Gary-Summer: 2023-Washington DC

Showing posts with label 2023-Washington DC. Show all posts

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Washington DC 2023

Washington DC-2023
From March 19th through April 5th, 2023

Our People : Thoughts : Trail Lessons : Trail Log : Abbreviations

Our People:
Sherri

Gary

Rachel

Edrees

Thoughts:

Some questions which we were asked when we got back. After reflection, also the answers:

What did you like best about the trip?
What place were you less enamored with?
Where would you go again?
What would you do differently?

Metro If we had realized a bit more how the Metro worked, we would have used it even for shorter trips. This would have saved steps and our energy. As the two weeks wore on, we figured out how to use the Metro better. On the first couple of days, we could have saved ourselves 4-6 miles of walking.

VRBO Evaluation (1160 1st NE): We were the first guests at this site. And with any inaugural event, there were a few things which needed to be taken care of, which our host promptly did. Our host, once we were settled in, left us to ourselves. She did check in on us occasionally to make sure we were OK-we were.

This place worked out well for us on several fronts. First the place was clean and comfortable. It had one bedroom; a kitchen, laundry, and a living area with TV. Note: the TV did not have reception to the area TV stations, but had preloaded streaming services such as NetFlex-your account.

The rooms and building were secure. You entered the building with a key fob, as well as used the elevator was controlled with the fob. The room is on the third floor. We spent most of our 15 days out doing touristy things, without a car. The Red Line on the Metro was only about a five minute walk.

There were two stores and a CVS within two minute walk from the building. So all of our needs were taken care of.

This VRBO place was a good place to stay. Would we use this place again? Yes.

Trail Lessons:

Two questions which we discussed:

What do we want to know more about?
What did we hear or see which we want to be more active about?

Trail Log:

Date	Activity	Miles Walked
March 19	Train Trip from Fresno to LA		Tracks got flooded and we were bused. Arrived 5 hrs late
March 20	Flight to DC	0.6
March 21	Walk down the National Mall	9.0
March 22	Capitol, Portrait Gallery, Old Post Office	4.1
March 23	Nation Archives, US Capitol Tour through Costa's office, Library of Congress	4.1
March 24	World War I Memorial, White House Visitor Center, Museum of American History	3.1
March 25	Arlington and Georgetown	5.5
March 26	Renwick Museum, African-American Museum, and Kramers Bookstore	2.9
March 27	Air and Space Museum , National Zoo and Politics and Prose	2.9
March 28	Tidal Basin and Hains Point	7.7	Cherry blossoms galore
March 29	Natural History Museum, Pollinator and Sculpture Gardens and Gallery of Art	1.7
March 30	Supreme Court, Ford's Theater, and Kennedy Center	2.1
March 31	National Arboretum	3.7
April 1	Mt Vernon	N/A
April 2	Bible Museum, Native-American Museum	2.1
April 3	US Postal Museum, US Botanic Garden, Eisenhower Memorial	2.6
April 4	Return trip to California
April 5	Return to Fresno

Things to further look at or think about:

Who was Sojourner Truth
Meaning of the symbols on the US Capitol Rotunda-Dr Fiala talked about this in one of his classes.
Dr Norman E Borlaug-Green revolution
Galileo Starry Messanger
Galileo First Work in Astronomy
Euclid
Books of Hours
Read the founding documents: Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Magna Carta
Elizabeth Burgin
Lincoln

Speeches such as Fiery Trial
Gettysburg Address
Second Inaugural Address

Willa Cather book One of Ours - tied to the World War I Memorial
Archibald MacLeish poem The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak
What made Maude Callen special? Referenced at the African-American Museum as a mid-wife
Look up William and Mary Elizabeth Sugg from Sonora. Referenced at the African-American Museum
Black Greek Letter - look at this
George Mason-read more about him, particularly his writings

"Regarding slavery.... that slow poison, which is daily contaminating the minds and morals of our people. Every gentlemen here is born a petty tyrant. Practiced in acts of despotism and cruelty, we become callous to the dictates of humanity, and all the finer feelings of the soul. Taught to regard a part of our own species in the most abject and contemptible degree below us, we lose that idea of the dignity of man, which the hand of nature had implanted in us, for great and useful purposes...George Mason, July 1773"
"I recommend it to my sons...never to let the motives of private interest or ambition to induce them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty and disgrace or the fear of danger or of death deter them from asserting the liberty of their country, and endeavoring to transmit to their posterity those sacred rights to which themselves were born. George Mason, March 1773"
"All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent natural rights... among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. George Mason, May 1776"

