Mount Vernon Part 1

It took a little while to get moving the morning after the party. Everyone was slow moving, though I don't remember what exactly was going on. I know we all tried to sleep late, so that was part of it. It was Saturday, and it was raining...again, or still (really only had the brief respite part of Friday and part of Thursday), but I was undeterred. The two reasons were because Mount Vernon was the one thing dad said he wished we could've done back in 2004 when we all had a vacation in D.C., and because it was George Washington.

We finally got it together, grabbed a bite and took off for the hour drive North. We had rain, and more rain, and more rain, but the clouds parted a bit once we arrived. Woohoo! It was wonderful! We decided to do the mansion tour before wandering the rest of the grounds. Since we had planned to meet my brother and sister-in-law back in Fredericksburg for dinner and the line was approximately 30-minutes long, it just made sense. Besides, it didn't seem that long! We were there with a high school group from Illinois, and the conversation was entertaining. Even my almost-3-year-old was entertained!

We were almost to the mansion when a reenactor came through. He was Dr. James Craik, from Scotland, and George Washington's personal physician. He received some interesting questions, though I couldn't catch all the answers. He came closer to us and I asked how long he'd been the physician. The answer was "since General Washington was about 22-years-old," and he started to move on. Leave it to me to bust out with "Oh, so about the time of Fort Necessity!" I don't know if I've ever seen someone skid to a stop and whip about so quickly before in my life! The Battle of the Great Meadows was not a good one for Washington (for those who don't know, it was his only surrender, only his second firefight, a total foible, and led to him retiring his commission in the Virginia Militia shortly afterward.) Dr. Craik was left behind with the scores of wounded and made it pretty clear it wasn't a good subject for the good doctor to talk about. But I thought it was awesome to catch his attention, the attention of a couple of historical interpreters, and the high school kids & teachers ("What are they talking about?" "Shh, listen, you might figure it out!" "Maybe we should ask her....").

Just a few more moments and we were let into the formal dining room, the first room you enter on the tour. It is done in classic 18th Century style, with the perfect touches of a man who loved farming. The table was set with what could now be considered odd food. Nothing of an animal was left to waste, so you're greeted with a large cow's tongue. Yum. Then it's back outside to the veranda where you have a spectacular view of the Potomac River. The far side is free from buildings and distraction; the land is protected in order to preserve the accurate history of Mount Vernon. I thought that was awesome. At this point I also split from my parents because my little boy was getting restless. We were given permission to hang out and let him run around on the grass while my parents finished the tour, then I'd cut back in when they came out. What a fantastic policy put into place here! For the record, this is what they do for ALL parents with little ones! If the kiddos get bored and would rather run around, they can do so and the parents can split the tour.

My parents came back out and were visibly touched. They just kept saying "you'll see." So, I was off to finish the tour, entering back into the foyer. Typical of the Federal Style, the doors open directly across from each other to allow a wonderful cross-breeze in the summer, and a stylish illusion. This was also part of the original 4-room house that George Washington expanded on...even so far as rearranging it so the stairs were in a different place! It was stunning, and I was shocked to learn the wood wasn't walnut. It was just stained to look that way in order for Washington to save some money. Here you also see into the family dining room, one of the bedrooms, the music room, and a study. Then it's up the stairs. I would love to name drop, but I realize probably the only people reading this that would recognize names like the Marquis de LaFayette are those who have either travelled to places where it's a commonly known name & history, or live in those places (Erma, you're one I'm thinking of!). Anyway, there were some HUGE names in history who stayed in this home. Upstairs you see the guest rooms they took temporary residence in. Sometimes Mrs. Washington had beds brought down from the third floor to house people in the upstairs hallway! The room that stood out most for me was the one under the staircase. It was teeny, but obviously comfortable.

We walked through one of the bedrooms to the private quarters of Gen. and Mrs. Washington. This was touching. I'd always heard the bed looked short, but never appreciated it until now. In honesty, the beds in the Biltmore Estate appear short, too, because of similar construction. Anyway, this bed was specially made to hold all of Washington's 6 foot 2 inch frame (yes, he was that tall. I don't know why we generally only hear about how tall Lincoln was). Amazing. It was also in this bed that George Washington died in December 1799 at the age of 67. The same age as my dad. That's hard to grasp! But this room was more than that. It was where Mrs. Washington planned everything and ran the household. She taught her children and grandchildren their schooling here. Upon his death, Mrs. Washington closed this room up and moved into the third floor. That is only open to the public around Christmastime.

