Below is an out-take. I tried a shot with the blinds pulled up, but I didn’t think it was quite as good.

The large, prehistoric-looking birds are made from scrap metal.

You begin to understand the amount of work involved when you look at the sculpture up close.

Doesn’t the piece fit perfectly in the industrial neighborhood?

Sunday at the Cathedral was a very rainy one, so I only took a few pictures. I did like the way the water on the roof over the flying buttresses made them darker and more pronounced.

While out in the Bishop’s Garden, seeking shelter from the rain in the gazebo, I discovered this scene.

I liked the way it was spread out, with highlights of his presidency separated by natural features.

My favorite section was the part that represented the great depression. The inscription on the above wall is:

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

Even though there were a lot of people visiting John F. Kennedy’s grave, and the Tomb of the Unknowns, it was remarkably quiet and somber.

“Farmer’s Market” cow reminded me of Georgia O’Keeffe’s work.

I liked “Moo Choo” a lot.

“The Sun Comes Shining Through” (below) looked like a Van Gogh — complete with thick, expressive paint.

On the way home I spent some time in Springfield, where I visited Lincoln’s tomb at the Oak Ridge Cemetary (above and below).

In Springfield I also toured the fairly new Abraham Lincoln Museum (which was excellent by the way), and the old State Capitol (below), where Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided” speech.

In Hartford is the spot where Lewis & Clark began their famous expedition, at the junction of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers (below).

Not too far away is Camp Dubois, a museum which includes a full scale replica of the keelboat used by the Corps of Discovery. Next to the museum is a recreation of the winter camp where Lewis & Clark and their men stayed while preparing for their journey.

Cahokia Mounds are the remnants of a native civilization that at one time, was probably home to 10,000-20,000 people.

Above is Monks Mound, the largest earthen structure in the Americas, which rises to 100 feet and has a base that covers 14 acres.

It’s amazing when you consider these structures were built by people hauling a basket’s full of earth at a time.

There were some pretty good views from the top of Monks Mound, including the skyline of St. Louis (although the haze prevented a good photo of that).

In addition to the mounds on the 2200 acre site, there is also an excellent Interpretive Center and Museum at Cahokia Mounds. Well worth a visit.

I couldn’t resist going to the mall, and visiting a couple of the Smithsonian Museums.

The National Museum of the American Indian was featuring an exhibit of the Art of Native Life Along the North Pacific Coast.

I really liked the large sculpture (about seven or eight feet tall) which was featured in the lobby.

I also stopped at the American Museum of Natural History.

I had never been to the National Mall at night before. Without a tripod for my camera though, the below shot of the Washington Monument was about the only picture I could take.

On Saturday, my nephew Mike and my great nephew Adam picked me up at the hotel.

The three of us visited the Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport.

Next to the way Adam pronounces the word “helicopter,” seeing the Space Shuttle was my favorite part of that museum.

Later in the afternoon, Adam and I walked to the park and played there until the wind turned our cheeks a little rosey.

For those of you unfamiliar with mandalas (and since the librarian in me is compelled to look things up), the Columbia Encyclopedia offers the following definition:

A concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism… The mandala is seen as a microcosm embodying the various divine powers at work in the universe, and it serves as a collection point for the gods and universal forces… The mandala symbolizes the totality of existence, inner or outer. Mandalas are used in meditation, particularly in Tibetan Buddhism… Similar ritual drawings have been found in the sand paintings of Native North Americans and in other traditions.

I’ve told Barbra that her mandalas are my favorite paintings that she’s done. I appreciate the symmetry, their representation of the universe, and the spiritual aspect of meditation, reflection of the universe and the divine powers that created it.

Would you like to see additional examples of her work? More of Barbra’s mandalas (plus a few other paintings) were posted a couple of years ago and are still available through MN Artists.org.

Nice work Barbra!