All Eyes on Washington

Just over a year ago, we were in D.C. for some blustery sightseeing, and this photo is one of the results.

Today, many more people were freezing on the National Mall to be witness to a historic event, and many more were watching from their homes or offices. It seems like this will be one of those moments when, years from now, people will ask, "Where were you when ... ?"

Looking back, the first national news item that really left an impression on me was the explosion of the Challenger in 1986. There were plenty of other important news headlines from that era, but as a six year old, I couldn't really grasp politics. But I did understand what happened to that space shuttle and how sad it was. Of course many other headlines have affected our lives since then, good ones and bad. Which ones really stick with you?

Marble & Memory

Several shots from Arlington National Cemetery:

The view uphill to Arlington House, the family home of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. The above photo was taken from the top portion of the memorial to women in the service, a part of which is pictured below.

Shadow & Stone

More from Washington: the U.S. Capitol building, and the Washington Monument.




The abundant silhouettes of the leafless trees were one advantage to the winter season. The strong, biting wind was not :)

Glimmer & Glow

More from the Natural History Museum:

Close-ups of rutilated quartz (above) and two different, and huge topaz crystals (below):

Here's the whole crystals, for comparison. I would estimate that the yellow one is well over two feet tall!

Sparkle & Shine

We spent last weekend exploring Washinton, D.C. and some of the surrounding areas. I wish that this "bling" was mine, but alas, the sparklies reside in the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. I think this necklace is made from regular and champagne diamonds.

And this is the Hope Diamond ...

And this is one tremendous emerald with flocks of diamonds and smaller emeralds ...

I was having a ball taking pictures through the display cases. I have a small fascination with rocks and minerals and gems. Got to use a few of the more unusual white balance settings on the S2, and I love how the top and bottom necklaces seem like they are floating. I have all kinds of slightly out-of-focus pictures of minerals and rough gems, too. Tune in for those soon!