Down the stairs, the very stairs that Gen. Washington would go up and down each day, ducking his head at the bottom to keep from bonking it, holding the same railing....I don't know how many times I've stepped in his footprints, but this was.....this was....chillingly different. The bottom on the stairs holds his study/library. It's a bright room with an entire wall that is shelving closed in glass paned doors. Some of his books are still here. The chair he used during his presidency is here. And so many other things he used to make decisions. You could see why he chose this location, and you could almost hear him thinking.

It was back outside and to the kitchen & larder. It's amazing to see how people cooked and "kept" food 200 years ago! Ingenious, and definitely unhealthy (no wonder there was so much food poisoning!). I scooted out to the back lawn to meet back up with my son and his grandparents now and understood what touched them. It touched me, too.

There was more, much more of the grounds to see, so we didn't sit long. Down the lane and on to the outbuildings we went.....

Party Time!

Be patient with the slideshows, they're being slow in fully loading. There are more pictures, it just has to catch up. Blah.

We now had made it home from Popes Creek and were getting ready for the promotion party. I tend to freak out over these things. At my house is one thing, at anyone else's house is another thing. Can't explain it. But we managed to help finish getting things ready a bit and started seeing people arrive. I have no idea how many were there, but it was a lot. At least to the introvert I am.

The boys all wandered outside to play with the loads of kids who were coming. Luke was in heaven because most of the kids were much older than him. He likes older kids. He ran, and played, and ran some more. Then he started chasing the balls the older kids were softly hitting with a bat. I think maybe he spends a wee bit too much time with the dog! Joking, he was just having fun trying to catch them and then taking them back.

I had fun meeting all sorts of new people. My brother, David, introduced me to another person who is into sailing. I'm not "into" it, but my husband is and I've learned a fair amount from him and our buddy, so David thought it'd be fun for me to talk to someone like that. He was right! Dad spent most of his time with an old "Thud Driver," (that would be an old F-105 pilot) which was really cool since those are the planes that got him started in his career, and that David and I have a passion & tons of memories of. He was one cool guy, too!

It finally came time for most everyone to leave, but a few hung around for a while. The kids went to bed, we hung out in the kitchen and talked until it was way past bedtime. Okay, so it was only like 10 pm for my body, but it was late enough. Considering I had another George Washington day planned for the morning, I wanted to be well rested. I heard rumor that David, Mary, and the buddies who stayed on a while were up until around 2 am, but I can't confirm that. I was sleeping in the nice, cool, quiet basement (it was perfect!) and crashed out hard.

It had threatened to really dump some serious rain on the party, but God was ever the kind one and had the storms skirt this portion of King George. Then He brought the sunshine out for the party. It was fantastic! Everything my big brother deserved....

Popes Creek, Westmoreland County, Virginia....

After a mighty long delay, I am officially back in business! I apologize, and have learned my lesson. NEVER take a 3-credit course that is part of your degree program in 4-weeks! Holy moses, talk about a TON of work!! At any rate, I am successfully finished with that course and happily writing on my new Macbook.

So, on to the remainder of our trip to King George:

This was the day I was very much looking forward to. The trip to Popes Creek. Why was looking forward to this, and what is it, you ask? Easy, easy answer: I was looking forward to it because I am a student of all things George Washington. He and his life (flaws and all) completely fascinate me! And this was where he was born.

My goofy little nephew, JT, decided he wanted to join Gramma, Grampa, Luke and me on this trip, so we all piled into my big brother's mini-van and made the quick trip toward the coast to visit this wonderful place. Have I mentioned just how much I love the Virginia countryside? Seriously! It pretty much doesn't matter if it's a 5-minute ride, or a couple of hours, it always passes quickly and is enjoyable because of the beauty and history in this place. Approximately 30-minutes later we were at our destination.

