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Celebrating This Amazing Country
Photo Credit: Flickr user Wally Gobetz.
What a remarkable country we have! It is filled with sites of natural beauty, monuments to heroes, paintings, sculptures, museums to honor our past, and institutions that are a tribute to our heritage and unique experiment in government.
Each of us has our favorites, those encounters that have touched us profoundly, changed our outlooks, and expanded our knowledge and appreciation of this country. One place that comes to my mind is the Korean War Veterans Memorial, pictured above (close-ups from the same photographer here and here). Out of all the war memorials in Washington, DC, it’s penetrated my soul with the tragedy of warfare and death like no other. Its grittiness still fills me with sadness and reminds me how fragile life can be.
The National Gallery of Art — also in Washington, DC — is another personal favorite and a place of great beauty. Its collection offers art of every kind from many genres and periods. I’ve only visited a fraction of the galleries, but that’s only because the collection is so substantial. It is, truly, a joy to visit.
Finally, I will forever be in love with Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. It is one of the most beautiful natural settings that I have ever seen. Its colors and formations are breathtaking.
Photo Credit: Flickr user Moyan Brenn.
What are your favorite places, monuments, museums, galleries, memorials in this country? Why do they move you so?
Published in General
Yosemite National Park is my favorite.
The view from the patio of the Santa Catalina Mountains
There is also some man made beauty in the Sonoran Desert.
San Xavier del Bac is still an active mission and has a mission school as well. Although Mass is open to everyone weddings and funerals are reserved for the members of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
I love the Columbia River Gorge just a few miles outside of Portland, Oregon. Breathtaking! Lots of great hikes and hidden waterfalls.
My mother in law cries every time she sees the Korean War Memorial. She was a little girl during the war and she couldn’t believe that these Americans would come all that way to rescue her country from Communism.
The Columbia River Gorge is spectacular. As a long time Oregon resident I still remember the Gorge before wind farms started to appear in some areas of the Gorge.
In the natural world, coming up on Bell Rock on 179 in Arizona. The yellow desert gives way to the red rock of Sedona.
This country has a lot of great city skylines too.
Marvelous pictures, one and all. Got a shiver down my back from the photos at the Korea memorial. I could feel my dad at my side – he served there.
This country is so beautiful in all its contrasting ways. Thank you for helping to remind us of it.
The missions are such a tribute to the church, although not everyone says so. We had the Mission San Juan Capistrano where the swallows used to return; there was a drop-off in their returning when we lived nearby, and I don’t know if they’ve ever re-established their presence. Your photos are truly beautiful, Doug.
Bless her heart. I have a good friend who fought in that war, and I will pass that on. Thank you–and thank her.
Sending your dad deep gratitude, Mole-eye, wherever he may be.
When I visited the Mission at the time of taking the photo. I had an interesting conversation with the woman that runs the gift store. She was educated at the Mission school and in spite of our cultural differences we had a lot in common due to our common Catholic school experiences. I enjoyed her stories and she enjoyed mine. Needless to say I felt very much at home in their beautiful church.
I’m going to blame all of you for compromising my normal breathing–just one gasp after another! Could you tell us where this is? It’s fun for me to know, since I may have been there and if so, can identify with the area.
Olympic National Park.
Driving along the Susquehanna River.
We visited this beautiful church years ago with friends. As we left, my little pediatrician friend decided to photograph the flora. I decided to record that moment. It’s one of my favorite photos.
Tsk, tsk, tsk….
Aw shoot, Susan . . .she’s so not that way. It’s why I love the photo.
The last several comments reminded me of two other places worth seeing if you’re in southern Arizona:
I never get tired of seeing The Mountain.
My front yard in Chandler, AZ!
I love hummingbirds! We were able to attract different types to a feeder in CA, but were not successful where we live in FL.
If you go to the hummingbird aviary at the museum,you will be dive-bombed by hummingbirds from every direction. That aviary is a hummingbird’s world; we’re just living in it.:)
They are nasty little critters, aren’t they? I used to watch them fight over a feeder and it could get pretty aggressive!
I definitely agree. I hope you weren’t in between the feeder and the hummingbirds!