Mount Vernon and the ships in the field

When Andrew and I got married back in June and talked about some of our goals and what we wanted to do with our married life in DC.  One of our goals was to attend the temple twice a month (which wasn't possible this month due to bi-annual maintenance closure) and to attend a historical site of some kind twice a month. We went to Baltimore last week, so yesterday we ran off to Mount Vernon.  Ah yes, the wonderful home of our first president and one of the greatest leaders this country has ever known.  

Mount Vernon is in Alexandria about 30 minutes away from our apartment with traffic.  We ran over and first went to the cute little introduction movie.  During the wait to get in, there was a little Korean family that proved very distracting to me, as I kept eavesdropping on every conversation they had.  It was great.  In the lobby is this fantastic window which highlights some of George Washington's achievements/life milestones.  (The Koreans thought that the window was very fashionable and spent about 5 minutes talking about it and taking pictures.  It was great!)

Here is the gorgeous view of Mount Vernon from the front of the bowling green. Notice the perfect symmetry of the windows.  On the left side of the picture two of the windows are boarded up, because they are in fact false windows which have been included in the design only to provide that perfect symmetry.  George Washington really loved symmetry in his home, especially as you approach it.  There are two identical poplar trees on the right and left sides matched with several other trees which provide a perfect picture frame for the mansion.  He expanded the house over 30 years, including during the Revolutionary War.  Nothing like remodeling while you're out of town...

Here is the Necessary (aka fancy outhouse).  If you can read the sign you'll note that Washington maintained the same look throughout the entirety of his buildings. In all of his structures he maintained a slightly off-white exterior with a red roof.  He had one slave who's entire job was to run around painting all of the buildings.  Interestingly, all the paint came from England in powder form which was mixed on site.

 This sign outlines the design on the outside of Washington's buildings, including the mansion.  The mansion is made of wood which is then grooved, varnished, and painted to look like white stone.  Finally, fine sand is thrown onto the wet paint creating both the slightly off-white color to the mansion and the beautiful "stone-like" exterior.

 Here are some of the outbuildings as visible just in front of the servant's hall area of the mansion.  Also, just a little shout out.  While I know that the times are completely different, when we were in the servants hall, all I could think of was Downton Abbey.  Thank you PBS for creating a totally fictional history which is currently influencing actual history.

 No pictures are allowed inside the actual mansion, so if everyone would just come visit us we would love to take you out there so you can see some of the beautiful rooms, original mirrors, furniture, and the bed that Washington slept and died on.  Washington had over 600 visitors in just the year after he was president and scores of visitors a year before then.  As such, the Washingtons had a beautiful up-to-the-minute beautifully decorated home with wonderful colors and a classic sense of near minimalist decor.  It's really quite gorgeous. Added to that is the beautiful scenery surrounding the mansion and I can totally understand why George Washington wanted nothing more than to go home and gain the peace that only nature and God can bring.

On the tour of the mansion in each room a historical interpreter gives a little speech discussing some of the history and a run-down on any original artifacts or pieces of interest in each room.  It's really a very sweet little tour.

Also, after exiting the mansion you can walk down to see George and Martha Washington's family grave (including their own) and a memorial at the slave graveyard.  There is both an old tomb where they were all originally interred and a new tomb which was built according to George's wishes after his death where him and his family were re-interred much later.  The slave memorial is of note because George Washington is the ONLY founding father who freed all of his slaves at his death.  (Take that Thomas Jefferson!)

Mount Vernon is still a small working plantation- although not quite as plentiful as I'm sure it was in yester-year.  Historical interpreters continue to work the ground, raise animals, and participate in the workings of the plantation in order to educate millions of people each year.  Throughout Mount Vernon are a variety of animals including horses, mules, donkeys, sheep, and pigs.  We went and hung out with some really precious sheep for a little bit. Or should I say...we said hi to the ships in the field, the baa baa baas.  (Please go watch Zorro: the Gay Blade if you didn't understand that last sentence).

 This is a gorgeous view of a meadow disappearing into the forest.  Like I said before, the natural beauty around Mount Vernon is astounding.

 We're at Mount Vernon!

 Squinty/no eye-contact with the camera shot!

 One of the coolest pieces in the George Washington museum which accompanies Mount Vernon is Arnold Frieberg's original painting of the Prayer of Valley Forge...also viewable in almost any Mormon Military member's home...

The museum is interesting with lots of interesting artifacts including Martha's silver and china, several recipes for period food, George's dentures, and some very cool wax figures of George at different ages based on forensic data. The highlight for Andrew and I was the 4D theater.  The video approaches several key battles in Washington's career as General during the Revolutionary War. During the battle of Trenton portion, it started snowing in the theater.  Way cool. A lady who was around 55 behind us actually stood up and try and catch the snowflakes in her hands.  Very neat experience.

I would recommend Mount Vernon to anyone interested in George's history or to anyone who just wants to see some beautiful scenery and enjoy a nice walk.