Day Three

Today, being Sunday, we got up fairly early and dressed for church.  We had breakfast in the hotel and set out on a very brisk walk.  The hotel shuttle would take us down to the docks and back, but when we had asked about it taking us to the church (or even closer to it) they were a little less helpful.  We really didn't want to pay for a taxi so we walked.  It was just about one mile to get there, but it was a beautiful walk.  We went past the Masonic temple and saw some gorgeous houses and cute neighborhoods.  We arrived out of breath and sweaty, but on time for Sacrament meeting.  It was a missionary farewell and I was grateful all over again how you can feel so at home in an LDS meeting, even if it's somewhere you've never been before.

When the meeting was over, we walked a little more leisurely back to the hotel to get ready for our day-trip down to Mount Vernon. I was really excited about this and a few of K's coworkers had thought it sounded fun as well, so we had a small group that met up to go down to the docks.  We had decided to book a river cruise down to Mt. Vernon and back.  It limited our time there, but it made the travel much easier and relaxing since we didn't have to worry about renting a car, or bus routes.

 This was not our boat.

 The Torpedo Factory as seen from the water.

 

I think the driver said this was called 'Awakening of Man' and that it was a travelling sculpture.  If you look close at the picture you can see his head and arms coming out of the sand. 

 Lucky people, to live in such a beautiful place.

 One of the forts that played a role in the Revolutionary War.

 K's work friends.

First sight of Mount Vernon. 

 Waiting in line to go through the house.  We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I found that out after I had taken the one below of the servants dining area.

 View from the back yard.  It's really no wonder Washington loved this place so much.

 View of the back of the house.

After our tour of the house we walked down to the Inn and Restaurant.  We decided we wanted to get food we wouldn't find elsewhere so we bypassed the food court area and went for some authentic Colonial cuisine.

 We had Peanut Soup, which was really good, and yes, tasted like peanuts.

 We also had Lamb, cornbread muffins, sweet potatoes and veggies grown in the gardens on the grounds.  I have never had lamb before, so I was really confused why they would give you a small container of lime jello.  I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I asked the waiter that, and he informed me that it was mint jelly.  He did find out that we were Mormons from Utah so we had a little laugh over that and I avoided the little green container, because I don't like mint.  Now I know that lamb is traditionally served with mint jelly.

When we finished our meal we spent a little time in the gift shop where I found a beautiful plate ornament with Mt Vernon painted on it.  It is now one of the favorites on our tree.  We spent what time we had left before our return boat trip, going through a few of the museums they have there that talk about George Washington.  The displays were made from descriptions, pictures, and a death mask and are supposed to be as accurate as possible to what he looked like at different times in his life.

 As a young man, he was a surveyor

 Martha Washington's wedding clothes (I think).

 As a General during the Revolutionary War.

 During his swearing in as First President of the United States.

 I would have loved to spend more time here.  I was a beautiful place to visit. 

 On our way back to the boat we stopped by what was George Washington's original family Crypt, called The Old Vault.

 I loved how green it was

 One of the many gardens.

 Cobblestone gutters lined the walkways.

 The new Vault where George Washington's body was moved to after it was built.

 George Washington's Casket

 Memorial for unmarked Slave graves.

 I just had to take a picture by this tree, because big old trees are cool.

 More of the farm where they grow food for the restaurant and give demonstrations on what life was like when the Washington's lived at Mount Vernon.

Then we got back onto the boat and had a nice ride back to Alexandria. 

 The Mall

When we got back to the harbor we decided to go explore this ship.  They were offering free tours, and we like free.

The ship was owned by some religious group that lives on it and goes around to different ports, giving tours and pamphlets and accepting donations.

After grabbing a quick dinner we rode the Metro back to D.C. to check out some of the monuments we'd missed the day before.

 The White House.  Still very far away, but as close as we could get.

 

WW II memorial 

 WW I Memorial

 Korean War Memorial

 

 It was pretty dark when we visited all the monuments so not very many pictures turned out.    I did try to take some of the Lincoln, and view of the Washington from the Lincoln, but photography is just not my strong suit.  I have them memories though.

 Vietnam War Memorial

 Lincoln Memorial.

It was kind of weird to be standing in a spot that I've seen in so many movies and TV shows.  It was a lot noisier and more crowded than I'd expected.  I think there were at least twenty different school groups there.  Now when K and I are watching Bones and we see them sitting all alone on the steps of some monument having a serious conversation, we just laugh and say, "Whatever."

 Our trip was winding down, and the batteries on my camera were dying.  I got a shot of the beautiful ceiling and the last picture I took before the camera died, was of us standing where Martin Luther King Jr. stood to give his 'I Have A Dream' speech.

That was pretty much it.  We walked back to the Metro and rode back to the hotel.  The next day K had to go back to his training class and I had just enough time to get my things all packed up and get ready to go.  K took his lunch hour to ride the metro to the airport with me and help with my suitcase, then he had to go back to class and I got to fly home to my boys and my mom.  I had dinner on my layover in Denver and got back (after a small adventure with Park n Jet because I didn't leave my stub in the car and couldn't remember where I'd parked) just in time to kiss the boys before bedtime.  We had done video calls with the boys a couple of times while I was gone, but there is nothing like an actual hug.  I was glad to be home, and I'm sure my exhausted mother was glad I was home too.  It was an awesome vacation and I am so grateful I was able to go.