Surprised by a DC Surge ~E Reiss

Just off the GW Parkway, in Lady Bird Johnson Park, there is an amazing piece of sculpture that can be seen from the road.  It is a 30x35 foot memorial, made of aluminum, depicting birds and waves... and lives spent in honor.

I was intrigued, because one of our primary visual metaphors for the Surge, was a wave - and this one was particularly beautiful.

So, with Karen and Evangeline in tow, we made a run for the Lady Bird.  And discovered the Navy - Merchant Marine Memorial in Washington D.C.  We really do have an incredible amount of high art, memorials and culture in our area that we don't often take good enough advantage of.  Turn off the TV and walk around would ya?  :)

I was hoping for a background or two to use for the website banners... and I certainly will craft a couple, but the memorial captured me in it's own right.  

It was commissioned in 1922, and completed in 1934, to honor the Navy veterans and members of the Merchant Marines who gave their lives in service during World War I.  Click here for the basics.

Anyway, click through the slideshow below to enjoy some of the shots.  The work in aluminum is clever and unbelievably detailed.  I tried to the give a basic photo journal overview of the memorial, moving from the big picture, to the inscription, to the birds rising from wingtip to wingtip, to the detailed work of the waves themselves.  Enjoy!