This place is now part of the National Parks system, yet so few seem to know about it. The parking lot was all but deserted when we arrived. I think one other vehicle was there and 3 school busses were pulling out. Wow, that's kind of sad. Hey, that meant we had more time to just ourselves!! So off we went.

Luke and JT were the typical little kids: they were ready to run, run, run! Thankfully they listened and only ran around when we let them in areas they'd be safe and not hurt anything. We started up the trail to the house. It's a bit of a surprise, though, since the house isn't accurate. Archeological excavation has shown the house that was built for tourists to see is actually on the foundation of an outbuilding. A barn, or something. Oh well, it has some cool stuff (Augustine Washington's wine bottle, now over 300 years old!) and is a very good representation of the houses of that time!

The grounds have been restored and kept beautifully. I don't think the garden had much done with it this year, but sometimes that happens, especially in years of recession. One can't complain too much. The asparagus was very much in seed, but there was one stalk that was perfect for picking & eating. Guess what I did? Yup, I snapped it up! That one stalk somehow lasted through the remainder of the trip, survived the plane trip, and the drive home from Denver without being refrigerated! Not something I would typically do, but....We ate it a few days later with some fresh wild asparagus from our area.

We were able to wander the grounds, see the animals, look inside all of the out buildings, slave quarters, kitchen....everything that was open. It was so lush, green, and gorgeous! And the view looking over Popes Creek to the Potomac starting its flow into the Atlantic Ocean? Oh my...what a fantastic thing to see! That's something one could sit on their porch and peer at each day, for sure!

The highlight of these grounds for me was the foundation of the house George Washington was born in. When he was born the house was still a 2-room home (later expanded to 4-rooms). You can walk on the foundation outline, step inside what would've been the house (grass inside the outline), and just imagine what it was like for Mary Ball Washington to birth her first child (she was Augustine's second wife, making GW his 4th child, 3rd living). The house burned in 1779, long after the George Washington left the place (he was 3 when they moved), but the legacy was left. You used to be able to step INTO the foundation, see how it was built, and have a bigger experience, but tourists began stealing the rocks and bricks. How sad. The Park Service then filled the foundation in and made sure the artifacts would never be able to leave the property again (exception being archeological exploration, of course).

Being with an almost 3-yr-old and almost 4-yr-old prevented me from taking the time I wanted while exploring, but that was okay. The boys were having fun, and that made it worth it. We left for the gift shop (even if you don't buy, it's always a must...I'm a dork), spent a small amount of time looking at stuff, and made our way to the Potomac River and Washington Family Burial Plot.

Just down a dirt road at the entrance to Popes Creek is access to a lovely little beach (that occasionally gets crab pots washing up on it....despite them being small and for blue crab, that is PERFECT for this Deadliest Catch nutjob! Thanks to the park ranger for letting me know & see what he was carrying!) that we let the boys play on. That was part of this trip: I promised Luke the day prior that I'd let him play in some water, either the Atlantic or the Potomac. JT wanted to play, too, and I'm not one to say no to something like that! Well, with other parental permission, of course. Holy crikey, was that water COOOOOLD this time of year!! I knew it was cold, but it was even more shocking than I'd remembered! The boys didn't care, they wanted to go deeper. I do say no to that. Up to their butts was far enough. We played, threw rocks, searched for shells (found some GREAT ones!), and splashed around for about 30-minutes, then it started to rain. Time to get out of the water. Silly JT said "wait! I need to wet my hiney!" Huh? Okay. He proceeded to squat down to get his hiney wet, stood up and said "okay, we can go." I busted out laughing while he made his way to Gramma and Grampa waiting with towels. Leave it to my son, who had already started up the beach, to run back to the water and follow suit. What goofy kids!!

This was still on what was part of the farm. Well, actually not Augustine's, but a brother's place, now private property that's been kept open for the public to see. Just at the top of the beach and into the trees is the burial plot. Excavated in the early 1900's (I'm sorry, I don't remember the year!! Bad History Major), they actually were not able to identify all the members and placed them all in one tomb. They know the names of who was buried there, just not the identities of the remains. George Washington's parents are buried here. How reverent! Mom and I spent a little bit of time here while dad stayed with the boys in the mini-van. They were tired and wanted a movie. At such a young age, I can't say I blame them. It was time to head on home now.

