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OLLI Photo Club - Field Trips

March 11, 2017 by Ernestine Meyer

Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects


 

The OPC visits the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Photo courtesy Ed Marion.

Field Trips are on the 3rd Friday of each month. We usually carpool from the Tallwood parking lot at 9:00 am, or meet at the designated location at 10:00 am. Field trip destinations are announced at club meetings and by email to members.

For more information, or to suggest future field trip destinations, email Lynn Cline or call her at (c) 703-789-6930.
 

September 16 Field Trip -- National Zoo

Address:
3001 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC
Hours:  8:00 - 6:00
Animals are most active early in the morning, therefore it is recommended to arrive when the zoo opens at 8:00am.  Passes are required.  They are free (except for parking) and are for the day, not a specific time.  Passes can be obtained online at: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/etix-entry-passes

 
OPTION 1: FREE ENTRY PASS (WALKING INTO THE ZOO)

  • If you walk, bike, taxi or take public transportation, you need an entry pass for each person in your group.
  • Limit six passes per reservation
  • Access the Zoo via the Connecticut Avenue or Harvard Street Bridge entrances.

NOTE: If you choose a Paid Parking Pass (option 2), you do not need entry passes for your group.

OPTION 2: PAID PARKING PASS (PARKING AT THE ZOO)

  • If you drive and park at the Zoo, your Paid Parking Pass covers entry for everyone in your personal vehicle. You do not need to reserve free entry passes for your group.
  • $30 per car
  • One pass per car, covers all occupants
  • All cars must enter the Zoo at the Connecticut Avenue entrance (3001 Connecticut Ave, NW).

Note:  Lynn Cline has a zoo membership and can reserve free parking and entry for one car and its passengers.

Carpool departure time from Tallwood is 7:00 so we may arrive when the zoo opens and the animals are most active for the public.

E-mail Lynn at lfhcline@gmail.com if you want to carpool.

 

 

 

Field Trip Schedule for 2022 

.

January 21 No Field Trip due to Pandemic
February 18 National Cathedral
March 18 Tidal Basin/Cherry Blossoms (was George Mason Gunston Hall and Grounds)
April 15 Sully Plantation

Address:
3560 Historic Sully Way
Chantilly, VA
Description:
Sully reflects Fairfax County history. It was the 1794 home of Richard Bland Lee, Northern Virginia's first Representative to Congress and General Robert E. Lee's uncle. Sully is on the National Register for Historic Places, is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is part of the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
  • Richard Bland Lee’s home
  • Lee family possessions
  • Furnished historical rooms
  • Original outbuildings
  • Federal Period architecture
  • A representative slave quarter
  • A visitor center with gift shop
  • An open-hearth kitchen
  • Garden
  • Food and clothing of the 1800s
  • Work of a large, gentry farm

Hours:

The grounds are open 9am - 5pm
The Visitor Center and Gift Shop are open 11am - 3pm.
Tours:
There are House Tours available for a fee ($8 for seniors) but they are only available at 11am, 1pm and 3pm Thursday through Sunday.
There is a Forgotten Road Tour of all the outbuildings and slave quarter areas at 2pm, which is also $8 for seniors.
The tours are 45 minutes long.
You can buy tickets online here:
https://fairfax.usedirect.com/FairfaxFCPAWeb/ACTIVITIES/Search.aspx?category_name=TOUR%20TICKETS&search_text=sully&place_id=8053
While a permit is required for commercial photography, for our visit, there are no restrictions on photography, whether on the grounds or in the house.
May 20 Brookside Gardens (alt. Meadowlark Gardens)
June 17 Franciscan Monastery
July 15 Kenilworth Gardens (alt. Neabsco Creek Boardwalk)
August 19 NOTE: Due to the hot weather, we will be going to the Marine Corps Museum rather than to Huntley Meadows

National Marine Corps Museum
Address:
1775 Semper Fidelis Way
Triangle, Virginia

Hours:  9:00 - 5:00

Fees: Free admission and parking

As a rule, bringing food and drink is prohibited, however, visitors may bring unopened, clear water bottles no larger than 20 oz.

