Virginia and Washington DC 2023

An angel prays atop a grave marker at the Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia. There are all kinds of angel figures at cemeteries, especially older cemeteries. And in some ways, especially as they age and the weather starts to deteriorate some of their features, the angels start to look just a little creepy. So with Halloween just around the corner (at the time of this writing), I thought I would share a few that we saw in Winchester.

During our trip to Winchester, Virginia, and Washington, DC, we visited the Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester. If you know much about Laura and me, you know we love a good cemetery. And this one had lots of interesting history. Here is just a little of what we saw. For starters, the Gatehouse at the Mount Hebron Cemetery was an impressive structure. Although you cannot see it well here, you enter the cemetery by driving through an arched opening at the center of the building.

A Tucker 48 automobile is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, as seen during our July 2023 visit. One of the distinctive features of a Tucker 48 is its third headlight in the center of the car. That headlight would turn when the front wheels turned, illuminating the road in the direction of travel. There were only 51 Tucker autos ever produced, all in 1947 and 1948, before the Tucker Corporation was forced into bankruptcy due to negative publicity.

The steam locomotive Jupiter of the Santa Cruz Railroad is on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. As we were wandering through the museum, Laura and I both saw the Jupiter at the same time. Laura said, “Did you know they have a train in here?” I did not, because if I had known, we would have gone to find it earlier in our visit.

The exterior of the Lincoln Memorial, built to honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln, in Washington, DC. During our July 2023 visit to Washington, I wanted to be sure to see the Lincoln Memorial. I have long admired our 16th President. His way of thinking, his sense of humor, and his compassion are always admirable to me. Perhaps you remember how we found a Lincoln site in Tolono, Illinois, or our visit to one of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate sites.

Clouds create an interesting pattern behind the Washington Monument in Washington, DC. At the end of July, Laura and I took a trip with our friend Karen to Winchester, Virginia. Our main goal was to see Karen’s daughter Katie in two shows. But we also visited Washington, DC, on two different days. Laura had never been there before, and I had last been there 35 years ago, so we were excited to see some of the sights, including museums and monuments.