#38 Gerald Ford

A trip back to the US Capital Rotunda yielded this picture of the only POTUS to never be elected President or Vice President. This is a 6 week old new-edition to the Congressional Statutory Collection from Michigan and replaced their statue of Zachariah Chandler. Now, you may be thinking right now, "Wait a tick! You already posted a picture of Eisenhower in the Capital Rotunda. You're breaking the rules you stupid head!" My first response would be: Relax man, shouldn't you be reading David McCullough's new riveting biography of Grover Cleveland while picking off leaches in a canoe in Borneo? Then my second response would be that this does not actually break the rules since I have supplanted my Ike picture with one of a namesake statue on Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, VA. (You can check for yourself here: http://potuspics.blogspot.com/2010/10/34-dwight-d-eisenhower.html)

#12 Zachary Taylor

A bust of each Virginia POTUS is located in the rotunda of the state capital building in Richmond. This pic was taken on the same trip as Tyler and leaves just one remaining VA POTUS.  Taylor & Tyler are among the least influential Presidents who managed to just not screw anything up. On a separate note, I took a scientific poll of all Dunn family members in the 4-5 year old age bracket. The question was simple, which POTUS project is more interesting: my POTUS picture project or Mr. Riyad's POTUS book project. An overwhelming 100% agreed that the picture project was better.

#10 John Tyler

I know it's been a long and unscheduled hiatus for all you POTUS fans out there but the wait is over and we finally have an update. There are actually a decent number of options, but Tyler's grave at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond was easily the the most interesting and convenient. James Monroe is also buried in a tomb right behind this obelisk. We made the trip to Richmond this weekend to check out a soon departing Picasso exhibit as well as getting away before embarking on godfather duties. Since my future Brother-in-law is now legally my brother-in-law I would like to issue yet another congratulations to the bride and groom. To all who thought that the POTUS project was a failure I scoff and challenge you to finish your books!

#28 Woodrow Wilson

Happy New Year from the Staunton VA, the birthplace of our 28th President Mr. Woodrow Wilson. This is the 5th on the blog of 8 Presidents that Virginia claims and the one who spent the least amount of time here. Wilson has actually been honored quite frequently in DC. There is the Woodrow Wilson Memorial bridge connecting Arlington & the District, The Woodrow Wilson House which was his residence after his Presidency and the only Presidential Museum in the District, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. So it was very frustrating to have to drive 3 hours to get this picture because none of these memorials honor Wilson with a statue or bust! Fortunately for us, Staunton is a cute little town with good restaurants so we rang in the New Year with the "Rednecky John Mayor" who looks like Zach Galifinakus at a great little restaurant / Music Hall. The next day we snowboarded in the Blue Ridge Mountains and had some good ole VA BBQ. Good luck to everyone in 2011!

#21 Chester A. Arthur

Merry Christmas POTUS Fans from Madison Square Park at 26th & Madison Ave in New York City! We are celebrating our Saviors birth this year in the city with my sister and future BIL on the upper-east side. All love and best wishes to Mom, Dad, Grandma, the rest of the Chicago Dunns, the left behind NOVA Dunns,  the South-Side Dunns, and all the other friends and family we are missing today. There is no official response from my BIL on why the POTUS book summaries stopped. When asked for a comment on Chester here all I heard in response was "I have nothing interesting to say about Chester A. Arthur." There have been a lot of grinch-like attempts like this to psych me out to prevent POTUS PICS from finishing before the POTUS book project. I guess all the rest of the Whos in Whoville will just have to keep on taking POTUS pics even if it has gone out of style.

#35 John F. Kennedy

That look on my face is excitement mixed with disappointment as we got to the steps of the Massachusetts State House. As the close up reveals, that is JFK but the iron gate was as far as we got. No matter really, there's something great about getting a POTUS on his home turf and this was no exception. Even better was that this statue saved me a trip to the Ballet or symphony since there is a rather famous bust of JFK in the Kennedy Center in DC that is no longer needed. It's worth mentioning now that my BIL is taking a POTUS break and has ceased sending me the summaries of the books he has read when I post. He will get a chance to defend himself as early as today when we visit the New York Maznavis for the holidays. We'll have the POTUS PIC exclusive on our next post after the holiday! Merry Christmas everyone!

#1 George Washington

Since I started off the project with one of the country's most honored Presidents I thought it was fitting to start off the second half of the project with another. No other President can even come close to the number and variety of honors that Washington & Lincoln have been given in this country. I suppose it is well deserved since one is largely credited with creating the Union and the other is credited with preserving it. This particular GW equestrian is located in the gardens of Boston Commons and is just the third equestrian POTUS thus far. I think it's fitting that our 17th & 18th Century General Presidents be honored this way. It's not a long drive to Mt. Vernon from our house to get Martha but I'm rationing my POTUS trips so that my own first lady keeps her energy level up. There's just one more Boston POTUS Pic left to share.