Mount Vernon

Ashley and I volunteer at Rockingham (where George Washington wrote his farewell to the troops after the Revolutionary War), so I thought it fitting for us to visit where George Washington called home.

  

We had every intention of starting our day here, then continuing 12 miles down the street to Gunston Hall (http://www.gunstonhall.org/). We had such a good time at Mount Vernon that we didn't allow enough time to go to there, too. Given that we spent the night before at home, it is amazing we had as much time as we did at Mount Vernon.

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As with the rest of our weekend in Virginia, we really timed this just right. More than just beautiful weather, though, we arrived a year after Mount Vernon opened a new museum and visitor's center, and months after they restored the upper garden to how it would have looked in 1799.

I love that history is constantly evolving and changing as more research takes place. Rooms, such as the dining room, that in the 19th century were restored one way have been changed based on new research to indicate the other way was wrong. It is not as static as I was led to believe when I was in elementary school.

The day we toured the mansion, workers were busy making the "stone" front look fresh. Back in the 18th century a stone front would have been too cost prohibitive, so the Washingtons instead built a wood house (lots of trees on their plantation) and covered it with a fake finish made from sand and paint that gave it the illusion of being made out of stone. We even knocked on the front to make sure it was not real stone.

Since 1853 the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association has done a wonderful job taking care of Mount Vernon --  a time period that included the Civil War. The home and museum is open 365 days a year, yup even on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is all done without taxpayer money.

One little neat tidbit we learned that day was that Thomas Edison was responsible for installing electricity in Mount Vernon in 1916, long after the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association began taking care of it.

http://www.mountvernon.org/

Montpelier

James Madison's father really knew how to choose a location for his home. In the 18th century Montpelier was located on the western border of our country with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This family picture was taken by our tour guide, Bob Davies, who requested photo permission if we use his picture. As a photographer, I couldn't say no to that request. 

 

Today the lessons learned at Montpelier have more to do with archaeology than with the finished product. Montpelier has been undergoing a massive historic renovation since 2004 when it was purchased from the DuPont family. The renovations were unveiled in 2008.

There is still a lot to learn about how the Madison's lived. If you look at the front of the house you see three doors. It was turned into a duplex when James moved his bride into his parents' house, then turned back into a single-family home when they died. 

We learned about how Madison was not a signer of the Declaration of Independence (he was only 26 at the time), but that he is considered to be the Father of the Constitution. He also became our fourth president. We also learned about Dolley, who served as First Lady for 16 years -- 8 helping her good friend and widower, Thomas Jefferson, and 8 with her husband as president. She set the standard for First Ladies.

Ashley took this picture of us mimicking the Madisons.

http://www.montpelier.org/

Monticello

Our tour of Presidential Homes concluded with Monticello -- home to our nation's third president, Thomas Jefferson.

Columbus Day Weekend 2011 was summer-like with its weather. Hard to tell in our pictures, but the beautiful weather brought out hordes of those sightseeing, like ourselves. We were very patient with our picture taking and were rewarded with some beautiful shots.

We began our trip to Monticello with a 4-hour wait before the next available tour. Fortunately they had a reasonably priced cafe on site, so we had lunch, then we watched a movie, toured the Children's Museum, and finally took the shuttle bus up to the main attraction.

We left the shuttle at 3 PM, with still nearly 2 hours before our 4:50 timed ticket. As luck would have it, the Slavery at Monticello Tour started at 3 PM. Formerly called the Plantation Tour, our tour guide told us about the 100+ slaves of Monticello who lived on Mulberry Row, instead of in the mansion. Much was discussed about Sally Hemings and her family. I was surprised to learn that Sally Hemings and Martha Wayles Jeffereson (Thomas Jefferson's wife) are believed to be half-sisters through their father.

Much was said about how Jefferson disagreed with slavery, yet had slaves. Yes, our Presidents are human and contradictory, just as are the rest of us.

