Arlington National Cemetery ~ A Place of Remembrance

This past week Grace and Michael were off from school for their spring break. Chris and I decided a trip to Washington DC would be the perfect way to spend part of this time off, so on Wednesday we headed south. One of the places we planned to visit is Arlington National Cemetery, which was established in the year 1864 as the burial place for the dead of our nation's conflicts. These grounds were once the estate of confederate general Robert E. Lee, and the home upon it is known as the Arlington House.

The most widely visited grave site in Arlington Cemetery is that of President John F. Kennedy.

 Lit by Mrs. Kennedy during the funeral,

 the Eternal Flame burns from the center of a five-foot circular flat-

granite stone at the head of the grave.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was interned next to the 35th president of the United States in May of 1994. She was 64. 

Arlington's Amphitheater.

 We watched the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This tomb is guarded 24 hours per day 365 days of the year by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, traditionally known as "The Old Guard".

The tomb has been perpetually guarded since July 2, 1937, by the U.S. Army. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") began guarding the Tomb on April 6, 1948. There is a meticulous routine which the guard follows when watching over the graves.

The Tomb Guard:

1. Marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb.
2. Turns, faces east for 21 seconds.
3. Turns and faces north for 21 seconds.
4. Takes 21 steps down the mat.
5. Repeats the routine until the soldier is relieved of duty at the Changing of the Guard.

Despite the cold and cloudy weather conditions, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of Arlington National Cemetery.

It was also very hard not to feel emotional as we walked these hallowed grounds.

Arlington is filled with history, beauty, and the somber reminder of those who served to protect our country so that we may enjoy the precious freedoms of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

To witness first hand the precision, dedication and commitment of the men and women who protect our country everyday, is truly a spiritual experience.

"Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the splendor of America and those of her children who rest in this cemetery and others. It’s a day to be with the family and remember."

~President Ronald Regan, Memorial Day 1986

A day to remember...

 

...and a place to keep deep in our hearts.

XO

Sharing this post at link parties hosted by these wonderful blogs...

Savvy Southern Style

A Stroll Thru Life

Elizabeth & Co.

St. Petersburg Florida ~ The Sunshine City

While visiting my parents in Florida last week Mr. Rosemary Lane, myself and the kids took a day trip down to St. Petersburg, also known as the Sunshine City for its reported average of 361 days of sunshine each year. That's a lot of sunshine aye!

(LOL...no I am not Canadian...just like the word "aye"!)

The first place I wanted to see with the kids was the St. Petersburg Pier. I was there several years ago and loved the entire experience. The St. Petersburg pier also known as "The Pier" was constructed in 1973 and it features a 5 story inverted pyramid shape building.

Pretty cool right? 

It was extremely disappointing to find that the pier had closed. From 1973 to May 31, 2013 the pier offered activities including shopping, dining, nightlife, fishing boat rentals and The Pier Aquarium. 

The plan was to demolish the existing pier and replace it with a newly designed pier, however in August of 2013 the residents of St. Petersburg voted to cancel the contract with the architectural firm which was to construct the new pier.

So there she sits...empty...

Loved this St. Petersburg landmark...Loews don Cesar Hotel or the "Pink Lady". 

Ooops scratch that...the hotel is actually the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel as pointed out by one of my readers who lived in the area for many years. Thank you Shari!!!

Downtown St. Petersburg is the home of dozens of galleries and cultural venues.

Michael even found a new friend!

There are also a multitude of places to dine in the downtown district as well. I had a fabulous fish taco for lunch at 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House.

We then took a little drive over to Snell Isle to take a gander at some of it's luxury homes.

I love Banyan trees and there were two huge ones located in North Straub Park.

Now I ask you what kid can say "no" to climbing a Banyan tree???

Not mine that's for sure!!!

We even carved out a little bit of time to spend exploring the beach.

It was a wonderful day in St. Pete!

XO

Sharing this post at link parties over at these wonderful blogs...

Savvy Southern Style

Thoughts from Alice

San Diego California

My sweet bloggy friend Judy, author of the blog Gold Country Cottage, just returned from a month long visit in San Diego California. She recently posted her beautiful photos of this fabulous city and in doing so she brought back memories for me of my own trip to the west coast and the time I spent in San Diego.  After reading Judy's post I decided to dig through my old photos which were uploaded to an external hard drive a couple years back. So here is my story along with a few of the photos I found...

Donna in front of the statue called "Unconditional Surrender" in Mole park San Diego

In January of 2011 my very close friend Donna asked me if I'd like to join her on a trip she was going to make for work out to beautiful San Diego California. She is a Nurse Practitioner and had to attend a 4 day conference at the convention center in San Diego. This invitation came on the heels of one of the absolutely most terrible times of my life...the passing of my wonderful brother-in-law, my sister's husband Charlie. So of course I was ready for a little diversion of sorts and spending time with Donna in a place I had never been to before, well to me the sounded like the best medicine in the world.

San Diego's weather, simply put, is Phe-nom-en-al!!! 

The temps are typically in the low 70's all year round with not very much rain. And for being right on the Pacific ocean I am here to tell you that there is no humidity there despite it being a coastal city, so every day is a "good hair day"!

In the harbor just across from Mole Park floats the USS Midway which is now a museum. The midway was decommissioned in 1992 after an unprecedented 47 years of service. 

And what is a trip to San Diego without visiting their world famous zoo?

We also took a jog through PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres!

While in San Diego Donna and I stayed in the historic Gaslamp District which is loaded with fabulous places to dine. The Italian eatery is right next to the Irish pub which is across the street from the Afghan Restaurant. But our favorite place to hang out was at the wine bar called 

The Grape.

823 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

I also found a number of quaint stores and boutiques available for my shopping pleasure in the Gaslamp District. This what I was doing while Donna was attending her conferences.

The convention center itself was enormous and sat right on the water's edge adjacent to yet another marina.

The architecture of this city is so striking!!! Such a beautiful mix of old and new.

The last night we were in San Diego we took the ferry over to Coronado...

Hotel Del Coronado

...to catch a sunset...  

...watch a full moon rise...

...and take a ferry ride back home.

 This was after all the just medicine I needed to forge ahead with the next several months of sadness as we all struggled with the loss of our beloved Charlie. Some day I would love to revisit this wonderful place. 

Thank you so much Donna for the memories!!!

XO 

Linking this post up to these wonderful blog parties...

The Tablescaper