Washington DC, Part II

by Kim · Published August 30, 2022 · Updated August 31, 2022

Dale’s sister, and our son and his wife, arrived on Wednesday to visit with us and see the sights. I had been given a list of everything they wanted to visit, so I developed a grueling, four-day itinerary. I didn’t realize how jampacked it was until we did it! But, we covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the highlights.

Thursday

For our first day of sightseeing we started at the White House and moved on from there! We ended up seeing the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial and much much more! We were all ready for bed that evening.

A family selfie at our first stop of the day.

Friday

On Friday morning we perused the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We had a reservation to tour the Capitol Building at 2:30 so we after lunch we headed that way. It’s called Capitol “Hill” for a reason. Whew, it was hot as we trekked up the hill!

During the tour I wanted to be sure and see three sculptures that was created by a young lady named Vinnie Ream who is a relative of ours. She was the youngest artist and first woman to receive a commission as an artist from the U.S. government for a statue. She was awarded the commission for the full-size Carrara marble statue of Lincoln by a vote of Congress on July 28, 1866, when she was 18 years old. Not only did she sculpt Lincoln, which is located in rotunda, but two other statues located in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall – Sequoyah and Samuel Jordan Kirkwood. You can see more info here.

Later in the evening we attended the Marine Corps Sunset Parade at the oldest Marine Corps Barracks, Marine Barracks 8th & I. The Commandant lives here as well as all of the men and women who serve on the Silent Drill Team, the “President’s Own” Band and the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps. The building itself as well as the commandant’s home is a registered historic place.

Our relative, Vinnie Ream, created this sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. She was only 18 years old and the only female asked to do a sculpture for the Capitol.

Who’s that cute couple in front of the Capitol Building?

Enjoying the tour. We are in the bottom of the capitol. The pillars around us support the whole dome structure above us.

The Silent Drill Team takes the field at the Sunset Parade at Marine Barracks 8th & I.

Saturday

We had an early reservation to tour Ford’s Theater where President Lincoln was shot. The kids stayed home and met us at our second stop, the Museum of the Bible. These young adults just can’t hang with the old folks! Ha!

The theater booth where the president was shot. The cane chair and the sofa are original. His wife sat in the cane chair.

A note written by Watchman Nee “I want nothing for myself; I want everything for the Lord.”

Sunday

We had an early reservation to the Spy Museum. It was very interesting to see the role of spies and intelligence since Revolutionary War times to present. It’s amusing and unsettling all at the same time. After the Spy Museum we headed to lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl, then on to Arlington National Cemetery.