September 29, 2008

Monday 29~~~ We took some back roads this morning in our travels and we came upon several plantations. We have been on the computer looking up plantations, but these weren't listed there. We decided to go to the "Shirley Plantation", they had cotton fields growing along the road which was neat. We took the tour of the house, but we were disappointed with it because we only got to see the first floor because the owners lived on the second floor. The main floor wasn't furnished completely with furniture, it had lots of paintings and the guide told us the story of the families in the pictures. They were all descendants of this house and land. The buildings were really neat, They were all made of brick, and there was a large laundry bldg., a big kitchen, ice house, smoke house, root cellar and a store house. We spent quite a bit of time going through all the buildings. Kent still gets bit by the mosquito's a lot and also the jiggers in the grass so he will probably pay for walking through the grass. They don't even go near Sharon, Kent is so sweet they love him. We ate our picnic lunch here in the shade, and then we headed for "Petersburg National Park". In 1864 Grant believed that the key to taking Richmond was Petersburg, it was the 5 railroad lines and key roadways that made Petersburg important. If these lines were cut, supplies could not reach Richmond and they would be forced to surrender or evacuate. It was a a grim 10 month struggle_ the longest seige in American warfare before Lee surrendered to Grant. (no Pictures) Next we drove to the "Sherwood Forest Plantation", we didn't go through a tour here, as they only did tours by reservation. The grounds and house here were really outstanding, they even had a pet cemetery with animal headstones. We headed home from here, as we had a long day walking all over again. Tomorrow we are on the road to North Carolina.

September 27 & 28, 2008

Saturday 27~~~~Today we drove to the town of "Williamsburg" all excited to see the Colonial reenactment of the life of the Puritans. We went to the visitors center and got in the long line to get our tickets. The longer we waited and the more we listened to the people in line, we decided to take the shuttle tour and watch the video and go from there with the tour. The tickets to go in all the buildings was $50.00 each and that was quite spendy for 3 o'clock in the afternoon. When we rode the shuttle into Colonial Williamsburg we found several people on the shuttle had done the same as us. We first came to the court house where they had "Thomas Jefferson" talking to a crowd of Puritans about taxation without representation, that was done well, but quite boring. We went further into the square, and we came upon a few people in costume walking the streets and most of the store buildings were closed up. A horse drawn buggy came through with some ladies in it. (picture) They were going to have a man tar and feathered for a crime he had committed, that was to be at 4:30, we bought a cold drink and a snack and sat on a bench waiting to see when more people would show up. While we were waiting, we went up to one of the actors and we asked her where all the people were that were supposed to be the puritans. We told her we had read about how great this was in all the books and magazines we have seen and the town is supposed to be like stepping back in history. She told us it has been slow and they have lots of people there for the ads as they stage them for the cameras. My friend Beth went there 12 years ago and it was great, she was surprised it was so bad when we were there. It is now about 4:20, very hot and humid and the audience is getting smaller, so we walked the rest of the town and took the shuttle back to the visitors center. We were sure glad we didn't pay the $50 each to get in the 4 small store buildings that were there. That was the only thing we missed out on. So If you want to go there, check it out first to see if it has improved, from here we went to Mass in a Swedish Church and went out for our Friday night pizza and then home to watch a movie. Sunday 28~~~ We drove in a misty rain today to "Jamestown National Park. They had an archaeological dig there with lots of artifacts in the museum. The state hires private archaeologists to do the digging and a private company whose lab identifies and labels everything. (pictures) Our camera's battery died here so only a couple of pictures of the dig they have covered up for the weekend.

September 26,2008

Friday 26~~~Today we are headed to Williamsburg, Virgina, we stopped at the Fredrickburg & Spotsylvania National Park. Four major battles of the Civil War were fought here within a radius of 17 miles with more than 1000,000 American casualties. The Park preserves and interprets some of the scenes of these battles. The quiet woods and fields are constant reminders of how much we owe to the sacrifice of others. This picture is the actual house left from the Civil War, the outside boards were so shot up they replaced the siding, but inside they never fixed the walls. (pictures) After we set up camp, we fixed dinner and relaxed for the evening. Tomorrow we are going into Williamsburg to see what the lives of the Colonial Puritans was like.

