Today looks like it will be another beautiful day. Today we are driving to our stops since they are outside the capitol area. We're going to the Lincoln Cottage, National Cathedral and the National Zoo. We used Mapquest to map our route heading first for the Lincoln Cottage.
Located on the grounds of the US Soldiers Home, Lincolns cottage is one of the four original buildings on the grounds. The Soldiers' Home was established in 1851, as an "asylum for old and disabled veterans." Originally known as the Anderson Cottage for its original owner, this home served as the summer White House for U.S. presidents -- Chester Arthur, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Buchanan and, most notably, Abraham Lincoln who spent a quarter of his presidency here.
Located about three and a half miles from the White House and about 200 feet higher in elevation, the Lincoln Cottage (http://www.lincolncottage.org/) as it came to be known, provided a haven from Washingtons terrible summers. Hot, swampy with mosquitos and accessible to everyone who wanted a moment of President Loncolns time, the cottage became the model for Camp David. A place where the president and his family could get away; a place where he could meditate, plan for the war effort and listen to soldiers coming from the front for first hand intelligence.
After arriving we went to the visitors center and were fortunate to get on a tour right away. We joined a group of Harvard Grads of 1956 for an introductory video before going over to the cottage. In the cottage a docent took us through the building and gave short talks to give us a better sense of who Lincoln was and what he went therough during his period of residence. It was a very informative tour and we left with a better appreciation of Lincoln the man and president as well as a look at the house where he spent so much time.
From the US Soldiers home we drove a couple of miles over to the National Cathedral (http://www.nationalcathedral.org/). The Washington National Cathedral is a church for national purposes called to embody God’s love and to welcome people of all faiths and perspectives. A unique blend of the spiritual and the civic, this Episcopal Cathedral is a voice for generous-spirited Christianity and a catalyst for reconciliation and interfaith dialogue to promote respect and understanding. Since the celebrated moment in 1907 when workmen laid the foundation stone of Washington National Cathedral, this majestic structure has played a vital role in our nation’s history. The Cathedral was finally completed in 1991. This is another simply stunning building and our pictures simply can't do it justice. The stained glass windows, gothic arches, flying buttresses, tower, gargoyles and other ornamentations are simply stunning. We went into the cathedral, up into the tower to look out over the city and down into the lower sections as well as out onto the grounds. By the time we left it was nearly 3:30 PM so we put off going to the zoo until another day.
To see all of todays photos click on the following link:
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