9-11-01 The Pentagon

I found myself with a little extra time when I was in Washington DC recently, so I took the Metro out to the Pentagon. There's a memorial area on the opposite side of the building from the Metro station, but it's worth the walk. I'll show you more of the memorial some other time, but tonight I want to show you the spot on the building where the plane impacted on September 11, 2001. You can see the black marble rectangle above, inscribed with the date. That's all there is to mark the spot. Plain, simple, and straight to the point.

Normal tourists like me can't get past the fence, but at least it's close enough that you can see it over there. I can only imagine the lengths they had to go to in order to build a publicly accessible memorial right next to the Pentagon.

I don't know if anyone ever uses these three entrance doors. All the activity seemed to be on the side to the right of this one. It opened up onto a giant parking lot, and a tunnel under a road that led to the neighboring mall.

I was a little nervous about taking these pictures, since there was more than one sign posted that said no pictures. But none of them were in the immediate area of the memorial, so I just kept shooting and hoped for the best.

Moon Over Maryland

Before I forget to post it, here's a shot of the moon over Easton, Maryland, last Sunday morning, about 2:00 am. Looks pretty much the same as the moon here in Florida, I guess, but when I see it, I gotta shoot it.

Kite Flight

I had a very surprising encounter with a rare bird this afternoon. I was on my way to my parent's house when I saw a scissor-tailed kite fly by. That's an extremely rare occurrence, since I'd only seen one of these birds once before in the wild, and only twice before in captivity. Odder still, he flew by again. And again. And then once more. I was stuck behind a bus that seemed unable to turn at the stop sign ahead of us, so I took the hint, grabbed my camera, put on the big lens, and hopped out. Sure enough, this kite just kept right on circling. I got over a hundred shots, and these are some of the best.

Look at that beautiful forked tail! That's a dead giveaway that you're looking at a kite. Nothing else in the sky look like that, at least nothing this large.


A couple of times, a smaller bird tried to run the kite off, but to no avail. He just circled and circled, eventually heading off to points unknown. I wish I could see stuff like this every day.

Fake!

Take a good close look at this bell. Look familiar? Well, it's not the Liberty Bell, if that's what you're thinking. For one thing, this one is not cracked. Secondly, it's in Washington, DC, not Philadelphia. This reproduction is in front of Union Station, where I think you can actually ring it. (Or at least I think you can. I didn't try, but it looked there was some mechanism underneath that you could push to make it ring.) Just try that with the real Liberty Bell.

Ah, the power of the Internet. Taking a second to look this bell up, I discovered that it is twice the size of the real bell, and was cast by the same foundry as the original. This one was made for the Nation's Bicentennial celebration and traveled America on The Freedom Train. I remember seeing the Freedom Train in 1976 as a wee lad, but I don't remember what I saw on board the train. Perhaps this is the second time I've seen this bell.

First Of It's Kind

One of the gems of the Smithsonian's collection of everything is this, the very first airplane to make a controlled flight. The Wright brothers flew this very plane over the dunes at Kitty Hawk, NC, in 1903. Imagine that, the very airplane that made that flight 106 years ago. The wings were covered in new canvas some years ago in case you're wondering why it look so clean and shiny. And some sections of it were rebuilt by the Wright brothers after those historic flights that day, as there was apparently some damage to the plane at the end of the day. But this is still the plane.


One wing is 4 inches longer than the other, to compensate for the weight of the engine not being perfectly centered. It's amazing the things you learn.

On The Wall

I saw this on the wall of an ice cream shop in St. Michaels, MD. I'm not sure what to make of it. Come to think of it, we didn't get any ice cream. Well, we didn't pay for any ice cream. One girl got two free samples, and then we left. But I don't think that has anything to do with the shark eating a baby.

Something About Seaside Weddings

Same as at a beach wedding I went to last year, an osprey flew by in the middle of the ceremony at the wedding I attended Saturday night. So amid all the pictures I have of the couple saying their vows and what not, there are half a dozen shots of this osprey flying high overhead. Heaven forbid I ever get married anywhere near a body of water.

Oh Say Can You See

From the National Museum Of American History, this is the flag that was flying over Fort McHenry after a victory by America over the British in the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key saw it and was inspired to write The Star Spangled Banner. They've been restoring it for a while, and keep it in a very dark room. Tourists can view it, but photography is not allowed. Don't ask me how I got this photo, I'm not allowed to say. Notice the fifteen stripes. There are also 15 stars, but you can't really tell that in this picture.

