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Unless otherwise noted, all content and photos are © 2019 Monumental Thoughts.
Author Archives: Rick
Layed off – On the street again
I was sitting in the Redskins media room like I have off and on since 1983. I was reading Twitter and saw my boss say her last day at the paper was tomorrow. Wait, what? A quick call told me … Continue reading
We cannot tell a lie – GW’s birthplace is cool
Monumental Thoughts has a guest contributor – Megan Johnson. (Hey, we’re all for free labor.) A sprawling stretch of land along Popes Creek, Va., isn’t all that different today from when George Washington entered the world 284 years ago – … Continue reading
The Hall family and the angel
Mary Ann Hall was a popular madam in Washington, running a bordello where the American Indian Museum now stands. It was said to be the classiest one in Washington during the Civil War. Mary Ann and a sister are buried … Continue reading
Washington Circle remembers that Washington
It is perhaps the most overlooked statue in plain sight of the man for whom the city is named. Washington Circle by Foggy Bottom that intersects 23rd, K St., New Hampshire Ave. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW has a bronze equestrian … Continue reading
Happy Labor Day
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Best Washington DC walking tours, Labor Day, Photo by Rick Snider
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Giant pile of rocks dwarfed by the man underneath
What rocks atop graves means is the runaway most read post on a daily basis in the near three years of my blog. Rocks are a Jewish tradition stemming from the Bible where Rebecca is buried along the road to … Continue reading
Lincoln Cottage still a great respite
I have a secret – I’d never been to the Lincoln Cottage before taking a tour group. And it’s better than expected. Now I’ll leave the nuts and bolts to the website Lincolncottage.org. But a few things hit me during … Continue reading
Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Capital One Arena
What was the biggest thing to ever happen where Capital One Arena now lies? The Greene Turtle restaurant area was once home to The National Era, a weekly abolitionist newspaper that published a 43-week series by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It … Continue reading
Remembering one of NASA’s own
From George Washington to the moon all within a few feet. Walking the path to colonial St. John’s Church has a historical marker saying the Episcopal church was erected in 1723 and our nation’s first president attended services there many … Continue reading
Posted in Memorials
Tagged Bernard Lee Johnson, Fort Washington Md., Photo by Rick Snider, St. John's Church
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Slow down to see Woodrow Wilson medallion
Not often is a memorial meant to be seen at 60 miles per hour. In fact, I went by it for 52 years before discovering it’s not a dime. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge connecting Maryland and Virginia is named after … Continue reading
Whooping Cranes bring wilds to downtown
Walking down 16th & O Sts. NW, I was drawn to an unexpected one-acre park where a stainless steel sculpture of two 12-foot tall whooping cranes draw you in. Wait . . . what? Kent Ullberg created the cranes in … Continue reading
Posted in Washington life
Tagged Kent Ullberg, Photo by Rick Snider, Washington D.C., Whooping Cranes
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Where Bex eagles soar
John “Black Jack” Pershing Park has it all. A statue of the famed World War I general. A waterfall not seen from the street that gives it a hidden oasis feel. And, an American eagle statue on the corner of … Continue reading
Slave cemetery in Southern Maryland
One of my other pursuits is writing about the emerging wine industry of Southern Maryland. It’s less a decade old and already produced a dozen wineries with more coming. I visited Long Looked For Come At Last Farm in Mechanicsville, … Continue reading
Why are coins left on veterans’ graves?
Why are coins left on grave stones at Arlington National Cemetery? Particularly, the graves of Robert F. Kennedy and his brother Teddy plus World War II hero Audey Murphy. I thought it was something senseless the school kids did. Maybe … Continue reading