The outdoor tour, nearly our hour in length, was more engaging than the indoor 40-minute tour. Inside we were herded through beautiful rooms by a tour guide more interested in asking us if we had any questions than in leading the discussion, or so it seemed. It was crowded that day. Tours seemed to take place every 5-10 minutes. Coming on the heels of visting Montpelier, and spending much time in the car on scenic back country roads, it was a long day.

http://www.monticello.org/

Gettysburg

Let me start by admitting we did not allow nearly enough time to visit Gettysburg. We spent Columbus Day Weekend in Virginia touring Presidential Homes (for more information on those, see other blog entries). Our stop at Gettysburg was more like a four-hour rest stop than a complete visit to Gettysburg.

With that said, I am glad we stopped. Rather than taking I-95 home, we drove on scenic Route 15 and enjoyed the beginnings of fall foliage.

Our stop included the Gettysburg National Park Service Museum and Visitors Center, which opened in a new building in 2008. By far, the highlight of the Visitors Center is the Gettysburg Cyclorama -- which someone described to us as the 3D movie of the late 19th century. It is a 360-degree depiction of "Pickett's Charge," a key part of the Battle of Gettysburg. It was first created in 1883 -- a mere 20 years after the Battle of Gettysburg. Its statistics are stunning -- it is 42 feet high, and 377 feet in diameter. Every 15 minutes a small movie theater filled with people enter the center of the cyclorama to see the scened come to life. Words cannot do the experience justice. This is just one section of the cylorama. The colors and depth of images are stunning

Four copies of the painting were created. Only two are known to exist. These are the only two versions of any cyclorama known to exist. The Gettysburg Cyclorama has a long history of being mistreated. In 2003 a five-year restoration process took place at a cost of $15 million dollars to return it to its original glory. The transformation is incredible.

I found the museum to be overwhelming with the amount of information it contains, and the care that was taken to display the information. I also found the museum to be too loud for me -- there were not a lot of people, but each room had at least one movie in it, which could be heard in the next room, too. The cacophony made it hard for me to read the descriptions next to the the display cases.

When we were finished with the inside, we had about an hour left before we had to continue the last leg of our drive home. We chose to walk to the Soldier's Cemetery, where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous speech, and where the Union dead are buried, along with veterans from more recent wars. It was definitely worth the mile-long walk.

A pretty fall scene.

PS: Writing this piece was also a lesson in using primary sources. I started by being lazy and using Wikipedia as my source (yes, the librarian in me did shudder). Upon further searching, I came across a press release issued by the National Park Services in 2009 touting their wonderful new visitors center in Gettysburg, PA. This document's information about the Cyclorama contradicted Wikipedia. I made the decision to go with the NPS information over Wikipedia. Shocking, I know.

http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/upload/Gettysburg%20Park%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%206.09.pdf

"Good Old Days"

Last weekend Ashley and I were both in the cast of a world premier play! How cool is that! From now on anyone who wants to see how "Queen Juliette" should look or act will study my version. Anyone who wants to know how to be a member of the Cleaning Corps will study videos of Ashley and her friends.

From the start I found the experience (more than a little) intimidating. Not only was I the first one to ever perform this role, but it was written by the director and one of the leads. Surely they know every single line? Surely they have precise opinions as to how the role should be portrayed?

Well, if they did they were kind enough to let me have a lot of leeway in how Juliette should act and interact with the rest of the cast.

This was by far my largest role -- 85 lines, plus I was on stage for most of Act 2 (and a big scene in Act 1). It was also my shortest rehearsal time (2 months) and came while training for a half marathon, while we had two vacations planned, and the beginning of the school year. Complete recipe for disaster!

The show, while coming at a stressful time in our lives, ended up being a lot of fun.

I learned a few things along the way:

1) It is never too early to learn your lines.

2) When you are having trouble SCREAM, don't whisper, someone has been there before you and will be able to help.

3) Don't do community theater during the school year -- no one needs that added stress.

