Towards the end of the week we went to Mt. Vernon for the day. A few days before I had my chipped filling removed and replaced. I'm definitely looking at a cap at some point, so maybe should just get that out of the way during the holidays when we are back in Az, rather than risking being in the Bahamas or something. Anyway, on to George Washington's estate. Heather had been here decades ago, but I had never been.
There is a very nice visitors center with decent parking, and the approach to the main house across the lawn is impressive. There is a substantial restoration of the exterior underway. While at first glance the house exterior appears to be stone, it it actually planks of wood given beveled edges to have the shape of stone. When painted sand was sprinkled into the paint, giving the appearance of stone. Again, no pictures were allowed when inside the house.
There is a very nice visitors center with decent parking, and the approach to the main house across the lawn is impressive. There is a substantial restoration of the exterior underway. While at first glance the house exterior appears to be stone, it it actually planks of wood given beveled edges to have the shape of stone. When painted sand was sprinkled into the paint, giving the appearance of stone. Again, no pictures were allowed when inside the house.
A docent entertained us while we waited in line in the heat for our turn to tour the house. However hot we were, he had to be hotter in his costume.
Once finished with the tour we were able to wander the grounds. This is a view looking up at the house from the Potomac side. In the museum there was a picture of the house from this side, taken just before the house was taken out of private hands. The porch seen here was slowly falling down, only being held up with boat masts lashed together.
There were gardens being maintained roughly as they would have been during his life, providing most of the food for the residents of the estate.
They had multiple examples of period transportation, including this "riding chair", which seems like it would have been roughly comparable to how a golf cart is used to get around short distances today.
There was also a much more formal carriage.
The view from the back porch is impressive, and apparently will stay that way. The custodians of Mt. Vernon purchased the land across the Potomac from the house so the view would remain the same as it was it Washington's time.
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