Wednesday, April 20, 2016

MOUNT VERNON - PART 1


We had a great time showing my brother-in-law some of the sights we have enjoyed over the years.  The first place we took him to was Mount Vernon, George Washington's old home.  But first, we found this wonderful motorcyle in the parking lot.  I asked the boys to pose behind it as they had taken a great interest.


It was a beautiful machine and goes way back.  I found a website with their timeline here if you are interested.




Gregg took these.



This fence surrounds the garden.  We didn't go through this time as it is so early in the year, and not much to look at.  I would like to go again when I know there will be more flowers blooming.


We started off at the visitor center and I was immediately drawn to this picture representing George Washington.


There were many interesting items to look at, like the statue of the family.  


and this wonderful stained glass on the wall.  My brother-in-law is standing at one end.


Here's a closer view of the middle section.


There was also a wonderful doll's house nearby, a replica of Mount Vernon.


After watching a very good short movie showing part of Washington's life, we began our tour.  


Unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside but I did remember to buy some postcards on our way out, showing most of the rooms.  I also sneaked a quick shot at the end of the tour, one of the kitchen.  Others were doing so and I seem to remember being told by a docent last time that it was okay, so......


This shows the door we came out of.  



In Part 2, I will share what we saw on the rest of our walk on the grounds.

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Five facts about Mount Vernon that I found on their website.

1) There was a smaller place built on this spot before the present house.  It was a one-and-a-half story farmhouse originally, built by George's father, Augustine Washington.

2) Mount Vernon is named for an Admiral in the British Navy.

3) The mansion is ten times the size of the average home in colonial Virginia.

4) Mount Vernon is not symmetrical but George wanted it to be.  

5) The cupola is topped with a weathervane in the shape of a dove of peace.


