Illuminating the Washington Monument Under Earthquake Repair

Newly illuminated Washington Monument scaffodling, Ellipse, Washington DC 

In August, 2011, the District of Calamity was rocked with a magnitude 5.8 earthquake.  This unusual East Coast temblor caused damage to several iconic landmarks between the beltways, including  several pinnacles of the Washington National Cathedral and the Washington Monument.

Surveying earthquake damage 2011

The large obelisk on the Ellipse known as the Washington Monument suffered significant damage to the exterior and interior masonry, the lighting protection system and the elevator. Some of the stones had cracks all the way through. Mortar is missing between some pieces which was shaken loose by the bad vibrations at the top.  In one case, a massive stone shifted a thumbs length out of line.  The worst of the damage was 470 feet up the 555 foot structure.

After the damage survey was conducted in 2011, it took 20 months to implement the 18 month restoration plan and erect the scaffolding.  The some of the scaffolding had been around the Washington Monument for so long that when out of town visitors generically asked about the construction on the Mall, it was easy to mistake their inquiry to be about the 17th Street canal.  Congress allotted half of the $15 million Washington Monument restoration costs and businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein stepped in and  bankrolled the additional $7.5 million.

To make the necessary scaffolding more aesthetic, the Washington Monument scaffolding was recently illuminated.  The National Parks Service contemplating doing this on Independence Day, but did not want to take away from the Fourth of July fireworks experience.




h/t: Huffington Post

A God Forsaken Beer Commercial

A new advertisement campaign by Samuel Adams Brewing from Boston, Massachusetts has an "Independent" take on our founding fathers declaration:
  

 

The namesake of this brewery would certainly have qualms about this God-forsaken omission. Samuel Adams opined: 

But the brewery was not the first to lop off "endowed by their Creator".  President Obama was infamous for not reading those lines about our Creator  off the teleprompter when reciting patriotic phrases.

Capitol Visitors' Center,Washington, DC

This advertising omission is just another instance of secular humanists trying to re-write history and claim that our Founding Fathers were atheists and to deny  the importance of a God centered revolution to bestow liberty upon America. The $621 million Capitol Visitors Center initially tried to pass off "E Pluribus Unum" as the national motto instead of "In God We Trust".   This was corrected only after 108 lawmakers backed Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA 4th) protested to the Architect of the Capitol for this historical inaccuracy.  

Washington Monument Capstone Replica, Washington, DC 

There was considerable controversy in 2007 when the "Laus Deo"  inscription on the replica capstone of the Washington Monument was   obscured.  The National Park Service promised to correct what it characterized as a stupid mistake. Praise God that that they felt the heat and then saw the light. 

Perhaps the Samuel Adams Brewing  ad was just another isolated incident of forsaking the faith of our founding fathers.  But as Independence Day approaches, we ought to toast the unalienable rights granted by our Creator for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. 

Snapshots from the Cherry Blossom's Peak Bloom

[Photo BD Matt]

Last year, during the 100th anniversary of Japan's gift to the United States of Cherry Blossom trees,  peak bloom had come and gone before the festival even began.  Fortunately, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is more than about the flowers, and has such activities as the Bloom Kite Festival.

In 2013, the National Park Service thrice had made predictions of when the peak bloom would be at the Tidal Basin.  This year peak bloom actually occurred on April 9th.

[Photo: BD Matt]

  

The Cherry Blossoms are a time when Washingtonians can appreciate the beauty of Spring in the City of Monuments before the oppressive heat hits the swamp where the District of Calamity (sic) is situated.

Alas, this year Mother Nature seems to have given Spring a miss, so we went straight from winter chill to summer mugginess.  
  

[Photo credit: Gail Broeckel]

   

[Photo credit:  Gail Broeckel]

[Photo: BD Matt]

[Photo: BD Matt]

The District of Columbia War Memorial is a forgotten jewel in West Potomac Park which is enhanced by the beauty of the Cherry Blossoms.




The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was dedicated in 2011.  The severe Stone of Hope portrayal of Dr. King in the 30 foot granite sculpture by artist Lei Yixin is softened by the blossoming of the Cherry Trees.

[Photo: BD Matt]

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