My mom's plane was leaving early on Tuesday morning, and she had been wanting to visit Arlington National Cemetery. We decided to combine the day with a trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo to visit the panda baby Tai Shan who had just celebrated his first birthday on Sunday the 9th! For more about the zoo and the pandas, go to http://nationalzoo.si.edu.
Here are some photos from the zoo:
Little Tai Shan -- Well, not so little now that he's a year old! He was a little shy, so this is one of the best shots I could get of him. He flashed his butt once though! I just love pandas!
Mama panda Mei Xiang sits and enjoys some bamboo. I just think she is so beautiful!
Here are my little animals posing in front of Tai Shan's poster.
What a goof!
They also had a small mammal house where we discovered golden lion tamarins! Tamarins are small primates that resemble little lions in their coloring. Here is a little video of a black/gold variety of these interesting little creatures. The kids really enjoyed them!
After the zoo we headed down the road to Arlington Cemetery. You may remember the story of my mom's high school sweetheart. John Chubb and my mother met at Perry Junior High. They were engaged in high school to be married. Unfortunately the Vietnam war called him away, and his helicopter went down. He was listed as MIA until just recently when DNA confirmed the recovery of his remains, along with the remains of his fellow crew members. Most of what was identified returned home to Gardena, and a very nice memorial commenced...allowing him to rest with his parents who passed on years ago. Portions of the unidentified remains were given a home in Arlington during an April ceremony. At the moment, there is not a permanent marker, but we found the location.
Here is my mom saying some words to her long-lost love:
Before that though, we took a little tour around the grounds where we paid a visit to the grave of the Kennedy's:
and the amphitheater that sits in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Afterwards we caught a glimpse of the Capital and the Washington Monument:
Believe it or not, this was really my first time to see D.C. since moving to the east coast in 2001. This August 1st marks our fifth year here in P.A. I'm realizing there are too many things that I need to visit...I've been missing so many wonders that are right in my own backyard!
2 comments:
What a wonderful trip! I know what you mean about missing the wonders in your own backyard-- we've been in Washington for three years now, and I can't even begins to point out the local attractions (the local Indian casino notwithstanding...)
Of course, the East Coast beats the West Coast by leagues when it comes to history and national treasures... how lucky the kids are to be able to experience places like the National Zoo and Arlington Cemetery firsthand! At least the rest of us can live vicariously through you ;-)
yay for the day trip!
i too know what you mean about missing what's so close. i have totally succumbed to the fact that i haven't discovered even half of what i should in this area alone. i always think we should, but maybe someday.
yup...i'm living vicariously through you, too!
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