Vacation Part 2

JULY 2, 2003- Time to depart for Washington, D.C. We drove out with plans on stopping through Jamestown quickly. It was a lovely drive along the Chesapeake Bay; rain was falling, the water looked still and the air held a quietness that was a great contrast to the previous day’s heat and glaring sun. We arrived at the entrance to Jamestown where there was a line of cars waiting to pay admission. At this point, since we were unsure of what could be seen and we had limited time, we opted for turning around and making it to our hotel in D.C. Once there, we picked up dinner and went down to the pool. There Grant met another boy named Grant and enjoyed watching this big kid splash and dive…he didn’t want to leave (but we eventually did). Back up in our room, Eric got the boys ready for bed while I went back down and worked out in the hotel’s gym room.

JULY 3, 2003- After eating at the breakfast buffet, we picked up our car and drove to Mt. Vernon (President George Washington’s estate). This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Here was the place that I’d heard about in history class; the place that the Father of our nation lived with his wife; the place he died. Surprisingly, much of the interior structure was original. I climbed up and down the same steps as our first president and held onto the very same wooden banister- it was silky and worn from time. We saw his grave and the gardens he planned. Apparently, he loved farming and designed much of the estate, including the house itself, on his very own. The house is quite beautiful (a gorgeous cupola on the roof) and was situated in a breathtaking spot on the Potomac River. Yep. We could live there- without hesitation. Next, we went to Arlington National Cemetery to pay our respects to the men and women who served our country. The grounds were much more hilly than anticipated so we were rather worn out pushing our bulky double stroller and decided to just see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns and the grave of President Kennedy. My friend LaDonna recently lost a friend of hers during Operation Iraqi Freedom who is buried at Arlington. It would have been nice to visit his grave, but we were exhausted with the little we accomplished. Hopefully, she will be able to visit on her own some day.