After lunch the kids and I went over to the Washingtons' tomb, for a daily wreath-laying ceremony. Four guests of Mt. Vernon are invited to participate, each having a specific role in the ceremony. They always ask for veterans and active military volunteers first; however, there were only two in attendance that day, so I gladly volunteered to lead those gathered in the Pledge of Allegiance.
(Let's gloss over the fact that clearly all the adults gathered there looked at my kids and thought one of them should naturally receive that honor. Um, homeschool kids don't say the Pledge every morning--I don't actually think any school in California does anymore!--so they didn't know it. Let's hope everyone just thought my kids were shy. ; )
And even I had a moment of trepidation; the last time I led a group in the Pledge of Allegiance, in the 4th grade, I totally messed it up. I started out fine, but halfway through I noticed my teacher looking at me strangely, and I realized what I was saying:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven. . . )
This time my leading went off without a hitch, and I received a formal certificate for my service. : )
Then we explored the riverside, the farm, the outbuildings, and the gardens. As I said in a previous post, I'm not even pretending to document everything we saw and learned; my goal is not to present an explanatory text of Mt. Vernon, with photos of everything of note. My goal is to just share some of my favorite bits. Which might not be what anyone else thinks is important.
Like my kids--favorite things to photograph!
These were the formal gardens, and I told each kid to choose some favorite flowers to get a portrait with.
Funny how in the photos really only the yellow stands out, but the layers of color were really beautiful.
I really wished I could have taken some plants with me, as gifts for my gardening friends! How fun is that?!
My favorite favorite thing on the entire estate: this "Witness Tree." This was one of two trees planted by George Washington himself that have survived all these years. I love trees. I love history. I geek out on authentic remnants of the past. I fell I love with this tree, hence the embrace. True living history!
Me falling into "Mrs. C" mode--I love teaching history and literature for LitWits high school kids, and George Washington's Rules of Civility was one thing I shared with the teens last year in our American History & Lit class.
I also love collecting quotations. George has quite a few great ones.
There were two movies shown at Mt. Vernon; the main "welcome" one was a little outdated (Pat Sajak hosted it, if that helps you date it), but the museum itself was quite modern and excellent, and the second movie was a "4-D" one, where subwoofers under the chairs help you feel every cannon blast, where fog surrounds you during the crossing of the Delaware, and where you are "snowed" on at Valley Forge. Very fun.
One historical item I did not geek out over. Ewwwwww. And owwwwwww.
And more photographs of history intersecting! In the visitor center were framed images of famous people in history visiting Mt. Vernon, some come to pay respects. Here we have First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Madame Chiang Kai-shek and FDR paying tribute at Washington's Tomb on February 22, 1943.
"His Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Akihito of Japan (center), escorted by John Simmons, Chief of Protocol, United States Department of State (left), lays a ceremonial wreath at Washington's Tomb. September 1953."
Much to speculate about from that photo and description! Actually, in all of these--note the dates and think about what is happening in world history at those moments!
FDR and Churchill lay a ceremonial wreath at the tomb on January 1, 1942.
"General Charles de Gaulle of France pays tribute at the tomb of George Washington who served as an inspiration for the French Revolution. July 7, 1944."
So fun to imagine these world leaders participating in the same kind of ceremony that I was a part of this day.
Visiting Mt. Vernon definitely whetted our appetite for our visit to the capitol, which was to start the next morning!
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