MLK quotes
National War College as a primer on National Security Strategy
Read a biography of John Marshall

Also Brandeis
Oliver Wendall Homes

Read some of the more important cases regarding the Supreme Court
Also look at the line of thinking of whether the Court should be strictly what the original signers said and thought or should it be malleable. There was indications within the halls that the original justices were thinking more in terms of malleable.
Read some of the current court decisions
Lincoln-read biography

Book: His Greatest Speeches edited by Diana Schaub
History Channel seemed to have a lot on Lincoln also on Fredrick Douglas

Kennedy Center-check the streamed concerts
Find a biography of George Washington. What made him the man which people wanted to follow?
Indian Treaties-what documentation can I find about these treaties and how well they were kept? Take a look at the Smithsonian book page. There is a title called Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations by Suzan Shown Harjo which looks promising.
Look at the Vatican Library
Who is Robert Taft?
Eisenhower

Book Ike and McCarthy by David Nichols
Stephen Ambrose's biography, Eisenhower: Soldier and President

Smithsonian Castle and Gardens. Who were:

Joseph Henry
Spencer Baird

Research out Robert A Taft
Robert Kennedy - either a biography or if he wrote a book. His quotes ate Arlington are inspiring:

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance." – Robert F. Kennedy, South Africa, June 6, 1966
"Some men see things as they are and ask 'Why?' I dream things that never were and ask, 'Why not?''' – Robert F. Kennedy, quoting playwright George Bernard Shaw in his 1968 presidential campaign
Aeschylus...wrote, "Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.' What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness; but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black

Abbreviations:

NPS - National Park Service

DC-District of Columbia

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

April 5, 2023 - Return to Fresno

Title: April 5, 2023 - Return to Fresno
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type:Tourist

Description:

The final day and leg of our journey. It has been good to explore Washington DC and understand a bit more of our heritage. But now we need to get back to our “normal” lives.

Both of us got up at 6:00am, that would be West Coast time. Breakfast is granola. Rachel is up before us and bakes us some Trader Joe’s Croissants. And then we are off a few minutes before 7, Rachel is driving and it is a good 45-50 minutes against the sun. I had not really put down the distance nor the sacrifice Rachel was making for us. She gets us to the Anaheim Regional Transportation Center. a few minutes before 8. And here we sit and chat and wait for the train. THANK YOU RACHEL.

But we figure out where we think the tracks are, is not where the tracks are in actuality. So we follow the signs into the Center up a long line of stairs over the transit center’s bus lines and down a series of steps to the Amtrak platform. Glad we discovered this before the train arrived.

The train is right on time and we find some seats for the 40 minute trip to Los Angeles’ Union Station. Pretty uneventful. Trains have a tendency to run along areas which show the worst of a community and this is no different.

A little bit of flooding in the south Valley

We get to Union Station a few minutes early and scurry over to the bus loading area. A pretty good line is waiting. They tell us that the bus is full. But at the end of the loading, there is ample area. Maybe one thing which I wish was different was that a blind lady was not given assistance to a seat. But she made it there OK. Our two hour trip was uneventful and got into Bakersfield without mishap. An Amtrak bus is much more comfortable than most other bus transportation I have been on.

And now we load onto the train, the San Joaquin. It is a few minutes late to board and when we do, there is only one seat where we are together. This is two double seats facing each other and one of them is occupied already. So we crowd in. Nothing bad and our companion is good.

Allensworth from the trail

The train leaves 15 minutes late and we do not make up time on this trip. The main reason is the flooding around Tulare Lake. It is disrupting schedules. The trains, including ours, need to slow down when we go through it. So do other trains. This means the normal timing is thrown off and we are switched to a siding often. We do get to see Allensworth where we visited a month and a half ago as we chugged by.

We got to Fresno about 45 minutes late. I see Steven coming in as we arrive. We were to text him as we arrived, but I had my hands full. He must have either checked our status or seen us from his office. We get home at 3:10, all safe and sound. Also ready for a nap. Who knew that sitting down for such a long period of time could be so tiring?

Flooding around the High Speed Rail

After resting, I unpack and do some cleaning up. We ordered Italian food from DiCiccio’s. They mucked up the order, again. And then we are on Zoom for an hour and a half. Sherri and I must still be on East Coast time as we both go to bed shortly after 9pm. I quickly fall asleep.

As a note: I get up a little before 5am the next day-slept in if I was on East Coast time..

