Monday, December 12, 2011

We Love Washington, DC, #22

This weekend we took in two of Washington's annual holiday events.  First, we headed to Zoo Lights at the National Zoo, which we did last year as well, but the boys are bigger this year and, I think, had more fun.
 
 Can you see them in this picture?  Caleb is on the left and Isaac is on the right.  They are each holding a stuffed, miniature walrus that we "won" for filling out some surveys.

 Isaac was desperate to have his picture taken over and over again.  And, since he was cooperating, not his normal modus operandi, I was happy to oblige.

In between the lights we visited the small mammals, the reptile house and the great apes.  Not surprisingly, most of the animals were sleeping, but we did see a fair amount of snakes and lizards doing their nocturnal thing.

 The National Zoo is built on a hill with the main entrance at the top.  So, you walk down the whole way and then have to trudge back up to exit.  This photo was taken before Caleb realized that fact. 
Isaac again, happily posing.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, we went to DAR Constitution Hall to see/hear the US Army Band "Pershing's Own" perform their annual Holiday concert.  It was a free concert and lots of fun and something we have never done before.  The boys happily bounced and clapped along with the music before both drifted off to the lilting sounds of "O Holy Night."  We woke them when Santa Claus came, though, never want to miss an opportunity to see the big guy himself.  We didn't have great seats, but we were unwilling to arrive an hour early to compete with the busloads of retirees who attended the concert just for a better view.

Happy, though slightly sleepy, concert-goers.

On our way back to the car we passed a statue we have driven past many times.  It is of Jose de San Martin, an Argentinian general who was ultimately responsible for the liberation of Argentina, Peru, and Chile from Spain.

This is not the first time a member of our family has posed with a statue dedicated to this man.  Here I am more than 4 years ago in the Plaza San Martin in Lima, Peru.  We have now, apparently, come full circle with our visits to monuments to Jose de San Martin.

The gift of this statue was made the United States by the government of Argentina, hence the fact that San Martin's accomplishments in Chile and Peru are only mentioned as afterthoughts on the commemorative plaque. 

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