Mount Vernon

We decided to check out the original George's home just to the south of us on what turned out to be one of the coldest evenings we've had this winter (at least that's my excuse for the appalling quality of the photos I took).

We headed off on the yellow line of the Metro to the end of the line at Huntington, then had a bus transfer for about a half-hour to Mount Vernon. Upon entering we were serenaded by period musicians. At 6:30 we headed outside to the cider tent and the only source of heat in the area, the flaming torches. Since the cider was not hot and with every gust of wind a cascade of sparks flew out of the torches onto the people huddled around, I could only assume the cider was provided for putting out flaming jackets and hair.

The carolers were very brave to stand out an serenade us all while slowly turning blue. All this aside, the gathering of the various tour groups was done pretty well. All the staff were in period costumes and the crier rang a bell and called out the tour numbers to call us together.

We headed off up the drive and I was at first concerned that the mansion was on fire! Just look at this photo I took! Fortunately the mansion was fine but I was at that time thinking longingly of the fire traps we'd left behind.

We met the Washington's midwife and then had an audience with Martha in the dining room. After touring their home we stopped by George's office for a little presentation by his personal assistant. Also in the photo are George's globe and his office chair (it swivels). Then it was off to the slave and servants quarters.

The overall experience was great, we'll definitely be coming back but will probably hold off until spring (brrrrr!). We did happen to ask about ghost tours at the mansion and our guide said they didn't do them but she believed they should. She said, "I didn't believe in ghosts until I started working here and saw all the weird things that happen." Unfortunately I couldn't hear anything else over the noise of my teeth chattering but we agreed that a ghost tour at Halloween would be a good idea.

After the tour we made our way back to Alexandria for dinner ('cause Lori's fallen in love with Old Town). We went to the Founders' brewery for dinner and warmed up with a couple of ales and a huge pile of nachos, some pasta and BBQ pork chops. When we walked in Lori spotted....wait for it...Santa! Yes, he was incognito but I'm telling you he looked the part. We didn't get a picture 'cause we figured he deserved his privacy this close to the day. Also, what if the woman he was with wasn't Mrs C and....well, we didn't want to get on the naughty list. But after dinner we confirmed it by finding his "sleigh" out on the street. Look closely at the "horse" in the back and you'll see it's actually Rudolph (trust me, it's just the poor photography). He's got antlers and a red nose!

After our huge dinner it was good we had to walk (waddle) a ways up King Street to the train station. All in all, it was a great Friday night out; more than made up for missing the office Christmas party.