You can read a more extended version of the above facts if you click on this link, and also read more facts.

~~~~~


I am sharing with the following memes as they become available, with my thanks to all our hosts.  If you click on their names you can visit other participants.

Theresa at Good Fences
Tanya at Willy-Nilly Friday Five
The Team at SkyWatch Friday

38 comments:

  1. Wow..that's a very nice machine! I've seen this house in TV documentaries but it's interesting to see it from your perspective. I like the family sculpture and stained glass.

    Thank you Denise....enjoy your day!
    Ruby

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  2. wow, this was really worth to show! Thank you for sharing it here too! Love the stained glass scenes - very intricate! And, my the leather on those motor cycles:) Am surprise Washington had a such a beautiful and large home (because he is always depicted as a very humble and unassuming man)

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  3. Thanks for sharing these treasurewith us. love the statues and the stain glass window.

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  4. very nice trip. Drive careful.
    best
    susa from Hamburg

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  5. Mount Vernon is a beautiful place and I was fortunate to visit several years ago even though we had to wait for ages to get in it was so busy! Isn't the stained glass awesome! Thanks for sharing Denise!

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  6. Excelente trabalho e belas fotografias.
    Um abraço e boa Quarta-Feira.

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  7. We have always wanted to see Mount Vernon. Thank you!

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  8. Mount Vernon.... wish it was here so I could visit. Two things I loved as I read this post... the motor bike (sigh!) and the stained glass.

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  9. I love the statue of the family, it really is a work of art.

    I can relate to looking at machines - motorbikes, cars etc - when out with the men in the family, if there is an interesting one a pause is always made in the proceedings to look a while ... it is definitely a man's thing perhaps?

    Enjoy your Wednesday

    All the best Jan

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  10. It looks like we should have visited the Visitor Center, when we were in here. You shared some nice exhibits!

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  11. Hello, great shots of you, Gregg and your BIL. I have never been to Mount Vernon, maybe someday. Thanks for sharing your visit, great photos. Have a great day!

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  12. What an impressive landmark! My Grandfather rode an Indian, the new Indian Vintage is a great ride.

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  13. Have you seen the movie "The World's Fastest Indian", starring Anthony Hopkins? This movie was about New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle -- a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

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  14. i love the replica as much as the real home. i always loved doll houses. Martha is so small she could fit in a doll house. that stain glass is awesome and beautiful. i read somewhere last week, don't remember where, that they wore those wigs so they could shave their heads because bugs were so bad back then. wonder if that is true... i find when i take someone to see something i have seen before i always see something i missed..

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  15. Wonderful pictures! I haven't visited Mt. Vernon in years. Also, that is a fine looking motorcycle!

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  16. I would love to visit there... beautiful photos!

    There was an exhibit here some years ago on the French and Indian War, and among those items on display was a letter by Washington from that period. It was fascinating to see the writing.

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  17. What a beautiful tour, Denise! You have a lovely smile! :)

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  18. Wow, this is a trip down memory lane for me. You are kind to take your BIL around and show him the sights. I am afraid I pack my relatives and friends off on the tour buses that wend their way around the Washington area (ask Gregg if Gully has seen the WWII landing craft, i.e., "ducks" used as tour buses that travel around the GW parkway and cut across areas with water). Very neat.

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  19. Hi Denise, a really interesting post with some super images, what a motorbike!!, favorite is the stained glass windows. Regards John

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  20. I must admit that motorbike is definitely worth a stop and look see, even if it isn't the main attraction of the day! It does look a fascinating place to visit - thanks for the tour.
    Wren x

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  21. It has been almost 20 years since I've last visited Mount Vernon and I can see much has been added on to it as it did not have such an elaborate visitor center. I'll always remember the magnificent view it had of the river from the front porch! I know GW loved his home and missed it dearly while he was a General and then President.

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  22. i enjoy your blog, it's much like mine. you share your life and your adventures....and pictures of "you"!! this was a good one, sounds like mt. vernon was a fun day, i enjoyed the images!!!

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  23. It was very nice to show your brother in law around Mt. Vernon. I have never seen it myself, but your photos are lovely. George Washington was a very handsome man.

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  24. What an impressive house and grounds.

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  25. a neat place with great american history attached. love that indian mc!

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  26. It's fun to see favorite places with new eyes along. .I'm sure your BIL really appreciated your local knowledge! Mt Vernon is high on our bucket list. (Fingers crossed, someday I hope).

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  27. Wow! I love places like this. Great trip!

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  28. I love visiting places like this, especially if I have lots of time to wander. Grand looking bike, too. And the stained glass window is magnificent.

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  29. How fun to visit this historic place. I liked the fences, the gorgeous stained glass and that was a pretty cool bike as well.

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  30. I have a good friend who works in stained glass. She would be seriously impressed with this one. Several of the windows in her home have now been replaced in stained glass of her own creation and the result is quite stunning.

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  31. great photos denise! it looks like there was hardly anyone there! when we went it was freezing and it was george washington's birthday so it was crazy crowded! i'd love to go back in the spring! have you ever seen that movie "the world's fastest indian" with anthony hopkins...it's a movie about the motorcycle...it was good! thanks for linking denise and have a great weekend!!

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  32. I haven't been to Mt Vernon in years. Thanks for the reminder of so many nice memories. I remember being fascinated by the color of the walls. Martha was well ahead of her time! Fun post. Happy Friday!

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  33. Oh, to stand in the midst of history! Thank you.

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  34. I have been through Mount Vernon many times, and I was disappointed that you seem to be shuffled through so fast. It is a place I would love to stand still and savor at times. But I know there are literally HUNDREDS of visitors every day, and they shuffle you through by necessity. I almost got a job there once as an historic interpreter. We were considering moving to D.C. and our daughter was accepted by the School of the Washington Ballet, but our plans fell through. I was working as an interpreter at two Norfolk Va historic houses at the time. Loved your photos! Glad you shared your visit.George Washington is a favorite historic figure.

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  35. By the way, those Indian motorcycles are very special. What a nice find there in the parking lot! :-)

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  36. I love Mount Vernon but haven't been in about 12 years. Need some out-of-town visitors so I have an excuse to go back!

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  37. A fascinating place, for sure, Denise. It brings to mind an English mansion I saw recently on PBS, though the kitchen doesn't look very grand. The portrait of the younger George Washington gives me a different mental picture of him than the usual older man, and I like the statues of his family.

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