Today I'm taking a break from posts about Portugal to share some photos from our weekend trip to Washington DC. Our friends Lana and Dean were in New York last week from San Francisco, and Friday night we all drove down to Washington DC to visit Lana's sister Lauren and her husband Martin. Lauren and Martin recently moved to Bethesda, and incredibly I had never been to Washington DC, so we took a one-day tour of the National Mall followed by dinner and drinks. We didn't have time to tour the many terrific museums, but we did pop into the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Otherwise, we enjoyed nearly perfect weather for seeing the many monuments in the area. I'd like to return this winter to tour the museums, and I'm sure we'll come back to see the dozens of other monuments that didn't make the cut this year. Many thanks to Lauren and Martin for being terrific hosts, and enjoy the photos! (Note: I've added a few "before & after" shots in here so you can see the unedited original versus the post-processed result. These are indicated in the captions). White House facade with tourists on the lawn

Ready to start the tour: Martin, Lauren, Lana, Dean & Jessica
Washington Monument tall obelisk against blue sky
The Whitehouse (click to enlarge & see original unedited photo)
Tourists posing in front of Washington Monument
Me & Jessica at the Whitehouse
WWII Memorial fountain with reflective pools
The Washington Monument (click to enlarge & see original unedited original photo)
Washington Monument casting long shadow at dusk
The Washington Monument from the World War II Memorial
WWII Memorial golden columns and stonework detail
Fountains at the World War II Memorial
US Capitol Building dome from the front
Jessica at the World War II Memorial
National Archives building entrance with columns
Re-enacting a famous scene from Christmas Story: I double-dog dare you...
Declaration of Independence displayed in National Archives
Long shadows at the Washington Monument
Group dinner at Central Oyster Bar Washington DC
The US Capitol Building (click to enlarge & see unedited original photo)
Washington DC Metro station escalators underground
The National Archives (click to enlarge & see original unedited photo)
Metro train car interior with passengers
I toast the tour group at Central
Metro platform waiting area with signage
Oysters at happy hour
Bethesda Maryland street scene suburban
Waiting on the Metro for the ride home
Evening street with historic buildings Bethesda
Lauren, Martin & Dean on the Metro