Sunday on the Mall

August 24: We went to the Mall to catch a few gallery shows before they closed. Very low humidity made the day very pleasant despite the ravages of the annual August drought.

The first stop was the East Wing of the National Gallery to see the Afghan treasures that had been hidden from the Taliban.



Then on to the monumental, post 9-11 beach photography of Richard Misrach in the West Wing:






We crossed into the NGA sculpture garden to watch the fountain whose jets continually ebb and flow from not much to spectacular and then back again:





























We stopped for hotdogs and then rode the carousel:

A statue of the Smithsonian's first secretary, Joseph Henry, stands in front of the "Castle":









We went to the Sackler to see the Yellow Mountain exhibit, as well as the seascapes by Tryon and Sugimoto.