September 24, 2008

Wednesday24~~~Today we went into DC and went to the Library of Congress which was very interesting, another very old beautiful building. (pictures) . The tour guide was so informative on everything, he really has to know his job from some of the questions some people asked. There is so much there that people can request to use it through their own library, with the exception of some of the rare historical books. They also have a program for the blind where they ship books, learning machines and a lot more if you contact them through their web site. We walked by the "Supreme Court Building" but we didn't take time to go through it, as there is so much we wanted to see and don't have time for everything. We had a great lunch in the Union Station cafeteria, so many different foods to choose from, we both went different directions. Next we rode the subway to "Arlington Cemetery" and we rode a trolley all around the cemetery. It stopped at various points of interest so you could get off and take pictures. This is where the memorial and the eternal flame for President John F. Kennedy is with Jackie and two of their children. Sharon wanted a picture of the tombstone where her movie hero "Audie Murphy" is laid to rest. (picture) Last we went to the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier," we watched the changing of the guard twice. It is really a touching moment watching that soldier go through his routine so perfectly for a total of 1/2 hour. There are so many people there for each guard change and not a work is spoken, it is very intense (Pictures)

September 25, 2008

Thursday 25~~~ Today is the long awaited tour of the "White House". (picture) We took this picture on the top of the "Washington Monument". The White House is the oldest public building in the District of Columbia and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the most famous address in the United States. We had to get up early to get there on time, as we weren't exactly sure where the tour began. When you get your pass, you must be there 15 minutes early. We allowed plenty of time, but we still wound up running to get there on time. I think we are now in shape for the "Amazing Race" and Kent is certainly good at finding our way around big strange places. There was a page of instructions of what you could bring and more of what you couldn't bring. You could bring a wallet, keys and Cell Phone. You couldn't bring a camera, purse, comb, lipstick or anything else. Always refer to what you CAN bring if in doubt. Ha You go through a x-ray machine like at the airport, only it isn't as sensitive. The tour is self guided and you can take as long as you want. The corridors and hall ways are lined with portraits of Presidents and First Ladies. You enter from the ground floor corridor and go through the LIBRARY first, it contains volumes of history books, the furniture is American of the Federal period. The paneling in this room, the Vermeil Room and the China Room is from the 1817 timbers that were salvaged during the 1948-52 reconstruction. The huge chandelier once belonged to James Fenimore Cooper family. The VERMEIL ROOM has portraits of recent First Ladies displayed there. This room was once used as a billiard room. The CHINA ROOM we enjoyed very much looking at all the different patterns of china and crystal each President used. The GREEN ROOM was used as Thomas Jefferson's dining room and is now furnished as a parlor and and is used for receptions. The BLUE ROOM is often used by the President to receive guests. In1814 James Monroe purchased the French chairs and sofa that adorn this room. The color blue was first used during the administration of Martin Van Buren. The White House Christmas tree is placed in this room. The RED ROOM used for small receptions has long been a favorite of the First Ladies. John Adams used it as a breakfast room. The EAST ROOM is the largest in the White House. It is used for receptions, ceremonies, press conferences and other events, it has been the scene of several White House weddings. The bodies of seven Presidents have lain in state here. The room has 4 huge marble fireplaces and a concert grand piano which was presented to the White House in 1938 from the Steinway company. It is tuned once a month, as it is used frequently for gatherings and events. We enjoyed the self guided tour so much and we both thought the "White House" would be larger than it was. Even the outside which you see on television, people standing at the big iron fence in the front of the White House, you don't get up close there either, as there are large barricades all over and guards posted to keep you on the other side of the wide street. All the Federal buildings have these barricades in from of them since all the bombing and crazy things happening for more secure protection. We didn't get to take any pictures, as no cameras were allowed and because we rode the bus and subway, we had to leave the camera at home. When we got home, we found George standing around the campground, so he posed for a picture with us. We also found Sharon's picture on TV, shaking the had of the President when we were in the Mall eating "Ben and Jerry's" Ice Cream. What Fun!!!!! After lunch we went for our tour of the Capital Building (picture) arranged by our State Senator Gordon Smith's office. We were the only two on our tour, so we could ask all kind of questions about anything. When we left Gordon Smiths Bldg we rode a underground tram to the Capital Bldg. this is how the Senators get from their Office to the Capital Bldg. about a block away. We went in the Senate and listened to a bill introduced, hardly anyone was there , as they were all out debating over the bale out of the banks. The tour was very informative and interesting, we got to see everything in the Capital Building. This building seemed very large, going up and down all those back stairways the senators and staff use.

