The US National Arbotetum

As mentioned in the last blog post, Mom T and Barb were able to go see the US National Arboretum.  The arboretum is in Washington, D.C., and is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. It was established in 1927 by an act of Congress and is maintained as a research center.  It is 446 acres in size, and is located about two miles northeast of the Capitol building.  It has been on our "to see" list for a long time and just hadn't gotten around to it.

Mom and Barb enjoyed a picnic lunch outside the Administration Building in the warm autumn sunshine.

Some beautiful fall colors shine in the clear sunny day.

We never knew it before but 22 sandstone columns that were originally part of the east central portico of the U.S. Capitol building now stand in the arboretum.  They were removed as part of a renovation in 1958 and relocated soon after. Up until the relocation, the east portico was the setting for most presidential inaugurations, innumerable speeches, demonstrations, protests, & rallies.

There is also a Banzai Garden there.  These two specimens were hundreds of years old:

Pretty enough in the fall, we really need to get there next spring when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom.  It was a great way to start Mom's stay here.