Blue Bird

While pigeons are common in most places in North America, bluebirds are only found in the western states. Their bright blue wings and body make them stand out among other birds. Even against a bright blue sky, they stand out. This Bluebird was eating a nut which his why he is looking down. Two things that could make this better is if I could have zoomed in more and the bird was looking up.

Birds In Flight

I was hoping to get a close up of a bird in flight, but no bird would come close to me. I saw several flocks of birds flying overhead but they weren't directly over me. I wish I could zoom in on birds and cut out the top of the sky. Then the size of the picture would have a lower resolution and become a terrible picture.

Taking Off

While I was taking pictures of this bird, it took off on me. Like most of my good pictures, I thought I missed my chance. Luckily when I looked at the pictures I saw this. I was extremely happy. We can see the bird's individual wings which are surprisingly small. This might be my favorite picture of all time.

Pigeon

While pigeons may just be birds that annoy us and poop on our cars, they are also cool to photograph.  They have a white stripe on their side which contrasts there brown body.  I also like how the sky is not overly bright and doesn't ruin the picture.

Funeral

A normal funeral procession goes like this, a military band plays followed by a horse-drawn carriage with the body followed by the family and their supporters. This happens most of the time, 28 times per day. Today, there are more than 400,000 people buried there. Some people are worried because they are running out of space to put all of the bodies. They fear they will have to bury the military members at a different place. This is the last picture of the Washington D.C. trip. Next, we will be back in Dallas with pictures of nature in the fall.

Arlington National Cemetery

This is the sight of Robert E. Lee's original house. As the Civil War started, he was part of the Confederation but could see the Union's Headquarters, Washington D.C., from his bedroom. He ended up moving south soon after the war started. After the war ended, more than 17,000 people were buried there. Since Robert didn't want to live with the dead, his son sold the property to Congress.

Pentagon

On the second stop of our night tour, we went to the Pentagon Memorial. This memorial represents the people who died during 9/11 at the Pentagon. The benches show the where the person died. If you read the name faces away from the Pentagon, they were on the plane if the name reads to the Pentagon, they died in the Pentagon.

Civil War to World War

In the back of this picture is the Lincoln Memorial. Abraham Lincoln was the president during the Civil War. In front of that is the World War II Memorial. The president during that war was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Both of these presidents did great things to America. Lincoln abolished slavery and Roosevelt got us out of the Great Depression.

Lincoln Memorial Reflection

I walked to the backside of the World War II Memorial to find this. The clear night with no wind provided me with this amazing picture. The water was clear, still and mirrored the Memorial almost perfectly. There is a slight fuzz but you can definitely tell what this is without seeing the top half.

World War II Fountain

While on our night tour, we visited the World War II Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial. I liked seeing this during the night because if it was during the day, the sun might have made a glare or the sun would have made the picture too bright.

Highview of the HQ

From this angle of the Capitol Building, we can see everything. The Statue of Freedom, the half-raised flag and the fountain in front of the building. I tried to get more pictures of the cars leading up to the building, but this was the farthest that the deck extended.

Berlin Wall

In the Newseum, a museum about news is this piece of the Berlin Wall. What I like about this part of the wall is the writing on it. I focused on the 'Act Up' part but the other pieces of writing are not too out of focus. I focused on the 'Act Up' part because that represents the wall the most. When the wall was up people had to 'Act Up' to do what was right.

Statue of Freedom

On top of the Capitol Building is this 15,000 pound 19 and a half foot tall statue representing America. Completed during the Civil War, it gave hope to the Union as they fought the Confederates. Today, it can also be viewed inside where there is an exact replica with the only change being the stone they used to build it out of.

Falling Water

Once you finish the museum, there is this place where you can go and watch the water fall and reflect on what you just learned. It is a very smart thing that the museum does, you stop and remember all the things that the African Americans had to go through before they became equals.

Freedom

In the African American museum, there is this wall. When you walk in it looks like a normal museum. A gift shop, security, and a ticket booth. Once you take the cargo elevator down to the 1400s (the lowest floor) you are transported into lives of African Americans. As you walk slightly uphill, you travel back to the present.

Mr. Voting Rights

Throughout Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, he wanted equality for all. He was called names, beaten, and almost killed several times all for trying to give African Americans voting rights. In Washington D.C. is this statue of him in a nonspeaking and restful pose. It was raining that day, causing me to figure out a way to take pictures but keep my camera dry. I ended up putting a plastic bag and handtowels over my camera and hoped no water would seek throguh that, which none did.

Waterfall

At the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, are several statues sharing his life as a president. One is on the Great Depresion, his wife and dog, World War two, and his difficulties with his disease. As you walk through the different sections, you also move through time. Then at the end is a big waterfall, including this waterfall, that covers an entire wall.

Sky Fighters

This is another picture of the Air Force Memorial. This time we can see it through the fall trees and it is also during the day. While at the Jefferson Memorial, I took out my zoom lens and shot. I didn't want to get too close because I would miss the trees but I didn't want to be too far away because then the focus isn't on the memorial. Another place that is in this picture is the Pentagon. In the bottom left corner with all the windows.

Fall Colors

Today we are going to take a break from the monuments and memorials and transfer to nature. While we were there, the cold had already come and turned the trees different colors. I focused on the marble pillars holding up the roof of the Jefferson Memorial and let the colorful trees take over the background.

Thomas Jefferson

This is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was built on his birthday, which was April 13th. It was also built on an old landfill that stopped and was just trash stilling around until the memorial was built on it. Around the memorial are quotes that he said, these including words that he wrote in the Declaration of Independence.