This wasn't the end of the day, but this is a LONG post, so I'll break it in two. My big brother's party was this night, so I'll touch on it in a bit. For now, I'll leave everyone to ponder the first 3-years of George Washington's life. Bear in mind we really don't know much, if anything of his childhood! Who could've known what a figure he'd become, and there wasn't the recording means we have now. He did NOT chop down the cherry tree (that was made up for romantic notion by an author around the time of the Revolution), but I'm sure he did have offer some mischief. I'm sure we all know of children like that....

Another Delay?

I'm still not doing a good job of getting the words out. Now we have to wait a bit longer because my laptop died...again. For the second time in less than a year, the hard drive in the Toshiba has crashed & burned. The danged laptop isn't even 3-years-old!! The good news about is that I get my new laptop, a MacBook, sometime this week. Just in time since school starts back for me on Tuesday. I really want to share about Pope's Creek and subsequent, but want to share with the pictures. Can't do that when they're just as dead on the Toshiba (at least it was backed up onto an external hard drive only about a week before it crashed so we didn't lose anything!).

Thanks for the well-wishes (Corbie), the concerned emails, and all the thoughts! Mary, you're a goofball! Thanks for being a great "big sis" and wife to my wonderful brother!

Virginia, Day 2

Luke and I had a really great sleep, which was nice. Upon waking we ventured up the stairs to the kitchen and greeted our youngest family member, Ryan, and Aunt Mary. They somehow ended up waking early, which was not exactly thrilling for Mary, but Luke was happy to have a playmate. It was a pretty relaxing morning with nobody really in a rush for anything. Luke and Ryan played, I conversed with Mary and my parents. Around noon David came home from work to change clothes. That was our cue to get ourselves dressed and ready for the promotion ceremony.

It didn't take long and we were on our way to the base. It was an uneventful ride and easy to find a parking spot. Into the building we went, armed with cookies, brownies, and iced tea. Not only was David being promoted, but he was liked because he provided treats. Military folks are all the same! We had a short amount of time meeting with certain individuals, like David's Commander, some of those conducting the short ceremony, and our escort. It brought back memories for me because it used to be the world I worked in. Different location, same idea. Luke chose this moment to act out and not behave....I felt horrible for David because of it, but he wasn't concerned.

The ceremony was short and David was able to share a bit about his career. Dad and Mary pinned on the silver oak leaves, and I was actually a bit glad to have the distraction of a misbehaving 2-year-old because I would have teared up. I'm a softie that way; this is my big brother, afterall! We then mingled a bit, had some goodies, and packed up for the trip back to the house. There was some time spent at the static display out front....fitting that my Navy husband was missing while the Air Force family took pictures on a Navy base in front of a Navy plane (F-18, for those interested). I do wish my husband was there to complete the scene, but we ended up with some very nice pictures. Always a plus!

Once we made it back to the house it was time for Ryan to nap. I had promised my oldest nephew, J.T., and my boy that we'd go say hi to the horses at Cleydael House. While I wanted to share this moment with the boys, my actual intention was specifically to see this house. It's just down the street from my brother's place, and historic. Being the history buff and lover that I am, I had to see it. You see, John Wilkes Boothe, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln, hid at this house while on the run. That's the short version, and I will refrain from boring everyone with details. The boys were very good and patient while the owners of the property allowed me to walk around and have a look. They even invited me to walk down the old, original road! I, of course, took them up on it, and was in heaven.

There are a couple of sheep and goats allowed to roam the property. Good for lawn mowing, and common on historical farms, so it wasn't a surprise to see them. We were warned, however, that the male sheep sometimes gets a bug up his rear and starts butting. It's good we were warned....he and I had a tussle! He actually was interested in the kids, but I distracted him and was able to keep him away from the boys and hold my own until the owners could grab him. What a crazy animal! Cause for laughter, though. I kidded my parents that I was disappointed they didn't get pictures of the event...I think they were just happy I didn't get trampled. Stupid sheep.

J.T. and Luke had a good time feeding and petting the horses, and then it was time to head on home. It was an uneventful night from there. It simply consisted of dinner, bath time, and bed time. We sat up and enjoyed some adult company, then headed off to bed ourselves. I was anxious for the coming morning, and sleep came quickly......

