moving tribute to an important man, but more significantly, a monument to a tumultuous time in American history and an attempt to move in the direction of progress even with steady and violent protest.

Double Mecca?

"Look Lauren, the National Archives, so would that be your second Mecca or something? Is the mother-ship calling you home?"

It was Rick who at both points in the trip was responsible for pointing out the buildings that signify what I will be doing with the next 3 years of my life (double masters program in Library Science/Archives and History) and hopefully future potential employers!

Hellooo Animals

"The animal exhibits are to your left, minerals and fossils to your right, the butterfly exhibit is up and to the left. Children, no running please, I said No RUNNING! Gosh, why do I get the feeling that no one is ever listening to me?"

"Surprise!! Haha, dude I totally scared you, you should have seen the look on your face. Oh, don't even pretend, you know I had you shaking in your boots man, I totally got you!"

"I know I am too adorably cute. You are fighting urges to nibble my itty bitty ear. You cannot resist, just give in to the cuteness" (imagine it is a little French accent and it is tres magnifique!)

The home of all that great goodness (don't let the pictures fool you, there is more in there than just animals, it's just that my interests are somewhat skewed to the cute and fuzzy, even if the cute and fuzzy has been skewered and stuffed)

My more regular readers will know that it can't be a Lulu trip without some exciting animal adventures, lucky for us the Smithsonian Natural History Museum was more than ready to provide.

Art Museum and Sculpture Garden

For whatever reason the center of the art museum reminded me of the Ministry of Magic in the Harry Potter movies.

Very cool hanging sculpture with a bit of optical illusion.

"Ahhh, it's a giant spider, run for your life!!"

Another cool optical illusion, in the picture and in real life it first appears that this sculpture is projecting out at you, but it is actually concave (the center of the house is farther away from you than the two sides)

Initially I wanted to go to the National Museum of American History, but it is under renovation, so we decided to pop into the National Art museum which is also on the mall (I can't imagine living in Washington and having all that knowledge and culture available for free all the time, although then you probably take it for granted!)

Starting the long walk

U.S. Capitol

Sculptures encouraging people to think about different environmental issues such as overpopulation, pollution, and global warming.

This sculpture about windmills as alternative energy definitely caught my attention.

We walked everywhere in D.C. since it was scenic (and gave me plenty of opportunity to walk by ice cream carts!). This meant by the end of the day however that we had covered close to five miles and were completely exhausted. This however was still near the beginning of the walk, before we knew just how silly we were being.

My Mecca

... The Library of Congress, here's a little taste of Rick's and my conversation while touring it...

"Look Lauren, the Library of Congress, isn't that kind of your mecca?"

"Lauren, are you gonna close your mouth anytime soon?"

"Okay, you drooling about the books, it's kind of embarrassing me"

"I'm gonna have to carry you out of here, aren't I?"

I can't get over how great their collections and displays were. The building itself is amazing, as splendid as any cathedral or temple I've ever seen! When we got to the display of Thomas Jefferson's library I thought I was going to cry. Best of all? All this enjoyment was FREE!