Library of Congress

I know. I know.

Some of you equate library with all that is dull and boring.

Pshaw!

The Thomas Jefferson Building is unbelievably stunning.

Barry and I spent almost an entire day in this and the Capitol Building alone.

Click these links and prepared to be amazed. Otherwise, let the images from my own simple digital camera do the 'talking'!

I must resign to let them speak for me because quite frankly - the sights left me breathless.

The Library of Congress was established in 1800 when the American government moved from Philadelphia to the new capital of Washington on the Potomac River. For 97 years the Library was housed in various locations within the Capitol Building. The first separate Library of Congress Building, known today as the Thomas Jefferson Building, was suggested by Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford in 1871, authorized in 1886, and finally completed in 1897.

There was a fascinating display on the Gutenberg Bible which I was NOT allowed to take any pictures of. When my spotty internet connection starts behaving (Grrr...) I will link a site so you can "see" it for yourself.

I loved the art work etched into the coves of the vaulted ceiling in the Bible display area.

Above and below are three means of recording Holy Writ: Oral tradition, Monastery scribes manually making copies of scripture and then lo and behold - Johann Gutenberg who was inspired to invent the printing press in the 1500's to make it possible for every average man to possess their own Bible.

The Gutenberg Bible

When its doors were opened to the public on November 1, 1897, the new Library of Congress building was an unparalleled national achievement; its 23-carat gold-plated dome capped the "largest, costliest, and safest" library building in the world. Its elaborately decorated facade and interior, for which more than forty American painters and sculptors produced commissioned works of art, were designed to show how the United States could surpass European libraries in grandeur and devotion to classical culture and to inspire optimism about America's future. A contemporary guidebook boasted: "America is justly proud of this gorgeous and palatial monument to its National sympathy and appreciation of Literature, Science, and Art. It has been designed and executed solely by American art and American labor (and is) a fitting tribute for the great thoughts of generations past, present, and to be." This new national Temple of the Arts immediately met with overwhelming approval from the American public.

The frieze of the Rotunda of the United States Capitol contains a painted panorama depicting significant events in American history. Thomas U. Walter's 1859 cross-section drawing of the new dome (constructed 1855-1863) shows a recessed belt atop the Rotunda walls with relief sculpture. Eventually it was painted in true fresco, a difficult and exacting technique in which the pigments are applied directly onto wet plaster. As the plaster cures the colors become part of the wall. Consequently, each section of plaster must be painted the day it is laid. In 1877 the Architect of the Capitol reported, "The belt of the Rotunda intended to be enriched with basso relievos [low relief] is being embellished in real fresco representing in light and shadow events in our history arranged in chronological order, beginning with the Landing of Columbus . . . ." The frieze is painted in grisaille, a monochrome of whites and browns that resembles sculpture. It measures 8 feet 4 inches in height and approximately 300 feet in circumference. It starts 58 feet above the floor.

Below, an Oil Canvas of The Declaration of Independence

It was the first painting that Trumbull completed for the rotunda. An iconic image and probably the most widely recognized of the paintings in the rotunda, the painting was commissioned in 1817, purchased in 1819 and placed in 1826.

The painting depicts John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and the principal author, Thomas Jefferson—members of the Committee of Five, which drafted the Declaration of Independence—presenting the declaration to the Second Continental Congress and President John Hancock in July 1776 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Below, an oil canvas depiction of The Baptism of Pocahontas; it was painted by John Gadsby Chapman, given the commission in 1837. The painting was placed in 1840. It depicts Pocahontas in white as she is baptized (under the name "Rebecca") by the Anglican priest Alexander Whiteaker in Jamestown, Virginia. This event is believed to have taken place in 1613 or 1614. The baptism occurred before her marriage to Englishman John Rolfe who stands behind her. Their union is said to be the first recorded marriage between a European and a Native American. The scene symbolizes the belief of some Americans at the time that native tribes should accept Christianity and other European customs of the period.

Below, The Embarkation of the Pilgrims was also commissioned in 1837 and placed in 1844. Painted by Robert W. Weir, it depicts the Pilgrims on the deck of the ship Speedwell as they depart Delfshaven in South Holland on July 22, 1620. The Pilgrims traveled aboard the Speedwell to Southampton. There they met additional colonists and transferred to the Mayflower.

The painting shows William Brewster, holding the Bible, and pastor John Robinson leading Governor Carver, William Bradford, Miles Standish, and their families in prayer. The rainbow, at the left side of the painting, symbolizes hope and divine protection.

