Ehmann Family: DC Adventures

Friday, July 29, 2016

DC Adventures

This year on our annual trip to DC we tackled the National Mall and Memorial Parks, which encompasses all the monuments and memorials west of the Washington Monument

Erin called Constitution Gardens "Ducky Island"

The kids found their favorite signers of the Declaration of Independence: the Massachusetts delegation. Even lily-livered New York, the only colony not to ratify on July 2, 1776, has its signers.

Claire likes Benjamin

and Charles Carroll of Carrollton had the best curlicue C's

We took rubbings from the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial

At our early hour the Lincoln Memorial was relatively empty

We're working through the monuments and memorial to Old Abe

It was a beautiful day

The Korean War Memorial creeped out Caroline a little

DC War Memorial!

Not sure if this is a symbolic view of the Lincoln Memorial, but there were lots of barricades in place in anticipation of 4th of July fireworks crowds

Next up was the East Wing White House tour, available to anyone through reservation by your local Congressperson, Senator, or White House Fellow sister.

Skyping with POTUS and FLOTUS

The East Room with Gilbert Stuart's painting that was saved from the burning British in 1812 by Dolley Madison

Angelica van Buren, daughter-in-law of Old Kinderhook, is the only non-First Lady painting in the White House. We are hoping to see the first First Husband painting coming soon.

That blue light sabre hurts!

The East Wing tour earned us 2 junior ranger badges: White House and President's Park

After a respite of lunch in Claire's office building it was off to Ford's Theater

That's where John Wilkes Booth jumped from. Would you believe that Virginia still has Sic Semper Tyrannis as its state motto.

The ranger there gave us a macabre history lesson about John Wilkes Booth's skull and TMI about what happened to Major Rathbone, the other man in the box with Lincoln.

Even though she missed the fun day, Tessie was all smiles

The next day Claire took the adults on the West Wing tour, for VIPs only. We took this photo before realizing that they were prohibited. If we could have, we would have shown that right opposite this Coke machine was the Situation Room. Grampa Ed checked, but the door was locked. Even Claire doesn't have that kind of access clearance.

The oval office was beautiful and inspiring. Thanks POTUS for sharing your office with us.

Outside the press building

Thanks Claire!

Most humbling about the White House was how non-palacial it was, compared to the enormous suburban mansions built today, and to its DC environs. Next door in the Eisenhower Office building, the top-floor Treaty Room was more impressive than any room in the White House.

View from Lafayette Square

Now at Aunt Katy's, the kids took a bike excursion to the water. Erin moaned much of the way and miraculously did not wipe out into the poison ivy-strewn ditch alongside the road.