My trips or places I would love to visit

Our Visit to the National Portrait Gallery

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Now I was not sure if we would get this on our list but we made it to the National Portrait Gallery. This was our first visit here and like the National Gallery of Art it was a beautiful place to visit.

Just stunning…. the floors and details on the walls. 

So grand….
And of course I had to see Michelle Obama’s portrait painted by Amy Sherald. If you wish to learn more about this painting you may read about it here.

Me with Mrs. Obama.
Other paintings in the room were….
I don’t know who painted this but it is of rapper LL Cool J (2005). 

This is Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and he is the wonderful host of the show called “Finding Your Roots”. My husband and I love that show! It’s wonderful. If you would like to learn more about this portrait you may view it here.
This is the talented Katharine Hepburn. This was painted by Everett Raymond Kinstler in 1982. If you wish to learn more about this painting you may view it here.

These are all of Katharine Hepburn’s Best Actress Awards. Starting with the first one from 1933 and ending with On Golden Pond in 1981. I actually love that movie. It is on Netflix if you wish to watch it. 
I thought that this was a beautiful painting of a beautiful woman. This is Ann Landers and this was painted by Roger Robles in 1988. If you wish to learn more about this painting you may view it here.

This is M.K.F. Fisher and this was painted by Ginny Stanford. If you wish to learn more view it here.
Stunning isn’t she? This is mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. This was painted by Nelson Shanks in 2000.

I am such a Marian Anderson fan. I read some of her journal at the African American History Smithsonian. They said that she liked to document everything. I think she is so beautiful. This was painted by Betsy Graves Reyneau in 1955. To read more about this view it here.
And last but certainly not least was….
Barack’s ….
I love all the floral work behind him. This was painted by Kehinde Wiley, 2018. It was truly breathtaking in person. If you wish to learn more about this painting you may view it here.
This was such a wonderful opportunity for my family and I to see more of the arts and to visit and learn more history. This will definitely be added to my list of museums to visit again. 

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Our Second Visit to the National Gallery of Art

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This is one of the most beautiful art museums that I have ever visited. I could come back again and again to this place. Especially when you walk in and see this…..

Oh my goodness!!! This was the Ames-Haskell Azalea Collection.
I mean honestly, do I need to say more!
I did do some walking around… not much because I wanted to see this the whole time. 
Ginevra de’ Benci 
by 
Leonardo Da Vinci 
The only painting by Leonardo in the entire United States.
I have no idea what this is but I loved it!
The Adoration of the Magi (1440/1460)
by 
Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi 
Madonna Enthroned with Saints and Angels
by 
Agnolo Gaddi
Daniel in the Lions’ Den (1614/1616)
by 
Sir Peter Paul Rubens
Place du Carrousel, Paris
by Camille Pissarro
I realized that I like french paintings. Surprise…..
Place du Carrousel, Paris (1900)
by Camille Pissarro 
In the Forest (1874)
by Narcisse Diaz De La Pena

Just beautiful….

If I lived in D.C. I would probably come here a few times a month. Just to walk around and enjoy the rooms. So pretty…. If you missed our first visit you may read it here.
Thanks for reading….
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Our Visit to the African American History Smithsonian

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While in D.C. we finally managed to get tickets to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. My husband got up early that day (before 6:30 a.m.) and managed to get 4 tickets. When he went back on the website to see if some were still available (literally a minute later) it was sold out!

We were astonished that we were able to get tickets! It was a complete blessing and we know it.

Heading to the entrance. The outside looks like a work of art too!
Sugar pot- iron pots like this were used to boil down sugar cane. 

Now this particular display hurt my heart. These are shackles that the slaves wore and they even had a pair for infants. Words can’t describe how my heart grieved seeing this. 

This is Elizabeth Freeman and she was the first to successfully sue for her freedom in the nation. 
Earthenware Transfer-Print Teapot
Successful free black families, north and south, displayed refinement and respectability by hosting teas. 

The Church
Many African Americans defined freedom as the ability to choose their religious faith and practices. 

Madam C.J. Walker
America’s first self-made female millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker developed a line of beauty products for African American women. 

Some of her pressing oil. 
This is Oprah’s display. That dress is what she wore on the last episode and the couch was from her show along with the audience chairs. 

This was Michelle and Barack Obama’s display. This was Michelle’s dress that she wore on the day he won the election. It was filled with newspaper articles and everything historical about this moment.  