To Virginia, With Love....

It has been a very, very long time since I wrote. I've had a busy spring! I am pleased to report that I succeeded in gaining the highest grade in my Sociology class, somehow managing a 99% throughout the semester. How that happened is way beyond me, but I am happy about it. I also received an A in my Psychology class with a 96%. How scary is that?? I'm a little afraid of what that means for the coming years of school left ahead of me. Heaven knows it wasn't exactly a stressful or difficult semester.

Luke and I have also been busy with the ponies, which is wonderful. It gets me out of the house, keeps both of us busy, and gives him something fun to do. But it is time consuming. So I just haven't had the energy to write.

My big brother is now a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. I couldn't be more proud of him! He leaves tomorrow for a short tour in Baghdad, Iraq, too. Big job he's got with this tour, and I can't wait to talk to him when he comes home to see how weird, or fun it is for him. But since he's leaving tomorrow, that means Luke and I already made our trip to that wonderful paradise called Virginia.

Now, everyone is well aware of how much I fell in love with the Black Hills last summer. What they don't know is that I would probably get tired of the tourist aspect and want to leave after a while. Virginia is deeply embedded in my heart from the three years I lived in Pennsylvania. Sound strange? Well, it might be. But the fact remains that I spent a good amount of time in the D.C. Metro area, and in various parts of Virginia. I dream of that place! And my contingency plan involves that place. I would not get tired of it.

We left our home here in Colorado bright and early on Wednesday morning. April 29th. I was given permission to miss my final day of class for this trip, and I was thrilled. I barely slept the night before, despite needing to be awake by 4am and in the car by 4:45am to make our flight in Denver. In fact, I showered and slept on top of the covers in my clothes....not pajamas! Part of my excitement was definitely resting on the fact this was Luke's first flight. I couldn't wait to see his reaction. After a short stop to see daddy at work, we were on our way.

The airport was surprisingly crowded for an early morning in the middle of the week, but we were still able to sail through security with no problems. I was wise enough to pack only one suitcase for the two of us and grab an umbrella stroller to gate check. It made a huge difference. Luke was just happy to see planes (can you tell he's got Ahrens blood???).

Time came to board our flight....all the way to the back of the plane and finding a window seat (Southwest does not have assigned seating). Luke was enthralled, and he didn't fight the seatbelt. Not that he's ever been allowed to go without, of course, but this was a new experience and it's hard to tell what'll actually happen. When we started moving he announced it to the entire plane. I did hear a few chuckles from the others. And, oh the giggles! When we took off, he thought that was fantastic! The giggles, followed by "some more!" I had to explain we had to fly to Chicago first. "Ooooh, okay." His eyes got big when we landed, but he gave a smile, too. I think he was just surprised at how loud and hard it is to stop a plane.

We had a 2-hour layover, so we wandered a bit. He ran around, enjoyed the moving walkways, and kept inquiring about his stroller. He thought it would be waiting for him. It was hard to explain that it would be after the next plane. We grabbed a quick bite, then sat in a spot where we could see every single plane taking off and landing. He loved that and exclaimed that I had to "look, look, look!! Momma! Watch!!" every single time. It was great.

Second plane boarded, same seats chosen, more giggles at take-off, and we made the short jaunt into Washington, D.C. I admit, I was disappointed we couldn't see more of the countryside and city since it was raining and the cloud deck was low, but I was so happy to be back on the East Coast that I really didn't care. We went to find out suitcase and ran into a problem. Eventually we found it in the baggage office, but it was no longer in one piece. My brand new suitcase had been destroyed. The top was still attached, but not by much. After some searching and trying to figure out how best to handle the situation, I was given a new (BIGGER) suitcase and made off for the rental car.

That didn't take long and we headed out for King George. I had printed Mapquest directions before leaving home, but they were almost worthless. Lucky for me, once I found my way out off of airport property I knew where I was! It was a little over an hour later that we pulled into the driveway of my big brother's home. Something ridiculous like 3 hours later than we were supposed to, but we made it nonetheless.

We got cleaned up, spent a wee bit of time with family, and headed to bed.....end of day one, and quite a restful night!