The Mt. Vernon Disaster

Wouldn't the The Mt. Vernon Disaster make a catchy title for historical fiction novel? Too bad no publishing companies are buying that genre right now. Maybe if it was a true story about a mother's attempts to provide enjoyable, educational activities for her children but who fails at every turn, then some publisher would look at it with interest? Maybe?

Good thing it IS a true story. It's my personal disaster story. I will summarize the whole affair succinctly:

1. Putting the RIGHT address into the GPS would have been helpful. We got a lovely tour of the DC ghetto.
2. Gavin broke the stroller the instant we entered the visitor's center, which would have been fine had I two functioning knees.
3. It was 92 degrees and a billion percent humidity. My new purple purse - lovingly called "Barney" by my family - actually dyed my white t-shirt. The combination of sweat and friction will cause the color transfer (not just hot water in the washer).
4. Packed a huge lunch and a huge diaper bag, which my mom and I had to haul around since the stroller met it's demise. My poor mom got to haul Laynie around for a while too.
5. Stopped at a cupcake place on the way home. They only had four flavors of cupcakes and none of them were good. Bummer.

So on a happier note, I learned a TON about George Washington and his home. If you want some quick facts to use in your next battle of wits (or for the historical fiction novel you probably won't write), read on. If not, scroll to the bottom and glance at the lovely pics.

George Washington was a GIANT. At six-foot-four, he was eight-inches taller than the average man of that era. He died at age 67 of suffocation caused by a throat infection. Nasty.

This model of the Mt. Vernon Mansion is on hydraulics. The facade lowers to show the interior of the major rooms.

George Washington built a greenhouse on the grounds to house tropical plants and citrus trees.

The Upper Garden was a showpiece and many of the plants currently in bloom were the same types of flowers in GWs day.

And Laynie is cute.

Butterflies and bumblebees flitted all over the garden. We had to convince Gavin not to touch them.

Mt. Vernon is built of wood, not stone. Sand was mixed with the paint to give the exterior texture. The cupola on the roof was the last edifice Washington added. In the summer, they opened the windows to let the heat in the house out.

Laynie's cute again...this time on the ferry.

In three to four weeks each spring, Washington's slaves caught one million fish then salted and shipped them.

That's Ft. Washington. It was abandoned during the War of 1812. The commander only had 49 men to protect it from the British. He decided to blow up the armory, rendering the base useless, and vacate. After the war he was convicted of abandoning his post and executed.

In 1798, Mt. Vernon hosted 677 overnight guests. I don't know how Martha Washington managed. She must have been really organized and had an army of slaves....oh wait, she did. Nearly 200 slaves are interred in a small burial ground a few hundred yards from Washington's tomb.

The American Chestnut tree is nearly extinct. In Washington's time, it made up a third of the wilderness on his property. The Passenger Pigeon is extinct. The last one died in the New York Zoo in 1914. The bird was common at Mt. Vernon in the president's time.

Here Gav is separating the chaff from the wheat. This wheat was crushed in the two-story 16-sided barn Washington invented as a wheat mill of sorts. Apparently, horses won't defecate unless they have a corner to stop in. Because the barn is essentially a colonial indoor track, the horses circle continuouslycrushing wheat beneath their hooves. The workers load everything that falls through the floor to the lower level in the into a small wagon. One person picks out all the stalks (see picture below), and then another removes the chaff.

Wheat was a much more lucrative crop than corn. In Washington's day, each stalk only produced two cobs.

I have a whole head full of other random bits but if you REALLY want to know you will A) come visit me and we'll go to Mt. Vernon together or B) call and ask.

Any takers?