Mount Vernon is a gorgeous place to visit and the last time I was there was with my father and grandparents in the 1990’s. Since then, they’ve built a beautiful education center and museum. And I completely forgot to mention the weather, warm, breezy, but not humid! Very “un-Virginia” for early summertime, just beautiful and perfect! If you don’t know already, Mount Vernon was George and Martha Washington’s estate on the Potomac River. You are not allowed to take any photos inside the main house, but anywhere else you are.
To see the beginning of this mini vacation click here.
Different areas has archaeological digs going on, including at the Slave’s Burial site.
We met a little friend at the original family vault. Can someone identify this lizard?
Inside Washington’s Tomb is both George and his wife Martha.
After paying tribute to the Slaves Burial Ground, we walked down to the river and then to Pioneer Farm.
Here, a gentleman demonstrates to the children how to separate the wheat in order to eat it, as an example of what threshing does in the replica of the 16-sided barn designed by Washington for treading wheat.
I asked if I could take his portrait, and he was very happy to let me, his wife is an artist as well.
Inside the 16-sided barn.
An example of a cabin that the Washington’s slave had lived in. We took the wooded trail back to the mansion and to meet up with the rest of our family for lunch. I wanted to wander around a little before eating….
The buildings were getting repainted while we were there.
As I was wandering around, I spotted a deer near the estate.
On the way back to my aunt and uncle’s home, we stopped at Jefferson’s Memorial. I had never been here before and it was on my list for a long time.
My daughter checking out the view. It took a while, but after patiently waiting, there was a break in the crowd of people, and I got a shot of President Jefferson’s statue without anyone in it.
An engagement session, the light was perfect for it. Across the river you can see the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument. Can you guess whose statue is shown below? Tell me in the comments.
We had done a lot of walking that day, but I want to go back, because I felt that I missed on so many things. Taking my daughter there was great because she had been studying the Revolutionary War and seeing everything that day was important to her.
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/P6280764WashingtonDCTrip.jpg525900Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-07-19 18:10:292019-10-17 17:49:15Personal Mini Family Vacation to Washington, D.C. Parts 3 and 4
I’m very lucky to have close family who live in the Washington, D.C. area, growing up we would visit often, and I have been to just about every museum there. But each time I go, there’s always a surprise that I haven’t seen before. Earlier this summer, my mom and I, took my daughter for the first time and she had some requests on what she wanted to see and loved it.
I didn’t take my Canon gear, just my mirrorless Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, and the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 14-150mm f4.0-5.6 II lens. Yes, one day I will get some faster glass for it 😉 I did consider renting for this trip, but at the last minute didn’t. These are just personal, travel photo snapshots, I have more to show you in other posts coming up.
When we arrived, we took a little break, then headed out to the Capital to view the monuments at sunset and in the evening lights. The last time I was here at the Vietnam Memorial was to see my father, a Vietnam Vet, in the parade back in November of 1982. He is in the front row for New Jersey(each state had a section in the parade) for helping to lead and contribute to this powerful wall. Many didn’t want this and didn’t like the design. Each item that is left at the wall is kept safe by the National Park Service. I still can’t find any full length video of the parade from the 1982 dedication. If you’re interested, C-SPAN has the dedication in their archives. If anyone who reads this does have the parade in full, I would love a link to it for my father and others, please leave a comment below.
My dad is right in the middle wearing a long beige coat and has a camera around his neck, on either side of him are two men wearing camo fatigues as he’s in the parade for the Vietnam Memorial Dedication and for all of the men and women who served in the war, they finally got the welcome home they deserved. But there was still a long way to go at the time, and to this day.
That’s me in the blue sweater holding my cousin’s hand with my Grandma Martin at the Vietnam Memorial for the first time, I think I’m around 8-9 years old.Here I am with my Grandma and Grandpa Martin, holding my cousin’s hand. I was also biting my nails, and it looks like grandma had something in her eye. The Washington Monument is behind us. And yes, I’m wearing saddle shoes, I was really into them at the time, I loved those things 🙂 I’m not sure who took these photos, my Uncle Bob and my Grandpa Martin, or my mom. We had a lot of cameras as you can see. Grandpa Martin also shot a lot of Kodachrome, so one of these days I would love to see what he captured, I have his cameras as part of my collection. The watermark is there to “hopefully” deter people, no matter who shot these pictures.
