Sorry- this photo is way out of order but I did something to it further down and it erased it! This is the second picture I was able to take before finding out we couldn't take pictures of the outside of the Pentagon!
We ate at a place called Austin Grill and we felt right at home with all the Texas stuff around!
These were little steps that went around the Slave Memorial- I like the words they chose. Joy, Hope and Faith.
Headstone for the many slaves that were buried in that area.
While we were at Mt. Vernon we got to watch a wreath laying ceremony and they opened the gate so I had to take some pictures without the iron gate in the way.
Washington's tomb with the wreath next to it.
When you first get to Mt. Vernon you walk under this white brick arch and to the left was this plaque so I had to take a picture because it's the "Texas Gate".
Our 1st President.
Ben standing in front of Washington's Tomb.
George and Martha Washington's Tomb. The black square you see is where 25 other family members are buried.
This is the original tomb that held George and Martha and 20 other family members. They were all moved to the new tomb in 1831.
The back side of the house. We were waiting for our riverboat cruise. I am sitting on the rocking chair almost right in the middle of the pic. I'm in brown.
What a view he had!!
This is Fort Washington- yoy can't really see it but just to the right of the flag is the last remaining cannon on top of the fort.
Ben with Mt. Vernon behind him.
Me and the Presidents House.
Ben in front of the President's House- we were going to go in but the line was wayyyy too long!
They had a replica of the Liberty bell and you could walk up and ring it- I didn't know how heavy the rope would be and I ended up ringing it really loud!!
What they believe George looked like at age 19.
The sword that George Washington carried with him during the French and Indian War.
What they think he looked like at age 49.
At age 59.
A replica of what his coffin looked like.
You can't read it very well but the glass jar is holding fragments of Washington's coffin. Under the mask is a handle from his coffin and the mask is from the 19th century (that's what is says underneath it- I don't know if it's a real death mask or a representation.)
This is Washington's Gristmill.
Washington's Whiskey Distillery.
Fort Belvoir- My father was stationed here for just under a year.I hope I got that right Dad.
The OCS Building
I took this before finding out we couldn't take pictures of the outside of the Pentagon.
Really neat looking street in Alexandria, VA
The Christ Church- I was really hoping to see some orbs or shadows or something because this would be the perfect place for TAPS to come investigate (for those of you who know what TAPS is I would think you would agree!- for those of who you don't know who TAPS is- watch Ghost Hunters every Wed. night on the SciFi channel- Josh and Grant are my favorite!!)
Plaque with a small hill above it saying that this is where the list of names on the plaque are buried.Today we checked out of the Gaylord much to my sadness (it was a very nice hotel) and while I was getting us all packed to check out Ben went back to the airport and got us a sweet rental car- I'm going to take a picture of it because it's awesome (that is said in complete sarcasm) it's a bright blue Dodge Charger with windows that you actually have to roll up manually- we didn't know that car makers even make that option anymore- isn't everything electronic now?
We made our way across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge and found our hotel. We unloaded our bags and made our way to Mt. Vernon- for any of you who might not know what this place is, it was the home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 to the time of his death in 1799. Even though he didn't spend a lot of time there because of his military service he expanded the plantation from 2,000 to 8,000 acres and the Mansion house from 6 rooms to 21. We first went to the tomb of George and Martha and that was sooo cool- we were there for the wreath laying ceremony (they only do it 2 times a day) where they open the gate to the tombs and let 3 volunteers help- they like to first ask if there is any active or retired military personnel if they would like to do it and if not, they then like to ask if any children would like to participate- there was a set of triplets who volunteered so the 2 boys did the wreath laying and the sister led everyone in the pledge of allegiance. It was really cool and allowed us all to take pictures of the tombs without the annoying iron fence in the way. George's tomb was on the right and had some really neat decorations on the top and Martha's was on the left- hers didn't have anything fancy on the top and I kinda wondered why. Between the two there was a square door on the wall that 25 other family members behind it were buried. We then walked to the Slave Memorial- it's to honor the slaves who lived and worked at Mt. Vernon. Any original grave markers have disappeared over the years and the identities of approx. 