A DRIVE TO MT. VERNON AND ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETARY

Harlan and Nelda arrived about 6:00 p.m. and we met them in the lobby of their hotel. We walked to dinner at The Old Ebbitt Grill. The next morning we drove into downtown DC and picked them up for a visit to Mt. Vernon and later Arlington National Cemetery.

At Mt. Vernon, George Washington's house is original as are the immediate surrounding support buildings like the kitchen and the spinning room. The barn has been reconstructed in accordance with Washing'ton's original design. The barn is two stories. The upper floor having slotted boards where the stalks of grain were spread. Trained horses trotted around the circular floor and caused the wheat to separate from the stalks. The seeds of grain fell through the slates to the floor below where slaves shoveled it into barrels to transport it to the grist mill. Washington's plantation was one of the largest flour producers in the original colonies. Here Marlene is in the kitchen at Mt. Vernon. She has now been in George Washington's kitchen and Julia Child's kitchen in the same week.

From Mt. Vernon it is a short drive back up the Potomac River to Arlington Cemetery. Although there were lots of people, the space and sanctity of the area made it peaceful and quiet. One cannot visit here without coming away with the respect for those who gave their lives to preserve our Democracy. We felt our visit here was complete with watching the changing of the guards.