We The People

OK, enough with the sculpture and the silly observations of Washington, DC for a moment. How about something serious? The National Archives maintains the official records of the United States of America. And in a large rotunda, under lights so dim I am amazed I was able to get pictures, in cases made of titanium and filled with inert argon, lie the documents that laid the groundwork for our country. Above is the Bill of Rights, containing the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

Above is the first page of the Constitution of the United States, with it's famous preamble beginning We The People.

And this is the top of The Declaration of Independence. Not a copy, but the original, the one with all the signatures at the bottom. The signatures are extremely faint and hard to see, with the exception of John Hancock. It was so dark in there that I didn't even try to get a picture of them. It was also pretty crowded, so I only got a few seconds to take a shot without a tourist in the way.

This is a view of the rotunda that contains the documents. To the left and right, outside the frame, are cases containing many more historic documents, arranged in chronological order, I believe. Note the two guard that are standing to either side of the Constitution.

Erased

I knew as soon as I saw this sculpture in the National Sculpture Garden that I'd seen something similar before. The piece is called Typewriter Eraser and it's by artists Claes Oldenburg & Coosje Van Bruggen. Compare this to their piece Free from Cleveland, and you'll see that they do not stray too far from their artist desk for inspiration.

Coincidence?

No lie, I spotted this black squirrel on the lawn of the White House! All the others I spotted on my trip were plain old gray, but there was this black one. Do you think it's a coincidence that we have a black president, and there are black squirrels running around on the White House grass? I don't know... And with those evil red eyes, too. Oh, wait, that's just an artifact from the flash. It was really dark, and I got rained on pretty badly about 10 minutes after I took this shot, thus ending my picture taking for the day.

Down Penn

While walking around (and around and around and around) DC, I was often surprised to come across famous views. You know, views of the city or of landmarks that are well-known, either through art, movies or TV. This time, I was walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, turned around, and there was the Capitol Building down at the end of the street. So I hopped up on a bench and took a few shots. I think this view shows up on the news all the time when they're talking about something the White House sent to Congress, and that's because the White House is behind me. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of spots on the ground from which you can actually see the White House, and this isn't one of them.

That Other Calder

Here's that black Calder stabile I mentioned earlier. This one is located outside of the National Gallery of Art-East Building, and those blocks in the background were evidently designed by I. M. Pei (but more on that later). I was unable to find the name of this piece, but it's got to be Alexander Calder. And something I missed during my trip was one of his mobiles inside this very building. That's what I get for not doing my research beforehand.

COPS

The DC police are a little strapped for cash, and have been for a long time. They're still using police vehicles from the sixties to patrol the streets of the District. I guess if something really bad happens, they'll let the FBI handle it.

Yet Another Pomodoro

I spotted my third sculpture by Pomodoro while in DC. This one was in Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, near the Hirshhorn Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution. I didn't walk down into the garden to get a closer look, or to find out the name of the piece, because once you've seen one Pomodoro sphere, you've pretty much seen them all. The other sphere I saw was in New York last Fall, and before that I saw one of his disks in Charlotte, NC. Searching online,. I believe this one is called Sphere No. 6.

Another Calder

Lookee, lookee, I found another sculpture by Alexander Calder. This one is called Red Horse (or Cheval Rouge), and it was in front of The National Archives in the National Sculpture Garden. Everything in Washington DC is National this or Official that. Nothing is plain or ordinary. I think I saw another sculpture by Calder on my trip, but I need to figure out where it was and get the name. It looked very similar to this one, only it was black. If I had to guess, I'd say it's gonna be called Black Horse, but we'll see.

Upon Arrival

First time in DC, I pop up out of the Smithsonian Station Metro Terminal.

I look to my left, I see the Washington Monument.

And to my right is the Capitol Building. How cool is that? OK, so maybe I had to walk a little ways onto the mall before I could see anything. But it wasn't far, honest.

Heavy Metal

One of the more surprising statues I saw in Washington DC was this sculpture of Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. I wasn't able to find monuments to Robert Plant, Jimmy Page or John Bonham, though. Jones must have a really strong lobby in Congress.

I guess this could also be the naval John Paul Jones, famous for his exploits at sea against the British during the Revolutionary War. Maybe...

I'm Back!!!

Well, I just flew back from Washington, DC, and boy, are my arms tired. Actually, all of me is tired. After the wedding and the reception Saturday, I spent almost two full days roaming about our nation's capitol, pointing my camera at all sorts of things. No, I did not see President Obama, but I did spot his picture at the National Portrait Gallery. I also saw The Declaration of Independence, the first airplane, the grave sites of John & Robert Kennedy, The White House, the place where Lincoln was shot, a space shuttle, the spot on the Pentagon where the plane hit on 9/11 and so many other things that I'll be posting them from now until Christmas in July. But nothing now, I'm going to bed for a few days. I need a vacation from my vacation.

