We went on a Monuments By Moonlight guided tour with Ken one evening. We had a fantastic tour guide who gave us entertaining antidotes and information about each monuments plus many of the other landmarks we passed along the way.
Supreme Court Building. Our tour guide said this was the only government project on record that not only came under
budget but on-time. I don't know how true that is about it being the only one but it got good laughs!
Library of Congress. On our 2
nd trip we visited the Library of Congress. It was amazing!
Washington Monument. We learned about how the monument is two toned and it took 40 years to complete. They ran out of funding and then with the Civil War there was a 20 year hiatus. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to look at such a prominent monument that was unfinished for nearly half a decade. The crazy thing was that Congress had decided at the end of the Revolutionary war to build a monument for Washington but it wasn't finished until 1884.
Jefferson Monument. I didn't go with the Ken and the boys inside this monument because the girls had fallen asleep on the bus. I didn't really mind because it had been a long day already exploring the city so it was nice to have a rest.
When Nathan was telling me about it later he told me that he thought Thomas Jefferson was a member of our church because of the
quotations that they have engraved in his monument. Of course this isn't true, since our church wasn't founded until 1830. But we had a great talk about how the political atmosphere had to be just right for the Restoration of the gospel. Specifically about how it could only have taken place in a land that believed in the freedom of it's people, especially religious freedom. It reminded me of a scripture that I had to look up after our visit. "And for this
purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of
wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose..." (D&C 101:80)
You can see the sun setting a little bit on the Washington Monument.
Arlington
Cemetery. That was an incredible site. We actually visited this on our later visit too. But our tour guide totally peaked our interest when he told us about Arlington
Cemetery was actually owned by Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General. In fact they seized his land for something like $150 property tax bill during the Civil War and because they were vengeful that Robert E. Lee and turned down the opportunity to lead the Union Army they turned it into a national
cemetery. What is even worse was that they required the owners to pay the tax bill in person so even though General Lee's wife sent someone to pay the tax bill they would not accept it. Very, very interesting history!
Iwo Jima Monument. This is one of 8 sites that has been given a special Presidential Proclamation to fly the flag continuously. The monument honors the U.S. Marine Corps who have died defending the United States. At the base of the monument is engraved the names and dates of all the major battles the Marines have fought in since 1775. It's really remarkable.
A view of the Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Capitol Building.
Lincoln Memorial. This was our last stop, it was my favorite monument.
The girls were up and awake for this one. Unfortunately our camera had died so we had to use my
iphone for pictures.
The Gettysburg Address.
Ken, Darin, Nathan, and Rose with the Lincoln Memorial.
The Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.
Darin wanting to make funny pictures holding the memorial:-)
It was a great evening and one that we would
definitely recommend!
Supreme Court Building. Our tour guide said this was the only government project on record that not only came under budget but on-time. I don't know how true that is about it being the only one but it got good laughs!
Library of Congress. On our 2nd trip we visited the Library of Congress. It was amazing!
Washington Monument. We learned about how the monument is two toned and it took 40 years to complete. They ran out of funding and then with the Civil War there was a 20 year hiatus. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to look at such a prominent monument that was unfinished for nearly half a decade. The crazy thing was that Congress had decided at the end of the Revolutionary war to build a monument for Washington but it wasn't finished until 1884.
Jefferson Monument. I didn't go with the Ken and the boys inside this monument because the girls had fallen asleep on the bus. I didn't really mind because it had been a long day already exploring the city so it was nice to have a rest.
When Nathan was telling me about it later he told me that he thought Thomas Jefferson was a member of our church because of the quotations that they have engraved in his monument. Of course this isn't true, since our church wasn't founded until 1830. But we had a great talk about how the political atmosphere had to be just right for the Restoration of the gospel. Specifically about how it could only have taken place in a land that believed in the freedom of it's people, especially religious freedom. It reminded me of a scripture that I had to look up after our visit. "And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose..." (D&C 101:80)
You can see the sun setting a little bit on the Washington Monument.
Arlington Cemetery. That was an incredible site. We actually visited this on our later visit too. But our tour guide totally peaked our interest when he told us about Arlington Cemetery was actually owned by Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General. In fact they seized his land for something like $150 property tax bill during the Civil War and because they were vengeful that Robert E. Lee and turned down the opportunity to lead the Union Army they turned it into a national cemetery. What is even worse was that they required the owners to pay the tax bill in person so even though General Lee's wife sent someone to pay the tax bill they would not accept it. Very, very interesting history!
Iwo Jima Monument. This is one of 8 sites that has been given a special Presidential Proclamation to fly the flag continuously. The monument honors the U.S. Marine Corps who have died defending the United States. At the base of the monument is engraved the names and dates of all the major battles the Marines have fought in since 1775. It's really remarkable.
A view of the Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Capitol Building.
Lincoln Memorial. This was our last stop, it was my favorite monument.
The girls were up and awake for this one. Unfortunately our camera had died so we had to use my iphone for pictures.
The Gettysburg Address.
Ken, Darin, Nathan, and Rose with the Lincoln Memorial.
The Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.
Darin wanting to make funny pictures holding the memorial:-)
It was a great evening and one that we would definitely recommend!
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