World War II Memorial

Another memorial that was not here 22 years ago for our previous visit was one we certainly looked forward to. The World War II Memorial is in the middle of the Mall, directly west of the Washington Monument. A previous post showed the Memorial from the observation window atop the Washington Monument.

My father was in the Navy during WWII and my father-in-law, who passed away before I had the pleasure of meeting him, was in the Army. Both served in the Pacific Theater and neither one came home to talk much about the experience. They both were proud to serve and then anxious to begin their lives as husbands and parents. The Memorial brought a wonderful feeling to my heart. I always enjoy thinking about my dad, who passed away too early over 19 years ago. But here, for the first time, I felt my dad and my father-in-law have this powerful connection. I thought deeply that afternoon about Robert Faust and Ralph Beato, strangers in life and together as veterans, parents, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. That was all very much alive for me at the World War II Memorial.

Thanks so much for your service, dad and dad. We love you and honor you and will make certain that your great-grandchildren know what you did for us and for them.

That afternoon, I called my mother, just to visit. Since I was not able to call Robert and Ralph.

The Eyes of Lincoln

It is said that Abraham Lincoln is the figure most often depicted in statuary in the District of Columbia, and the statue inside the Lincoln Memorial is certainly the most magnificent. Here we see the intent eyes of the Great Emancipator as he looks east toward the Washington Monument. The other view, of course, is of what those eyes would see.

View From the Top

The stairs are closed to the public now; once people could bypass the elevator line and climb to the observatory more than 700 steps up the Washington Monument. But the elevator line is well worth the wait.

What you see here is not what you see with the naked eye, of course; my 300 mm lens is the equivalent of a nice pair of binoculars.

Looking to the north you see the South Lawn of the White House looking much as it has for decades now. Looking west you could see the Lincoln Memorial if you looked outward, but looking sharply down you see the far newer World War II Memorial located nearly at the foot of the obelisk. It is quite impressive, as we will see in an upcoming post.

Center of Washington DC

Recent posts have featured highlights of our Caribbean cruise, which was an experiment for us. We boarded ship in Baltimore and were able to drive rather than flying. Our route to Baltimore gave us the chance to spend six days in Washington.

The National Mall, running in a cross shape from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial, is centered by the obelisk of the Washington Memorial.

Here we see it in a standard photograph and in a drawing version of a photo to be seen later. The Monument has been the subject of poetry (including one I taught often in class) and also offers the chance to ride up an elevator to 50 stories above the Mall for an observation deck. Coming posts will look at all the highlights of DC including some shots from atop the Memorial.