The Schumin Web Salutes America II
- Part 3 -
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Continued from Part 2...
The third fountain continues the trend, being more complex than the last.
They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers. Call this a new order. It is not new, and it is not order.
At the end of the memorial, we find President Roosevelt as he appeared at the Yalta conference, shortly before his death, seated with his dog, Fala.
Fala... America's "first dog".
FDR's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, became the first U.S. delegate to the United Nations.
The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man, or one party, or one nation. It must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world.
The fourth fountain was the most complex of all of them.
Freedom of speech
Freedom of worship
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear
And now we gracefully depart the memorial.
I had wanted to visit the Jefferson Memorial on my first photo set trip to Washington, but due to time limitations as well as walking distance, did not get to. Now, however, with a different route and a different day, I finally got to visit Mr. Jefferson. I had been to his home, Monticello, in Charlottesville, on three different occasions. I had been to his summer home, Poplar Forest, near Lynchburg, once. But never had I been to the tribute to him in our nation's capital. My interest in visiting the Jefferson Memorial came from the episode of The Simpsons where the Simpson family went to Washington DC, when Lisa visited a deserted Jefferson Memorial after finding the Lincoln Memorial too crowded. Thomas Jefferson's likeness, though the wrong color (the statue was gray on the show, which you will see is wrong), came to life, and had this to say...
I know your problem! The Lincoln Memorial was too crowded! No one ever comes to see me. I don't blame them. I never did anything important! Just the Declaration of Independence, the Louisiana Purchase, the Dumbwaiter...
While most people watching this clip might get a good chuckle out of it, it does highlight some of his great accomplishments in his life. This man was not only in the right place at the right time, but he was also quite wealthy, and also incredibly smart, having even developed a clock at Monticello, still in operation today, that showed the day of the week using little metal balls that went down the wall to markers with the various days of the week, with a hole in the floor going to the cellar below where he could put the marker for Saturday, since there was no room on the wall in the main room for it.
Now that I've introduced this highly intelligent and talented man, whom I have a certain admiration for, let's visit our tribute to him.
Leaving the FDR Memorial, I continued my journey around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial.
Upon getting closer to the Jefferson Memorial, I noticed that a number of columns were shrouded by netting at the top, for reasons unknown to me.
The Jefferson Memorial had about the same amount of people visiting as did the Lincoln Memorial when I visited it back in July.
And now, let us ascend the steps into the statuary chamber...
I for some reason just love the roundness of the memorial. It's so Jefferson.
As America was getting towards the end of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the Jefferson Memorial.
And here's Mr. Jefferson, in this larger-than-life statue.
Standing proud and tall, Mr. Jefferson gives a friendly eye to all who visit.
Thomas Jefferson lived from 1743 until 1826, and during those years, accomplished so many great things...
Around the inner walls of the statuary chamber are various writings of Thomas Jefferson, this particular piece being an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.
I just love the architecture in here! So simple, yet so commanding...
The columns around the memorial, like the Lincoln Memorial and the Supreme Court building visited previously, were absolutely monstrous, shown here with average-sized Americans to show off their scale.
A side comment at this juncture: Like the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial has a small museum below the main chamber. While inquiring at the information desk regarding the existence of such a museum, the information desk attendant was incredibly non-helpful, bordering on downright rude. I ask, "Is the Jefferson Memorial like the Lincoln Memorial in that there is a small museum on a lower level?" The response I received was, "This is the Jefferson Memorial." Lots of help there. I'm sure that if Thomas Jefferson were alive today, he would certainly fire that man.
Here was supposed to be a bust of Mr. Jefferson, but for some reason, probably restoration or something, it was missing on this day. On a later trip to Washington DC, the bust had been returned, and you can see it below.
Here is a photograph of a room in Monticello, which adjoins the main bedroom, which contains this unique letter-copying device. Just write your letter on one page, and the device will copy it as you write it onto a second page.
Leaving the Jefferson Memorial, we are struck by how beautiful the Washington Monument looks in the early sunset light.
Leaving the Jefferson Memorial, we continue on our way, and stop to admire the beauty of this structure as the sun starts to dip below the horizon.
 Like all things, The Schumin Web Salutes America II must come to an end eventually, as I started to wear down physically and mentally after all that walking, thinking, and photographing. So I hit the Metro and headed to Pentagon City Mall to have dinner, and cool down physically and mentally. I had dinner at Panda Express, walked around the mall a bit, and got one of those water massages. You can see the device that they use for the water massage at right. Those things are SO good! I absolutely love it! I bought a 10-minute massage, and it really did a body some good, as it worked out all the tension and the fatigue, and I was a new man, all while listening to some comforting jazz music, and escaping into my own little fantasy world. After the massage was over, I went over to this store called America which has the coolest stuff in it, from flags to humor to light political stuff. After this trip to Pentagon City, it was back to Vienna, and back to the car, and then back to Potomac Hall to get all these images into the computer.
Outside of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the flag flies high.
This was a major find, as I found the remnants of an old fire alarm street box like they used to have all over the place in cities and such.
There are two of these arches along the street, erected to honor notable people in the Department of Agriculture.
And now, we descend underground, to the wonderful world of Metro.
Remember... train doors don't reopen like elevator doors, so watch your body parts, and watch your briefcase, because they will get smashed.
Before going back to Vienna, a stop to Pentagon City Mall was in order, so we took Yellow Line over the Potomac River from L'Enfant Plaza to Pentagon City.
And here's Pentagon City Mall, as seen in this photo from The Schumin Web Photo Essay Blitz, March 2, 2002.
And finishing at Pentagon City Mall, we boarded a Blue Line train to go up to Rosslyn to transfer.
Back at Rosslyn on the lower level, it's time again to return to the station where my car is parked, Vienna/Fairfax-GMU.
Back at Vienna, safe and sound. Now to return to the car, and head back home. Ta-ta!
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