Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC

The kids studied yesterday morning, preparing for their final exams tomorrow and Friday. In the afternoon we took the Metro into downtown and toured the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Entering from the Constitution Avenue side, we were greeted by one of the stone faces from Easter Island. The sculpture was likely carved in the 16th century, and has been on display at the museum for over 100 years, but is relatively young compared to most of the inhabitants of the museum.

The Smithsonian had done a marvelous job showcasing the 4 billion year history of our planet. We touched rocks that are over 2 billion years old, and viewed trilobite fossils that are over 500 million years old. The exhibits lead you from life created in the seas, emerging onto the lands, and evolving into, amphibians, reptiles, birds, dinosaurs and mammals. I walked away feeling humbled by the diversity and tenacity of the life that has gone before us on this planet. The natural world is truly amazing!

Teressa’s favorite exhibit was the 45.5 carat Hope diamond (surprise, surprise). She spent so much time at the display the security guard was starting to get nervous. Laura liked the section devoted to mammals, especially the pink fairy armadillo (it was just too cool). The IMAX Ocean 3D movie was Brian’s favorite, with the beautiful coral reefs and rich diversity of life. Me, I was totally mesmerized by the 500 million year old trilobites – they ruled the seas for 130 million years – we should all be so lucky!

In the evening we watched the movie “A Night at the Museum” with Ben Stiller. It seemed like the appropriate end to a naturally historic day!