Teach Carl travels to Washington D.C. (National Mall and National Zoo)

On our second full day in Washington D.C., we drove to the National Zoo, paid $25 for parking, and took the Metro to Union Station. Then we took the Circulator around the National Mall to see all the monuments and memorials.

It was a very long escalator ride to catch the Metro.

Washington Monument (closed) 

Jefferson Memorial 

View from the Jefferson Memorial. 

Inside the Jefferson Memorial. 

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool 

Lincoln Memorial 

World War II Memorial - Atlantic 

View across to the World War II Memorial - Pacific 

View as passing by the United States Capitol building. 

Pandas at the National Zoo.

After we saw the National Mall, we went back to the National Zoo to see the Pandas and other animals, as well as see a show about dinosaurs. Then we drove back to the bed and breakfast.

Spring Break 2018 day 6:

Wow, it was a day full of activities and walking. We changed plans and went to Hot Springs today, because it was a little cool this morning. We started by going to a toy store and then saw a museum with Star Wars and superhero stuff. Then we had breakfast for lunch, (I had hash-brown potatoes, sausage, biscuits, and eggs covered in country gravy, and Destiny had bacon, eggs, and a pancake.), before going to see some model trains and town. After that, we went to an alligator farm and petting zoo. Finally, we went to walk around some nature trails called Garvand Woodland Gardens. We are both tired, but are going to enjoy a good campfire before bed.

Spring Break 2018 day 2:

It was Saint Patrick's Day on Saturday. We went to Burger King for breakfast before going to the zoo. We were at the zoo when they opened the gates at 9 a.m., and stayed at the zoo until 2:45 in the afternoon. We saw lots of animals and even went on a train ride. We had lunch at the zoo, and while walking around after lunch, we found $28 on the ground. Our feet were sore from all the walking by the time we left the zoo, but we still had another stop to make before going back to my father’s house. We drove to the Verizon Arena in time for a real feast. There were games for kids. Destiny had lots of fun. There were a lot of people there. We ate catfish, chicken, buffalo, quail, deer, bear, turkey, and pig. We also heard singers singing songs of praise, and speakers giving their testimony. (The name of this event was called: John 3:16, which is a Bible verse that says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not parish, but have eternal life.” We left about 5:15 p.m. to return to my father’s house about 5:45. Enjoy the pictures.

Beijing Zoo

On the second day of our five day break, we went to the Beijing Zoo. It was a far better zoo than the one in Jiamusi. Since we had already seen a Giant Panda before, we did not pay the extra to see them on this trip. We did buy the combo ticket to see the zoo and the Beijing Aquarium. Some of the exhibits were not open or appeared to have missing animals. For visitors that have seen zoos such as the one in San Diego, this will be a great disappointment and maybe even a little sad. We did not get to see everything, but one of the things that we did see that I liked was the kids area. Just walking around our local community, some people are a little afraid of our middle sized dog. We have found that many people in China are afraid of dogs. For a long time in China, people have not been able to afford having a dog, except for dinner. Now more are starting to have pets. For those kids that don't have a pet, but would like to play with one, the Beijing Zoo offers kids a place to walk and frolic with cats and dogs of all bread and size.

A couple nice days this week.

There were a couple of days this week when it wasn't raining and I wasn't working that we got out and enjoyed the day.

One of those days we went down to the river.

DJ makes new friends every time she goes out.

This is not chocolate. There was a planter nearby that she kept trying to play in.

One of the times none of us were watching, she ran for the planter, not to play, but to eat.

Our zoo has on loan a Giant Panda. There are less than 2,000 in the whole world due to a history of man first hunting them and later clearing forest to make room for cities or more farm land. About 250 pandas live in zoos. They are mostly in the high mountains of central China. We thought this might be something special to see.

Panda's are meat eaters but do not hunt, so they mostly eat bamboo. The Giant Panda eats about 30kg of bamboo every day. There are over 200 kinds of bamboo but they only like about 20 of those. They also eat small animals like birds and mice. In the zoos, they also eat some fruit and special cookies.

Panda's live alone. The females are old enough to have babies at around 6 years old and can only get pregnant once a year. The males fight for the right to be the females mate and after they are forced to leave.

They give birth five months later and the babies are no bigger than an adult human hand. They will nurse from their mother for about eight months and after one year they are as big as a small 10 to 12 year old human child.

Panda's will only raise one cub at a time, so if they have more than one, they have to choose which will live and which will die. The cub is full grown after two years and the mother will make it leave. Pand's live about 20 years in the wild and 30 in zoos.

There are two kinds of panda, the Giant and the Qingling. The Qingling has a smaller head but larger molars. Unlike the familiar black and white for the Giant Panda, the Qingling is dark and light brown in color. There is another animal that lives in the same area as both kinds of panda that is called the Red Panda. The Red Panda is not a panda, but instead is related to the raccoon or skunk, and is much smaller than the panda.

Panda's are the only bears that do not hibernate during winter. They are usually very mild tempered but will fight to protect their young or if they are provoked. An adult panda standing on its back feet can stand about five feet tall and weigh around 160kg.

Dj was so tired after viewing the panda that she had to stop and take a nap sitting on a bench and leaning against her mother. She slept and snored for about an hour.

DJ's newest stuffed toy.

May Day.

This year I nearly get five days off for May Day with only having to work one hour Tuesday evening. We went to the zoo on the first day. This was the first ride we tried after getting in. It's a good thing I took this picture before they got started. DJ doesn't like this ride. She also didn't care for the enclosed Ferris wheel.

We took DJ's stroller with us because some of the hills are a little steep. We knew she would get tired at some point, but she really liked walking around. She is better at going up steps than she is down.

The temperature was middle to upper 60's Fahrenheit with a strong wind from the ESE. DJ didn't care for the bell or the wind.

DJ got stares everywhere we went and several times we had to go around people to avoid stopping. Every time we stopped DJ was surrounded by a crowd.

This is some of the exercise equipment that can be found at several of the parks in the city.

Construction like this can be seen everywhere.

DJ loves her big sissy.

This is what happens at 7pm when you are twenty months old and have a very busy afternoon at the zoo.

On Sunday I took Suzanne to see 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' in 3D starring Brandon Frazier. It was all in Chinese of course, but we still had a good afternoon.