Mount Vernon and Arlington- Saturday, March 2, 2013
Our first stop after breakfast was Mount Vernon, the home and final resting place of George Washington. I was looking forward to this stop because I've only been here once before, and I was probably close to the same age as these 8th graders (It was Washington's Birthday, if I remember correctly, and we finished the day with cherry pie at the Legend in Staunton-- but that's another story). It was quite crowded and there were already seven tour busses there when we arrived. After we got off the busses and entered the visitor's center, our bus driver discovered a kid had fallen asleep in the back of the bus. I have been making myself the last off the bus, and had looked back to see if anyone was there, but he was laying down in a way that I didn't see him.
Our big group got up to the house, and one of the first thing that we noticed is that its color has changed. The house is wooden, but the wood is cut to look like stone and then painted and covered with sand to give it the texture of stone too. It used to all be a bright white-washed white, but now it's a sandy tan color like sandstone, and the guides told us that it is believed that it was originally this color.
We went through the house in small groups, so that we could fit in the rooms. We started in the green colored dining room, but the furniture had all been removed from the room. Instead it was filled with scaffolding because they are doing renovations there. It was the room he planned Yorktown in with Rochambeau and the room he was in when he learned he had been elected president. The tour goes through several other rooms in the house, including guest rooms and the bedroom where he died, but my favorite room was Washington's study. It has several of his personal items in it, including quite of few of the several thousand books he owned. He had some quirky almost Jefferson-esque things, like a copy machine that used a roller and special ink to make copies of the many thousands of letters that he wrote, and a chair equipped with a large paddle that acted as a fan above his head to cool him as he moved it with his feet.
When we came around to the side of the house that faces the Potomac, we tried to get another group photo, but I don't think it worked as well. The teachers were downhill from the students, and there must have been a lot of people who couldn't be seen. Then we walked to Washington's tomb, where I got my picture taken so many years ago.
There is a nice museum about Washington's life, and a large gift shop that we spent time in before leaving. I bought a guidebook about the house and a few postcards of the inside of the house to edit into the video where I wasn't allowed to take pictures.
Then it was lunch time. We went back to the same mall that we ate in on the first night, but thankfully, we didn't spend as long there.
From there we went to Arlington National Cemetery. It was a lot cooler today then it was the first time I visited (when the heat and poor planning made Brian get sick- but again, that's another story of many I've been reminded of this weekend). It's only in the 30s, I think. It's overcast and the wind is quite chilly.
We had to hurry up the steep hills of Arlington in order to make it to the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The soldiers were wearing special hats that cover their ears today. Then we worked our way to the mansion of Robert E. Lee. We didn't go in, but we did see the panoramic view of Washington from in front of the front porch. It's a great view. Apparently John F. Kennedy visited that spot and said that he so enjoyed that view that he could stay there "forever", just a few weeks before he was assassinated. We circled around to see the Kennedy family graves just below there. The students seemed moved by the Eternal Flame at JFK's grave, and of course Ted has joined his brothers here since I was here last.
It was quite a hike around Arlington. I took some Advil, more as a precaution than anything. We are now back to the hotel where the students are currently changing for a boat cruise tonight. Our dinner will be there, and a DJ. It's close to 5:00 now. I probably won't post anymore today, unless something really dramatic happens tonight. We're supposed to be on the boat from 7:00 to 10:00 and won't be back to the hotel until close to 11.
Our big group got up to the house, and one of the first thing that we noticed is that its color has changed. The house is wooden, but the wood is cut to look like stone and then painted and covered with sand to give it the texture of stone too. It used to all be a bright white-washed white, but now it's a sandy tan color like sandstone, and the guides told us that it is believed that it was originally this color.
We went through the house in small groups, so that we could fit in the rooms. We started in the green colored dining room, but the furniture had all been removed from the room. Instead it was filled with scaffolding because they are doing renovations there. It was the room he planned Yorktown in with Rochambeau and the room he was in when he learned he had been elected president. The tour goes through several other rooms in the house, including guest rooms and the bedroom where he died, but my favorite room was Washington's study. It has several of his personal items in it, including quite of few of the several thousand books he owned. He had some quirky almost Jefferson-esque things, like a copy machine that used a roller and special ink to make copies of the many thousands of letters that he wrote, and a chair equipped with a large paddle that acted as a fan above his head to cool him as he moved it with his feet.
When we came around to the side of the house that faces the Potomac, we tried to get another group photo, but I don't think it worked as well. The teachers were downhill from the students, and there must have been a lot of people who couldn't be seen. Then we walked to Washington's tomb, where I got my picture taken so many years ago.
There is a nice museum about Washington's life, and a large gift shop that we spent time in before leaving. I bought a guidebook about the house and a few postcards of the inside of the house to edit into the video where I wasn't allowed to take pictures.
Then it was lunch time. We went back to the same mall that we ate in on the first night, but thankfully, we didn't spend as long there.
From there we went to Arlington National Cemetery. It was a lot cooler today then it was the first time I visited (when the heat and poor planning made Brian get sick- but again, that's another story of many I've been reminded of this weekend). It's only in the 30s, I think. It's overcast and the wind is quite chilly.
We had to hurry up the steep hills of Arlington in order to make it to the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The soldiers were wearing special hats that cover their ears today. Then we worked our way to the mansion of Robert E. Lee. We didn't go in, but we did see the panoramic view of Washington from in front of the front porch. It's a great view. Apparently John F. Kennedy visited that spot and said that he so enjoyed that view that he could stay there "forever", just a few weeks before he was assassinated. We circled around to see the Kennedy family graves just below there. The students seemed moved by the Eternal Flame at JFK's grave, and of course Ted has joined his brothers here since I was here last.
It was quite a hike around Arlington. I took some Advil, more as a precaution than anything. We are now back to the hotel where the students are currently changing for a boat cruise tonight. Our dinner will be there, and a DJ. It's close to 5:00 now. I probably won't post anymore today, unless something really dramatic happens tonight. We're supposed to be on the boat from 7:00 to 10:00 and won't be back to the hotel until close to 11.
posted by Scott at
4:54 PM
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