This was Jermaine Jackson’s outfit (1971) from the Jackson 5. 
Chuck Berry’s candy apple red Cadillac! 

The red dress is Whitney Houston’s. She wore it in 1997 to the 21st Annual American Music Awards.

I adore Ella Fitzgerald! I have several c.d.’s of hers and I even have an “Ella Fitzgerald” radio station on my Pandora. This dress was worn by Ella during many of her performances.

Another beauty that I adore, Lena Horne. This was Lena’s dresser set and jewelry. 

Grand Dame Queenie (2013) oil on canvas 
And last but certainly not least is this painting by Amy Sherald. I love the colors! It has been said that Amy’s painting quietly invites the viewer to contemplate a variety of subjects, including race, class, identity, and self-acceptance. 
There was so much at this museum that I could not take pictures of everything. I wanted to enjoy it with my family so I only took a few. I wanted to be able to absorb the moment. We also had lunch at the cafe/ restaurant that was at the bottom floor of the museum.  I must say I loved the buttermilk fried chicken! 
If you ever visit Washington, make sure to put it on your list. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

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We arrived in D.C. on a Sunday. My husband wanted me to have at least two days that I could get some sight seeing in before I had to report on Tuesday.

On my list was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

It was such a bright day and there were people everywhere. 

Beautiful architecture….

You could see the Washington Monument across the way. 
Walking in…

Beautiful details in the ceilings. 

Oh my…. “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief”….


So grand….

Outside some of the cherry blossoms were trying to bloom.

The indicator tree….

Looking across the way….. so lovely.
We really enjoyed this memorial. It is just another piece of the wonderful history of this city. It is all very beautiful. 
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Headed to Washington, D.C. ~ 2018

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Next week I will be in Washington, D.C. for work. My family will be with me. We are so excited to go this time. The cherry blossom season has been predicted and it will be next week! Peak season is suppose to begin.


Aside from the work I will be doing we plan on visiting a few places that we missed last year. We want to visit the National Gallery of Art again (see my post here from last year). The National Museum of African American History and Culture is on our list as well as the National Archives. I absolutely adored the Library of Congress (see my post here if you missed it).  



I also want to see the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. We manage to miss this monument last year. So I am hoping that we can get this in this year. 


And of course the cherry blossoms. I have been dreaming of this moment for a very long time. I hope that the Lord can work this out for us. 



I will return to blogging after my trip. Have a good week!

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

South Carolina ~ 2018

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Well, once again I must travel for work this week. I will not be blogging but I hope to return back the following week.

I don’t know if I will be able to have or go on any adventures but I will enjoy myself. Traveling for work has truly been a great perk for me. I do enjoy the training opportunities and the networking. 
I hope you have a great week and see you soon!
(photos via Pinterest)

New Heights at the Freedom Tower

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In 2014, my family and I visited New York and we went to Rockefeller Center. Now I have to admit that I am a little more frightened at the top of that building than the Freedom Tower. If you wish to see my post about Rockefeller Center you can view it here.

The next place on the list was the Observation Deck at the Freedom Tower.  We didn’t know what to expect but it turned out really great….

Before heading over to the Tower, we had a quick stop at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown.
I needed a quick bathroom break and I am glad I did!

It turned out to be a really snazzy room!

Sorry for the weird bathroom photos but I love beautiful spaces!

Very beautiful hotel.
So we headed on over to the tower and our friend took us inside this space….

I was not quite sure what it was….
We continued to walk inside…

And it turned out to be a mall!

And a very beautiful one at that….

After walking around the mall for a bit we then went outside and headed toward the tower.
We visited the 9/11 memorial. 

Very pretty

So scary being under it.
We went inside and saw the intro video for the space. It talked about the process of building the Freedom Tower and all the time that went into it. After that there was an introduction to the space and the attendants talked about devices that they had that would give you a tour of the scenery. 
Sorry I didn’t take any photos of that. I was trying to enjoy the moment also. 

But the view was incredible! 

More information about the space.

Both bridges in the distance

It really is a concrete jungle. 

Here is a photo of inside the space. 
It really was a great opportunity to see the city. Inside the observation deck was a restaurant and plenty of bathrooms. The space was very comfortable and there were a lot of people around. I am sure it would be absolutely breathtaking at night. 
I wish we could have done that but maybe some other time. I hope you enjoyed my posts about our trip to New York. It was a great trip as always.
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)