More with Amanda and Mount Vernon

This is the second part of my trip to Washington D.C. for Presidents' Day Weekend. (First part is available here.)

This picks up on Presidents' Day. We went to the home of George Washington, Mount Vernon. Located on the Potomac River in Virgina, it is a short drive from Washington D.C. However, Mount Vernon is worth the extra effort to see. The property is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. They are a private organization dedicated to preserving Mount Vernon as Washington knew it for generations to come. They have been operating for over 150 years. This is a view of the mansion house facing the river.


The good people at Mount Vernon were hosting events to celebrate Washington's birthday. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Band performed military music from the period.


There was also a surprise birthday party for Washington. He even got gifts from some of the children.


This 16-sided barn is a reconstruction based upon Washington's own plans. Animals would walk in circles and break down the wheat as they walked. The lose grain would then fall through slits in the floor to the lower level. It would then be collected and milled at the mill on the property. This was an innovative idea.


In addition to the working plantation, there was an attached museum and learning center. They had one of Gilbert Stuart's paintings there. One of the more interesting things was a short movie about Revolutionary War battles titled "General Washington, Commander-in-Chief." It had seats that rumbled with the cannon fire, smoke, and even snow. Their website has information on all of their videos.

Here is the tomb of George and Martha Washington.


This is the view of the Potomac River from the mansion house. Most of the visible lands are owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association to be preserved in their natural state from the 1700s. It rained for part of the day, which made for dark skies.


That evening pork was eaten for dinner. During the night it dropped below freezing and the morning found snow had fallen.

Tuesday
We went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to watch money being made. They print the county's paper currency there as well as paper securities like savings bonds, some certificates and awards, and White House invitations. Even with the place operating 24 hours a day, they still needed to open a second currency printing location in Fort Worth, Texas. If your money has an FW near the bottom right corner on the front it was printed in Fort Worth. At the time of our visit they were printing the new $100 bill which has not been released yet.

The National Botanical Gardens were hit next. They are kept heated for the plants, which was quite a contrast with the cold outside. For lunch the Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian was visited. I had an Indian Taco made with buffalo meat and chestnut pudding for dessert. It was wonderful.

At the National Building Museum there was an exhibit titled LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition. It featured Lego creations by Adam Reed Tucker that were reproductions of buildings. I had to pay $5 to get into the exhibit, but that was the only money I spent the entire weekend on an entry fee. Every other museum and event I went to was free. This is his Empire State Building with the John Hancock Building lurking in the shadows.




At the end of the exhibit Lego blocks were available so people could play and build things. Amanda took inspiration from Campanile, while I threw pieces together in a color coordinated way. As some of your know, the main decorating theme of my room in Legos.

Monuments to be proud of
There are several ways for a person to be remembered and commemorated after death. Some of these are better than others. These are a few of the notable ones.

Have a memorial larger than your desk. FDR has two memorials in Washington D.C. When President he declared if he was to have a memorial in Washington it was to be no bigger than his desk. (He also specified the exact place of the memorial.) After this small memorial was built, a separate large memorial was built. For our purposes of a successful memorial, anything larger than a desk is considered a good way to be remembered.

Have a waffle house named for a person. Across the street from Ford's Theater and next to the house where Abraham Lincoln died is Lincoln's Waffle House. I would be ecstatic if someone named a waffle house for me after I died or even when I am still alive.

Have an entire room devoted to your teeth. At Mount Vernon the lower set of Washington's false teeth are exhibited with a dental timeline on the wall. The story of Washington's teeth is simple; they fell out and had to be replaced. However, I think the story of my teeth is more interesting. I had my wisdom teeth removed, braces, jaw surgery, a frenectomy, and am now doing teeth whitening; that is all with my original teeth.

Have a memorial that is a representation or pun for what it is commemorating. Near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing there are some Department of Agriculture buildings. They are across the street and connected by a bridge.


The inscription reads:

Knapp Memorial Arch
In recognition of the public service of Seaman A. Knapp in extension work for the Department of Agriculture from 1898 to 1911.

Since the pedestrian bridge extends from one building to another, it is a proper memorial for someone who did extension work.

Have a coat of arms as a symbol for a city. This is the flag of Washington D.C. and its official symbol.


If you think they chose this to represent the three branches of government and the two states that gave land to form it you are wrong. This is based on George Washington's coat of arms.

If you can come up with any good memorial ideas leave a comment.