Smithsonian Flower Garden

As the summer is churning down in to fall we wanted to visit the Smithsonian flowers by the castle on the National Mall. On the west side of the castle there is a hidden garden of sorts full of the many fabulous flowers. And there are so many different orchids in bloom. They look so beautiful out in “nature.” The hibiscus are also looking their best - there’s a lot of reds, pinks and purples. The gardenia smell is so pleasant and reminds me of Florida. The bees have a lot to pick from. We are never disappointed when we visit this place and every summer it looks even better. It’s always worth the trip. 

American History Museum Morning Walk

It was really cold yesterday! But the sun was shining and I needed to find some ideas for the weekly photo challenge. We hadn’t been to the Smithsonian American History Museum for quite a while, so we headed there. We parked at the Tidal Basin and walked over in no time. The building had just opened up, and it’s still winter - so there were no lines getting in and it was really empty. We have been to the museum so many times before. The newest exhibit is “Entertainment  Nation.”  My favorite piece is Prince and his yellow guitar. Then we headed over to the First Ladies gowns and China. I remember visiting that exhibit way back in high school and have returned many times. I was able to get full length photos with no one else in them. Then we went through the transportation area with all of the ships and trains and trucks and cars. We really didn’t stop to look at anything in particular because I was on a mission to get a photo for the weekly challenge. The volunteers approached us twice to tell us about Lincoln’s hat and the flag that flew at Fort McHnery. We politely acknowledged their help. It’s really nice to have the opportunity to visit any time we like. And it’s even better when there aren’t any crowds. 

Enid Haupt Gardens at the Smithsonian Castle

When we lived on Capitol Hill we took morning walks to the Smithsonian Castle and gardens. Every time we go there is something different. And the flowers are always so lovely! Now that we live in northern Virginia we still try to visit town at least once a week. Oftentimes we will park by the Smithsonian Castle and start our morning walk there. Usually in the summer additional pots are added for more exotic plants and flowers. And at this time of the year they are all exceptionally beautiful. I was also on the look out for some interesting photos for the weekly challenge. But the person who I asked to edit my entry last week didn’t seem to care for any of the submissions and selected the Capitol instead. There were so many varieties and colors - many were tropical and unique. The colors ranged from everything under the sun. It is always so delightful to walk around here. Due to construction at one of the art museums the display is closer to the east side. We are looking forward to visiting again very soon. And right next door is the Mary Livingston Ripley garden by the Hirshhorn Museum. So many choices!