November 5

If the first picture is not clear, use the back of your nickel.

Monticello stands prominently at the top of a mountain (hill) overlooking the treed valleys below. The buildings and gardens were designed by Jefferson and he strictly supervised construction over a forty year period. As a self taught student of architecture, his estate evolved into a neoclassical design, an outgrowth of his experience in France, and his taste for design and elegance. His gardens were scientifically nurtured and his home was filled with his inventions and the inventions of the day. Science, literature, history, architecture, horticulture, and art all ooze forth as you walk through the mansion. The plantation grew to 1,000 acres at one time and he owned 200 slaves. At his death, he had accumulated and, perhaps inherited, much debt, forcing the family to sell the home, its contents and his slaves. Monticello, like Mount Vernon, was purchased by a nonprofit in 1923 which has replenished the mansion with many of the original artifacts.

I draw some comparisons in visiting both Mt. Vernon and Monticello within the week. Both men married wealthy widows named Martha. Neither fathered sons to carry on the family name. Both enjoyed farming and used scientific methods. Both detested tobacco and what it did to their soil and eagerly changed their farms to grain. Both used the grain to produce their favorite libation. Washington was once the largest distiller of whiskey in the colonies. Jefferson brewed beer. Both lived as renaissance men but both families lost their estates after their death. Both owned slaves and although they granted some of their slaves freedom, most were sold at the master’s death. Both were dedicated family men and enjoyed having their daughters (step daughters in Washington’s case) and grandchildren live with him until death. Both men are buried at their family homes next to their wives and extended family.

I would rate Monticello at the top spot of the trip. Yes, Niagara is a moving and powerful creation. The legacy of Jefferson is profound and summed up in his own epitaph. “The author of the Declaration of Independence, the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the founder of the University of Virginia.” No mention was made of his ambassadorship, his presidency or his orchestration of westward expansion. As large as his tombstone is, there was no room for all of his accomplishments and he clearly indicated what he felt was most important. What a man.

We spent the afternoon driving the Jeep through part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The day was clear but it is November 5. It is a late fall here and the color, however vibrant, was lost to the dry and warm conditions. The treed mountains (hills) and incredible views I hope are somewhat represented in the pictures.

VA

November 4

Unfortunately the hazy weather muted the vibrant color that bordered us on each side as we traveled down Interstate 81. The Appalacian Mountains (Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah Mountains, Allegheny Mountains – they all run together and look like hills to west coasters) are at their peak color. Hopefully, we will get better views tomorrow. We debated taking the more scenic “Skyline Drive” but determined that the road was too curvy for the RV.

Arrival in Charlottesville, VA, was around 1 p.m. We walked the UVA campus to view the layout designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson designed the Rotunda to be the center of a Academical Village which still exists today. It was built a few years after he died and included a huge common behind the Rotunda which was flanked by buildings in which students and faculty lived, sharing their academic time and talents. This Utopian arrangement is based on the Jeffersonian principle that learning is a lifelong and shared process and that interaction between faculty and students is vital to learning. Jefferson was right.

The top picture is the Rotunda, the second is the side of the common with student and faculty housing, and the third is the hallway outside the housing rooms. Note the firewood. Some are still heated with wood. Many students apply to live in these rooms so a faculty/student committee meet yearly to select the residents. All have huge gardens, all uniquely designed by Jefferson, out the back doors.

Washington tomb

Pictures are the coffins of General and Mrs. Washington, children and adults laying flowers at the tomb, and Washington's barn, invented in a way to efficiently thrash wheat.

Mt Vernon and the Aunes

November 2

Mount Vernon is the most visited historical site in the U.S. Barb and I thought we were smart in visiting it during the week in this “off season” month. As we pulled into the parking lot, we could not count the number of buses in line along the street. Most were school buses. The site was teeming with kids.

As the Bush and Kennedy families, among others, have been labeled American aristocracy, George Washington’s family truly represents this label. His great grandfather was granted 5000 acres on the upper Potomac in 1674. Mount Vernon is part of that grant.

Washington’s plantation, 8000 acres at its zenith, was manned by 60 or so slaves. It was a pleasant retreat, a farm, and a place where George, when not serving as the Father of our County, would putter about refining farming techniques and inventing and developing tools and equipment. George, Martha and other family members are buried there. Interestingly, Washington never fathered any children, but he did father our nation.

