Washington DC

On Monday, September 10, we took a field trip to our nation's capitol. We parked the van and hit the streets at 10:30 AM. From then until dark, we were on the Capitol Mall, walking all the way from Union Station to the Lincoln Memorial and back again. In all we hoofed it for at least 10 miles! The kids could hardly have done better. They were real troopers in spite of how their feet must have ached (I know mine did).

Amethyst



We took plenty of pictures to fill out their photo albums and to give meaning to some of the pages in the history books. It was fun going through the mineral and gemstone section of the Smithsonian while trying to find samples of the foundation stones of the Heavenly City. That will be an incredible sight. I believe the gems will be of the translucent variety, causing a prism-like effect, producing rainbows of color! Here are a couple of these gems to give a hint of the beauty that awaits us.

Beryl (various colors)




Topaz








Especially moving were the memorials to the Korean and Vietnam War Veterans. We have several vets in our church in Ponce. One received the Bronze Star for Heroism and another the Purple Heart. These are men who deserve to be honored.

The Lincoln Memorial with the inscription of the Gettysburg Address was another favorite. We took the time to read the address out loud and to talk a bit about its significance. There are so many good photos, but the blog won't hold them all. If anyone knows how to post an entire album, let me know.

It was a great day, but we wish we had had more time. All of the museums and monuments are accessible free of charge. The buses are another story, and so we walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, . . . . . . . .