Museum Photography Policy

The National Museum of the Marine Corps encourages you to take photographs and video during your visit. Flash photography is NOT allowed in the vicinity of the Iwo Jima flag, and signage is posted accordingly. The Museum reserves the right to prohibit flash photography in other areas as needed to ensure that fragile objects are protected. Using your camera's flash in crowded areas may disturb others. Please respect your fellow Museum visitors.

Photographers using tripods or similar devices should be respectful of others. On busy days, the Museum may restrict use of such devices to ensure visitor safety and the flow of foot traffic throughout the galleries.

If you would like to carpool from the OLLI Tallwood campus, send an e-mail to Lynn Cline at lfhcline@gmail.com so we have a head count.  Meet up time is 9:00 am.

 

September 16 National Zoo

Address:
3001 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC
Hours:  8:00 - 6:00
Animals are most active early in the morning, therefore it is recommended to arrive when the zoo opens at 8:00am.  Passes are required.  They are free (except for parking) and are for the day, not a specific time.  Passes can be obtained online at:
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/etix-entry-passes

OPTION 1: FREE ENTRY PASS (WALKING INTO THE ZOO)

  • If you walk, bike, taxi or take public transportation, you need an entry pass for each person in your group.
  • Limit six passes per reservation
  • Access the Zoo via the Connecticut Avenue or Harvard Street Bridge entrances.

NOTE: If you choose a Paid Parking Pass (option 2), you do not need entry passes for your group.

OPTION 2: PAID PARKING PASS (PARKING AT THE ZOO)

  • If you drive and park at the Zoo, your Paid Parking Pass covers entry for everyone in your personal vehicle. You do not need to reserve free entry passes for your group.
  • $30 per car
  • One pass per car, covers all occupants
  • All cars must enter the Zoo at the Connecticut Avenue entrance (3001 Connecticut Ave, NW).

Note:  Lynn Cline has a zoo membership and can reserve free parking and entry for one car and its passengers.

Carpool departure time from Tallwood is 7:00 so we may arrive when the zoo opens and the animals are most active for the public.

E-mail Lynn at lfhcline@gmail.com if you want to carpool.
October 21 Great Falls
November 18 Library of Congress
December 16  African American Museum

 

Field Trip Schedule for 2021 

.

January Past Vacations or Field Trips
February (Field Trip on Hiatus)
March Local Lakes and Ponds
April Meadowlark and National Arboreteum
May Neabsco Regional Park
June Habitat, the Smithsonian Gardens Outdoor Exhibition
This exhibit has gardens at locations around the National Mall. Each location has a theme with plants and information, and there are also some sculptures. For details on the locations and themes, as well as a map you can print out, click here: https://gardens.si.edu/exhibitions/habitat/National Native American Veterans Memorial
The National Native American Veterans Memorial opened November 11, 2020. It is on the grounds of the National Native American Indian Museum. Here is a description from the Smithsonian website: An elevated stainless-steel circle balanced on an intricately carved stone drum, the memorial is simple and powerful, timeless and inclusive. The design incorporates water for sacred ceremonies, benches for gathering and reflection, and four lances where veterans, family members, tribal leaders, and others can tie cloths for prayers and healing. For more information, click here: https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/washington/nnavm#nnavm-faqsEisenhower Memorial
The other new memorial is the Eisenhower Memorial, which opened in September 2020, located just across the street from the Air & Space Museum, at 540 Independence Avenue, SW. This Memorial is open 24 hours a day. Reports indicate it is especially nice to photograph at night since it is beautifully lit, should you choose to make more than one trip to town. More information is available here: https://www.nps.gov/ddem/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm
July Lotus and Lilies at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

1550 Anacostia Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20019

According to the website, the lotus flowers are popping up all around the park and are currently at 38% bloom. The lilies are out in force.  Also, 7 great blue herons, 4 great egrets and 1 green heron were spotted from the boardwalk on June 30.

The park is open 8:00 - 4:00 daily.  The lotus and lily festival runs July 9 - July 31, and during this time the park is open until 8:00pm on Fridays.

 

Sunflowers (two options)

This year it seems to be less than optimal but for those who wish to try it, here are options.

