Tag: Monument
Washington Monument 2018
Right in the middle of the monument strips is probably the most recognizable one of all, the Washington Monument. Surrounded by flags and flanked with the World War 2 Memorials (Atlantic and Pacific) it towers above everything else in the area. In fact, the closer we got to the monument the harder it was to take pictures as it was so big. We thought it was really cool when a full rainbow peeked out for us right over the monument and we got several pictures of this. While rain was always a threat, we were very fortunate to miss it as we were indoors when the worst of it hit, fortunately we were able to enjoy the bi-product of the rain (the rainbow) and also the remainder of the wonderful summer day.
Washington DC Lincoln Memorial 2018
This was James’ favorite monument in Washington, so much so we visited it on two different days. James has always liked Abraham Lincoln and he was sure glad to see such a wonderful monument to one of his favorite (if not favorite) Presidents. This monument is the beginning of several great monuments all in a row, simply walking from one to another was alot of fun, but by the end of the day you were worn out because of all the walking you did. Still we determined it was better to walk or take a cab as the traffic was pretty heavy most of the time in Washington DC.
Statue of Liberty – Liberty Island 2012
It had been quite the whirlwind tour but finally James got to see what we promised him, the Statue of Liberty. We had communicated with James teacher before we went to make sure James would not miss anything important in school and it was his teacher who suggested we take him to the Statue of Liberty (originally we were thinking the top of the Empire State Building).
From the first time he saw the statue James exclaimed “its big”. Upon leaving the ferry we walked around Liberty Island, had our pictures taken as a family in front of the statue, then stopped in the gift shop and bought some souvenirs and reviewed our pictures. Liberty Island is really a small island and you could walk around the whole thing in about 20 minutes or so. After shopping for a bit we walked around the island again continually snapping pictures of the Statue which would have to go down as one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen.
Not only was this the first trip to Liberty Island for James, it was also the first time for Mom and Dad. It would be a tough choice to pick who was impressed the most.
THE NEW COLOSSUS
Emma Lazarus (1849–1887)
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Ellis Island 2012
The first stop on the Liberty Ferry was to Ellis Island which is located right next to Liberty Island in the New York Harbor. Ellis Island was the place most immigrants were processed into the United Stated including James ancestors from Europe. Ellis Island closed in the mid 50’s and was added to the Statue of Liberty National Park in the mid 60’s. It is now a museum.
A little history about Ellis Island. The first Ellis Island Immigration Station was made in 1892 and made of wood. It burned down in 1897. Three years later the second Ellis Island Immigration Station (the one most of us are familiar with) opened on Dec 17, 1900. After 1924, Ellis Island became primarily a detention and deportation processing station.
Liberty Park 2012
To visit Ellis Island and Liberty Island (aka Statue of Liberty) we had to take a ferry from Liberty Park which is located in New Jersey.
At this location is a monument to the World Trade Center and (as you can see in the picture to the left) if you take a picture of it head on it recreates the New York Skyline with the Twin Towers. In front of this are a couple beams from the wreckage of the towers. I had heard about this display already because an atheist group says it is in the shape of a cross and should be removed since it is a religious symbol. Believe me, when I saw this the last thing I associated it with was a crucifix or any religion.
James did his own honor to the fallen by striking up a “Liberty” pose with souvenirs he had purchased from Liberty Island.
Once we got home, James went a grabbed an encyclopedia from his room and put batteries in his “torch” flashlight and asked us to take one last picture of him in his Statue of Liberty pose before he went to sleep.
Liberty Bell and Football Game In Philadelphia 1997
Friends who I went to grade school with are affectionately known as “the little friends”. Here are some of the little friends on a trip to Philadelphia to do a little bit of sight seeing, eat some cheese steak sandwiches, drink some beer, and watch a Lions game (or I should say a Lions loss, never saw a team like this that loses so much but has such great talent like Barry Sanders). The tailgate party by far was the highlight of the day, did not really want it to end but eventually we had to go into the stadium and watch the Lions.
Turns out the game of kick the can in the parking lot was better than the actual game in the stadium.
Continue reading “Liberty Bell and Football Game In Philadelphia 1997”
Mount Rushmore 1982
After Dad came home from Korea he wanted to have a car while he was at his new location stateside (Ft Lewis Washington). Dads Mom (Loretta) and Aunt Louise drove out with him to his new base on the other side of the country and would take an airplane home. While in route they made a slight detour to see Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Completed in 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln, the sculpture’s roughly 60′ high granite faces depict U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
After a quick visit the family continued onward to the Pacific Coast and Fort Lewis Washington.
Washington DC 1980
Jimmy Carter was the President at the time of this visit. Iran had taken the U.S. Embassy hostage, and a rescue operation had failed. The day after the mission failed, James Dad decided to join the military to see if he could help out. James Grandma thought it might be a nice trip to fly into Washington for a weekend so we ventured off to the capital of the United States for a weekend excursion. The vacation included several bus tours which were nice and informative, but depending on what side of the bus you were sitting on you really could not take it all in. Most of the free time we had was spent at the Smithsonian or visiting the monuments and we found out we did much better on our own than with the tour, although the tour kind of gave us direction to where we wanted to go.
Washington DC War Years 1942
The newly married couple Loretta and Charles took a trip to visit the capitol of the United States, Washington DC. The war was raging and Charles was scheduled to be shipped out to a Pacific destination. The horrors of Pearl Harbor were still fresh in everyone’s mind and the war was already taking its toll on American citizens worrying about their boys coming home from fighting halfway around the world. A visit to Washington DC was a good reminder of what people were fighting about.
Loretta really enjoyed the cherry blossoms that lined the streets of Washington DC and would work to support the cause along with her sister Louise and Cousin Cil (Rosie the Riveter for some of them), all three having their husbands in service to their country (In addition to Charles, Louise husband Harry and Cil’s husband Francis, truly they were the greatest generation).
Charles would spend the rest of the war in the Pacific theater and return home safetly to Loretta (and a Detroit Tiger World Series Victory, just as his son would do nearly 40 years later in 1984 – Tigers must be waiting for the next generation of Kleiber to leave the military because these were the last two World Series that they have won and have not won one since).