Below, The Discovery of the Mississippi was the last painting to be commissioned by Congress for the rotunda. William H. Powell was given the commission in 1847, and the painting was finally purchased in 1855. At the center of the canvas, Spanish navigator and conquistador Hernando de Soto is seen riding a white horse. De Soto is thought to have become the first European to see the Mississippi River in 1541.

The painting depicts de Soto and his troops approaching Native Americans in front of tepees, with a chief holding a peace pipe. The foreground is filled by weapons and soldiers to represent the devastating battle at Mauvila (or Mabila), in which de Soto suffered a Pyrrhic victory over Choctaws under Tuscaloosa. To the right, a monk prays as a large crucifix is set into the ground.

Espionage and Starbucks

Future daughter-in-law :) Courtney, treated the family to a pre-arranged 'espionage' experience at the Spy Museum - one of the newest must-see attractions of the Smithsonian.

For a fee, you receive an 'assignment' from Intelligence Headquarters and with a remote device/earbuds in place you venture outdoors for a mission that ultimately acquaints you with some of the famous spots in the downtown core.

Again, under a canopy of clear crisp and the bluest of skies, we had a remarkably unique, fun but frosty hour tour introducing us to places of note such as the Ford Museum - and the theatre box where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in April of 1865.

For those who really couldn't handle the cold, a Starbucks on every corner became the covert rendezvous for ongoing reconnaissance.

Those of us who finished the secret agent mission were 'graded'; I was advised rather plainly NOT to quit my day job. LOL.

A lovely touristy spot in "uptown" Georgetown.

Catherine and her beau, Aaron pictured below.

Above: The man of the hour (the one of my life) who also managed to stick it out till the very end...dependable, reliable and much too guileless for the makings of a solid spy. I am glad. :)

Joel and Courtney above and siblings Joel and Sarah below.

The Unspectacular Whitehouse

The remarkable, affable and way more than capable chauffeur/tour guide, David Hinton is a native of Washington D.C. He knows his way around and then some. Were it not for David, we would have never 'stumbled' upon the National Cathedral on our own - tucked away as it is, in the higher elevations of the city outskirt. He was most surely a key ingredient to the success of our Family Fest and would be our number one recommendation to anyone wanting to tour the city.

Despite the fact that there were twelve of us in the van bantering back and forth about where to go and what to see - David patiently assessed the most sensible route and then somehow managed to accommodate every wish as well.

He also wisely offered his own recommendations, saving us much time and energy.

What more can I say? He made it all FUN minus frustration. Glorious.

It was a frosty day as you can tell with the backdrop of a clear, crisp blue sky.

I think we were all a little surprised to see the Whitehouse in such a public, treeless zone.

How'd you like to look out your front window only to observe an endless cycle of political activists setting up their particular shrine of disgruntlement?

I will never complain about the lack of privacy in our yard ever again.

Cops on foot and bike patrol. Security was otherwise discreet and unnoticeable.

So sayeth one who is admittedly unobservant.

Compared to the National Library of Congress and the National Cathedral, the Whitehouse just paled and seemed only austere and imposing.

The incredible WOW! Washington National Cathedral

The dream of a national cathedral dates to the days of George Washington’s presidency. Memorable moments in the life of the Cathedral include President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1907 speech, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last sermon, and President Ronald Reagan’s State Funeral.

The longest-running construction project in Washington, D.C., history officially began on September 29, 1907, when workmen laid the Cathedral’s foundation stone. President Theodore Roosevelt and the Bishop of London spoke to a crowd of ten thousand. The stone itself came from a field near Bethlehem and was set into a larger piece of American granite. On it was the inscription: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

On January 24, 1791, President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre L’Enfant to create a visionary plan for the nation’s capital. It was L’Enfant who first imagined “a great church for national purposes.” Not until a century later, with support from community leaders such as Charles C. Glover, did plans for building Washington National Cathedral gain momentum. A monument of Washington greets you upon entering.

1912–1969: History under construction

After Bethlehem Chapel opened for services in 1912, the Cathedral quickly became a place for services of national focus, even as it remained under construction.

* 1918 – President Woodrow Wilson attends official thanksgiving service for the enof the First World War.

* 1921 – President Warren G. Harding leads all 34 delegates to the Washington Conference on Limitation of Armaments to a special Cathedral service through the “Way of Peace” entrance by Bethlehem Chapel.

* 1928 – President Calvin Coolidge opens the General Convention of the Episcopal Church at the Cathedral.

* 1941 – Monthly services begin on behalf of a united people in a time of emergency; community memorial services are held at the Cathedral for World War II soldiers.

* 1956 – President Woodrow Wilson’s tomb in the Cathedral is dedicated.

* 1968 – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preaches his last Sunday sermon from the Canterbury Pulpit.

* 1969 – World leaders gather for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s State Funeral.