Option 1: McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area

Directions: From the Capital Beltway, take Exit 39 (River Road) west toward Potomac. Proceed for approximately 11 miles to the intersection of River Road and MD 112, Seneca Road. Turn left and continue on River Road for about 2 1/2 miles. McKee-Beshers will be on your left as you head west on River Road.

Apparently one of the fields has been planted with something other than sunflowers this year, and the sunflowers are currently at an early stage.

Following is a link to their website with more details and a map which shows the location of the sunflower fields.  https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/central/sunflowers.aspx

Option 2: Burnside Farms

Nokesville farm - 11008 Kettle Run Rd., Nokesville, VA 20181 https://www.burnsidefarms.com

As mentioned in one of our meetings, another option for sunflowers is Burnside Farms. The website currently has only preliminary information and the farm is closed until mid-July.  When they reopen, they will have fields of sunflowers.  You must purchase a ticket online and the prices are not yet posted. Unlike McKee-Beshers, which is a wildlife sanctuary, this is intended for family fun, so it is a very different type of photo opportunity.

Logistics from their website: The farm does not allow reflectors, flash boxes, tripods, props or any other equipment that may get in the way of other guests enjoying their visit. We reserve the right to ask you to not use these devices if we see them in use. Regular hours are different each season and hours are dependent on how many daylight hours we have. New for 2021, we will offer limited early bird and evening ticket options (those tickets will be posted to our ticket page when they become available).

 

August 20
National Museum of the United States Army
1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060NMUSA WebsiteFree Timed Tickets and Directions
September  Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

4155 Linnean Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008
GPS may be inaccurate, so see Directions at the Hillwood website.

Current Exhibition: Rich Soils

There is a unique opportunity to see an exhibit in the gardens during this visit. Contemporary American artist Kristine Mays's life-size, three-dimensional dancing wire sculptures will emerge throughout the gardens for the special exhibition Rich Soil, on view from June 26, 2021 through January 9, 2022.

Mays breathes life into wire, transforming an industrial product into fascinating and moving works of art. Springing to life throughout the 13 acres of formal gardens, 29 sculptures will surprise visitors as they dance throughout the garden beds, bursting forth from the plant life. "My hope is that the figures will spring forth like spirits rising from the soil, to be recognized, revered and embraced," Mays has explained. "May they push through while at the same time mingling and dancing among the flowers. Both plant and human beings come and go—reverberating within the cycles of life.”

Hillwood Website
Hillwood Tickets

 

October Capture Fall Colors

Choose your favorite photo spot: Great Falls, Harper's Ferry, Skyline Drive, pumpkin fields, or your own neighborhood.  Any location is fair game for sharing your photos and experiences for this theme.  We'll discuss your photos at the OPC Zoom meeting October 22nd at noon.

 

November  
December  

 

 

Field Trip Schedule for 2020

.

January 17 Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC
Opportunity to photograph Masonic building architecture, the art collection, and to see a special photography exhibit called “Live Dangerously.”
.
February 21 Smithsonian Natural History Museum
10th and Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC
.
March 20 National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW

Museum exploring the history and impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture and design...
The Virtual Field Trip to the NBMWelcome to the OLLI Photo Club's virtual field trip to the National Building Museum.  The link above will open a YouTube video of a slide presentation given in the OLLI 2018 course, F106 Virtual Museum Tour.  Slides advance every 10 seconds.  Pressing the space bar will pause and restart the video.  Moving the timeline cursor along the bottom of the video will position to different slides.  Enjoy!.
April 17 River Farm
7931 E Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA
Home of the American Horticultural Society, 25 landscaped acres overlooking the Potomac..WIFT - Social Distancing Survival Techniques
.
April 24
WIFT - Celebrations
.
May 1
Reston, VA
View from 22nd floor of John Hoover’s Reston building is a 360 degree look including DULLES AIRPORT, EAST & NORTH TO MARYLAND, WEST, TYSONS CORNER, MOUNTAINS, ETC.

