It only took us six months, but finally in the middle of March, the weather was warm enough for us to venture downtown to the monuments with the kiddos. We met Uncle Toby on the Mall and hit the street in search of cherry blossoms, monuments, and eventually lunch.

It was a bit chilly, but the blossoms were out in full force. We went the day before the 100th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival began, which worked out perfectly. The tidal basin was beautiful (minus the somewhat overcast sky) and the crowd wasn't ridiculous.

Here is a pic of the kids - thanks to Uncle Toby (most of these are his images).














Love this pic!



















Can you see the inscription? This is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood to give his speech.















On our way to everyone's first visit to the new MLK memorial.















It is impressive... you come through a walkway of granite and he is to your left, overlooking the tidal basin towards Jefferson.



















It flows well to the basin's walkway... The Goddards in Blossoms.



















Toby caught this one of me... and, I love it!



















After walking through the monument area, we made our way to the Air & Space Museum... mostly for lunch. Toby caught this series of Mary Grace... and, caught her personality in every one, lol!















































Jackson especially loved the monuments... and, we didn't see all of them yet - only saw Korea from a distance and didn't try Vietnam War Memorial this time... so, we have some things to see next time in town.

And, once again, I have the feeling of amazement at where we live... where you go to a Smithsonian museum for lunch and then hang out in an exhibit or two... and, where you get to stand in the footsteps of heroes. Pretty awesome :)