The mansion grounds, 500 acres, were purchased from the Washington family in 1858 and today is owned and operated by a nonprofit. It is well maintained. The displays and exhibits are some of the best that we have seen. The best spot of all is sitting on the back veranda of the original home overlooking the Potomac. You can imagine sitting there with Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Lafayette or many other notables.

We spent five hours there and it was not enough. It is a special place with a special message. Aristocratic or not, President Washington was a man of dedication and honor. A man whose father died at age eleven, sought a pragmatic education equal to only an eighth grade education, was the right person for the times.

We visited Greg, Christie, Noah, and Emma Aune in the evening. Greg is my nephew and is in his residency at John Hopkins in Baltimore. Christie is an Army physician at Walter Reed. This incredibly busy couple, along with their two beautiful children (4 year old twins), entertained us for dinner. An evening with family, highly cherished.

Pictures are the mansion, the view from the back veranda, the garden, and Greg and Christie. Noah and Emma were already in bed.

The Mall

November 1

We decided that on this trip we were not going to focus on downtown D.C. We were here for a week with the kids in 1991 and we tried to do it all. It included the Whitehouse tour and a local representative aide guiding us around Congress, as well as the memorials, and some of the Smithsonian and other museums. We even attended a play at the Ford’s Theater. So this time, we aimed to concentrate on seeing friends and hitting the outlaying areas. But, we couldn’t stay away from the mall.

We boarded a Metro bus here at the campground and were dropped off at the local subway station. Within 30 minutes we ascended on to Pennsylvania Ave. We walked to mall area and basically reminisced about our former trip. We visited the Viet Nam Memorial again and, given recent events, it was even more moving then when we visited it several years ago. The Lincoln memorial is always special. I will never grow tired of the view. As you stand and view his expressive face carved in stone, you turn and see the Washington Monument in the sky and in the reflecting pool.

As in small towns, you get a real feel of the community if you eat in a local restaurant. Barb and I found an Indian restaurant near the Metro entrance. It was 6:30 and the place was bustling. We were able to get one of the last tables. I think I was the only male in the place without a sport coat. Most were in suits. Oh, I miss the international culture. There were two women and man about our age sitting in the table next to us. At one point their conversation went something like this:

Male: So how was your trip?
Female: Oh, it is always a trip flying into Kabul. They bring you in over the mountains and set you right down.
Other Female: Is it as eventful as flying into Baghdad?
Female: Well, it is different. Baghdad is much more frightening with all the flares going off and the way they bring you down in that tight circle.

Another refreshing aspect of the D.C. area is that people do not hesitate to discuss politics and/or religion. First of all, the business is politics. Secondly, politics and religion is so varied that different opinions are accepted as a part of this creation. You agree to disagree and you respect the other position. Discussions are very animated but relationships are valued even though there is difference of opinion.

friends

October 31

As you can tell from our blog, Barb and I have a great deal of love and respect for our families. The support, love, and attention, grounded in common heritage, supports us in our daily pursuits.

Tuesday evening, and again on Wednesday, Barb and I returned to family. However, this segment of our family does not share any of our DNA. Both times that Barb and I have been posted overseas, we have connected with other couples who became “like family”. The two years in China, however fulfilling, were two of the most difficult of our lives. Our daily activities centered on our immediate family, the school, and the expat community. Close friendships occurred as you consoled and supported each other through and around difficult obstacles. Through recreation and dialogue we progressed. The friendship connections remain as the time together lapses and the years pass. Several families still fit into that category. We were fortunate to visit two.

Steve and Imoi live in Germantown, MD. Steve was the #2 person in the U.S. Consulate at Guangzhou and was president of the school board. His China roots are deep as his mother was born to missionary parents in China. He has since retired from the State Department and does consulting, much of it related to national security. Their daughter was Kari’s best friend in Guangzhou. Ben and I spent many evenings with Steve as members of the Guangzhou Cleavers, the expatriate basketball team. Imoi is a gourmet cook and we again delighted in some of her Asian dishes. Since we had only seen each other twice since China, the evening was filled with recollection, dreams, and, of course, political discussion.