september 23,2008

Tuesday23~~~ We were so tired this morning after all that walking to all the memorials, we rode the bus to the subway and read the paper on the way into DC like all the morning commuters do. The only part of the ride I don't like is they don't let you eat or drink anything on the subway. A cup of Starbucks would make the ride really nice. It is a good thing they don't, as the subways here are so clean and not full of trash like in New York City. There was a little boy(maybe 1 one year old) on the bus who decided he really liked Sharon, the feeling was very mutual, as she kept talking too him and clapping her hands. He climbed right over and stood on her lap, that really made her day. (picture) Today we went to the Ford Theater, we didn't get to go inside of it as it was under renovation. We took a picture of it though. (picture) We were delighted when we looked up behind us as we took the picture and we saw the home they took President Lincoln when he was shot in the theater. The first person to enter the box where the president was shot was Charles A. Leale , a 23 year old doctor. After a quick examination, the Dr. knew the head wounds were mortal. Another surgeon, Dr Taft, helped make the decision to make his final moments as comfortable as possible. They carried the unconscious President out of the theater and across the street to the Peterson house, a private home. (picture) The Peterson family immediately left their home and Lincoln was put in the back bedroom. (picture) The front bedroom was used by his wife Mary Todd Lincoln (picture) as she was not allowed in with her husband because she passed out when she saw him and they felt she shouldn't be in the room, thus causing her to not be with him when he died..The middle bedroom (picture) was filled with all the top people of government, as they weren't sure if there was a conspiracy going on and what they should do. Actually there was one going on, but it wasn't carried out by the rest of the people. Everything was recorded during this time by a young man who was also at the theater that night who took shorthand notes throughout the night, so they have accurate records through it all. Dr's Leale, Taft and about a dozen other doctors tended to Lincoln the best they could, finally, after nine and one half hours of unconsciousness, at 7:22 a.m. on April 15th, the sixteenth President of the United States drew his last breath. From here we went to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Top picture) They do not let you take any pictures inside. The exhibition opens with images of concentration camps taken by the U.S. Army soldiers in 1945. These scenes shocked even the battle- hardened troops and informed the world of the horrors of Nazism and the enormity of the Holocaust. It shows the Nazi rise to0 power in 1933 until the ourbreak of World War II. There are several floors of exhibits, including the actual bunks that 6 people slept together in, the door of the entrance building, millions of pairs of shoes, the Jews luggage, pictures and more pictures and videos of actual footage. The Nazi's executed over 6 million Jews, there is a big price to pay for freedom and these people certainly paid dearly. It happened before they really knew it was happening. We were both shaken by the enormity of what we saw and I pray something like this will never happen again.

