The Old Guard Caisson Platoon

After learning about the horses and stables at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, I couldn't wait to take Zac back there to show him.  We went on Saturday afternoon and it was perfect, plenty of parking, no people and most of the horses were in the stables.  Zac had so much fun and you would never know it was his first trip there, as he ran around like he owned the place.  We didn't seek out the guy that runs the tours because I had already been thru the tour and I knew all Zac wanted to do was pet the horses!  So we were able to freely roam between the two buildings and take our time.  There was nothing too exciting to see; they try to do all the cleaning and feeding before they open the stables to the public, so there is  no chance at seeing a horse getting a bath in the wash room or getting brushed or fed.  Quite a few of the white horses were not in their stalls, in particular the horse that is said to be 21 Hands named "Sarge", was not there.  But Zac had fun anyway.

"Mickey" and "Minnie" were outside when we arrived, they are brother and sister and are said to make a great "swing" team, which is the middle set of horses when attached to the Caisson 

They walked right over to us and let Zac pet them 

Caisson horses were made up of all black teams.  But in the early 80s ten Lippizan horses were donated to the program, so from that point on they had both black and white teams.  They don't mix them.  In fact, inside the stables, they are "segregated" because it is just easier when prepping them for the Caissons

This is "Wyatt", one of two Mustangs, 

he was not interested in getting his photo taken 

The barn cat, of course Zac had to chase him around for awhile 

This horse didn't have a name plate, but he was feisty. 

Kicking his door and making all kinds of racket when Zac walked away from him, he clearly wanted all the attention 

Zac feeding his new friends 

Suddenly all the horses were interested once they saw Zac was giving free handouts

One of the tack rooms 

Caissons 

The little museum set up inside the stable.

Can't forget to mention "Black Jack", one of the oldest and most famous horses that was part of the Caisson Platoon.  He received full military honors at his burial on the base and his gravemarker is surrounded by a horse-shoe shaped hedge.

Girls Day in DC

Friends Rhonda and Mona and I decided that we would try to do a girls day of exploring once a month. Last month was a trip to Fredericksburg. This month we decided to go to Arlington National Cemetery, the memorial at the Pentagon and the Air Force memorial. We parked at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall because there is access to Arlington from there and it is FREE parking. So since we were there anyway, we explored a little bit of the base. They have a three story exchange and they also have the Stables for the Old Guard Caisson Platoon (more on that later...).

As we walked from the parking to the entrance to Arlington, we saw this horse drawn wagon...the correct term is Caisson.

And we realized there was a funeral going on inside this chapel

Our first stop was Arlington House, the Robert E Lee memorial (this is a view of DC from the grounds...on a clear day, it would be breathtaking!)

Did not realize the connection Lee had to George Washington...here is a picture of their family tree.  Lee was married to Washington's great-granddaughter, Mary Anna.  Her father, step-grandson to George Washington, built this house.

We came down the hill and as we walked the grounds, the vastness of it was overwhelming. The gravemarkers seem to go on forever.  There is actually a wait list for burials here and they are quickly running out of space.

A view of Arlington House from the bottom of the hill. 

JFK's gravesite is actually just below, where you see the people standing in this picture.

JFK and Jacqueline and their two deceased children;

their third child, a stillborn daughter named Arabella and their fourth child, a son named Patrick, born five weeks premature and died at 2 days old.

Note the eternal flame.

While we were at the JFK gravesite, we started hearing a marching drum.  Realizing this must be the procession from the funeral we had seen up at the chapel on base, we walked a ways down the hill to see if we could watch it go by.  Sure enough, we caught part of the procession as it passed...there are no words.

Just one of the four horse-drawn caissons we saw this day, seen here leaving a burial

The gates leading into Arlington National Cemetary have each service represented, I took a picture of the Coast Guard shield

Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier happens every hour on the hour 

"Known But To God"

The guard walks back and forth for an entire hour, you wouldn't think so, but it is fascinating to watch him - he never loses form and I don't think he even blinks

The relief commander tells you, in so many words, to shut your mouth and remain standing during the ritual and has been known to reprimand any spectator who does not comply.  LOVE IT!

The new sentinel begins his watch

As we left the cemetery and came back on to the base, we came across this caisson with the horses and took a chance at asking the Marine if we could talk to him.  My camera battery was slowly dying, so I didn't get too many pics except of this one of "Wyatt", one of two Mustangs that are part of the Old Guard Caisson Platoon. He was very informative and told us about the stables on the base that house these beautiful horses...he said they give tours, so we headed over...and then my camera battery died!

Was able to squeeze one last picture of a picture on the wall inside the stable, of President Reagan's funeral procession.  These horses and caissons have been part of many funeral processions of many prominent people.  The caisson used in JFKs procession is still in use

As we left the base and headed toward the Pentagon, we made a quick stop at the Air Force Memorial just to snap a quick photo

The Pentagon has strict policy on prohibiting photography around the building...so I snapped this quick picture from the parking lot before we got too close.  I'm a REBEL!!