75 ind. buried there are mostly unknown. We then walked to the Old Tomb where George's body along with Martha were originally buried. In 1831 a new site was selected and replaced the old tomb which was deteriorating. He and his wife and 25 other family members are now interred at the new tomb. We had about 40 min. before our sightseeing river cruise so we walked around the buildings on the side of the Mansion and saw the Storehouse/Clerk's Quarters, the Smokehouse, Wash House, Coach House, Dung Repository and the Stables. Then we made our way to the back of the Mansion to cool off (it was very hot and muggy since we were so close to the river) they had a row of rocking chairs that looked over the Potomac so it was perfect for picture taking. We then went down to the wharf and got on the boat for a 40 min. sightseeing cruise- that was pretty cool!! Great photo ops- and we even got to see Ft. Washington and you could see the last cannon on the top of the fort. We were going to go get in line to walk through the Mansion but it was going to be around an hour and a half and Ben didn't want to wait in line (he was very hungry) so we walked over to the Museum and Educational Center and saw collections of objects from his life- like swords, china, his dentures, tackle boxes, they even have new life sized models on display from 3 different periods during his life (age 19, 45 and 57) They took alot of time to make sure they had everything right when making these models- they were very accurate! We went to the gift shop and bought some postcards and a spoon for Ben's collection and then ate at the cafe. It started to rain so we hurried out to the car and drove to Ft. Belvoir- on the way there we stopped at George Washington's Whiskey Distillery and Gristmill- it was closed but I managed to run around the grounds and take some pictures of the outsides of the buildings. When we got to Ft. Belvoir it was really neat for me to see what my dad's life was like for a while- he was stationed there years ago and spent a lot of time at the OCS building so we followed the signs and when we got there I got out and took lots of pictures- I don't know if it looks the same as when he was there but it really made me feel closer to my dad. My mom didn't live on the base while he was stationed there but the homes all look alike. What was cool is on the steps leading up the door they had whatever rank they were and their last name- it seemed to me as though the higher the rank, the bigger the home and the nicer the car was in the driveway. We then drove to the Pentagon and little did I know you can't take pictures of it (I had already taken 1 by the time we were told not to) the security guy told us where to go and that if we went a certain way we would be able to see where the plane hit the building- you can tell the difference in the color of where they rebuilt and I guess they're constructing a memorial that will be unveiled on 9/11/2008. It was really cool to at least just look at the Pentagon. We then made our way to Arlington National Cemetery but it was closed so we'll do it hopefully tomorrow. We were very hungry at this point so we came back to King St. which is the "main street" of Old Town Alexandria and ate dinner at Austin Grill and once we got inside I immediately felt at home- there were things everywhere on the walls with Texas all over it!!! We shared a huge plate of yummy nachos. We walked back to our rental car and along the way took pictures of whatever looked cool- we walked through the Christ Church where Washington would come and worship. There was a Ghost and Graveyard Tour coming through the graveyard that is right next to the church that was being led by lamplight but the tour guide was just a little too perky for us to listen in and feel in any way creepy. I took some pretty neat pictures hoping to see some orbs or mists of light or heck, even a full body apparition but no luck! The church has more than 800 people buried in the church-yard, the oldest grave dating to 1791.
We're now just relaxing in our hotel figuring out what we're going to do tomorrow- Ben doesn't want to drive anywhere so I think we're going to take the Metro into DC and go to the Aerospace Museum and then maybe to the International Spy Museum and i'd really like to go to the Jefferson Memorial but we'll just play it by ear!! We got to talk to the kids tonight and they miss us but they're having a great time with the Alva's- Cherise has sent me some pictures from the 4th and they had such a good time- maybe every year Ben and I will go somewhere for the 4th because they had such a better time with them than they ever would with us!!!
