Cemeteries and Homesteads - Day Three

After last night's one mile or so walk back to the hotel, Mr. Andy came up with a brilliant idea to use the extra transportation money that we had to hire a chartered coach to drive us around. The places we wanted to see were very far apart and would have required some tricky maneuvering on public transportation to get there. Also, “Yes, Drill Sergeant Sir” Stephanie would not have to herd everyone on and off of the subway which sometimes can get a little stressful. I must say however, that after our first experience on the subway, we learned that you have to stick together, stay away from the edge of the tracks, let others off before you get on but move fast to get on or the doors will shut on you (Ask Cherie), and move out of the way when you are on the subway and others need to get off. We were able to sleep in a little this morning which was a nice change. Have we mentioned that the breakfast in our hotel is fantastic! It was great to take the time to really enjoy it. The first place we went today was Arlington Cemetery and our driver was an excellent tour guide telling us about several key points of interest along the way. What looked like miles of white tombstones was a sobering reminder of everyone that has died to give us the freedom that we have today. We saw the grave of John F. Kennedy, his wife and two infants buried with them and yes the eternal flame was still burning. We then walked up the hill to the home of General Lee. The exhibit inside the home was very interesting with a lot of facts about his family and his wife's family. The highlight of the visit was to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard. Taylor and Wyatt reported on the strict requirements of being a guardsmen of the tomb and the significance of their march. Our driver then dropped us off at a food court in a mall near the Pentagon. While passing the Pentagon, our driver pointed out the site on the Pentagon where the plane hit during the 9/11 attack. Food courts are great for a bunch of people who all have different ideas about what they like to eat. We took our food to go and ate on the bus heading to Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington. We were a few minutes late for the National Treasure Tour that Mrs. Tisha had prearranged and it was a frantic pace to catch up with the tour guide, but we made it. The tour was really interesting, pointing out sites on the property where the National Treasure film was made and places that inspired sets for the movie. It was really cool to go into places like the basement and look into the ice house that other people were not allowed to do because they weren't on the tour. We were then able to catch the last tour of the Mt. Vernon home which was beautiful. We all wished we could sit a spell on the porch and take in the view of the Potomac. It was absolutely stunning. Jase gave us a report on Mt Vernon and George Washington as we rode back to Washington D.C. He cleared up a few misconceptions and enlightened us with facts. George Washington did not have wooden teeth, but he did have false teeth made out of cow teeth, human teeth, lead, and ivory. We were able to see the teeth and they had big springs on the side and looked VERY uncomfortable. George had lost all but one of his teeth by the time he was 22 years old even though he was considered to be very healthy. He also did not chop down a cherry tree, but he did have quite a variety of trees in his orchard. The outdoor outhouse was the fanciest one we had ever seen. It was a three holer, located right in a flower garden, and we found out that the waste products were used as fertilizer in the garden. There were sheep everywhere because they wove their own cloth from the wool to clothe themselves and their slaves. George Washington was always thinking about his visitors and their comfort as he added on to his home. In one year he hosted almost 700 guests including people he did not even know and some stayed for months at a time. George's dad died when he was 11 and his formal education stopped. He committed to never stop learning and attempted to educate himself through reading everything on every subject. He considered education very important and made sure that by the time he died, he had enough money saved to provide for an education for his step-children and later his grandchildren. As many of you know, we were unable to get tickets to tour the White House. Our driver took us by the White House so we could at least get out and take a peek. We actually got more than our eyes bargained for when we encountered a peaceful protest by some mothers that chose to demonstrate topless. For those of you who have sons, don't worry, they were very unattractive older women. With the demonstration so close, the security was very tight at the White House fence and several of us were reprimanded for stepping over the imaginary line of security. We also saw snipers on the top of the White House and helicopters flying overhead. We hope that the memory of our visit to the White House will not be too tarnished by what we encountered. It became yet another teaching moment about the freedoms written into the constitution and how different people interpret them. At this point, we were all getting hungry and the big decision came down to stick with the original plan of eating our last meal at the Hard Rock Cafe or go back to the hotel to eat pizza and swim. It was a split decision so we parted ways and everyone got to do what they wanted on their last night in Washington D.C. I think that for chaperones and students alike, this trip was definitely a learning experience in a lot of different ways. Thank you for trusting us with your kids. We had a blast and we are so glad be going home to L.P. where people can carry pocket knives and enter a building without having to take off their belt and go through security!