Well it looks like the forecast may actually come true. The sky is blue and it's in the high forty's this morning. I'm actually taking the dogs for a walk without a coat.... long sleeve and tee shirt, but no coat. And no gloves! Woooo hoooo!! We have another well planned day ahead of us. Tina called the dog walker so we could stay away longer if needed. By 9:30 AM we were headed for the metro station.
After slowly working our way through a traffic jam we got to the parking garage and down to the platform. Once we were on board the train we grabbed a paper and sat back to relax on our way into town. But... heh, heh, ... about five stops from getting to our destination there was a slow down, then a stop while repairs were made to the track switches up ahead. After ten minutes we were on our way again and made it to the Archives stop with no further problems.
We exited from the Archives stop and were right across from the National Archives Building (http://www.archives.gov/) where we wanted to see some of our nations most important documents such as the "Declaration Of Independence", "Constitution", "Bill of Rights", and the "Emancipation Proclamation". (The photo at right is from across the street at the US Navy Memorial Plaza looking through the memorial fountain.) As we came around the corner of the Archives building there was a line of people waiting to get in. A long line. It went around the corner and another 250 feet to the lower entrance where everyone was being screened.
It looked like about an hour to get in so we decided to head over to the Sculpture Garden of the National Art Gallery where we wandered around the gardens looking at the various sculptures. The centerpiece of the gardens is a very large pool with eight water jets that arc into the pool from the inside of the perimeter. The outer ring of the pool is made of pink marble with an inner ring of black granite. The water jest start with a small flow and slowly elevate, pumping ever larger torrents of water through the air until they all converge in the center of the pool before slowly reversing their pattern. Eventually we decided to have lunch at the Garden Cafe where Tina had a Chicken Caesar and I had a Beef and Blue Cheese Paninni. Both were very good and we could watch the fountain from our table. 
After lunch we walked over to the West building of the National Gallery of Art (http://www.nga.gov/). Created in 1937 by a joint resolution of Congress, the museum was the brainchild of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon who collected works from around the world with the express purpose of donating the collection. When he died, the collection went to form the nucleus of the National Art Gallery. Funds for the construction of the West Building were provided by The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust. On March 17, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the completed building and the collections on behalf of the people of the United States of America. European paintings and sculpture, from the thirteenth through the nineteenth centuries, and American art are on the Main Floor. On the Ground Floor are galleries of prints, drawings, sculpture, decorative arts, and temporary exhibitions. Unlike the Hirshhorn, this museum was a veritable feast for us. By the time we worked our way through all the exhibits we were thoroughly sated and we had sore feet from all the walking. 
We thought we would try to do the Capitol and Botanical Gardens that we missed yesterday but once again we decided to not overdo. By now it's 3:30 PM so we walk back towards the metro station taking photos of several statues with a stop at Starbucks for a pastri and iced mocha. After finishing our late afternoon treat we wander over to the US Navy Memorial Plaza. The memorial includes both a commemorative public plaza and a Naval Heritage Center. The plaza is a round ceremonial amphitheater paved in granite to form a 100-foot diameter of the world. Surrounding the deck of the plaza are fountains, pools, flagpole masts, and sculptural panels depicting historic achievements of the sea services. A symbolic statue of a Lone Sailor stands watch near the edge of the plaza. From here we make our way down into the metro station for the trip back home. To see all of today's photos, click on the following link:
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