Lamb and Johnson Update: Monuments of Washington DC

Monuments of Washington DC

After a good night's rest, we headed for the National Capital Parks in Washington, DC.

Driving in Washington
As we drove into Washington, the first thing we noted was the poor signage. Between the heavy traffic and construction, it seemed to take forever to reach downtown. We missed a turn (Street was actually blocked by road construction) and wound up on the wrong side of the Potomac River near the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac.

About that time, a police officer stopped us. I think he noticed that we didn't know what we were doing. He teased Larry for having Texas plates and said he looked like Dick Cheney. He gave us good directions to the FDR Memorial saying to ignore the signs and get off at the Police Station Exit and go into the park the back way.

FDR Memorial
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial was one of our favorites. The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed the walk through the memorial viewing the quotes, statues, and scenery.

We noted how many of the quotes applied to what is happening in the world today. For example, the four freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

War Memorials
It's always interesting to walk along the National Mall. Rather than trying to find another parking space, we just walked over to the National World War II Memorial.

We particularly liked the 24 bas-relief panels along the walls. They depict the mobilization of the country's agriculture, industry, military, and human resources for the Atlantic and Pacific fronts.

We didn't have much time, but it was fun seeing this new memorial for the first time.

The memorial was just completed in spring of 2004. Their nonprofit website contains lots of information and photos.

We enjoyed walking along the water through the woods and saw a huge squirrel.

Korean War Veteran's Memorial
As we walked down to the Korean War Veteran's Memorial, we thought of Annette's Uncle Paul Connor who died recently and was a Korean War veteran. We enjoyed seeing the statues of soldiers at this memorial. They seemed very life-like.

Since we'd been to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial before and had limited time in the city, we decided to skip these this trip. We walked back to our Jeep and drove to the other end of the Mall to meet Annette's Aunt Carolyn and Cousin Karmen for lunch at the new National American Indian Museum.

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Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 3/05.