Ah, Weddings

The wedding went off without a hitch last night. Sunny skies, light breeze, and plenty of lovin'.

Welcome To Hel

So, in case you were wondering, Hels Half Acre is located somewhere between Easton and Oxford, Maryland. Who knew?

Where In The World

So where did I jet off to today? A little town in Maryland called Oxford for a wedding, that's where. I thought it was a small affair, but it appears to have been announced on the billboard in front of the local firehouse. They didn't get top billing however, that's reserved for the upcoming company drill. And it's only on the one side. But the Alexes are the folks I came here to see get married. (They're both named Alex, I kid you not...) Now if this overcast would just clear so I could get some pictures...

On The Road Again

Well, here I sit in yet another airport, on my way to some new exotic destination. Well, maybe not exotic, but new. Add Tampa International Airport to the list of airports that are nice enough to provide free internet. That really helps to fill the time when you heeded the TSA's advice and arrived two hours early, only to breeze through security and find your self with 1 hour and 59 minutes to kill. Oh, well, at least I got to eat some breakfast. I'm not going to tell you where I'm headed, only that it's yet another wedding (the second this year), and it's likely to add three new states to my total. Well, two states and a District. Pictures soon...

Catchin' Some Zzzzzzs

Remember, it's always best to let sleeping sandhill cranes stand. These guys are grumpy when they're awake, imagine what they might be like if you woke one of them up!

Ouch!

You've heard the phrase "a rose between two thorns"? Well, how about two beautiful yellow blossoms among the sharp prickly leaves? OK, so it doesn't have the same ring to it, but it does describe these two yellow flowers that sprouted on this thistle plant. I found a field full of these down the road from my parents house the other day. Now if I could only find some of the white ones... They're much fewer and farther between.

So...Dizzy

Here's a rather unique view of the grounds at the Sun-N-Fun from a couple of weeks ago. This is the reflection in the highly-polished nosecone on a plane in the vendor area. You can see me right in the middle taking the picture if you look really close. I'm the filthy dirty one from all the sunscreen I'd put on, then the walk through the dry dusty parking lot. Blech!

All Alone

Sometimes I see the strangest things. Take this clump of wild flowers. There they were, all alone in the middle of a field covered in airplanes at Sun-N-Fun. Nothing nearby, no real reason for them to be there, yet there they are. No one had run over them, walked over them, mowed them down or even paid attention to them. But I did.

Phlox

When I was little, these flowers used to carpet the sides of the road and fill the open fields where I lived. These days, there are a lot fewer of them, but they are still there. These are all pretty much the same color, but they also came in red, purple and even white. I didn't know what they were called back then, but now I know it's some sort of phlox. One day in kindergarten, they herded us all to a field across the street from the school, and we were told we could each pick one flower. Well, I picked a cluster of flowers, and got in trouble. Ahh, the good old days.

Up, Up And Away

Well, you're looking at the newest way that Disney has found to separate the tourist from his money. For $16, you can ride in this tethered balloon over Downtown Disney. Up it goes, sits there a while, then comes back down. It's an adventure! I guess I would be more excited if it were actually nearer to the parks, but all you're close to is Pleasure Island and the parking lot. Sure, you can see Epcot, but it's in the distance.

Look! There's a Planet Hollywood!

James Tiberius Kirk

Some time back, maybe ten years or so, they refurbished Munn Park in downtown Lakeland, FL (site of the Civil War Memorial I just showed you). Anyhow, people could buy brick pavers that were used to fund the project, and they would put you name or date or whatever on the bricks. There are plenty of them by people that I know from school or whatever, and at least one from a fellow who hasn't even been born yet. That's right, James Tiberius Kirk, future captain of the USS Enterprise, has his own brick. You don't see that every day!

Yet Another Memorial

Continuing on with my recent list of Confederate memorials, here's one from downtown Lakeland, FL. This one was built and dedicated in 1910 and stands in Munn Park. Like I said, these things are everywhere.

The Elusive Woody

While at my parents house this past Saturday, a pileated woodpecker flew by. I grabbed my camera and took off in chase. I never really got close, I'm afraid. The shots above and below on a scenic telephone pole were probably taken from over 100 feet away. Every time I got to a reasonable shooting distance, he'd squawk and take off in his erratic flight.


Second closest I got was here, where he was deep in the shadow beneath a large oak tree. I had to do a lot of processing to this shot to make it half presentable, so take it for what it's worth. This fellow is nearly a foot long, in case you've never seen one in the wild. They make a very distinctive noise, too, so you usually hear them well before you see them, if you see them at all.