Old Town Alexandria

I wonder why anyone ever goes to D.C. when there's Alexandria right across the river?

We feel like we've re-entered civilization here. Our lovely B&B hosts make delicious coffee and they serve breakfast sans grease! Oh, and we have fresh fruit and berries again. Two cheers for Alexandria!!

With enough museums and historical tours to keep one busy for weeks, we simply walked up and down King St. The restaurants are excellent, but pricey; the shops are interesting, especially the Torpedo Gallery with all of the working artists; street entertainment here definitely raises the bar and all the people seem kindhearted and relaxed.

Run-down from our day in D.C. yesterday, we just wanted to eat some delicious food for Mother's Day and take it easy. You could say we needed a day off.

Before taking AuntNYC to the airport we had just enough time for a quick dose of Alexandria history via tour boat.

An interesting fact: most of Virginia's coast is along the Potomac River, yet it has no jurisdiction over it. (Maryland and D.C. have control.)

Washington D.C.

Am I the only person out there who truly feels no love for our nation's capital?

Tomcat and I visited once years ago and accidentally arriving in Philly on our way back to Albany, NY is the only good memory I have of that trip. Our D.C. visit took us from one memorial to the next, through a cemetery, deep into the Holocaust Museum, and around the capitol building, bustling with untrustworthy politicians -- it left me feeling empty and full of sorrow.

Succumbing to peer pressure ("You have to see the nation's capital on a 50 states road trip!), we skipped Chincoteague in favor of D.C. I gave it my most positive attitude and purposely skipped all things "sad" and over the kids' heads.

The highlights?
1. Grandma's joy when she entered the Capitol for our (meager) tour.
2. the Statuary Hall's Whisper Spot, specifically watching Peanut flatten her ear to the floor to experience it!
3. Lincoln Memorial and the view it provides.
4. Back-to-back carousel rides.



The disappointments?
1. Walking endlessly in the heat and humidity; we're back to the kids not being able to look at the camera for pictures!
2. Lack of direction in this town -- where is public parking, a Visitor's Center, a kiosk with maps???
3. Lackluster ambiance in general.
4. Smithsonian Natural History Museum -- seriously, I loathe these over-crowded, impersonal museums.

Having written this, it occurs to me that others in this party may disagree with me entirely, and insist on a separate post from their perspectives tomorrow!

Mother's Day Spontaneity

AuntNYC (see New York City posts) had babyPoet in February and while we hadn't actually met him yet, we're absolutely in love with him.

Being so close yet so far here in D.C. was like torture for all of us. Well, AuntNYC does have a crazy streak in her...she flew down for Mother's Day weekend so babyPoet could meet his new aunt and cousins.


Talk about a surprise for the kids!

Doing our best to teach him the true meaning of in your face and overstimulation, he rarely seemed bothered by our expressions of love.

We all concur that he is by far the cutest, sweetest, smiliest and most perfect 3 mos. old baby in the world.

Mt. Vernon

George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, wins for
"Most Popular" tourist attraction. Swarms and swarms of people, primarily those pouring out of school buses. Ugh.

Did you know that Washington was a 4th generation American? I was shocked to learn that. When his father died, his older brothers received

larger estates, but little 11 year old George only got the cottage at Mt. Vernon and 10 slaves. It's impossible to imagine a more perfect setting, in the hills directly above the Potomac River.

I asked the kids what they liked best about today and they all agreed, "Running around in President Washington's backyard!"

Virginia - State #46

Today was a free, run-around day at Lavender Hill Farm in Lexington, VA. The problem was ...relentless RAIN. While the chickens did get fed, it was hardly what we'd call hanging out with the animals and running around, as kids must at some point do.

Our hostess recommended visiting Stonewall Jackson's house in the historic district of town. F i n a l l y, a regular Southern gentleman instead of a wealthy plantation owner. He was a professor, a natural leader, and a military hero to some (he got his nickname from standing with his regiment at the top of a hill like a big stone wall).

But really, he was a man of faith who watched his pennies and lived on the wrong side of town (across from the jail and next to a hotel) simply because he fell in love with "this

old house;" it was already 58 years old when he moved in!


The poor guy, lost his first wife in childbirth along with his baby daughter. He remarried and lost his next baby girl to typhoid. The third daughter he met once at 6 mos. before meeting his own end in battle. That's his sad story.

The best part of the day was hurrying down the rainy street and finding such a hilarious plaque!

Virginia License Plate