September 22, 2008

Monday 22~~~ Today we again road the bus to the subway and from there we rode the subway to DC. We had tickets to see the National Cathedral at 9:00 AM, which meant we had to be on the first bus at 8 o'clock. We still had to run like crazy to find the place and the right door. Everything is so large and it covers so much space that you can take 15 minutes to find the right door. The grounds of the Cathedral, called the "Close" is 57 acres, which includes the Cathedral, three schools the offices of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and St. Alban's church. The Cathedral is a non denominational church The foundation stone was laid in 1907 in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and the Cathedral was completed in 1990__83 years later when the "final finial" was placed in the presence of President George H.W. Bush. Built of Indiana limestone the Cathedral is the 6th largest in the world, 680 feet tall. The design is original and not copied from any other building.. The building is shaped like a cross and the architectural style is Gothic. It has so many gorgeous stained glass windows each depicting special things. When you look at the third picture ( Red and blue circles) in the center of the red circle, is a white spot with a black spot in the center of it. The black spot is moon rock brought back from the moon by the astronauts. There are 27 different bays. That is what they call them, but I call then Chapels. It is so beautiful, there are no words to describe it and it takes a few hours to tour it all. From here we grabbed a hot dog from a vendor on the street over where the National Memorials are and we proceeded to tour all of them. We went to the "Vietnam Memorial" first, it was one big long wall with all the names of the soldiers who fought and died for their country, there was a cross or plus mark by the names of those missing in action. If they have been found since the wall was completed, there is a star added to their name. Next the "Lincoln Memorial"( it was so large) Lincoln is 19 feet tall and 19 feet wide, made of marble, there are a lot of steps to climb going up there. There are 36 columns around the memorial which represent the 36 states in the union at the time of Lincoln's death. The monument was completed in 1922. The"Korean Memorial", had actual sized soldiers that looked like they were out on a maneuvor, There was so many of them and they actually looked real when you came up to them. There was also a wall with all the names from the war on it and it also had faces of soldiers etched in it. The "World War II Memorial" was placed between the Lincoln and the Washington memorials to reflects the importance of World war II in preserving and internationalizing democratic ideals won under George Washington and defended under Abraham Lincoln. The memorial continues America's story of striving for freedom and individual rights. It was built in a circle and it had each state engraved on a pillar. The Freedom Wall's 4000 gold stars commemorate the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in the war. Last is the "Washington Memorial" which is 555 feet tall, you can see it no matter where you stand in DC. We took the elevator ride to the top which took 70 seconds. When it was first built the elevator was steam powered and took about an hour to reach the top. One of the amazing things about the Monument was that it was finished in 1884 and that was before they had cranes to lift the heavy Marble blocks to the top. It must have been a real project to hoist all those marble blocks up so high. All of the memorials are done so realistic and touring them makes you realize that our freedom is very costly with so many of our soldiers giving up their lives for us. It was very humbling to see the beautiful memorials honoring the soldiers from the different wars we have fought for freedom.

September 20, 2008

Saturday 20~~~Today we drove 140 miles to see three different National Parks. The first one we went to was the home of "Clara Barton" the founder of the Red Cross Society. She started working in the fields in 1862 as a battlefield nurse. From there she started helping others in her home and she got money and help from contributors to get the Red Cross started. She went from local to international with it, she retired in 1904 at the age of 83. From here we went to "The Battlefields Of Manassas Nat. Park, it is another battlefield of the Civil War with a very interesting stories behind it. The 16 mile driving tour is designed to cover 11 sites of the battles fought in this area. The stone house used for a field hospital for the Union still stands. The sycamore tree in this picture is the only living thing left from the battlefield. They have a big plaque about it at the battlefield. We saw a film about the battles before we went there, it is amazing how much history and things there are to see from so long ago. There are miles of Nat. Parks land here and it is all fenced with the old split rail fencing making it look like you are back in time. We also went to "Harper's" Ferry Nat. Park today. For all of you relatives of Sharon's who are following us with the blog, we drove to the home of Sharon's deceased Uncle and Aunt in Falls Church, Va.(note: which is not a National Park) LOL. Sharon always wondered where it was and what it looked like and now she knows. It is the top picture on this blog.