With only a few days left in Maryland, it was definitely time to pack! Definitely time to return library books and scrub out the fridge. Time to put toys into boxes and clean out the craft supply cupboard.
Or....
Yep. We decided to run back to DC for another day of exploring museums.
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| (Most of the scaffolding has come down from the Washington Monument!) |
Our first stop - the Museum of American History!
We had already been here to enjoy the exhibits on the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Star-Spangled Banner, the First Ladies' Dresses, the transformation of American Food, the Little Golden books (remember those?),and the cool stories that come from A History of a House. What a great museum! There were still some exhibits we hadn't seen, including one on the U.S. Presidents, which would tie in with our government studies!
I appreciated the quote that greeted us at the beginning of the exhibit:
"The presidency has made every man who occupied it, no matter how small, bigger than he was; and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands." -Lyndon Johnson, April 30, 1964
We also appreciated the large timeline that helped us solidify the facts we had been learning.
And then we stood by some really cool artifacts!!
Here's George Washington's field telescope used in the Revolutionary War, and his writing case:
Some other pieces from George Washington...
...including these portraits that hung in the Washington's house in Mount Vernon.
Here's the overcoat and top hat worn by Grover Cleveland at his first inauguration, March 4, 1885.
Marijka was especially fascinated with these moccasins given to Ulysses S Grant from an Indian tribe in the 1870s. (She just loved our unit on the Native American peoples, and pleaded for her own pair of moccasins for weeks after. I bought her some for Christmas, and she used them, of course, to practice walking noiselessly through the woods. When she suddenly became all passionate about ninjas, they worked for that, too.)
Linnea loved this art set used by Theodore Roosevelt's son, Archie, in 1903!!!
Both daughters liked this doll house that belonged to Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy in 1979....
...and this doll from 1829, belonging to Mary Louisa Adams, the daughter of John Quincy Adams!
(At this point, Aidan had already flown through this exhibit with his dad so he would have time to show him other favourite parts of the museum.)
And just so you all can imagine it, here's a picture of Marijka giving a speech as the President of the United States. A glimpse of the future? She would be one passionate president, and every animal in the kingdom would be well protected!
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| (photo from the National Gallery of Art's webpage - my photos aren't so great) |
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| from Wikipedia |
This statue, The Dying Gaul, was created in Rome in the first or second century.
Woah, did you read that correctly? The first or second century! Ancient Rome.
And we stood mere inches away, with nothing between us and this work of art. I love that about this gallery! There's seldom glass between your eyes and the art - just you and the masterpieces.... and the eagle eyes of nearby security guards. There it stood, an ancient sculpture, in the splendor of the Art Gallery's rotunda, and the handful of us gathered around gazed in silence.
The last time The Dying Gaul left Italian soil was in 1797 when Napolean forces took it to France!
It came to DC for a few months to finish off the 2013—Year of Italian Culture in the United States. I'm sure you were all aware that 2013 was the year of Italian Culture in the U.S? You probably ate lots of pasta to celebrate, right? You can read more about the exhibit here and here.
We spent the rest of our time making sure we feasted our eyes on the paintings of Renoir....
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| A Girl With a Watering Can |
...and Monet....
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| The Japanese Footbridge |
...and VanGogh!!!!
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| Roses |
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| La Mousmé |
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| The Olive Orchard |
Seriously!! Our noses came this close to all the masterpieces!
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| part of Girl in White |
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| part of Green Wheat Fields |
I could show you so many more photos! What a gorgeous, gorgeous place! I highly recommend an evening perusing the National Art Gallery's website (here is their list of VanGogh prints, for example, with photos and information on each ) to learn more! Or you may want to buy one of their books, like we did, so you can regularly ponder excellent art from your living room couch.
In several rooms throughout the Art Gallery, an easel sat waiting.
Doesn't that look neat? A simple tool. Filled with hope, potential. Oh, to be an artist!!!!
This inspired Linnea as much as it inspired me. She started saving up her money for an easel, and then received one from Grandma and Grandpa for her birthday!
We also scooted through the Air and Space Museum (so cool!!!) and looked longingly into our favourite Museum of Natural History and waved at the Botanical Gardens and then vowed that we would NOW go back to our cottage and pack up.
It was when I was finally filling up boxes on the cottage kitchen floor that we got a call from the White House. And what's a girl to do when a call comes from the White House? Quit packing boxes, that's for sure! Off we went, back to DC, and as we drove, we called our landlords. "um... Is there any way we could stay for a few extra days? We don't seem to be ready to leave yet".
...to be continued
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