These images shot at night were all handheld.
Our daughter is really into spies and mysteries, so the International Spy Museum was at the top of her list.
They have a really cool James Bond 007 exhibit, I didn’t post everything, so that I won’t spoil it for you. But I couldn’t help but post Jaw’s teeth!
Oh and this mask, can you guess which James Bond film it’s from? Tell me in the comments below 🙂 After the spy museum, The National Portrait Gallery is right across the street, so we ate some lunch and went there. I haven’t been inside since I was a little girl, the courtyard didn’t have the roof overtop of it back then. First, the Hall of Presidents, this is a Chuck Close portrait of President Bill Clinton.
Then we wandered around, taking in as much as we could.
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/P6260189.jpg666900Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-07-19 14:57:082019-10-17 17:49:28Personal Mini Family Vacation to Washington, D.C. Parts 1 and 2
I continued to walk when I heard music and saw these three protesting something. Naturally curious, I asked what was going on. Bikers For Trump were behind them. Okay and then on cue someone walked by saying something totally awful to these three because of who they were protesting, etc. Unbelievable.
So I went to check it all out. They were playing music from an iPod(I think) and Kid Rock’s Cowboy played twice. I thought it was funny, because I kind of like that song, but wondered what that had to do with anything. The two people here in the middle were pretty cool to chat with, we spoke about music and I was digging her boots 🙂 All in all, it was very peaceful, some heated discussions, but that was to be expected. I showed them my Press Pass and was polite, taking photos. I’ve found that being friendly with everyone is the best thing, no matter what. We all have a voice and a right to be heard.
A young man(he appeared to be of Latino background) from Georgia and this woman were having a discussion about slavery. He then had to back off and Google Jim Crow…. Here she is with her three fabulous and beautiful friends, just like her 😀 You had just educated someone that day, remember that. Don’s Johns were locked up in this area. You may have heard or read about someone covering up the logo for the Inauguration? People were leaving their signs in places to be noticed, in remembrance… Mother and daughter…. This woman’s granddaughter made her sign for that day, it’s one of my favorites too. The sun was setting, the clouds were grey, the light was fading fast. But my lens was fast as well to continue to capture this family in front of Abe Lincoln’s statue at the top of the stairs of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. These two best little girlfriends at the end of a long day with their signs. The line at the Metro station in front of the Archives Building was long! The King of The Metro! Can you see the people waay in the back? Yeah that’s part of the line. I don’t know where to begin either…. But as a business, I do have to pay my taxes every quarter and every year….
No arrests were made.
Half a million people were in Washington D.C. that day.
Millions more worldwide marched.
The Women’s March was an historic event that I will never forget.My sister-in law was there with her daughter, my niece. My aunt and uncle were also there. I only wish that my daughter, husband and other family members could’ve been with me.
My group from NJ had left on their bus, there was no way that I was going to be able to make it. Luckily, I have an aunt and uncle that live in Arlington right off the orange line of the Metro. I didn’t plan to stay overnight, much less 2 nights. As it turned out, I wasn’t able to get a train out of town until Monday morning.
I met so many interesting people, and those that I handed my cards to, I hope that you are reading my blog posts. Please comment and contact me! The group of women that I was photographing for, we met up to eat dinner. I couldn’t find a cab, so I got a rickshaw near the Post Office Pavilion. That is my favorite landmark in the city of D.C. and it’s now A. Hotel….I’ve been told by a women whom I met right before getting on my rickshaw, that it does look great inside, she works for the historic preservation of the building(thanks again for the cheese and grapes!). The guy getting me to dinner was great, he was in the Army, and from Pittsburgh, PA. He once had Drew Cary as a customer, and said that he was really nice. I’ve heard that too.
