Now With Cherry Blossoms

First order of business when I arrived in DC was to find a way to get pictures of the monuments with cherry blossoms featured in them somewhat prominently. I was worried at first, since the wind was blowing something fierce, and I was dragging around a suitcase, but I managed to get a few shots in my first hour on the ground. You can see the Supreme Court above, with some vivid pink blossoms in the foreground. (This is similar to the shot I posted here on the blog as a sort of teaser for my trip, but I shot that one on the other side of the courtyard.) And below is the Capitol Building, with a different, less showy species of cherry blooming in the foreground.

Why did I have to get these monument & blossom pictures, you may ask? Well, it turns out that at the same time I was taking these pictures, I was missing an appointment with my dental hygienist back in Florida. She had called the day before to remind me of the appointment, which I had completely forgotten about, and I had to reschedule. She said that wasn't a problem, so long as I brought here some pictures like these. So I made sure to get these first. Now I have to remember to print them out and carry them to the dentist with me. If I could only remember the rescheduled date for that appointment...

The High Court

OK, I made it through a long plane ride, three different trains, and a pitiful bit of bowling, but here I am in Baltimore. I even had an hour or two to kill in DC, so I checked out some of the sites. The cherry trees are in full bloom! Very impressive.

Silent Protest

When I walked past the Supreme Court in DC a couple of weeks ago, these two were standing out front, at the bottom of the courthouse steps, protesting something or other. I didn't stop to ask, and I'm pretty sure they couldn't have told me anyway, since their mouths were taped shut. The girl was pregnant, so I'm guessing it was a pro-life thing. I'd hoped to get a shot of them pulling off the tape to get a drink, but I got bored waiting and headed off for some photos elsewhere. Oh, wait. Detailed examination of the picture reveals that the red tape on their mouths says 'Life'. I guess that makes them a member of this group. I love the Internets!

The Highest Court

Here it is, the Supreme Court, the last say when it comes to the law of the land. I stumbled on it almost by accident during my time in DC. I wasn't going by the map, I was just wandering from site to site, trying to take it all in. I remember it wasn't far from the US Capitol, on the way to Union Station. Or something like that, it's been almost two months since I was there for two days, so I don't have much memory to go on. Pretty impressive place, too, but oddly deserted when I was there. I guess it's off the beaten tourist path somewhat, and not as glamorous as Air And Space, or the Washington Monument.

Just for the record, there is not a statue of a lady out front wearing a blindfold and carrying some scales to weigh out equal justice. I was a bit disappointed by that.