The Light and the Glory

As we travel thru this amazing section of our nation it is so important to me that we understand Gods hand in our history. To put everything in perspective we have read pertinent sections of Peter Marshall & David Manuel's wonderful books "The Light and the Glory" and "From Sea to Shining Sea". We are also using "America's Providential History" by Mark Beliles & Stephen McDowell. All of this has been so very good and we have enjoyed it so much.

For each one of us today was an incredible highlight. We drove to Mount Vernon, and as we drove we read about the life of George Washington. By the time we got there we could not wait to see it all.

This is my fifth trip to Mount Vernon and each time has been so memorable. There have been some significant additions since I was there a few years ago. There is a new museum and education center opened now that include 25 new galleries and a theater. The museum itself contains over 500 original artifacts that are absolutely incredible.

You now enter Mount Vernon and are directed first to a grand theater that shows an 18 minute original movie depicting scenes of his military experience. Following the movie you are able to tour the estate. The mansion house, more than a dozen outbuildings, four gardens, a four acre working farm with a recreation of his 16 sided treading barn, his burial site, a forest walking trail, and oh my, that view on the bluff overlooking the Potomac River are all spectacular. We had a most beautiful day to see it all. It was sunny with a plesant breeze blowing, and there were puffy white clouds contrasting against a beautifully blue sky. It was a picture perfect day in every way.

We saved the new museum and education center for last but this is certainly something you do not want to miss. It is very well done and adds much to your Mount Vernon visit. There are personal items and fascinating information given there that we all really enjoyed.

Our reading added so much to our visit there that it all became quite and emotional experience. We are so blessed as a nation. We left Mount Vernon on a spiritual and patriotic high.

We traveled on to our "resort" located in Maryland and there we made arrangements for our one day blitz tour of Washington DC. How do you do that?? Your right. It's impossible. There is a Grey Line Tour offered that has transportation directly from our "resort". Since we know we can't park the bbow in DC we opted for this tour. They are picking us up in the morning....at 6:45 AM!!