Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, United States.

The cemetery is a breathtakingly beautiful yet haunting and sobering experience.  

Men and women who served in several wars, to include the American Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, have been laid to rest here.  Others here also include military chaplains, nurses, Civil War contrabands, and countless memorials to those who never returned.  

The eternal flame marking the final resting place of American President John F. Kennedy and several family members.  

JFK and President William Howard Taft are the only American presidents buried at Arlington.

The cemetery also contains the Tomb of the Unknowns, or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and many military memorials as well as ones to those from the Space Shuttle Challenger and the victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.

Arlington House--the former estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his wife.  The half-mast flag indicated there was a funeral the day I visited.

It was a sobering reminder to see the family at the grave, to hear the gun salute, and to feel the chills that 'Taps' evokes as it runs down your spine.

But the budding new life the flowers reminded of the cycle of life...

...while the gravestones reminded of the sacrifices given for the next generation.

For more information on visiting Arlington National Cemetery.

Tweet

That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U.S., Washington, D.C., United States.

The Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in D.C.

The memorial is inscribed with words from the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

Lincoln was tall, but not this tall: if Lincoln were to stand up with the same proportions as he is sitting, he would be 28 feet tall. 

Inside the memorial.

The memorial.

For more information on the Lincoln Memorial.

The post's title?  It's from the Gettysburg Address.

Tweet

Washington Monument: The World's Tallest Stone Structure

The Washington Monument and Tidal Basin, seen from the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C., United States

The Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, and Tidal Basin with the D.C. skyline.

A couple enjoying the Tidal Basin.

The Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument.

During the summer, these paddle boats are out in force.  Reminds me a bit of these boats.

The (empty) Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with the Washington Monument and the Capitol in the background.

Here's what the reflecting pool should look like normally. 

One of my favorite memorials: The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.  It's beautiful at night.

For more information on the Washington Monument.

For more information on the FDR Memorial.

Tweet

The Jefferson Memorial

The Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., United States

The memorial was completed in 1943 and honors the third American President: Thomas Jefferson.

The memorial closely resembles Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda at the University of Virginia and the Pantheon in Rome

Rudulph Evan's statue of Jefferson; the excerpts on the wall are from the Declaration of Independence.

For more information on the Jefferson Memorial.

Tweet

Obama Mania!

Since Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, images of him have appeared on everything imaginable in Senegal.  

Some renditions are better than others. Here's a few examples.  

Some are like this: a not so accurate rendering on the side of a dump truck. 

Bet when he was elected for President, Obama had no idea he'd be enshrined on the side of a dump truck in West Africa.

Or blazed across a duffle bag en route to a Tidjane Muslim Brotherhood celebration in Les Almadies, Dakar, Senegal

Or looking somewhat like a weather man on the side of a golf umbrella

Or a "Yes We Can!" school note book...

And my favorite at the best ice cream shop in Dakar: N'ice Cream's Obama flavor.  Hands down the shop's best flavor.  What is it you ask?  It's a milk chocolate with small vanilla crackers covered in a thin fudge layer.  It is fantastic, amazing, worth trips to the Plateau area just to have a scoop.  But..somehow I suspect that ice cream shops in the United States couldn't get away with the flavor with all of the U.S.'s PC paranoia...

Other things Obama's been seen on: duck taped wallets, underwear, stickers, lots of t-shirts, belts, paintings...the list could go on...

Tweet