This past weekend Russell and I went to the Newseum in Washington, D.C. He has been wanting to visit for a while, probably because he wanted to check out all of the USNews & World Report mentions. With a great tip from our friend Pammy of 1/2 price tickets in the month of January we set aside time from wedding planning and hopped on the metro to check out what the Newseum had to offer.
We enjoyed the many interactive and compelling exhibits the Newseum had to offer. Some of the top sections that we enjoyed were:
Athlete: photos from legendary sports photographer Walter Iooss
The largest glass elevators that take you to the top floor where they have a great view of the US Capitol and the Pennsylvania Avenue Terrace
News History Room where they had over 500 years of newspapers in glass drawers
The Internet, TV and Radio Exhibit
Today’s Front Page Gallery, where they have more than 80 newspapers from across the U.S. and around the World
Russell and I are out on the Pennsylvania Avenue Terrace with a great view of the U.S. Capitol in the background.
I was so amused by these artifacts at the Newseum!
The last thing we did at the museum (except check out the gift shop which is always a highlight) was go to the Interactive Newsroom and I actually had a chance to read a teleprompter and be a television reporter. If you ever have a chance to go to the Newseum, I highly recommend it. When you go you can choose from 6-8 different backdrops ranging in topics from sports, weather and even landing on the moon. I chose a prompt that was about the latest exhibits going on at the Newseum; I felt it was appropriate so I could remember the day. Russell wanted me to give a special shout out at the end, so take a look and see how I did.
This weekend Kristina and I traveled with her folks down to south-western Virginia for her cousins wedding. We left early Friday morning and it took about 6 hours to get there from the DC area. Our drive was complete just before the snow started falling as we pulled up to our hotel in Pounding Mill, Virginia. What made this trip out of the ordinary is the fact that the largest winter storm of the decade was making its way towards us.
The wedding was supposed to start at 6 but the snow had been coming down all afternoon making for some slick conditions. The snow might have changed some plans, but it didn’t stop everyone for having a good time. Lindsay and her now-husband Luke went ahead with the ceremony. The ceremony was beautiful and the couple even managed to get some pictures together outside in the snow. Of course this was the end of the night and the snow was a good 6 inches deep.
The next morning we took in the view from the hotel room and started our voyage back home.
We didn’t get too far as the roads were still rough as the storm progressed northward to Maryland. Interstate 81 was backed up for miles and we passed dozens of abandoned cars; some of which were in the middle of the road. After being on the road from 9:30am to shortly before 5pm, we had gone a whopping 121 miles. We pulled off in Salem, Virginia, at a hotel for the night where I’m writing this thanks to the free wifi. Its back on the road tomorrow to complete the rest of our journey. I hear there is 21 inches of snow waiting at home in Glenmont!
Kristina and I took a trip back in time when we visited the Maryland Renaissance Festival this past weekend. There were many sights and sounds to take in from the throngs of eager guests decked out in 15th century wear, to the numerous shops selling all kinds of hand made crafts. The festival was littered with performers involved in plays, musical groups, and even a jousting match.
This jester was a hoot doing visual gags with his fingers.
We saw a glass blowing demonstration and these were some of the finished products hanging outside of his shop.
The jousting match was the most exciting part of the event. One of the knights even fell off his horse during one of the routines.
This queen was one of the many different costumes we saw people wearing throughout the day.
The longest line at the Maryland Renaissance Festival was for the ATM though some shops accepted credit cards.
Kristina sure had a fun time! I did too I just couldn’t get a picture of myself enjoying everything.
I can’t believe how far some people get into the renaissance time period but it is fun to experience a bit of history for yourself. And we didn’t have to worry about fighting a dragon and crossing a moat to get back home!
We met up with friends and their toddler at the DC Zoo last Sunday. The sun was out as well as the animals which allowed me to get some great shots.
We had to take the tourist shot of sitting in the zoo sign.
Baby Ella enjoyed posing for pictures in her stroller with her favorite hat.
She also brings a spare when walking around.
This lioness was out from her den to see all the people gawking at her.
I never realized tigers have such beady eyes which makes them look like they are always staring.
This baby elephant took a dip in the pool to play with the giant floating ball. At one point it jumped on top of the ball turning it into a floating device.
Kristina captured some moments in the ape house. This little guy was playing with his mother.
And this orangutan wanted everyone to see his teeth.
This past Sunday Kristina and I visited the Brookside Gardens in Glenmont, Maryland. The park is a mere mile from our apartment so we enjoyed a brisk walk there. The last time we visited was almost exactly one year ago but this time we decided to check out the Wings of Fancy live butterfly exhibit. I lugged my big macro lens around to get some close-up shots. I ended up taking close to 600 by the end of the day.
Stepping into the butterfly habitat was overwhelming as it was impossible to avoid groups of butterflies zig zagging all over. Some would even perch on your shoulder. Places like this are great to practice macro photography. Here are some of my shots.
After an hour of dodging various winged creatures (and packs of people for that matter) we decided to continue on outside. There was plenty of different wildlife hanging out around the pond. Like this family of turtles…
Kristina spotted this big, black, Rat Snake and while she wanted to run away as fast as she could, I wanted to take it’s picture.
We found a tree that was a caterpillar hotel. This one was chowing down on a green leaf.
The highlight of our day was spotting this Great Blue Heron up close. I stalked it for a long time and managed to snap 200 pictures just of this guy alone.
Of course we had to take a picture of just the two of us. In the background to the left is the Japanese Teahouse on the other side of the pond.
We had a great day visiting an exhibit we had never seen before, getting plenty of exercise in, and even enjoying our packed picnic lunch in the Japanese Teahouse that Kristina packed for us. It was just what we needed to get a break from the wedding planning.
