Washington, DC is a city of monuments. One of the most photographed is the US Marine Corps War (Iwo Jima) Memorial in nearby Rosslyn, VA. That was my goal when I woke up before dawn one spring morning to catch it in the prized predawn light. To make it as painless as possible I chose the Sunday morning when Daylight Savings Time started.

I arrived at the monument while it was still pitch black. As the sky turned blue grey with the approaching sunrise I was able to set my tripod on every side of the 32 foot statue honoring the a US Marine Corps and take dozens of nicely lit images. It was a pleasant way to spend some quality, pre-dawn time with my camera.

Then, as the sun was just hitting the horizon I glanced due East. Three things caught my eye. The US Capital building, the Washington Monument (doesn't look a thing like him), and the point where the sun happened to be rising. On this very day it seems the sun, the Capital building, and the Iwo Jima monument line up perfectly. Perhaps it points to a Masonic conspiracy? Even if it doesn't, I was glad I was there to capture the moment and happy to share it here.