TAHG Day 6

Today was amazing.  I walked over 8 miles and fell in love with D.C. all over again.  This is my third visit to the capital, and each time I find something new that amazes me.  Today it was the National Cathedral.

We began the morning at the National Archives with a workshop.  It was set up just like last year where we are the students and learn how to use documents as we teach our own students, but the topic was different.  Kids really don't know how to analyze documents to connect history, so this is a great tool.  What's awesome is watching all the kids learn history and enjoy looking at photos, letters, posters, videos, and other primary source documents.  Then I got to ooddle over the Magna Carta for a bit.  That one document changed modern history forever.

National Archives

Some of us thought thought we were going on a Segway tour of the monuments, but it was booked up, so we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum instead.  Ok, honestly, Wright-Patterson, NASA, and the Wings over Houston Airshow pretty much cover everything in the building, but I enjoyed seeing so much aeronautics history-civilian and military-in one place.  Thank you, Smithsonian.

Then I talked my little trio into trekking out to the Washington National Cathedral.  Um, I'm still recovering from it all!  The building is gorgeous, and it's no wonder it took 83 years to complete.  The architecture is truly beyond the worth of words.  The pulpit came from Canterbury Cathedral and shows the Magna Carta being signed.  We heard the organist rehearsing for Sunday and listened to a small chorus participating in a workshop in one of the chapels.  It reminded me so much of what we do in Chamber Singers.  Matt, we need to come sing here.  It resonates throughout the building, and the acoustics are magnificent.  We also were there for a brief time of prayer.  Such an honor to worship where so many others come from across the world.

We ended the night with the twilight monument tour.  It was the same as last year with the addition of Iwo Jima, the Jefferson Memorial, and the new MLK Memorial.  They are fabulous tributes to amazing people who helped shape our country in grand ways.  We also drove by the Air Force Memorial.  Just because some of the tour was repetitive, my favorite part was meeting a police horse named Sparky who had a grand time nibbling my hand while I visited with his officer for a bit.  Such a sweet girl!

FDR Memorial

MLK Memorial