Yes, I’m loading images using my Wacom tablet, backing them up onto a portable hard drive. Dinner was fun, delish, and full of satisfying conversation. Thank you Karen for the photo!
Sunday I went to Mass at Holy Trinity in Georgetown, this is where we go, my aunt and uncle do many things with the parish. Holy Trinity is my church away from home. After Mass, Mark Shriver was having a talk about his new book with a Q&A and then a book signing afterwards. I really enjoyed listening to him speak, every sentence was a story. I asked him a question regarding his own challenges, writing, and moving forward with this subject even further. I meant to say branching off, but I didn’t get the words out quite the way I wanted to.
Mark Shriver signing his book for my father, and then one for myself.
My uncle took this photo for me with my cell phone.
The rest of that Sunday was quiet, dark and stormy. I worked on my images, drank chai tea and noshed. Spoke to my family in NJ and relaxed as well as I could. The next morning I caught my train at Union Station. These I shot with my iPhone SE.
On the train, it was really crowded, sold out! But everyone was nice, helping each other out. I got some work done, and started to read Mark’s book.
The train was bouncing around a bit…I was punch drunk tired…but not able to sleep, so reading was the perfect anecdote. Getting off at the Trenton, NJ Amtrak/NJTRANSIT station was brisk and windy. No I’m not having a baby, my jacket is puffed out LOL! But I wanted to show you the size of my 25lb bag on me. This is how I was during the entire march. I walked, climbed on top of things, and at one point, jogged/ran. Being a mother, I still had things to do, errands to run and a daughter to pick up from school who was incredibly happy to see her mommy <3 I didn’t sleep until later that night. A HUGE thank you to Becky who organized the bus and everything to get us all down there, the women of UniteWomen.org,(I miss you ladies already!), everyone whom I met and had conversations with, especially the women who lives in/near Union Station, my fingers are crossed for you. Another big hug and thank you to my aunt and uncle who I was able to stay with. Thank you both for EVERYTHING, I love you so very much!
And of course, THANK YOU to my husband, my daughter and my parents. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to have gone down. I love you all <3
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WomensMarchWashDC2017Deirdre-Ryan-PhotographyP1210834.jpg714950Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-01-27 04:30:312019-10-17 17:53:12The Women's March in Washington, D.C. Part 4
This is what Democracy looks like! This is what Democracy looks like! This is what Democracy Sounds like! This is what Democracy Sounds like!
Over and over the chanting through the crowds like a battlecry to make the voices heard and to let others know that once the day was over, it was going to continue. You may ask, well where were these people during the elections and for voting? They were there all along. What was the Women’s March about? Read the signs, look at the people, I saw Christians, Muslims, Pagans, Asians, American Indians, Blacks, Spanish, not just Caucasian. People from all walks of life too. You can’t tell a book by it’s cover, instead talk to them and listen to their stories. As I type this up now, the news is not good regarding healthcare, immigrants, the Dakota pipeline, our children’s education and so much more. Even NJ’s Pinelands are being threatened by a pipeline, and another just 3-4 miles away from where I live.
The Onondowa’ga’ American Indians with the Onondaga Nation’s (“People of the Hills”) flag. We are Onondowa’ga’
The Onondowa’ga’:
Have a Matrilineal Society
Respect Women and Elders
Honor Mother Earth
Give Thanks Daily
The Onondowa’ga’ are smart.
Be like the Onondowa’ga’.
