Washington D.C.

We went to Washington D.C. today. So many things to see, we could be here a month. We went on a TourMobile so we wouldn't have to find parking and where to go. Great way to go. We went to Arlington Cemetary and were there to witness the changing of the guard, which happens every 30 minutes. It is truly sobering to see Arlington. Went to the Kennedy Graves while we were there, as well as the Arlington House. Sad to think you used to be able to sit on the lawn of the White House and eat your lunch so long ago. Now, there is so much security, gates, police, etc., even around the Christmas Tree. Going back again tomorrow to D.C. to see more.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Guard at the tomb

John F. Kennedy's grave

Arlington Cemetary

Arlington House

In honor of Christopher Columbus

Lincoln Memorial

Treasury Department

Washington Monument, which was built in 2 stages, before and then after the Civil War

Capitol

Gristmill and Distillery at Mount Vernon

After George had served two terms as President; in l797, upon the advice of his farm manager; he decided to expand his operation and build a distillery next to the gristmill. It was completed in l798; the distillery boasted 5 copper stills, a 210-gallon boiler and other essential equipement for producing "a fine spirit".

Property that the distillery and gristmill are on

Outside of the gristmill

Inside the gristmill

They ground corn while we were there and you can buy it as well

George Washington was an entrepreneurial farmer and businessman. His whiskey distillery and gristmill utilized innovative technologies that were cutting-edge in the 18th century.

In 1770, after switching his main cash crop from tobacco to wheat, George built a large merchant mill and millrace downstream from the original mill site. It was fitted with two sets of millstones - one set for grinding corn for use on the plantation and other set for processing the wheat grown on his farms into superfine flour for export to foreign ports.

2nd day at Mount Vernon, VA

These oxen were being used to plow the gardens which are still used to producevegetables and fruit. These oxen also tried to run Laurie over.

The new tomb was completed in 1831 and Washington's body was moved here along with the remains of his wife Martha and other family members.

We went back to Mount Vernon to finish our visit. The grounds are so beautiful. There were a total of 5 working farms on George's property. He liked to experiment with seeds and plants and didn't think you should ever have to "buy" seeds. He invented a "treading barn" for the horses to tread wheat, improving the processing of wheat. George was known to have said to Martha, he is most happy at home and tending to his farming. It is said that he thought of himself first and foremost as a farmer.

There is a slave memorial on the property as well. It was built to honor the more than 300 slaves who lived and worked here.

This is a replica of a slave cabin used by the slaves that tended one of the gardens.

Inside of the slave cabin

Inside of the treading barn. Slaves spread harvested wheat on the outer circle of the floor. Horses trotted in a circular path and the impact of their hooves broke the wheat out of the straw. The loose grain fell through gaps between the floorboards to the level below, where the grain was shoveled into bins.

The outside of the 16 sided treading barn

This is the original tomb where George Washington was buried along with twenty other relatives. However, before his death he had selected a site for a new brick tomb to replace the original burial vault which was deteriorating.

George attempted to replace his wood fences with "live" fences; hedges so dense that they would turn away all animals.

Mount Vernon, Virginia

We went to Mount Vernon today, I think everybody in Virginia went to Mount Vernon today. It was very crowded, but there's so much space that once you get in, everyone spreads out.
We weren't able to see everything in one day, so we're going back again tomorrow. Beautiful grounds, George Washington was quite a farmer, he loved gardening, they were incredible. He died after being ill for only 36 hours of a throat infection, which caused him to suffocate. We "visited" with Martha Washington and Bill asked her about Thomas Jefferson, she didn't like him at all, she said he didn't speak kindly about George and he wasn't welcome in her home. She was a fan of Benjamin Franklin, however. They had a lot of guests, in one year they had over 600 guests stay with them.

These are sweet peas growing, I loved how they use small branches for the support

The vegetable gardens were gorgeous, when George had guests, they would walk through the gardens in the evenings.

In the picture above is a cistern, the water from the well is too cold to water the vegetables, so they put water in the cistern and when it was warm from the sun, they could use it

Martha Washington

This is the back of Mount Vernon, it overlooks the Potomac River

The breezeway below connects the kitchen to the house

This is the view from the back of Mount Vernon

And the front of Mount Vernon