Extra Photo's

Flooding around the High Speed Rail

Flooding north of Allensworth

More flooding

Allensworth

Allensworth-General Store

Allensworth

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023 - Washington DC

Title: April 4, 2023 - Washington DC
Hike Info : Description

Hike Info:

Type:Tourist

Description:

Our last, brief morning in DC. We are flying back to California today. I am a bit anxious because I am unsure of my timings of getting to the airport. So I wake up before 5 and have my granola breakfast. I am almost completely packed, except for a few things I need this morning. Sherri gets up at five.

Leaving DC and suburbs

We left the Vrbo at 5:45, five minutes after I wanted to leave. As we approach NoMa Metro Station, we see the train we were to take leave. The next one comes at 5:56. At Metro Station, we hop off of the Red Line and head down to the Silver Line and take it to Dulles. This is a long ride, about an hour. We got to the airport about 7:10, about ten minutes later than I was hoping. Am I being to nervous about getting to places?

There is a long walk to get from the Metro station to the terminals and when we do, we are greeted by a line for TSA which DisneyLand would be envious of. We pick it up right when we enter the terminal building. But it loops back and forth and then down an escalator. Then more back and forth before being greeted by the TSA agent. I will say they are improving. We handed him our drivers license. From that, he does not need to see our boarding pass as it will confirm we have a pass. Pretty good. Then to get che
cked out-only five more years until we do not need to take off our shoes. I make sure I do not lose anything going through the TSA check.

It is now close to 8am. We get settled in, barely getting in a restroom stop before boarding takes place. Is this just good timing or did we cut it too close? We get boarded and the plane is 100% full. But at least it leaves on time. During the flight, we read, nap, play games and relax.

We get to LAX a few minutes early. Rachel just got out of a meeting and will be picking us up. After walking through the LAX maze we ended up in the pick up area for terminal 6. Rachel comes along in 20 minutes and takes us to her and Edrees’ apartment. We have eaten lunch already, so we are not hungry. But we are tired from waking up early this morning. So we slept or lounged around for most of the afternoon.

Rachel has been fixing dinner when Edrees comes home. Edrees’ mother was here before us, so we are getting left overs. The Afghani (Iranian?) food does not seem like leftovers to me. It may be because it is different from my normal diet or because of Rachel’s prep skills. I do manage to make a mess by spilling my water. It is good and I am content. We watch today’s Jeopardy and after talking for a few minutes afterwards, Sherri and I both feel like it is time to go to bed-it is before 9pm.

Monday, April 3, 2023

April 3, 2023 - Washington DC

Title: April 3, 2023 - Washington DC

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type: Tourist

Distance: 2.6 miles walking

Description:

Today is our last day in DC. We will be packing tonight for an early morning exit. So there are only a few things we are going to do today. Plan A is to try to do the Holocaust Museum. Otherwise our Plan B includes the Postal Museum, the US Botanic Gardens and maybe some of the Smithsonian gardens. But then again, yesterday was a day which we thought we would only go to the Bible Museum.

Inverted Jenny stamps

I woke up early and could not get back to sleep. So I was in prime position to get some Holocaust tickets. I got farther on this last chance than I have before, but not far enough. Oh well, guess this means if we come back here again, we will have something to do. So it looks like stamps and gardens today.

But I do get something done-I text Trinity that the toilet still is not working properly. Sherri gets up early and we have oatmeal. Probably because we both got up early, we made it out the door at 9:40. It is a 15-20 minute down 1st and Capitol Streets to the Postal Museum. I think we might be the first ones in today. Just entering into this place brings back memories of my youth, spending time with my mother as we collected stamps together.

How our mail gets to us

There is much which I remember about stamp collecting: counting the perforations-that is, when stamps had perforations instead of the micro cuts; the magnifying glass looking for small imperfections, sorting through mounds of stamps, trying to find the one I do not have; wondering what a foreign country was like by the stamp. All things of my youth. This was wonderful. Not that I think I will resume collecting. Just nice to go back.

Robert Taft

It is exciting to see the stamps I read about back then. Also, just going through the various themes, such as baseball and the stamps associated with them. When we went through the main level, we came out and a guard saw us and asked if he could help? We explained what we saw was wonderful and were just trying to figure out what to do next. He pointed downstairs. So we go off in that direction.

The downstairs I can sum up as being how the mail has gotten delivered. This ranged from the mail on the street corner and the need for privacy around the Revolutionary War, to the expansion out West and the need for speed. This included stagecoach mail and the Pony Express, going forward to the early use of planes, trains and vehicles to get the mail out. Then the automation from early sorters to the current barcodes. Fascinating history. By the time we leave, it is 11:30.

