Mount Vernon: Politics, Architecture, Gardening

For video today click here

Hello all. I hope you are well.  I know those A's fans are probably bumming today and the Giants and 49ers are smiling.  The games start here super late.  It would be hard to be a Bay Area sports fan and live here!

Second, thanks to all you who read this blog faithfully.  I just checked today the blog has 1,234 hits/reads.  Wow.  I hope this blog is deepening your knowledge and appreciation not only for George Washington, but also the other places we've visited.
Third, we had a fantastic day.  I was on my own today at Mount Vernon.  My wife and daughter dropped me off at Mount Vernon this morning.  I love driving to work with them.  I wish I could do it back in the Bay Area as well.  They went home and had a nice relaxing day.  Some shopping and girl time.  Thanks to my wife for loving on our daughter today.
I checked in with my bosses.  We had a great talk about last nights VP debate between Congressman Ryan and VP Biden.  One of the things I like out here, is that everyone is willing and able to discuss politics.  It is in their blood or something.  I learned more about my boss.  He was the number two guy in the Navy's Intelligence Division in the Pacific theater.  Now he is retired.  Such a great guy.  I'll tell you about my other boss on another blog.  These people have been awesome.  So helpful.
I then headed out to the Mansion and you will see part of my day there.  I'm now becoming more and more comfortable here.  The staff now knows me and says hi to me before I even see them.  Great people.  It's hard to work in a place that revolves around a man that lived with honesty, hospitality, and punctuality, and not strive for those things yourself.
It definitely was a horticulture day for me.  I love gardening and studying it.  So today I spent most of the day in the gardens. The General also loved his time in the gardens.   In-between my journeys I was able to help guests with their questions about George Washington and the Estate.  That is a blast for me.  They see the badge and ask questions.  This is just a joy as a teacher.  People eager to learn.  The place was packed today, yet everyone was gracious and calm.
I was able to speak with Mr. Shields (a slave) who was George Washington's personal attendant after Billy Lee could no longer serve due to bad knees. I spent a lot of time with him today.  I also taped a lot of it, but the lighting was poor, so you won't be seeing it.  He is speaking again on the 21st, so he invited me to tape then.
I then headed to do research for curriculum.  It was interesting for me, but I won't bore you with the details.  I then headed to a flag pole on the Mount Vernon Property and raised flags up and down.  These are sold online and in the bookstore as being flown at Mount Vernon.  As silly as this sounds, I felt honored to do this job!
I then bought a Mount Vernon Advent Calendar for my family as it was on sale!  I then headed out to the loading circle to get picked up.  Up the street came my girls with big smiles.  What a great way to end the day.

Tomorrow, we have another full day at Mount Vernon!

Supreme Court and sickness

Hello all.  We headed out to the Supreme Court today.  It was spectacular.  We sat in the courtroom and they started their presentation.  About five minutes later My daughter vomited.  We walked back to the car and drove home as she vomited several times.  We have spent the day buying "sick" stuff.  My daughter has been a trooper.  She seems like she is on the mend!
No pictures!
PS. I met this representative yesterday on our White House tour.  He was escorting some of his constituents on a tour.  I was able to chat with him a bit.  Very nice guy.
Click Here to see his website

