This is the Washington Monument in Washington D.C in an early-morning, before-sunrise shot. We were up early to make it down by the Tidal Pool for my son, Charlie, who was racing in the Nation's Triathlon.
The Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. is a good ways away from the other monuments. The lazy walk around the tide pool to get there is well worth the effort. When we got to the Memorial on our recent trip to the nation's Capitol, I had one of those aha! moments. Why did they build with columns so much in ancient public buildings? It allowed access, free flow of air and light -- I suppose a closed in building in historic times could be a pretty dark and steamy place.