Our day got off to a great start. The week before we arrived, Sara had had a second interview for a position she wanted, and this morning, she found out she got the job. Yay! In addition to the obvious benefits of gainful employment, this news also meant that she could play with us without the job-search cloud hanging over her.
If the weather was decent, we had planned to visit Mount Vernon today. Our original thought was to drive to Old Town Alexandria, where we could take a tour that included biking the approximately 10 miles between Alexandria and Mount Vernon along the shores of the Potomac, touring Mount Vernon and then returning by boat. However, since we had just had a bike excursion the night before, we changed our plans. Evan suggested that we visit Arlington National Cemetery and then drive to Mount Vernon in the afternoon, which is what we did.
The cemetery was very moving, especially just before Memorial Day. We visited the JFK grave site and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we saw the ceremony for the changing of the guard. Because it was shortly before Memorial Day and it was high season for eighth grade tours, we also saw a couple of middle school groups participate with the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment guards in wreath-laying ceremonies. These latter ceremonies included a bugler playing Taps. We visited the Memorial Amphitheater, which was set up for Memorial Day functions. We walked leisurely back to the entrance through the tall trees that shade different parts of the cemetery. ANC is a peaceful, final resting place for many, many soldiers and a sober reminder of our indebtedness to them.
Before leaving the Arlington area, we made a brief stop at the Iwo Jima (aka Marine Corp.) Memorial adjacent to the cemetery. We saw a group of Marines practicing drills near the monument, undoubtedly for Memorial Day ceremonies. We also had good views back across the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Capitol, where we had been bicycling the night before.
Onward we drove to Mount Vernon, eating our PB&J sandwiches en route. George Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation is owned and managed by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, founded in 1853 to rescue the estate of the first president, which had fallen into ruin. The MVLA is doing a great job. There is a wonderful visitors’ center, which was our first stop. We watched a short, dramatic film about George Washington and then headed toward the manor house and out buildings. Before taking a tour of the house, we stopped to inspect the slave quarters and the upper gardens. It was remarkable to see the conditions in which some of Washington’s slaves lived and learn a bit about their lives. We also saw the blacksmith’s shop, where a man dressed in period costume was heating and hammering an iron hinge. The flying sparks impressed the eighth graders looking on – as well as us!
We took a rest in the shade before moving on to tour the house. Our leisurely pace had put us behind the school groups and in one of the last tour groups of the day, which meant that we toured the house pretty much on our own. The house sits high on a hill overlooking the Potomac. It is a beautiful, serene setting. George and Martha Washington entertained extensively and had guests in their house nearly constantly, for both meals and overnight stays. It was especially interesting to learn about Washington’s awareness of and intention to establish precedent for future presidents by conducting the business of state through regular social interaction with members of his cabinet and Congress, foreign heads of state and other individuals of influence and importance. He and Martha rarely had a private dinner together. All this entertaining was described by one guide as similar to running a large and very fine tavern. It was also dependent on lots of slave labor.
Following our tour of the house, we relaxed on the back porch and enjoyed the late afternoon view of the Potomac until we were forced to get up from our chairs so that the staff could set up for an evening event. Before leaving, we walked to Washington’s grave site and then on past animal pens and pastures. We finished our afternoon back in the visitors’ center, where there is also a very good museum and an education center. The museum is really excellent. Each of its rooms seems to be devoted to a different aspect of Mount Vernon or George Washington, such as entertaining (very elegant porcelain, silver and crystal to demonstrate to visiting dignitaries that the new country was no cultural backwater), Washington’s personal effects (including his camp bed, which was an easily assembled four poster, complete with bed curtains, that traveled with him during the Revolutionary War and conveyed his dignity and authority to the troops), and the grounds and gardens of the estate, which Washington personally designed in large measure.
From Mount Vernon, we headed back up the Potomac to Old Town Alexandria for dinner. We chose a restaurant near the river called Virtue Feed & Grain – despite the name, they serve food for humans. We relaxed in a park next to the river while waiting for a text that our table was ready, and then enjoyed a very nice meal outside on a balmy evening. After dinner, we got dessert at Ben & Jerry’s across the street and then wandered through some of the quaint streets of well-maintained colonial homes. In front of City Hall, we saw some people dressed in colonial costumes and figured out that they were leaders for local “ghost tours” of Old Town. We didn’t take a tour, but we did chat with one of the guides. He took our picture and pointed us in the direction of a few notable old landmarks. We walked by Gadsby’s Tavern, Robert E. Lee’s boyhood home and Christ Church, where George Washington, Lee and others worshipped. Since it was evening, we didn’t go inside any of these places, but it was a nice walk. When we reached home, having after several days somewhat adjusted to the time change, we were finally able to go to bed a bit earlier.
Arlington National Cemetery - JFK grave
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Changing of the Guard
Iwo Jima Memorial
Mount Vernon
Old Town Alexandria
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