White House Tour, Ford's Theatre, and lots more 10/10

For today's video click here
This city truly is an American treasure.  My wife and I have been in awe.  Both of us have been fortunate enough to travel to some of the greatest cities on earth.  This by far is the best.
We started our day off at Caribou Coffee (It's like Starbucks out here), and are getting very familiar with the city.  We didn't even get lost today!  We walked to the White House, and realized we needed my wife's ID.  So back to the car.  Then, my birthday date was off on the manifest.  Oops!  So, into a holding area.  That makes it sound bad.  They were super nice, just lots of precautions.  Security here is the Airport times ten.  Dogs, scanners, checkpoints, checkpoints, checkpoints.  Once you make it through, it is like a normal place.  President Obama was actually at the house today, so there were some privacy stuff up in the house for him and his family.  The house is breathtaking.  Absolutely fantastic.  My wife said this was her favorite thing we did today.  No pictures inside are allowed, so I guess you will just have to take the tour someday.
We then walked to Ford's Theatre and the Peterson's house (where Lincoln was shot, taken across the street, and died).  Side note.  We are walking fools.  We probably did 5-6 miles easy today.  No biggie!  Ford's theatre was humbling.  Being in the theatre where he was shot.  Sitting in the seats of the audience and looking at his box.  It is a lot to take in.  Just an FYI.. If you want a pretty accurate portrayal of the Assassination watch the beginning of National Treasure 2 (minus the code stuff).  We then walked over to the Peterson house and saw the room in which he died.  This house is eerie.  Very emotional place.  To be in the place where he died and there was so much grief in 1865 was humbling.
We then walked to the National Mall and had lunch.  Best lunch location we have ever had (Maybe the beach in Hawaii is better).  My daughter was able to just run around and meet people.  She even made a friend.  Then off to our miles of walking.  We walked past the Washington Monument, which obviously dominates the skyline.  Then we came upon the WWII memorial dedicated in 2004.  Wow.  The west side is dedicated to the Pacific theatre and the East side the Atlantic theatre.  Quotes were everywhere as well as a very cool water feature.  We spent quite a bit of time here.  A great tribute to our veterans.  We actually got to meet a WWII veteran and thank him for his service.  He served in Europe.
Then off to the Reflecting pool (Need to watch Forrest Gump run into it again) and to the Korean War Memorial. This memorial has a special place in my heart.  Often labeled the "Forgotten War", this memorial reminds me of my Grandpa who served in this war.  He currently lives in Missouri with my Grandma and was an Army Medic in the War.  He received two sliver stars and one bronze star for bravery.  It is a great memorial.  Off to the Lincoln Memorial.  Great history there.  Look up the Lincoln Memorial.  Tons of History there.  My daughter absolutely loves the steps.  Think about it, you couldn't even get up steps, and now you can!  The Lincoln Memorial is the perfect place to go up and down steps.  We then went to the Vietnam Memorial. Again, super humbling.  Then to one of my FAVORITE places, Constitution Gardens and the Declaration of Independence Park.  This was a super beautiful place and I found the memorial to be very tasteful, featuring the signatures of the signers.  I just have immense respect for these men.  They laid everything on the line for our country.  Some lost their lives, their fortunes, their children... All for us.  After lingering their for a bit, we walked back to our car.  After eight hours walking, we were ready.  We are now sitting in our beautiful place, working on stuff.  My daughter is asleep and we are just so thankful for the blessing of another incredible day.  Thank you God.

Mary Wiseman as Martha Washington

For video please click here
I filmed this a few days ago.  The above video is a bit long, but I did narrowed the video down from over an hour!
Mary Wiseman portrays Martha Washington at Mount Vernon.  In my estimation, she portrays her perfectly.  She acts as though she is Martha Washington at 67 years old and George Washington is still alive.  You are allowed to sit with her in a room (it was full) and ask questions.  I was honored to be able to ask a few.  Also, she speaks exactly as though she were alive in the 1700's.   If you ever wondered how they talked back then, here's your chance.  Enjoy

Washington DC Duck Tour 10/9

For today's video click here
What a great day.  Today will be a bit brief as we didn't do that much totally new.  One of the great challenges for me (good challenge) is to make history relevant to my students.  Most of us have sat through terrible history classes where the book was the only guide the teacher used.  Well, I also take that challenge seriously here for my family.  My wife is on-board, not when we first met, but definitely now, with this history stuff.  My daughter is only two, so we want to keep it interesting for her.  So, we booked a "duck" tour of Washington DC.  It will give us all the sites and history, keep us off our feet for  bit, and add another dimension.  To be perfectly honest my wife and I were just excited.  We drove to Union Station (amazing) and hopped on the Duck Tour.  The Duck tour is an amphibous vehicle from WWII. It can go on land and the water.  So, that is what we did.  Our Captain was great.  Great speaker, funny, and very welcoming.  We drove past all of the monuments and buildings and he gave us the history of that monument.  He also wove in current affairs. Things such as the Federal Reserve building (check your money at the top), Lincoln memorial, etc. Then we drove the Duck vehicle into the Potomac and took a 1/2 hour cruise.  My daughter got to drive the boat and so did I.  My wife loved watching but declined the driving part.  After an hour and a half, we were back at Union Station and my little girl was asleep.  We just got back from a great BBQ place in Alexandria and stumbled upon the greatest ice cream I've ever had at "Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Palor" in Old Town Alexandria.  Amazing.  Enjoy the videos!

P.S.  Some of you are wondering why I don't mentioned names.  My wife, daughter, people I deal with.  At least I try not to.  It all comes down to Privacy.  Google has algorythms that track words, and I like to keep our names off those as much as possible.  Just type in your name on Google and see what comes up.