I managed to get inside the rally with my backpack, it weighed 25 lbs, on me it was huge, as I’m just 5’0 and around 100lbs. I was super polite and determined to get through the crowd. And then I came to a fence. No one would let me in because even though I had a press pass, I wasn’t able to get the Media Credentials. Security said that I should’ve gotten there sooner. Well I tried, but the crowds were crazy, my bus was parked in MD, and it took longer than expected to get there. I was upset, exhausted, sore and more than anything, disappointed. Disappointed because I wanted to do the very best job that I was asked to do, and I was sooo close to getting to the stage. So I’m just standing there, catching my breath, figuring out my next move while taking some photos. I then hear a woman say to me, you’re making me feel uncomfortable. Thinking that I had hit her with my bag, I immediately said I’m sorry, that I was with an organization and was trying to do my job of documenting the event. I showed her my pass, and yet she kept talking….I’m very uncomfortable with you and your backpack…I’m still not getting it. I had not been able to eat lunch yet, so I said, I’m sorry what? She said, Boston? Backpack? You weren’t checked in by security, so I’m very uncomfortable with you being here. Once again, patiently I said, politely explained who I was with, etc., and she kept going on and on. Finally I was like, where can I go? You’re making me uncomfortable by saying these things to me, you know what’s uncomfortable? Carrying around my gear, all day, gladly, and not being able to go to a certain point to do my job! Then the other women around me started telling her to be quiet, and that I was just fine, and that we are all here to support one another. She finally stopped, but really there’s always one person….
As you can see, I was really close, and don’t think I wasn’t tempted to make a jump for it. But after much thought, I decided I needed to get out of there as the march was going to start really soon at this point. So once again, I wiggled out of there, excuse me please, excuse me please, thank you, excuse me please, excuse me please, thank you, until I got out. My name that day was The Excuse Me Please Girl with the Big Camera Backpack….
Back on C St., everyone was filing out, and somewhere the march had started…. I loved this guy <3
Someone was listening to me…Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richard was walking right by me and a large awesome group of women gathered around her for a group shot. Thank you!!!
I found another pile of steel to stand up on, so I climbed up and had fun!
This mother and her daughters were chanting, this is what Democracy looks like! This is what Democracy sounds like!
Entire families were there. My aunt, uncle, sister-in law and my niece were somewhere there too! I tried to find them, but phones, and connections didn’t work very well that day.
I loved how people would stop in front of me so that I could take their picture. Many people were there from Standing Rock. By now I was hearing drums….
Love her sunglasses, Pink Batgirl!
Pure joy….
I actually ran into friends on this busy corner! The woman on the left wearing the green jacket is one of my daughter’s Girls On The Run coaches from NJ! By then I HAD to eat. I stood in line, ordered and ate for about an hour from one of the food trucks. I got swayed by the delicious smells of chicken and french fries. After eating, I made my way around, taking more photos….the march has pretty much ended it seemed in this area.
Abe Lincoln still commands… People on the stage were still speaking… I just followed everyone and found great people and their signs… These two 16 year olds were being interviewed….
I said something funny and wrong to get their reactions…
I took their photos with their cell phones, and then I took one with mine, an even trade…
My hair had reached the point of no return at that point, but I got my picture.
So why did everyone march? To be heard, to be seen, to show everyone in the senate, the congress, in the White House, that women, children and men won’t sit down and do nothing. Read the signs they are carrying, they have real concerns, look at those who are in wheelchairs, or look to yourself if you have a pre-existing health condition.
More people showed up for this than the Inauguration, that’s a proven FACT. This march wasn’t just held in Washington, D.C., but in cities, towns, and countries all over the world. Even in the Antarctic there was a protest. If all of this is going on, with MILLIONS protesting, then you must be really “not liked very much”…..something’s got to give.
Stay tuned for a continuation of this story in another post. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! Thank you!
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WomensMarchWashDC2017Deirdre-Ryan-PhotographyP1210442-1.jpg713950Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-01-26 02:57:302019-10-17 17:53:29The Women's March in Washington D.C. Part 3
It took a REALLY long time to make it to Washington, D.C. I mean every single Metro stop was jam packed with people trying to get on the trains. It was very warm, I felt like I over dressed, and I’m thinking that I’m so glad that I packed a travel sized deodorant!
We got off at one station and wow! There was no way that I could get through. Then I spotted someone with a Press Pass and asked him where C St. was and he said he had to go to that area as well. So we both went back to the trains, and got back on and got off at Federal Station SW Station. Getting out of there took a long time too. But once we broke free into the cooler air, it felt not only better, but the excitement, the sense of knowing that you were meant to be here was so strong! Immediately I started to take photos and so did he.
