Sorry about the lateness of this post. Last week completely got away from me and this last weekend was lost in a blur of art-framing, housework, beer, lasagna, and playing with Legos. Yep.
Saturday, September 16, 2010
This afternoon we drove back across the Potomac and headed for Mt. Vernon, George Washington's Virginia Home. The drive down George Washington Memorial Parkway was very pleasant, and I will keep its miles of greenbelt river-side trails in mind next time I'm looking for a scenic bike ride.
While we waited for our friends to meet us there Hans and I observed the scale-model of the mansion with moving walls and spent some time in one of the gardens, featuring espaliered apple trees. While we sat on a bench a bold squirrel approached us along the garden wall and flopped down pathetically on its belly once it reached our position. Even though I stood up to take pictures and point it out to a small girl nearby it hardly seemed to be frightened or care in any way. It might have been used to visitors handing out scraps but I sadly told Hans that it was likely sick.
Once our friends arrived we roamed more of the grounds, visiting George Washington's former and present tombs, a memorial dedicated to the slaves that worked on the property, and the dock on the river that serves a base of operations for short water tours and a landing spot for excursions that begin at the National Mall in DC.
We got in line to tour the mansion, which was so busy that you had to follow a constant single-file stream of visitors through the lower rooms, upstairs, and then back down again. The tour guides did the best they could, repeating their speeches over and over as each group of people filed past, but it would have been much better to have more freedom in observing the house and stay in each room longer. I am definitely determined to return in the winter. I should note that the exterior walls of most of the buildings were particularly intriguing. At first glance they looked to be made of stone, but really were varnished wood with sand mixed into the paint. Even by touch the effect was very convincing.
Crowds aside, the house was very interesting. I really liked the wheat motif in the plasterwork that could be seen throughout the building. A key to the Bastille is on display in the main hall, a gift to Washington from Lafayette. I tried to picture Washington, at six-foot-two, stooping in and out of small doorways in the narrow hallways.
At the end of our visit we made high-brow jokes about the property's "necessaries", then went through the extensive and very impressive museums, which included a pair of Washington's famous false teeth (not made of wood).
On the return drive Hans and I went through the more commercial side of Mt. Vernon and were impressed by the quiet parks and neighborhoods.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Since it looked to be another nice weekend, we decided to visit the site of the Manassas Battlefields at the last minute, stopping to pick up some secondhand furniture for the apartment on the way.
The entire park has a range of trails that cross between most of the monuments and battle sites, and we did the short trail that outlines the features the first battle of Manassas, and the start of the Civil War. The grave of Judith Carter Henry, the first civilian victim of the war is on the site, as well as a replica of the owner's farm house. As we walked along the path crickets could be heard humming fretfully on the grassy hillside. Hans pointed out that the battle took place in July, and the uncomfortable sweat I had coming on seemed hotter.
On a southeastern ridge there was a line of cannons on the site where Stonewall Jackson was given his nickname (and nearby the grave of the general who coined it and died a day later).
Artillery aimed at Henry House, where Union soldiers had taken refuge.
After deciding we'd had enough entertainment, we drove back home to enjoy a laid-back evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment