Friday, March 1, 2013

Focus on Life Week 9 ~ Knock, Knock

First of all, this week I found it very interesting and coincidental that Sally characterized Week 9's challenge with a quote from Temple Grandin :

"A door opened and I went through it". 

Not only is Temple Grandin a hero of mine (see my National Inclusion Project involvement...), but could that quote not describe ALL of our involvements in this challenge?? 

Sally says "Let's open some doors to see what awaits us on the other side..."

I spent some time early this week to see what door I wanted to open, and made a decision that I was excited about...but unfortunately, Mother Nature has chosen not to cooperate once more. My chosen door "lives" about 30 miles away and it has snowed for the fourth day in a row today, so the roads are just not conducive to day tripping. 

SO.....I've kept with my original theme and used a photograph which I took in October of last year, on my trip to Washington, DC:


This is a door which leads to the entire world.

 I am a lover of history, and this door to the Smithsonian Museum led me to several days of exploring the world, its people, its cultures, its jewels, its shoes, its dresses, its dark days and its brighter ones. Thank you indeed to James Smithson for his philanthropy and his foresight! I loved it!

A couple of examples:

What you might eat from if you are invited to dine at the White House:


Part of the original funding:


Hilary Clinton's inaugural ball gown:


The actual counter and stools where the Greensboro NC sit-in took place in 1960.


The rest of my Washington pictures are HERE if you would like to see them. 

Please be sure to visit the other participants linked at Studio Sublime







19 comments:

  1. DC has many doors to history. I always enjoy visiting there.

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  2. aahh! i'd LOVE to visit the Smithsonian!! one day... gorgeous pics :)

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  3. Your description really in an inspiration to look at this door as a gateway to all the history that is showcased in the museum. Pretty powerful.

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  4. What a great place to feature in our doorways project! I love the Smithsonian (I have some rather unique memories that I should blog about one day!) Beautiful doorway!

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  5. I took my picture on Tuesday thinking I could/would take a better picture later... we got the snow too... still coming down, very depressing as we had green grass on Wednesday!I like your view from the inside out, that fan light is so pretty! I would love to go back to the Siythsonian, I was there when I was 12! TIme to go back!

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  6. I love the Smithsonian! too many things to see that we just couldn't cram it all in for the couple of days we were there! but loved every minute of it. I am also a lover of history!

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  7. How wonderful. And I LOVE that quote!

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  8. The Smithsonian - what an amazing door to the world!! Love this!

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  9. History is so interesting and I would love to see it all preserved in one place. Love that doorway!

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  10. A door to the past and future at the same time - beautiful. We traveled 2 summers ago to Washington DC: it was a short trip (4 days), but full of information and great adventures.

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  11. DC does have so much to offer and now I feel guilty as I live here and don't explore enough. Thank you for the kick - spring break is coming and I am now going to drag my son through many doors!

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  12. Oh I have always wanted to visit the Smithsonian it is on my bucket list. Thank you for sharing.
    Therese

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  13. Ohh...wonderful picture of the door. Mom and I want to take my niece and nephew to DC in a few years and what a place to take them to!

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  14. When I saw the thumbnails I thought your pic had great shadowing. When I read you post I was thrilled. Your pics of the first ladies dresses are awesome. I studied 1800's costumes and I want to thank you for sharing your trip with us. Maybe when it's nicer you can post a pic of the door that you wanted to show.

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  15. I miss having easy access to the Smithsonians. Nothing like them in the world. Great doorway!

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  16. That is a great door. The Smithsonian sounds so amazing. I would love to visit one of these days.

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  17. That is a door that I would love to walk through.

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  18. Nice :) Museums indeed do open doors to so much!!!

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  19. The Smithsonian is the most treasured museum in this country. So glad you had the chance to visit it.

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