I found a great place to get a better view of the masses of men, women, and children, all carrying these fabulous and creative signs. I mean, they were really awesome, some were truly works of art. People came by in using crutches, wheelchairs, canes, families had their babies and children in strollers, slings, carrying them on their shoulders. Teens, tweens and elementary school kids came by all with their signs, chanting, singing, I mean it was amazing. The masses kept coming and coming and coming. And this was just to get into the rally to hear people speak. Of course there was a group of extreme Christians, blaring Bible quotes into a speakerphone across the street. They kept turning up the volume. Everyone gets to have a voice 🙂
This ambulance had to get by, and once everyone got back together behind it I yelled out something about ambulance chasers. People thought that was really funny 😉
The man on the far right is Kyle Edward Cranston, of WUSB 90.1 FM of Stony Brook, Long Island, NY. Kyle helped me find my way around the Metro after realizing the first stop was so bad, we both couldn’t get through. He’s a Reporter, Commentary and Producer for A Woman’s Perspective on Politics with Zabby!! Thanks for your help and great conversation Kyle!
I loved this sign that simply said…Ugh!
This young woman next to me was with her mom who was live Tweeting I think, was shouting out anti-Trump and positive women chants for the crowds. It was really great!
As you can see, my hair completed frizzed out so much, it lost it’s curl and became very fluffy LOL! Photo by Kyle Edward Cranston.
I personally love the Catholics For Choice group….
This was great! A pink pussy cat shaped like a traditional Chinese Dragon used to celebrate New Year’s.
I got my picture taken a few times too!
This woman stopped right in front of me so that I could take her picture, I didn’t have to ask her to do anything.
A group of women were from NY holding up beautiful handpainted Statue of Liberty torches.
This was Part 2, Part 3 is coming up with new images, stay tuned! Did you see Part 1 yet?
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WomensMarchWashDC2017Deirdre-Ryan-PhotographyP1210400.jpg714950Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-01-25 02:35:142019-10-17 17:57:37The Women's March in Washington, D.C. Part 2
After reaching out to my other friends in the press and media, I contacted Unite Women to see if I could freelance for this in order to get a Press Pass and enable me to bring my camera gear on the march without the need of a clear plastic backpack. I was granted one if I could shoot the event for them. Of course I said yes!
Myself and several other women, men and 2 small children, drove down from Hamilton, NJ by bus starting at 5:15 AM, but I carpooled with friends to the bus at 4:15AM, so I was up by 3AM.
We ended up having to park in Maryland, and take a Metro subway into the Washington, D.C. from there. It took over an hour. The line was incredibly long, but I used my Press Pass, politely cut in line, and got on the very next train.
I had my Think Tank photo backpack with my Olympus mirrorless camera, three lenses, a flash, a Camelback water bottle, various other essential stuff like reusable batteries, etc., but the main heavy item was my 15″ MacBook Pro. All in all it weighed about 25 lbs which I ended up carrying on my back and shoulders all day long. Yes, it hurt…no I didn’t complain really. But I’ll get to that later.
I met the most incredible people, we helped each other out, shared stories, laughed, and spoke out about an uncertain and scary future with Donald Trump in the White House.
There are more images coming up in a second and third blog post….
Part of our NJ group waiting in the ENORMOUS line in Maryland at the Metro station….
The woman above is a Marine mom and works in marketing 🙂
This woman is gay and is married to another woman, and is a New Yorker film maker with her friend who was also on the subway. Check out their channel Quesodigital.com! I cannot wait to see what they’ll post from the march! Listening to the live broadcast of Gloria Stein at the March on her cellphone during the few times we had service on the crowded Metro line.
This was a beautiful service dog all ready for the march!
Stay tuned for more images and my experience from my beautiful weekend!
https://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WomensMarchWashDC2017Deirdre-Ryan-PhotographyP1210201.jpg1265950Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-01-23 05:48:402019-10-17 17:53:44The Women's March Washington D.C. Part 1
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