The Zoo, Mount Vernon at night, and DC

For the video please click here
Wow, what a weekend and Monday!  Saturday started off with a trip to the Smithsonian Zoo.  Getting around the city is incredibly easy and beautiful.  The drive through Rock Creek Park to get to the Zoo, was breathtaking.  Massive bridges, gates, and a tree lined creek framed the drive.  The Zoo is free and the most beautiful zoo I've ever been to.  We spent three hours there and we saw half of the zoo.  No kidding.  The walk around is amazing.  It is as if you were in a botanical garden.  We saw so many mammals, reptiles, birds, etc.  This zoo is a science teacher's dream.  My daughter just loved it.  The highlight for me, as far as animals, was the panda.  I've never seen a panda in person before. My wife's favorite was the grounds of the zoo and the lioness.  My daughter loved the elephants.  A funny thing:  We had seven minutes left on our parking pass before our parking fee went up $7 at the zoo.  I looked at my wife, put my daughter on shoulders, and we ran back to the car.  It was epic.  We made it.  Also, a shout-out to my wife.  Everyday she packs a lunch for us.  It saves us tons of money and we eat very healthy at places, including the zoo.
Saturday night I was asked by the Mount Vernon Estate to help out with an event.  It was amazing.  My job was to stack glasses for people to take before they headed up to the estate.  If you know me, I'm pretty clumsy.  I am happy to report that I did not break one glass!  I had a blast.  I couldn't believe that I was working at Mount Vernon.  Then I broke down some boxes, and was able to head up to the Estate early to partake in the evening.  The Basement of the Mansion was opened. (only happens twice a year or on the National Treasure Tour)  It was cool.  In the basement there are original pavers, the root cellar, the wine cellar, and the servants dining area.  I then walked up to the piazza and took a picture with "The General" and "Lady Washington".  I went to shake George Washington's hand and he said, "I'm a Virginia Gentleman, I don't shake hands."  I said, "Sorry, Sir"  We then took a picture together, and he said "Where are you from sir?"  I said, "California".  He said, "Oh, the Wilderness.  That explains the handshake.  You want to show me you don't have a weapon."  I was cracking up.  The actors that portrayed the The General and Lady Washington have it down perfectly.  I then sat, listened to music on the piazza and ate my dinner.  I chatted with former Board Members for about an hour and headed home following the candlelight that lined the paths.  It was an incredible evening.
On Sunday, we headed to church.  It was a tremendous time.  Super small church.. 50 people.  The music was very old school.  The people were great!!!  The sermon was amazing.  The pastor was speaking on false teachers in the church.  This man is definitely gifted by God.  We chatted after church for awhile and then went home.  Definitely a highlight.
That Sunday night, I was so proud of my wife.  She volunteered to help at Mount Vernon doing the same thing as me!  She didn't break any glasses!  She throughly enjoyed herself!  My daughter and I had "Daddy/Daughter" dinner at Five Guys (not sure if I'm a fan yet), and drove to Mount Vernon.  The Estate, said I was welcome to come back and just enjoy the festivities!!  Of course. After she was done working  my wife got some food and us three enjoyed the music up at the Mansion.  You will see in the slideshow that my daughter was able to spend some time with "The General" and Lady Washington.  She LOVES the Washingtons.  She can actually name the whole family when she sees them (including the Grandkids).  The workers at the Estate cannot believe this.  Now, George Washington was an incredibly affectionate Grandfather (I've done some research).  He helped his Grandkids learn to walk on the Piazza by holding their hand as he slouched over.  When George Washington saw my daughter he just grabbed her and loved on her.  They kissed each other on the cheeks, and they chatted for a long time.  He turned to us and said, "Be on your way, I'll spend the rest of the night with her."  My daughter just couldn't get enough.  Another cool thing, was the Mansion was totally open.  So you could wander at your own pace.  We just loved it.   I had some incredible conversations with some of the docents about George Washington.. I'm learning so much, as is my family!
Today, we headed for DC.  I thought we had a tour, but the Secret Service politely reminded me I did not.  OOPS!!! It was actually Wednesday.  My family was super flexible!  Then my daughter's stroller wheel popped... oh boy.  We walked about a mile and a half with a flat to get it fixed!!!  Then we walked to the White House again and just took it in.  It was my first time that close, my girls second.  It is a great house.  We then walked to the First Infantry of WWII monument.  Then onto the Washington Monument.  We then headed over to the Smithsonian American History Museum.  Incredible.  Incredible.  We spent three hours  and I saw half of the museum(we are going back).  The displays are incredible.  I really cannot capture it in this blog. Saw the flag that flew at Fort McHenry (inspired the Star Spangled Banner).  Saw Lincoln's hat the night he was assassinated.  So on...  You will see some pictures.  I wish all my friends, family and students were there today.  We then walked out to the National Mall (big grass area) and just walked.  Wherever you look, you see a famous monument.  It was a crisp fall day in DC and it was amazing walking around.  By this point in our journey we had walked about 5 miles, so we wanted to reward my daughter for how awesome she had been.  She walked a ton, got carried, shoulder rides, took a nap.. She was awesome.  So we took her to the Merry-go-round on the National Mall.  She loved it.  We then went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum... incredible!  I can't think of another word.  My daughter and I went on two planes.  Everywhere you look see famous planes.  "Spirit of St. Louis", the first plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean with Charles Lindhberg at the helm.  We then walked back and are at home after dinner.  The bed is going to be my next stop.  It's 7:55 pm here.  Yep, we are tired!!! Enjoy!!!

No posts on most weekends!

Taking a break!  Love to all!