You can take pictures once inside the memorial grounds, but it can't be facing the building.  I really wasn't sure what I could and couldn't do, so I snapped this one quick picture and put my camera away.  What I couldnt take a picture of was the side of the building where the plane made impact.  You can see the difference in bricks as they rebuilt, so you know what area was replaced.

None of us did any research on the memorial before we headed there, so once we got in it was sort of confusing to try to figure out why it was designed the way it was.  The thing that boggled our minds the most was the name with 1998 next to it...a three year old at the Pentagon?  Or was it the date of service?  We asked the guard on our way out and he explained that there are 184 benches representing each victim.  Each bench is in the row with the year in which that victim was born.  Each bench has a name, but the ones with more than one name represented family members that had died.  The three year old was on the plane with her parents. 

 The benches come out of the ground toward the sky with a reflecting pool underneath them.  The ones that face toward the building represent victims on the plane, so that when you read their names, you are facing the direction the plane traveled.  The benches facing away from the building represent victims inside the Pentagon, when you read the names, you are facing the south side of the building, where they were going about their normal workday when the plane hit.

Once we learned all that, the memorial and the design made perfect sense.

This day was a somber reflection of our nation's history, of the people who have proudly served our country, and tragedy that has transformed it.  It was sad, but wonderful to have the opportunity to experience it in person. 

Cant wait to see what I will learn on our next adventure in D.C.

Jay and the Boys

Since Jay does not have a nomal 8-4, Monday thru Friday schedule, he is home more often and can play a lot more during the daytime hours.  So it is a good opportunity for him and Zac to do things together during the day and once Scotty comes home from school, they have a couple hours of daylight left to play as well.  Here's just a few things they've been doing lately and fortunately the weather has been perfect enough to get outside.

They break out the John Deere that belongs to the house and do "man stuff" 

Try on new riding gear and play with dirt bikes

 

Take a break for lunch on the front porch

Make a new riding track that goes from the front yard all the way around the backyard 

Complete with a ramp 

It is a tough life for four and six year old boys, but they are surviving

 

Valentine's Day

What I made for the boys

What the boys made for me

What Jay gave to me

Would've been my mom's 62nd birthday. 

Happy Birthday mom, miss you now as much as I did 11 years ago....it never goes away.

For Uncle Scott and Auntie Nikki

For the record, that is a CLEAN rag that he's chewing on.

4 Year Old Speed Racer

A Great Day

Flowers from Jay...

I never get flowers so this was a pleasant surprise!

My 38th birthday was low key and perfect.  Jay had the day off and we decided to keep Scotty home from school so we could hang out together.  I got to sleep in, which was wonderful and when I woke up, I found all four of the boys sitting together watching a motorcross race on the computer...they were quiet and calm and it was a sweet sight.  Jay made a great breakfast and then we all packed into the car to head to IKEA.  Getting things to help set up my "office/craft room" was my birthday wish.  It has been years since I last scrapped any memories, and what better time to start picking it up again.  I am two kids, a dog and several life events behind in my scrapbooking.  The room is huge and I will have to do one corner at a time, but it will get there.  It is my favorite space in the house. Jay agreed we could put it together piece by piece, as long as I agreed to getting rid of something so as not to exceed our HHG weight limit for our next move...oy.  After IKEA, it was naptime for the baby, dirt bike time for the boys and I got to "play" with all my new things and set up my computer corner.  Here are some pictures from the day:

Scotty picked out the rug...we both think it looks like grass. It clashes with the sage green walls, but we're hoping to get permission from the landlord to paint a more neutral color at some point.

Note the curtains; my mom made those for me when I first moved out on my own.  So happy I finally have a place to use them again.  And as a side note, nevermind my dinosaur computer; I'm saving for an upgrade...

This fun curtain wire is so great for displaying the boys art and other misc items that I can easily change out

Picked a few photos of Jay and me at the different stages of our relationship; engagement photo, wedding, pre-kids and post-kids. Added some "W"s in there, as well since I am starting to collect them.

This is one of the most precious things I own...a Japanese lamp my dad brought home to me after a six-month deployment overseas - 30 years ago.  It turned up when we were cleaning out Northlake and I finally have a place to display it.  It has a little night-light bulb in it and I keep it on at all times. I love it.

View of what will be a "sitting area" with a comfy chair. That is my old desk, it belonged to my great-grandmother, so I can't get rid of it...but I am going to re-paint it to make it accommodate the room.  It will serve as my "craft table" in the opposite corner

The other view....clearly need some bookcases.  One thing at a time...

We topped the night off at Red Robin...since the boys were joining us, had to pick a kid-friendly place.  I love Red Robin!  The perfect ending to a great day!