We drove out to George Washington's Mount Vernon about 8:30 on Wednesday,
August 22. It isn't a very long drive from Falls Church Virginia. We
got there just as it opened. No crowds: we were practically the first
ones there. That changed in a hour - get there early. Here is the view
of Mount Vernon, named for the British commanding officer of George's older brother.
The most interesting thing I saw at the
house was that the key to the destroyed Bastille fortress in Paris, France.
It was sent to Washington
by the Marquise de Lafayette to announce that like the Americans, the
French had found freedom. It now hangs in the hallway of Mount
Vernon. Mind boggling.
Here are two of
my children standing by an elm tree that was a sapling when George
Washington lived at Mount Vernon - he would have passed by it every
time he took the drive which leads to the front of the house, which
is off to the left in the first picture. No photography is
allowed in the house.
Here is the tomb of George and Martha Washington. You can see
Washington's remains which are contained in the stone vault just
inside the gate.
After visiting Mount Vernon we drove back to Washington to visit
Arlington National Cemetery. Charles Wood, the adopted father of my
great grandfather, is buried in Arlington. Because of this fact, we
were giving a pass and allowed to drive into the cemetery. Charles Wood
is buried in an older, very nice section. It was hard to figure out from
the numbering system where he was, but soon one of the girls discovered she
was standing right next to it.
Indiana
Major 9th U.S. Inf.
April 17, 1891
We toured the home of Robert E. Lee, whose former home is the site of
Arlington. To punish him, during the Civil War the Union began burying
its dead on his estate. He gained ownership of it by virtue of his
marriage to Mary Custis, a relative of George Washington. This picture
is the view from the grounds near Lee's house. Just below us
is the grave of President Kennedy.