For me, the weekend started out on Wednesday evening (9/2) when I went to League City, TX to spend the night with Hilary for her birthday - the big 2-9!! Wonderful dinner at Ichiban's, a hibachi grill restaurant -amazing meal! I was so glad that I got to spend her birthday with her. I spent the night there and left for Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston the next morning for my flight at 7:55 am to Reagan International Aiport in Washington, DC.
Both my flights went well - I, being as shy and reserved as you all know I am, talked to the people on the flight next to me for a bit. I was a bit disconcerted the the co-pilot's name of the flight to DC was Tim Taylor - as in Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor, but the flight went smoothly without bumps, tweeks, or male grunting over the intercom, and we landed without a hitch, about 5 minutes late.
Matt met me outside baggage claims, and we headed off to Mt. Vernon (http://www.mountvernon.org/)to meet his friend (now my friend too, of course), Samantha for a tour of the property and collection of George & Martha Washington. Sam is a cataloger/researcher there, which I found fascinating. It really made me think about how much of the nation's history still exists up there - since Texas being a fairly young state has very
little of that history. Seeing everything up there made me wish I'd paid a bit more attention in the years of history the Texas public school system poured into me.
little of that history. Seeing everything up there made me wish I'd paid a bit more attention in the years of history the Texas public school system poured into me.I was able to take a few pictures at the property - most everything cannot be photographed because of the damage it can do to the artifacts. However, the re-creations were available for photos...the one to the left is the kitchen. This was separate from the actual house itself. The house had been 'restored' so to speak to match the era decor of Washington's time. The main entertaining room was painted a very bright green - for those of you who knew me in high school, imagine the color of my first car. That's the wall color - bright calypso green. We were also able to see the rest of the house, huge rooms which hosted many guests, and the bedroom where George Washington died in 1799.
To the right is a photograph of the tomb which houses the sarcophagi of George
and Martha Washington (bottom middle-ish) and about 25 of their other family members. The tomb was built over several years, requested by George Washington to replace the old family tomb, and was completed in 1831. The last member of the family to be buried in the tomb was in 1855.
and Martha Washington (bottom middle-ish) and about 25 of their other family members. The tomb was built over several years, requested by George Washington to replace the old family tomb, and was completed in 1831. The last member of the family to be buried in the tomb was in 1855.After Mt. Vernon, Matt
, Sam and I went to happy hour in Old Town Alexandria, VA and walked along the waterfront. It was SO beautiful there. We were there just before sunset, so the view was amazing. I enjoyed people watching; the whole are
a, Alexandria, Baltimore, & DC is very pet friendly, so people would have their dogs with them in restaurants, shops - even church! I love it!! I took several touristy photos here. I couldn't help it. With the weather not requiring shelter to prevent me from melting and the peaceful sounds coming off the water...I think I could have just stayed watching the boats, fish, and birds the rest of the evening. One of the other cool sites we visited was Gadsby's Tavern (http://www.gadsbystavernrestaurant.com/) - one of the places where George Washington had dined, which is still in operation...one of the old ice houses used during his era exists under it. So fascinating to think about how much history still exists literally right under our feet. Texas wasn't even a fathomable possibility when all of this was built. Beaumont wasn't even established till 1901...and it seems like things here are old!
, Sam and I went to happy hour in Old Town Alexandria, VA and walked along the waterfront. It was SO beautiful there. We were there just before sunset, so the view was amazing. I enjoyed people watching; the whole are
a, Alexandria, Baltimore, & DC is very pet friendly, so people would have their dogs with them in restaurants, shops - even church! I love it!! I took several touristy photos here. I couldn't help it. With the weather not requiring shelter to prevent me from melting and the peaceful sounds coming off the water...I think I could have just stayed watching the boats, fish, and birds the rest of the evening. One of the other cool sites we visited was Gadsby's Tavern (http://www.gadsbystavernrestaurant.com/) - one of the places where George Washington had dined, which is still in operation...one of the old ice houses used during his era exists under it. So fascinating to think about how much history still exists literally right under our feet. Texas wasn't even a fathomable possibility when all of this was built. Beaumont wasn't even established till 1901...and it seems like things here are old!
Across the Potomac from where we were lies Washington National Harbor in MD (http://www.nationalharbor.com/). It was really pretty with the sunlight reflecting off of it. And it was gorgeous lit up at night!
I also took the opportunity to take a pic of Sam and Matt...and to get the first pic of Matt and me of the weekend.
After parting ways with Sam, we went to Matt's place to drop off my stuff and then we went to one of his and his friends' favorite places, Diamondback Tavern (http://www.diamondbacktavern.com/) in Ellicott City, which is near Baltimore. It's such a cute little city with a lot of old homes and buildings which have been there forever (or so it seems). The city itself reminded me a lot of Fredericksburg, TX or Main Street in Boerne - lots of shops, coffee houses and cafes. And again, very dog friendly. There was a Baltimore Ravens game that night, but I guess since it was away and preseason, there weren't many people there to watch the game...which was nice that it wasn't extremely crowded. We went to 'DBT' several times over the weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment