fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

When walking around Washington D.C. in early April, a family of powerful sculptures leapt out at me. Surrounded by thousands of daffodils, the lioness guards her sleeping lion cubs at the entrance to the "pathways of remembrance" in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. According to the memorial's website, the bronze statues were sculpted by Raymond Kaskey and "symbolize the protective role of law enforcement officers and convey the strength, courage and valor that are hallmarks of those who serve and protect." Have a happy Memorial Day weekend, but don't forget all of the souls who made sacrifices to improve strangers' lives like ours. Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun!

Magnolia tree blossoms weren't the only beautiful things that turned my head upward while visiting Washington DC in early April. The national's capital has such awesome architecture and stunning structures! I'm glad our concierge kindly recommended a restaurant in Chinatown, or I might have never seen the Friendship Archway. Local architect Alfred H. Liu designed the colorful Chinese gate with 7 roofs up to 60 feet high, 7,000 tiles, and 272 painted dragons in the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Looking up so much didn't stop me from looking down, though! I swiftly stooped down on a busy sidewalk to capture this dragon carving on the bottom of a stone wall. My photo doesn't do justice to the Chinese dragon sculpture that guards the Chinatown Community Cultural Center's sign, but I couldn't leave him out. His tail actually spirals all the way down the pole!

The pink magnolia blossoms photo I shared last week may have been my favorite flowers during my trip to Washington D.C., but this yellow magnolia tree bloomed a close second! I celebrate nature daily, but hope those souls that don't make a special effort today to stop and smell the magnolias for Earth Day.

I happened to be visiting Washington D.C. at the same time as the National Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend. Although I couldn't make it to the Tidal Basin to dance under the pink Yoshino cherry trees, I did swoon over several other beautiful blossoms. The tulip-shaped petals on the pretty pink magnolia tree above were my favorite. And if you follow me on Instagram, you already know how tickled pink I was to spy a giant Care Bear balloon lining up for the parade.