Jeff and Richelle, probably more than any other couple, aided in our transition into the Guangzhou community. Richelle, in her second year of teaching, was the 2nd-3rd grade teacher and one of the only staff members who had served the school before we arrived. They adopted our kids, helped us fit into the Consulate community, and greatly aided me in understanding the role of the school in the community. Richelle was Nathan's third grade teacher. I am so proud of Richelle as today she is the Director of Silver Springs Day School, a private preschool of over a hundred students. Jeff was a young Junior Officer working in the visa section of the consulate. A master of languages (he wrote his Dartmouth thesis in French), Jeff was one of the few who was fluent in the local Chinese language, Cantonese. We enjoyed traveling around Guangzhou with him as Jeff appeared to relish, as I do, in the local stories and traditions of the common people. Jeff has served in many capacities of service at the Federal level and is now working for a private nonprofit. Jeff took us to lunch near his office. As humble and selfless as he is, I was able to pry out of him that he had spent the morning orchestrating resources for the recovery from the devastation in Haiti from tropical storm Noel.

We toured Richelle’s school. Barb and I were delighted to see the children immersed in art and engaged in cooperative activities with significant parent involvement. It was Halloween Day and the celebratory day was filled with what I call “growth opportunities”. We had not seen Richelle in 18 years and it was very fulfilling for Barb and I to see the elements of education that we so believe in, exhibited in Richelle’s programs. Oh, I do not interpret this as legacy. She, as we were in China, is freed from state confinements and doctrines, and is able to create programs that are enriching to children. We spent Halloween eve at Jeff and Richelle’s home with their daughter Meredith and about a hundred or so trick or treaters.

It was two days of friendships rekindled and pleasant times shared.

Antietam Harpers

October 30

Mason Dixon Line. It was established because of a feud regarding the border between the Pennsylvania and the Maryland colonies. In 1760, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were commissioned to survey and they established the border which was labeled the Mason Dixon Line. In 1820, a compromise indicated the line as the border between slave and free states. When we crossed the Mason Dixon Line on Sunday we immediately noticed one thing. Wafflehouse logos were on signs at almost every exit on the Interstates. I guess we are now in the South.

We drove out to the Antietam battlefield and on to Harpers Ferry. The blue sky and warm sunshine projected an air of peace over the fields. However, in the 12 hour battle at Antietam in 1862, there were 23,100 casualties, more than any other day in the history of the U.S. Again, masses of men were sent in waves at each other. Clara Barton tended the wounded. Dr. William Childs, a Union Army surgeon later wrote:

“When I think of the battle of Antietam, it seems strange. Who permits it? To see or feel that a power is in existence, that can and will hurl masses of men against each other in deadly conflict, slaying each other by the thousands, is almost impossible. But it is so, and why, we cannot know.”

Although neither side won, it was the first battle of the young war where Federalist troops were not defeated. Both the Federalists and the Confederates withdrew to lick their wounds and fight another day. A few weeks after the battle, Lincoln dismissed General McClellan for not pursuing his friend “Bobbie Lee” and possibly ending the war. The war dragged on 3 more years.

Harpers Ferry lies at the bottom of a valley at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah River. Most of the historic village in now under the management of the National Park Service. I had no idea of the involved history of this town. It is most famous for the raid on the armory conducted by John Brown, the fierce abolitionist (we visited his community, Jefferson, Ohio, center of the abolition movement and terminus of the Underground Railroad). In 1859 he hoped to take the extensive arms manufactured and stored here to begin a campaign to rid the country of slavery. His plan failed and the local militia, under Lt. Col Robert E. Lee, captured Brown and his raiders. During the Civil War, many battles were fought here and the armory was burned.

However, many years before these battles, George Washington, as a young man, had surveyed this area. It was Washington, as president, who ordered an armory built here because of the location’s strategic importance. In 1783 Thomas Jefferson, stopped by and did some exploring here on his way to serve in the Continental Congress, Lewis outfitted his expedition at the armory. Lincoln reviewed the troops here. Custer met his wife here. Jeb Stewart and Stonewall Jackson served here. Even though the raid on the armory was futile, it did increase the flames of abolitionists zeal. Fredrick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois both used Harpers Ferry to launch civil rights campaigns. The NAACP has its roots here.

All this happened here and it really is just a small town at the confluence of two rivers.

Pictures are the Appalacian Trail, the battle field, and downtown Harpers Ferry.