Morning Walk near Constitution Gardens

Every week we drive in to town for a morning walk and also to take photos for the weekly challenge and for this blog. We haven’t been to the Lincoln Memorial for quite a while so we parked by the Tidal Basin. It’s a great place to park and isn’t very well known. It’s also less busy than the National mall. First we stopped at the WWII Memorial. Then we walked along the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and made a turn to the Korean War Memorial. This is a great time of year in the city because it’s the least busy. Then we headed up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial where there were a lot of people gathering. One of our favorite spots is Constitution Gardens. Someone was painting the gardens and I asked her if I could take her photo. She said she wasn’t from around here and seemed almost out of place. We are always on the lookout for the blue heron that has made its home there. But there was also what I thought was a white egret hanging around too. The little island that has a monument to the constitution always has a great view of the Washington monument. This area is usually very quiet as most people don’t seem to know it exists. Then we looped back to the WWII Memorial and headed back over to the tidal basin. It’s always a nice ride in and an even better walk. There is always something to see and it feels like home. When we lived on Capitol Hill for thirteen years we usually walked near the Capitol and the mall, rarely making it all the way to the Lincoln memorial. I always think about all the people who come here to visit. We get to visit all of the time. 

Korean War Memorial

We have visited the Korean War Memorial many times. Our friends from the Midwest visited when we first moved to DC sixteen years ago. One of them had a husband who served during the Korean War. My dad also served after having been in WWII. The site has been under construction for quite some time to add some new features. It now has a memorial pool and a wall of remembrance - similar to the Vietnam Memorial. Today we took our morning walk starting by the WWII Memorial, then walked down the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. I was searching for water photos for the challenge this week and was hoping to find something interesting. Along the way we stopped by the Korean War Memorial to see what changes were made. The figures on the field were always captivating. It’s simply incredible how many names are engraved on the stone surround including both American and Korean names. There was a steady stream of visitors and it was a beautiful day otherwise. There are simply too many memorials in this town. It’s very sad to walk through it. 

Summer is Beginning to Look Like Fall

It was a dreary Saturday afternoon. It's been awhile since the whole day felt like rain. I much prefer the sunshine to the dampness. At least DC has more warm days than Wisconsin ever did. A lot of the usual sights around the city were beginning to look more like the fall rather than the final days of summer. I'm sure the bride was hoping for a brighter day at the WWI Memorial. The crowds were much smaller everywhere. In fact, several of the most prominent settings were completely devoid of visitors. When we passed through George Washington University, the students were moving in to the dorms...one of my colleagues from Milwaukee now works at GW Hospital; another colleague just lost her only son to Marquette last week when she helped him move in to his dorm for his freshman year. I remember doing the same thing like it was yesterday way back in 1971 at Florida State. I was really homesick for about a month. The Smithsonian African American Museum is making progress...it's at least five stories above ground. My husband was complaining that we always go by the same places all the time and should explore the city more. Therein lies the difference between me and him. He loves the urban life, and I prefer a less intense place. He likes to explore; I prefer familiar. Living where we do combines the best of both worlds - even on a dreary day like today.