Atrium at the Gardens

We walk towards the U.S. Botanical Gardens. But first, we see a monument I do not recall seeing before. It is for Robert A. Taft. We know who William Howard Taft was, but who is this guy and why does he deserve such a large monument? It looks almost like a bell tower. Turns out he was a minor contender for President, short term Speaker of the House, as well as leader of the House conservatives-both Republicans and Democrats. Taft was noted for working with all political factions. Yes in those days, parties were not divided as we are now. As we leave, Taft’s monument starts chiming away at 11:45. It is a bell tower!

And onward to the Botanical Gardens. Last night we explored some of the outer gardens. But today, the inside of the gardens are open and we walk in, right before a whole school full of kids come in as well. On the whole, this is welcomed as it gives these students a chance to enlarge their appreciation. It just is not expected.

Glass Sculpture of a tree

Sherri is in her element, looking at each plant, each flower, each tag. She seems to be particularly looking for plants she can either use in Fresno or which she already has. We enter the hot house area-and it is warm. I heard one of the students backing off on going to the upper story because she said she had been up there already and it was hot! There are trees growing within the hot house-30-40’ trees! No wonder this looks so large from the outside-it is! All manner of warm plants grow here. We spend a good deal of time wandering around it.

Also went through a Mediterranean environment. These plants are very much like Fresno’s. Sherri would have liked to have gone through the desert area as well, but that section is closed due to the weather. I wonder if it is too wet? Too cool? Too warm? No explanation.

About this time Wendy from our fire lookouts rattles my cage and wonders if I can give her some azimuth locations from some of the lookouts. I check in with Sherri and she is OK with that. So I go off and work through what Wendy wants. This gives Sherri enough time to enjoy looking around some more.

Bartholdi Fountain

Afterwards, we go out and find a table. It's lunch time. Very comfortable being in the shade. Not that it is overly warm, just comfortable. We talked for a while and then wandered to the south. There is a triangular shaped garden across the street called the Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens. The reason? Bartholdi sculptures a fountain which is placed in the middle of the area. This is more park-like than the main Gardens. Very pleasant to walk around. But I wonder what it would look like with the fountain running and the pool with water.

We cross Washington Ave and find another memorial. This is the American Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial. It is interesting because while there is the typical stone in the middle of it-this one dark gray in a triangle shape, what catches our attention is the multiple paned etched glass running the length of it. The pictures are multi-layer giving a sense of life. Really interesting. Also etched into the glass are the words of what it means to be disabled due to war injuries. I cannot say it is as moving as some of the other memorials, but it gives us pause. There is a six pointed star-one for each service branch.

We walk another couple of blocks and come across another memorial, and visitor center. It seems like this city is made up of memorials everywhere you turn. But maybe that is good for the politicians who are here to see, if they pay attention. It gives examples of idealism, heroism, integrity, and leadership.

The one we came up on was Eisenhower. It is a vast plaza, with three areas and a visitor center. I visit the visitor center and get some more National Parks Passport Stamps. We then go in the wrong order-just like the FDR Memorial from his presidency to his childhood. It is not the most moving of memorials because of its vacaness. But it does stand tribute to a man who turned a World War into victory and brought stability to a nation for eight years.

We now walk down to the Smithsonian Castle area. It is closed-I am assuming for renovations. But we are not really looking at going in. We just want to wander through the Haupt gardens. This is a relaxing, refreshing garden. We stop and enjoy a few minutes sitting by the grass, looking at the Castle walls.

But then the final leg of our time out today begins. We wander over to the Smithsonian Metro Station-we have used this a couple of times already. The escalator takes us down into the bowels of the earth. Here we hop on the Blue Line. I notice we are now approaching L’Affiant Station--this is the wrong way! But from here we can hop onto another train-as long as I can get us to the right side of the track, which initially we are not on. After getting on the right side, we get onto the Green Line and get to Gallery Place. Here we go down to the Red Line and arrive safely at NoMa Station. We reach our abode by 4pm.

We mostly rest. But the toilet has not been fixed yet. Sherri lays down in the bed, more resting than napping.I lay on the couch reading. About 45 minutes later, maintenance shows up and snakes the toilet. We have a working toilet now for the next 13 hours!

For dinner, we decided Subway is good enough. We eat out there, a few blocks away. Come back, and get packed to leave. I head to bed a little before 10.