The plan?

Mount Vernon in the AM.  Then jet up to Baltimore to tour Fort McHenry before visiting Tony & Yuuki for dinner at 6pm at their apartment in Annapolis.  It sounded good, huh?

Strike One:  We started out late, preferring a laid-back morning.

Strike Two:  The grounds of Mount Vernon were phenomenal!

 

We enjoyed the views of the Potomac River from the chair-lined, shaded porch.

 

We lingered awhile.

 

I even imagined that I was Washington, contemplating Revolutionary ideas while surrounded by such beauty and tranquility.

 

Although the day was somewhat cool and windy, the sun beckoned us to walk, walk some more!

 

The meticulously landscaped areas whimsically played with my interested eyes,

 

while the more rugged and natural woods led us down brick and gravel pathways past the family’s tomb.

 

Further investigation brought us face-to-root with the oldest tree on the property, a tulip poplar planted when our first president was just 33 years old.  While there, we called G’mo to wish her a happy birthday!

 

Proceeding downhill, we found a working garden and sheep farm,

 

an innovative, hexagonal wheat-thrashing barn invented by G.W. himself, and a small slave dwelling.

 

A short walk from there, the Potomac lapped the banks where an osprey nested, overlooking a couple of docked boats.

 

Walk, walk some more!  Of course, we made some new friends along the way!

 

Returning to the visitor center, feeling hungry and exhausted, we did a quick run-through of the educational, eye-pleasing Museum.  I disliked rushing, but as Winnie-the-Pooh would say: there were rumblys in our tumblys!

 

After a quick tailgate PBJ bar,

 

we hopped into the Taurus X and hit a brick wall.

Strike Three:  Traffic.  Horrendous.  Stand still.  Long time.  Ugh.  I had held out hope until this point that maybe we could at least do a drive-by Fort McHenry.  I know that this thought was irrational…just look at the map, folks.  But, you have to understand, the story of the Star-Spangled Banner is what fairy tales are made of for me!  Brave soldiers, defending their fort, standing between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!  Out in the bay a young lawyer, an unwilling witness to the battle, catches the refection of red, white, and blue on the water at morning’s first beam!  I couldn’t help hoping!  (But at least I can still read Peter Spier’s book for inspiration.  And you can, too!  Don’t forget to check out the map in the back!  I’m a sucker for maps!)

At this point, we were lucky to even make it to Tony’s by 6:30!  He had prepared Spicy Korean BBQ wings, rice, sesame bok choy, mild kim chi, and fermented radishes.  Mmmmm, thanks Tony!  And Yuuki…that girl can load a dishwasher like nobody’s business!  With all of that out of the way, we adults talked while the kids descended to the basement for Nerf wars and Play-Doh adventures.

 

But alas, all good things must come to an end.  We headed back to our nearby KOA to get some rest for DC the next day!