Welcome to my Camera Section. If there are any pictures of you or yours that you do not wish to have on this page, please email me.
Also, note that most of these pictures were taken by my mother. I hold no responsibility for the quality of the pictures.
To see the previous roll, click here.
Dad stands tall on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I think some feared that he was the one to enforce the law posted on the sign.
Dad, Mom, and I in the spiritual presence of one of the greatest presidents of all time.
The view of the reflecting pool from the Lincoln Memorial. Let me say a thing about the pool. It's full of disgusting seaweed and mud. I have no idea how in the movie "Forrest Gump" Jenny was able to run out into the center without slipping on the slime and mud. Or for that matter that anyone would even think about going into that muck. She must have really loved Forrest.
Dad plays around the Lincoln Memorial while waiting for the rest of the crew.
Next to the Lincoln Memorial lies the Vietnam Memorial Wall. These are some statues that are at the beginning of the sidewalk that goes to the wall.
I found the Vietnam Memorial Wall to be very moving. I had never really thought about it before. Further, it really strikes the heart when you find a relative on the wall. Here, my dad points out the name of his first cousin, Matthew A. Ruden.
Mom leaves a touching note to Matthew, letting him know that he is in the hearts of his Iowan cousins.
As you walk away from the wall, there is a very quiet and somber mood.
It was a long day with a lot of walking. While waiting for the metro, Dad helps me stretch out.
That evening I took the bunch to Baltimore to show them the Inner Harbor. We didn't do much there, but it was more about just seeing what Baltimore was like.
Then we went out to eat at a seafood place called "The Wharfside" in Catonsville. Kate and I split a tray of crabs. The kind of crabs that you mash open with a wooden hammer and then suck out the meat. It was great and I recommend it to anyone who's going to be in the area and loves seafood. Just follow Hwy 144 west off I-695, at the west edge of town it'll be on your right.
The next day, we drove south to Mount Vernon, George Washington's original estate and burial site. Here, we are standing on cobblestone that dates back prior to the Revolutionary War. In the background is the main house of the estate.
A little bit better view of the house. Although I wish Mom would have taken it straight on. There was a complimentary annex similar to the one you see here on the left side of the house as well.
Dad rented the audio tour and played tour guide for the main part. Here, Kate listens as one of the servants tells how to do some job or another around the estate.
This is the view off the back porch of the house. Since the opposite side of the river is now a nature preserve of some sort, this is essentially the same view Washington had while he lived there.
Washington died in the upstairs bedroom of the house and is now entombed (alongside Martha) only a short distance from the house.
There is still somewhat of an active farm on the land, although no where near the scale of Washington's enterprise. I even made a friend while I was there.
There he is again, folks, helping a young child feed an animal. What a kind man. Only later did we go around the corner of the barn and see the sign that says, "Don't feed the horses." Oops.
After Mount Vernon, we went west to Manassas. This is where the first and second battles of Bull Run were fought. Here we see that my dad truly is a one-man army.
Dad standing next to a large statue of General "Stone Wall" Jackson. It was at the first battle of Bull Run, where Jackson held off an incredible number of Union troops, that he earned his nickname.
This is a bridge that the Union troops retreated over during one of the battles. We also found it ot be a great make-out spot. Or at least, that's what the couple towards the back thought until we happened upon them.
Dad again tests his balance on the bridge, much to Mom's chagrin.
On the way back we stopped at the Jefferson Memorial. Here we are on the steps leading up to it.
Here we are at the top of the stairs of the Jefferson Memorial, looking out towards the mall. For this picture, I told Kate to make a funny face. She didn't hear me, so instead I just look like a dufis. Oh, well. Nothing new in that.
Mom and Dad at the top of the steps of the Jefferson Memorial with the White House and Washington Momument in the background.
To see the next roll of my mom's DC pictures, click here