4) One show a year is more than enough for me (I was also in "George Washington Slept Here" this year).

End of Pine Valley

After 41 years, on September 23rd ABC aired its last episode of "All My Children." It feels like the end of an era to me.

I don't remember exactly when I started to watch "All My Children." I definitely remember watching Jenny, Greg, Tad, and Liza as teenagers when I was a pre-teen myself. Their summer stories hooked me for nearly 3 decades. Once I had control of my own VCR (my parents are still die hard "Days of Our Lives" fans), I taped the episodes and watched them at night. They were always taped when we went out of town.

My grandmother, Grand-Dee (mom's mom) was also an "All My Children" fan, as was her daughter, Debra (my aunt). "All My Children" served as a conversation topic that spanned the generations. Thinking back, my hunch is, I first started watching it when I visited my aunt in Ohio in 1981 or 1982. It was the summer that Angie and Jessie got secretely married and she became pregnant with Frankie.

Thirty years later I bid farewell to Pine Valley as we fans have come to know it. I laughed and cried my way through the last week of episodes. Had the past few years been THAT good, the show would probably still be on the air. I shook my head at the ending (a twist on the "who shot JR?" Dallas cliffhanger, "who did JR shoot?"). I miss it all the more.

There is talk of moving the show to the internet starting in January (TOLN.com), but it won't be the same. Debbie Morgan (Angie Hubbard) and Jacob Young (JR Chandler) and others have moved on with their careers -- and I wish them the best of luck. There is still so much up in the air about possible fees involved, and how long will the episode remain available online, and what is involved with converting to a new format. Honestly, I don't know if I will pick up with the storylines when (if) it returns.

In the meantime, I leave any "All My Children" fans with a picture I took last week:

It is the New Hope (PA) train station where one of my favorite scenes was filmed -- when Angie sees Jessie for the first time after believing he died twenty years earlier. Yes, a very soap-y storyline!

I can just picture Angie on the platform as Jessie's train rolls down the tracks. Ahh....

I was surprised by how much I missed it last week and how much I wondered about storylines. It was a tiny part of my life, but it lasted many years. Plus I made some online friends through it. It was the only TV show I watch. 

It also feels like the end of a connection with my grandmother who died 10 years ago this week.

RIP Doris Jacquelyn Fyfe Thomas. May you be catching up with "our friends" in heaven.

Disneyland Half Marathon

I did it!

I finished a Half Marathon with a smile on my face!

 Joanie Morris and I at the start of the run. Believe it or not, she is still speaking to me! We gathered at 4:30 AM for a 6AM start time. Our corral didn't get to start until almost 6:30. Yes, I was tired before we even started.

Somehow we noticed Don and Ashley at the start of the race. We also saw them about mile 2.5 when we were leaving California Adventure and heading over to Disneyland.

Running through the castle. The parts of the race that took place through California Adventure and Disneyland were definitely a lot more fun than running through the streets of Anaheim. They were also the slowest parts because we were all having a lot of fun sightseeing and taking pictures. I took about 200 pictures during the run.

Stopping to pose for characters also slowed me down a bit. At least we finished before the giant broom swept us away. Joanie was a great sport with indulging my photography interests.

Another really cool highlight was running through Anaheim Angels stadium. We were on the warning track between the dugout and the field. For a baseball fan like me it was AMAZING! Though we walked most of this mile (sighseeing, narrow passageways) it also felt like the fastest mile because it was so much fun! 

 Getting my medal! It was well earned!

Ashley is my biggest cheerleader. She made this sign while I was sleeping the night before the race. Love the mouse ears on Mom.

Since I saw Mary Poppins and Bert during the race, it was only fitting that I took a post race picture with them, too.

Between "running" 13.1 miles, and walking around Disneyland for 5 hours, I logged 48,430 steps on my pedometer that day. A new record.

My time was about 3:24 -- yes, about a 16-minute mile, and only 6 minutes faster than their allowed time, but I had fun and that's what really matters.