Mount Vernon
This was a very special day. We got back so late the night before that it was very hard to get everyone up and moving. When we got up and moving, everyone felt like cr*p. It’s a 30 minute drive to Mt. Vernon from Washington DC, through the old part of Alexandria Virginia. It was beautiful and I *really* love Virginia. I gave everyone protein bars for breakfast. Unfortunately, the combination of driving and protein bars and little sleep also made Mr16 car sick. When we arrived at Mt Vernon, he proceeded to heave in the bushes, and as we went around the tour he was looking like he was going to be ill again. I got him a sprite and he decided to try to push on with the tour.
As we were getting ready to start Mr15 commenced with a bloody nose, which hubby described as a “real gusher”. Hubby took him to the bathroom, but it didn’t want to stop bleeding. We really didn’t want to miss the tour, so Mr15 decided to go on with Kleenex hanging out of his nose. I think the tour guide was pretty freaked out by this point. ACK!
Mr17 rounded out the picture by being so tired he could hardly stand. He staggered around, sat down at every opportunity (even when he wasn’t supposed to) and generally looked drunk. I think we gave the workers at Mt Vernon something to talk about for weeks to come! LOL
The best thing that happened was at the end of the tour. Because we got a tour through our congressman, we got to have a private ceremony laying a wreath at the Tomb of President Washington. Mr15 got to lay the wreath and hubby got to read Washington’s prayer for our Country.
I learned a lot about Washington while we were in DC. I had heard a lot about him, and read a bit since I do like history, but this trip has helped me see and understand why he is such a pivotal figure in American history. In every way he was head and shoulders above his peers. His conduct was above reproach, his manners faultless, his vision and commitment to the success of our national experiment with democracy unrivaled. There is no one with a bad story about Washington. Yes, he had slaves, but it was part of his culture as much as smoking cigarettes is our current culture, and even at the time of the Revolution there were rumblings of the conflict to come. In his will Washington ordered all his slaves to be freed, he knew the future would hold conflict and change, and I believe he wanted to be the one to lead the way.
The first thing I noticed when we drove over the hill into Washington DC was the Washington Monument towering above the landscape, majestic and strong. The monument dominates every view from every part of the city. I used to wonder about the appropriateness of an obelisk to honor our first president, but now I know it couldn’t be more appropriate.
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