Mount Vernon Day 1

To See the  video today click Here
Day one of the Mount Vernon Sabbatical officially began today!  We got up early, had breakfast and headed out.  In my all knowing wisdom (snicker), I decided to try a new route to Mount Vernon.  How hard can it be?  Well, what was supposed to be a 20 minute drive turned into a 1 hour drive.  There was tons of construction, blocked routes, and missed turns.  Oh boy!  We were just laughing.  We arrived and checked in.  Mr. Noble was incredibly gracious and talked just liked he wrote.. which is hilarious.  Very nice man.  Former Naval Man, so he just has a great sense of humor.  He got us our passes, gave us a sheet to make sure we knew where to go, talked about George Washington a bit, and talked about how I could be involved this upcoming week.  This took a total of 45 minutes. The first couple of days, I'm on my own as far as learning.  They want me to become intimately familiar with Mount Vernon. We decided to do everything outside today as Thunderstorms are headed for Mount Vernon tomorrow.  So, we walked up the hill to get to the Mansion.  Incredible.  It really is just amazing.  We again had the perfect day.  Clear as the eye can see, 70 degrees, with a slight breeze.  The mansion tour was great.  They have docents in every room and you get a quick talk.  The rooms are so incredible.  There are no pictures of the rooms as there are no pictures allowed!!!  SORRY!  The first room was the formal dining room and you could just picture George Washington eating there with guests.  The Fireplace is original, the Mirrors are original, and nine of the chairs.  It is painted in a teal.  A very expensive paint back then.  Some great rooms. My favorite was the bedchamber.  His Master bed is still there, and his room is still the same as he and Martha had it.  I just sat there, staring at the bed thinking, "that's where he died."  Very strange feeling.  After reading numerous books on the man, to see the rooms was really interesting.  In each room I could see the stories play out.  We then walked around the estate for a long time.  Looked in numerous buildings, visited the grave, walked the roads, saw the Necessary (the bathroom) and spoke with people.  I love meeting people from all over this great country.  After four hours we called it quits, to come back and fight another day.  My daughter received a very small Mrs. Fields cookie for being super quiet in the Mansion and not touching anything!!! One of the funniest moments to me was as I was walking to the barn, I heard my daughter saying something again and again.  As I stopped I listened... "George Washington, George Washington, George Washington"  I thought only a History Teachers daughter would be saying that name at two years old.  Enjoy the very short video today (I forgot my camera card, so I used my wife's Iphone).