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Unless otherwise noted, all content and photos are © 2010-2020 Monumental Thoughts.
Author Archives: Rick
The real George Mason
George Mason is hanging out not far from fellow founding father Thomas Jefferson in West Potomac Park. The George Mason Memorial remembers the “Forgotten Founder” who wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights and was his state’s delegate to the 1787 … Continue reading
Remembering Jane Delano, founder of American Red Cross nurses
Jane Delano loved nursing so much that on her deathbed in France while inspecting hospitals during World War I, her last words were, “What about my work, I must get back to my work.” Born on March 12, 1862 near … Continue reading
John Paul Jones Memorial lost in traffic
One of the feistiest American admirals of all time has been marooned on a traffic island. John Paul Jones is on a spit of land at the intersection of 17th St. and Independence Ave. SW just a few yards from … Continue reading
Please don’t see the cherry blossoms
It is a great year for the cherry blossoms. Nice and early as winter that was actually very nice now gives way to spring. More than 1.5 million people annually visit the Tidal Basin area to see the 3,000 trees … Continue reading
Sorry, Washington is closed
Planning to come to the nation’s capital this spring? Not anymore? I hear you. Everything is closed. Everything. And not just today, but probably all spring and maybe into the summer. Museums, federal government, Capitol, Supreme Court, White House, National … Continue reading
Big bloom coming March 27?
National Park Service forecasters say the cherry blossom peak bloom will be March 27-30. I dunno. Something in me says it will be a week earlier. I’ve lived here nearly 60 years as a native so I know local weather. … Continue reading
Native Washingtonian 101 – It’s “War-shington”
Want to sound like a local? Here’s the first clue – we say “War-shington.” Yes, we sneak an “r” in there. I don’t know why. It’s not because this town makes war on other countries. It’s just something we say … Continue reading
Lafayette urns have their mystery
Much like the urns in the gardens of the Versailles Palace, these two Lafayette urns were forged in the same furnaces that created Union cannons in the Civil War. They were used for flowers in the late 1880s, but now … Continue reading
Pan American 103 marker at Arlington National Cemetery
With Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi killed, American will remember the tyrant for his backing of terrorists who blew up Pan American Flight 103 in 1988. A monument to the 270 killed from 22 countries, including 15 U.S. active duty … Continue reading
Joseph Darlington fountain makes you sneak a peak
Occasionally, statues make me feel like a voyeur. Why is that man or boy naked I’m sometimes asked. It happens all too often say at the Boy Scout or Von Steuben statues near the White House. I say I don’t … Continue reading
A little statue in the corner has a story to tell
I love the Organization of American States building. It is absolutely fascinating and filled with overwhelming art projects both inside and out. One is tucked away from the front view, but you shouldn’t miss this one. Just to the right … Continue reading
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
I wish my flowers grew this big. The Federal Triangle Flower is 10 feet tall and 13 feet wide. Created in 1997 as part of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center, the courtyard art was sculpted by Stephen … Continue reading
LBJ Memorial Grove is a quick hit
Funny how I can live a lifetime in one town and still see new things even in my seventh decade in Washington. I’ve driven by the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove many times, but always in a hurry to be … Continue reading
Perfect place for a winter walk
Is there anything better than a warm winter’s day as a respite from the persistent cold? Well, this has actually been a pretty nice winter by Washington standards. No real snow – yet. Don’t want to jinx things. We’ve reached … Continue reading
Czech leader Masaryk stands tall on Embassy Row
Tomas Masaryk stands tall – like 12 feet tall. It’s a good lifelike figure despite Czechoslovakia’s first president really only half that size. The bronze statue at the corners of Massachusetts Ave., Florida Ave. and Q St. N.W. remembers Masaryk, … Continue reading
