George Washington Slept Here

Today we drove back in to Washington DC to visit Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. Since it was Saturday, the traffic was much lighter, making the drive quicker and more pleasant. Add to that the markedly cooler temps, clouds and breeze--what a great day to hike around George Washington's huge estate on the Potomac River.

The house itself has been preserved and restored to the condition it was when Washington lived here. In this front view of the home, if you look closely there is scaffolding under he roof porch. Workmen are refinishing the front walls, a process that needs re-done every 10 years. We toured the first and second floors of the mansion. They did no allow any photos inside but the rooms were quite elegant for the time. The colors were quite bold as was the fashion of the time and one of the small dining rooms was a St. Patrticks Day green !-ugh.

Also on the grounds of Mount Vernon are extensive gardens and orchards. Washington fancied himself as a farmer and gardener. He experimented with grafting and grew numerous fruits and vegetables.
He also liked the formal gardens that were common in England. These low hedges were grown in fancy patterns in one of the walled gardens behind the house.

George and Martha Washington are buried on the grounds of Mount Vernon as well as some 25 other family members and descendants. The tomb lies down the hill from the house in the woods overlooking the Potomac River. Wreath laying cerermonies are held each day to honor Washington.

The group that owns and runs Mount Vernon is in the process of finishing a new museum and visitor's center that is slated topen in October of this year. Apparently it will house many more Washington artifacts and feature extensive historical displays about his life. Maybe we will see it someday.

After our visit there we drove into downtown Washington DC. We drove around the mall and the capitol. The changes since 9/11 were quite apparent to us. There were new barriers everywhere and a strong police presence.
Our last stop was the Old Ebbitt Grill. It is Washington's oldest saloon, founded in 1856. Jim had been there before and wanted Karen to experience their famous oyster bar. Since it was Saturday, brunch was being served and it was yummy.
The Grill is only blocks from the White House and rumors have it that much government business is transacted here. In this photo the building in the reflection is the Department of the Treasury.

For those of you who know our family here are couple of photos that we took with our dining companions outside Old Ebbitt's Grill. Bruce and Melaina took time from their crazy schedules to eat with us and we had a great visit!