On day 3 of our DC wanderings, the National Zoo was an absolute must for our panda obessed girl. If you didn't know, pandas are only found in a few zoos in the US, the Smithsonian National Zoo in DC being one of them. Of course, Emma's obsession of pandas was started by our friend's daughter, Keira, who was an enormous panda lover herself. When she passed from rhabdomyosarcoma at the very young age of 10, Keira was gifted a beautiful set of small pandas to pass on to those she loved. Over 6 years later, Addie (Emma's panda) is so very loved and can be found in much of our daily lives, as can Keira's love of pandas.
As we went into the city, I loved this cover we saw on the Metro train, reminding everyone that the cherry blossoms are a huge piece of the city. As a side note - I also loved often having only a handful of people riding with us during off peak hours, as well as upgraded air filters running in the trains the entire time.
Emma may have been the most excited about being at the zoo and seeing the pandas, but as any parent can tell you, her excitement was exciting to us. While the pandas didn't want to cooperate for picture taking (they do prefer a more solitary way of life), it was still fun to see them. They aren't terribly active animals for the most part, but we love them nonetheless.
After our morning visit to the zoo, we moved onto the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for some natural wonders. The size of these displays was so massive. It's sometimes difficult to wrap your head around how creatures this large just freely roamed the earth.
Attending a hybrid school has allowed me to be more knowledgeable about all the things Emma is learning in school. In second grade, she learned a lot about dinosaurs and trees. We made a science journal that year and learned to observe and draw nature more intently. We still find ourselves looking closely at trees when we go on walks, as well as our bird learning days from first grade. In third grade, she learned about rocks and geodes, which were a huge excitement that year. It was neat to see both of those interests present in this space. Of course, anything teal, purple, and shiny will catch the eye of our girl, but it was still cool to see her excitement and knowledge applied.
One of the last things on our list for the day was taking a trip to the top of the Washington Monument. Being one of the last rides to the top for day gave us extra alone time with the amazing view. When we visit different cities, we try to get high above the city; it definitely gives you a different perspective and helps you see the magnitutude of the city you are visiting.
On the way down, the history of how the states pulled together to complete the building of the monument is played. It was neat to see the inside of the monument and some of the stones that cities and states had sculpted with their names. And then on our way out, one of the security officers saw my camera and told me that I should get a picture of the door. The officer informed us that the door, with multiple splintered bulletproof glass panes, was damaged on the morning of January 6th by the rioters who later attacked the Capitol that day. In my searching, I found these
recordings from US Park officials and
this transcript that says close to 20 officers barricaded themselves inside the Washington Monument to protect themselves against the mob of people. It was a sight to be held.
We left there and decided to make a return visit to the Tidal Basin for more cherry blossom views, especially since the weather was still lovely and rain was in the forecast for the next day. I was grateful to get the chance at some new perspectives, and watch my girl do some of her own creative work. It makes me smile to think about the impact my photography journey has had on my family.
We closed out the day with a walk through the tulip garden, then hopped on some electric scooters to grab dinner with an outdoor picnic before heading back. If you missed
Day One or
Day Two, make sure to check them out!! I'm excited to share our final days with you and wrap up our spring visit to D.C.
Until next time,