We made our way across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge and found our hotel. We unloaded our bags and made our way to Mt. Vernon- for any of you who might not know what this place is, it was the home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 to the time of his death in 1799. Even though he didn't spend a lot of time there because of his military service he expanded the plantation from 2,000 to 8,000 acres and the Mansion house from 6 rooms to 21. We first went to the tomb of George and Martha and that was sooo cool- we were there for the wreath laying ceremony (they only do it 2 times a day) where they open the gate to the tombs and let 3 volunteers help- they like to first ask if there is any active or retired military personnel if they would like to do it and if not, they then like to ask if any children would like to participate- there was a set of triplets who volunteered so the 2 boys did the wreath laying and the sister led everyone in the pledge of allegiance. It was really cool and allowed us all to take pictures of the tombs without the annoying iron fence in the way. George's tomb was on the right and had some really neat decorations on the top and Martha's was on the left- hers didn't have anything fancy on the top and I kinda wondered why. Between the two there was a square door on the wall that 25 other family members behind it were buried. We then walked to the Slave Memorial- it's to honor the slaves who lived and worked at Mt. Vernon. Any original grave markers have disappeared over the years and the identities of approx. 75 ind. buried there are mostly unknown. We then walked to the Old Tomb where George's body along with Martha were originally buried. In 1831 a new site was selected and replaced the old tomb which was deteriorating. He and his wife and 25 other family members are now interred at the new tomb. We had about 40 min. before our sightseeing river cruise so we walked around the buildings on the side of the Mansion and saw the Storehouse/Clerk's Quarters, the Smokehouse, Wash House, Coach House, Dung Repository and the Stables. Then we made our way to the back of the Mansion to cool off (it was very hot and muggy since we were so close to the river) they had a row of rocking chairs that looked over the Potomac so it was perfect for picture taking. We then went down to the wharf and got on the boat for a 40 min. sightseeing cruise- that was pretty cool!! Great photo ops- and we even got to see Ft. Washington and you could see the last cannon on the top of the fort. We were going to go get in line to walk through the Mansion but it was going to be around an hour and a half and Ben didn't want to wait in line (he was very hungry) so we walked over to the Museum and Educational Center and saw collections of objects from his life- like swords, china, his dentures, tackle boxes, they even have new life sized models on display from 3 different periods during his life (age 19, 45 and 57) They took alot of time to make sure they had everything right when making these models- they were very accurate! We went to the gift shop and bought some postcards and a spoon for Ben's collection and then ate at the cafe. It started to rain so we hurried out to the car and drove to Ft. Belvoir- on the way there we stopped at George Washington's Whiskey Distillery and Gristmill- it was closed but I managed to run around the grounds and take some pictures of the outsides of the buildings. When we got to Ft. Belvoir it was really neat for me to see what my dad's life was like for a while- he was stationed there years ago and spent a lot of time at the OCS building so we followed the signs and when we got there I got out and took lots of pictures- I don't know if it looks the same as when he was there but it really made me feel closer to my dad. My mom didn't live on the base while he was stationed there but the homes all look alike. What was cool is on the steps leading up the door they had whatever rank they were and their last name- it seemed to me as though the higher the rank, the bigger the home and the nicer the car was in the driveway. We then drove to the Pentagon and little did I know you can't take pictures of it (I had already taken 1 by the time we were told not to) the security guy told us where to go and that if we went a certain way we would be able to see where the plane hit the building- you can tell the difference in the color of where they rebuilt and I guess they're constructing a memorial that will be unveiled on 9/11/2008. It was really cool to at least just look at the Pentagon. We then made our way to Arlington National Cemetery but it was closed so we'll do it hopefully tomorrow. We were very hungry at this point so we came back to King St. which is the "main street" of Old Town Alexandria and ate dinner at Austin Grill and once we got inside I immediately felt at home- there were things everywhere on the walls with Texas all over it!!! We shared a huge plate of yummy nachos. We walked back to our rental car and along the way took pictures of whatever looked cool- we walked through the Christ Church where Washington would come and worship. There was a Ghost and Graveyard Tour coming through the graveyard that is right next to the church that was being led by lamplight but the tour guide was just a little too perky for us to listen in and feel in any way creepy. I took some pretty neat pictures hoping to see some orbs or mists of light or heck, even a full body apparition but no luck! The church has more than 800 people buried in the church-yard, the oldest grave dating to 1791.
We're now just relaxing in our hotel figuring out what we're going to do tomorrow- Ben doesn't want to drive anywhere so I think we're going to take the Metro into DC and go to the Aerospace Museum and then maybe to the International Spy Museum and i'd really like to go to the Jefferson Memorial but we'll just play it by ear!! We got to talk to the kids tonight and they miss us but they're having a great time with the Alva's- Cherise has sent me some pictures from the 4th and they had such a good time- maybe every year Ben and I will go somewhere for the 4th because they had such a better time with them than they ever would with us!!!
1 comment:
Your trip sounds so fun! I bet it was awesome to visit such historical sites during Independance day weekend.
-DanaLee
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