.
.WIFT - Trails and Sidewalks
.
May 15 Franciscan Monastery
1400 Quincy Street, NE, Washington, DC
Church and gardens.
.
.WIFT - Abstracts and Pets
.
May 22 WIFT - Photos of Unusual Perspective
.
May 29 WIFT - Landscapes: Home and Neighborhood
.
June 19
Green Springs Gardens

Gunston Hall
10709 Gunston Rd, Mason Neck, VA
Home of George Mason, gardens and trail to the Potomac.
.
-- or --
.
Mason Neck State Park
7301 High Point Road, Lorton, VA
Park on the Belmont Bay with trails along the coast, through the marsh and woodlands.
.

July 3 Nearby Old Towns, Our Heritage
.
July 17 National Arboretum
3501 New York Ave., NE, Washington, DC
Gardens representing different climates, the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum and the National Capitol Columns.
.
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
.
August 21
Sully Historical Site
3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly, VA, 20151
Sully was completed in 1799 by Richard Bland Lee, Northern Virginia's first Representative to Congress.  It is on the National Register for Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
.
River Farm
7121 East Boulevard Drive in Alexandria
River Farm  is the home of the American Horticultural Society, with extensive gardens along the Potomac River.
.
.
September 18
Occoquan Regional Park
9751 Ox Road
Trails along the river, Turning Point Plaza honoring women suffragists. Options to combine this with a visit to the nearby Workhouse Arts Center or the town of Occoquan.
.
October 16 Theodore Roosevelt Island
Off of Northbound Memorial Parkway near Key Bridge
Park with trails, views of the Potomac River. Option of bridge photos.
.
November 20
National Army Museum
Ft. Belvoir, Virginia
Museum opens in June 2020.
.
Great Falls -- Maryland, Virginia, or both!
.
December 18
US Botanical Garden
Special Christmas display at this time.
.

Schedule subject to change per weather, member’s preferences and suggestions.

 

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Field Trip Schedule for 2019

January 18 Mazda Product Shoot
February 15 Sackler Gallery
March 15/29 US Botanic Garden / Tidal Basin
April 19 National Gallery of Art
May 17 Union Market
June 21 Adams Morgan
July 19 Udvar-Hazy Center (replaces Kenilworth)
August 16 Hillwood Gardens inc Eisenstaedt Photos
September 20 Huntley Meadows
October 18 Middleburg/Upperville
November 15 African American Museum
December 20 Washington National Cathedral

Schedule subject to change per weather, member’s preferences and suggestions.

 

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Field Trip Schedule for 2018

January 19 National Air and Space Museum, DC
February 16 American Art & Portraiture Museum
March 16 Old Post Office and Smithsonian Natural History Museum with Nature's Best Photography Exhibit
- Adams/Morgan (Cancelled due to weather)
April 20 Meadowlarks Gardens
May 18 Rock Creek Church & Cemetery (Cancelled, Rain)
May 25
Workhouse Art Center (Makeup Field Trip)
June 15 Sackler/Freer Galleries and adjacent facilities: the African Art Museum, the S. Dillon Ripley Center, the Smithsonian Castle, and the Haupt Gardens.
July 20 Kenilworth Gardens
August 17 Renwick-the Art of Burning Man
September 21 Alexandria
October 19 Purcellville and local vineyard
November 16 Library of Congress (cancelled).  Make-up destination:
The Wharf on December 12
December 21 Washington National Cathedral (Date corrected).
Special event in WNC, destination changed to Freer.

Schedule subject to change per weather, member’s preferences and suggestions

 

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Field Trip Schedule for 2017

March 17              St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral

April 21                Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

May 19                  National Zoo

June 16                Yards Park (Nationals) and Blind Whino Church

July 21                  Kenilworth Gardens

August 18            Museum of Natural History

September 15     Georgetown Waterfront

October 20          Freer and Sackler Galleries

Novembe 17        Holocaust Museum

December 15      National Museum of African American History and Culture

 

Schedule subject to change per weather, member’s preferences and suggestions

Additional Friday venues: Alexandria and Occoquan

Additional Possibilities: Folklife Festival (June 29-July 4 and July 6-9), Summit Point Racetrack (day trip – approximately 40 minutes from Dulles Airport), Scales and Tails (Cunningham Falls State Park, MD)

 

 

 


Overview • Galleries (See Galleries) • Monthly Themes • Field Trips • Speakers • Projects

Filed Under: Photography Club

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AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

4210 Roberts Rd. Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
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