Monday at Mt. Vernon

Monday, June 9th
Vacation Post #6

One of my favorite days of our vacation was this day we spent at Mt. Vernon. I think it's because all of our scheduled events were complete, allowing me to really relax and not think about the clock. It was also our first day away from the city and the metro. After immersing ourselves in that world for 5 days, we were ready for a drive and a day in the country.

Standing in front of George Washington's home

Braylen the photographer :)

The back of the house

I learned more about George Washington here than I ever remember learning in school. The museum here is amazing. It is my favorite museum of all the ones we toured on our vacation. We watched the Mt. Vernon movie and toured the house--right before a HUGE group of 8th graders I might add! Here is where we finally figured out how to avoid the student groups. We took our time wandering around the grounds--through the gardens, the slave's quarters, the tomb, and to the wharf without a single middle school group in tow. Student groups only visit the main attraction and the gift shop!

No picture taking allowed inside the house, so we took plenty outside!

I like this picture Braylen took of the Potomac River through the archway.

It doesn't look like a hot day, but it was!
Kaleb and Aaron were seeking shade in one of the gardens.

A man dressed in old time clothing strolls down the walkway.

We don't see these critters at home!

Virginia really is a beautiful state.

Peace and quiet :)

This Tulip Poplar is one huge, old tree from the late 1700's!

Mt. Vernon was not high up on my list of things to do on our vacation. In fact, I suggested to Derek that we skip it and see more monuments instead. He didn't like that idea, and I sure am glad he didn't. Funny, how something I wanted to skip turned out being one of my favorite places to visit. We easily spent the whole day here and did not leave until closing time.

By now we really didn't want to eat supper at another restaurant, but we had to eat something! We found a Chili's and got creative with our order. No more sandwiches or burgers or fries--just salads and fajitas for supper. Back at the hotel we started to pack up our things since we were leaving the next day. The days in Washington, DC passed quickly but were filled with lots of fun and memories. It felt like it was time to move on to the second half of our vacation--Gettysburg, PA and a walk down memory lane in Ohio.