Playing tourist

I spent the afternoon playing tourist in downtown Washington DC today. I was testing my new digital camera, and familiarizing myself with the various shooting modes. Despite chilly temperatures (I'm glad I dressed for the occasion), the weather was bright and sunny. I wandered around the Mall, and checked out the National Christmas Tree. It's a big tree, but I didn't think it was particularly impressive.



One of the local cheerleading squads (I think someone said they were GMU) was performing on the Ellipse.



A couple of the guys were able to hold the girls above their heads using only a single hand. Now that's some impressive upper-body strength!



The sun behind the Washington Monument made for an interesting picture.