Day Two, Part One

The beginning of our second day.  

The kids were Metro veterans.  They thought it was big fun to stand while it was moving.  I didn't mind as long as the car wasn't full.

One of many Washington Monument pictures.  I won't bore you with all of them.  Just my favs.

The day started out rainy and foggy which, in the beginning proved a little challenging.  We were not quite prepared.  Only three of us had rain jackets and we had no umbrella.  But, when we got off the Metro stop there were vendors selling them.  How convenient!

Our first stop was the Museum of Natural History.  We were there for four hours!!  So, I have decided to break up my posts so as to be able to post all of the pictures I took.  It was my favorite museum.  (Have I said that before?)  We could have stayed there all day.  By the time we left it had stopped raining!!  And kind of dried off.

I took a picture of the castle but we never did make it there.  If memory serves me correctly, it just was a welcoming center of sorts.

Our first stop was the exhibit with all the gems and stones and rocks.  Oh my!!  I was so taken with the colors and shapes.  Just the beauty of what God has created inside the earth.  Vibrant, unique, intriguing!  I believe this is an emerald.  The camera (or operator) wasn't able to get good pictures.  I don't know if it was the lighting or the reflection in the glass.  But, my pictures do not do this wonders much justice.

These were earrings worn by Marie Antoinette.  Nature Girl had just read about her so that was cool.

Little Mama next to her birth stone, Amethyst.  Coincidentally, LM was dressed in purple as well.  It made for a pretty picture.

The little kids were excited to be able to touch something and not get in trouble!!

This was spectacular!!  It was all different colors of quartz, I believe.  Just like a rainbow!

The shapes and colors and the way these things grew was just so astounding to me.  I stood in awe of most of what I saw.  Again, my pictures did not do these creations and colors justice.

Naturally radioactive rocks.  Kind of cool as long as they are behind glass.

I believe a  man made display of how quartz can be found in nature.

This is a picture of how one type of mineral or rock or something could be found, naturally, in many different shapes.

A magnetic rock.  I think it was hit by lightening.

The Hope Diamond.  Again, my photographic skills were lacking.  It is such an amazing piece of jewelery.

Now, this picture I think I got right!!  I took it out the window of the Museum.  One of the workers was taking the exact same picture.  The next bunch of pictures, later, will be of the other exhibits we visited while in the museum.  Swimming creatures or some such thing if I remember correctly . . .