History Extravaganza: DC day two--Arlington and Memorials

The view of Arlington House from below. Our tour tram through the cemetery. Thank goodness for it, as it was about 100 degrees that day in DC and we were doing in the cemetery in about 2 hours!

It was a great way to spend the time, and we saw many famous markers and memorials.

At the Kennedys' grave sites.

John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy together with the eternal flame .

JFK and Teddy Kennedy's graves. Teddy will always have just a plain, white, wooden cross, by his wishes.

Grave sites from the old section, when people were allowed individualized tombstones and the new sections where they are all the same and line up in symmetrical formation.

The monument to the Rough Riders on left and a memorial to the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge.

The grave of Chief Justice Earl Warren. To the right, the Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial. This was the plane that the passengers rushed the hijackers on that were headed to DC.

Different grave sites. John Foster Dulles on the left. Challenger astronauts below.

The spar from the Maine and its graves.

Me at Lee House overlooking DC from Arlington Heights. You can just see the Washington Monument and memorials in the distant background.

Civil War dead from several Union regiments buried right up to the Lee's yard and garden.

Because it was undergoing preservation work, there was not much to see in the Lee House at Arlington.

Before driving to the Jefferson Memorial, we went by the memorials to the Air force and the Pentagon Memorial.

We started our evening tour of the memorials and monuments with the Jefferson Memorial. I prefer this to Lincoln, I like the building better and the statue.

One of my favorite memorials....the Korean War Memorial. I have seen these statues in heat and snow and ice and dark and day and have always been impressed. There is a stilled urgency about these men, almost silencing the throngs of people around them.

Each man in the formation looks to check on his comrade. There is always a soldier on patrol looking at you, no matter from which angle you try to view the memorial.

Lincoln Memorial from a distance and then a little closer. Even though there were swarms of people, you can still feel a coolness in the memorial and be awed at the grandeur and accomplishments of Lincoln, which did include increasing the power of the federal government to unprecedented levels.

Washington Monument at dusk, And yes, I know I look hot and sweaty!

The Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial from the far ends of the reflecting pool, near the WWII Memorial.

The beautiful dancing water and fountains at the WWII Memorial. It is a peaceful and beautiful place, which encourages one to speculate on the sacrifices made.