Washington National Cathedral

*Forgive me if this comes to your email twice. I tried publishing this at 6:30 am but it hasn’t gone through so I recreated the post and am trying it again.*

Continuing a photo journal of our adventures from week two, visiting family, in Arlington, Virginia (showing one to three…photos a day).

The impressive nave and chancel of the National Cathedral. It filled up for the advent service.

Sunday, November 30, was the first Sunday of Advent, and it was a special one. We went to an advent service in the Washington National Cathedral.

Heavenly voice and Bible readings filled the spectacular cathedral, and made for a memorable event.

Gary and I decided to take an overnight trip up to Pennsylvania to visit Gary’s family. His hometown is only about three hours away from where we were staying in Virginia, so we got up early Monday morning and drove to Pennsylvania for an over night visit.

One perspective of the farm where Gary grew up, in Pennsylvania.

We stopped at his younger sister’s farm for a visit. Then, we drove to the farm where Gary grew up. The friendly Mennonite folks who live there invited us in for a chat. They are lovely people.

Another perspective of the farm…this is the field where one of my favorite pictures was taken of our two young boys running in the field.

Later that evening, a lot of family members joined us for a dinner out, even though it was last minute.

We decided to drive back Tuesday morning, forgoing another farm visit to Gary’s other sister’s farm, simply because it was snowing and slick driving conditions. But we were grateful to be able to take this time to reconnect…our short stay was very enjoyable.

On Wednesday we ran errands and did some laundry and just hung out. Zoey and I made enchiladas for dinner.

We were ready again on Thursday to take the Metro into the city. The Metro is such a great system. We stopped at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, honoring the 34th U.S. President, on our way to the United States Botanic Garden.

The Lincoln Memorial model made of plant parts.

There was plenty to see indoors with special December exhibits: models of DC landmarks made from plant parts, and thousands of poinsettias were placed in groups all around the gardens.

A lovely display of pink/white poinsettias…I don’t think I’ve seen this sweet color of poinsettias before.

Next, we walked to the White House to check out the new ballroom construction, but we couldn’t see a thing.

After school the kids helped us count the miscellaneous coins the family had accumulated over the year. The bank said the coins had to be counted and put in wrappers. It turned out to be a fun project…and profitable.

Fun looking at and counting all the coins, and finding several foreign coins in the mix.

We went up to the rooftop to observe December’s full moon, Thursday December 4.

Lunch on Friday was in DuPont Circle. We met friends who were former neighbors in Northfield for many years. They moved to the DC area a few years ago.

We had a lovely lunch with our friends from Minnesota.

We arranged to meet at a restaurant along the Metro line so both parties could just hop on the Metro. We had a great time. As we walked back to the Metro station we stopped at a pop-up Christmas Market which was fun to peruse. There was leftover dusting of snow on trees and roses… it felt “Christmassy.”

Still swinging on the playground. The previous dusting of snow melted.

Zoey had Portuguese lessons again on Saturday. We went on another pleasurable walk with Ezra. Mid-afternoon we walked to a park near their apartment. The kids still enjoy play grounds. We stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home. It’s never too cold for ice cream.

I have never been to the National Cathedral, but have always wanted to see it. Since we were going to be in the Washington D.C. area during holy week, I checked out the cathedral’s schedule. There was a lot going on. I settled on buying tickets to see the Cathedral in Bloom.

The magnificent cathedral is lavishly decorated with flowers for Easter and they keep the bouquets fresh throughout the following week for people to enjoy, adding more beauty to the already impressive architecture.

So once again, we took off with the grandchildren to go exploring.

The Episcopal cathedral was chartered by congress in 1893 and established on Mount St. Alban (the highest point in the city). In 1907 the cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt. The construction slowed during periods of economic hardship, so the building wasn’t completed until 1990.

“Our” National Cathedral is for all people. “This Cathedral holds a unique place at the intersection of sacred and civic life. …we strive to serve God and our neighbors as agents of reconciliation; as a trusted voice of moral leadership; and as a sacred space where the country gathers during moments of national significance.”*

Looking up to the rose window on the outside.

Looking out the rose window from the inside.

“In a city of monuments and memorials, this Cathedral stands apart as a vibrant community of people called together to serve and renew the world around us. Our founders envisioned this Cathedral as a sacred space where the nation could gather in good times and in bad.”*

This amazing Easter Lily bouquet had a matching bouquet flanked on the other side of this entryway.

We used a self-guided tour brochure to find our way around the massive building.

I enjoyed this space stained-glass window so I took a photo. I learned later that the small eye in the large red circle is a piece of moon rock brought back by the astronauts of Apollo 11 and given to the Cathedral by NASA

I enjoyed the gothic architecture, stained-glass windows and myriads of flowers.

The Pilgrim Observation Gallery on the 7th floor.

There was a striking observation gallery on the 7^th floor, offering great views of the city.

There were several smaller chapels throughout the cathedral.

Resurrection Chapel: the walls were floor to ceiling Mosaics depicting stories of Jesus.

I have noticed the choir section on television, when I’ve watched special events at the cathedral. Although there were no flowers on the choir seats, the dark, rich, carved wooden benches were stunning.