Where our forefathers have left their mark

Today was sobering day number two. We had the opportunity to go to Arlington Cemetery on our last day in D.C. They have an app that you can download where you can search for anyone in the cemetery, so I decided to just put in "Few" to see what came up. I was surprised to see that there were six grave sites. Unfortunately, they were spread out all throughout the grounds. That meant that my determination to visit each site required us to walk another four miles! At least we have been getting our exercise. Anyway, I am not sure how I would be related to these individuals, but I do know that every Few is related in one way or another.

Carl Few served in WWII and Korea

Carl's son Richard Few was buried beside him.

Arthur Few served in WWI and WWII

Arthurs wife Doris was buried beside him.

Eugene Few appears to have served in WWI as the 157th Depot Brigade  was only active from 1917-1919

Robert Few served in Korea and Vietnam

 After finding the Few grave sites we took in the grounds and the immensity of it all. There was an active funeral as we went along, and grounds keepers working on new areas in preparation. Crista asked me if I found it creepy to be wandering through a graveyard the day before halloween. While I don't believe in such things anyway, I have been in some creepy cemetery's in my life - this was not one of them. This one inspired a sense of awe at the amount of individuals that laid down their own lives for our freedom, past present and future. These markers don't even touch the tip of the iceberg. Many are missing, or are buried elsewhere.

A trip to Arlington Cemetery wouldn't be complete without a stop by the site of Unknown Solider to see the changing of the guard maneuvers. During the off-season this happens ever hour on the hour, and boy they are not late! As soon as the clock struck 11:00am local time things were on their way. I appreciated how everyone in attendance was completely silent. If only we could command that amount of respect elsewhere!

After we finished up at Arlington we made our way over to the National Archives building back downtown. This is where all of the important documents from this country are kept. From the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution all the way up to any current Bills that are signed into law. Unfortunately, I was not able to take pictures, even ones without flash, as the documents are very fragile and some have faded past being able to read them in their entirety. The Declaration of Independence is in the worst shape. The Constitution is in pretty good condition and I was able to see the real signature of William Few. As I said, I was not permitted to get a picture, but I will provide the digital version of it below. See if you can spot His signature in the Georgia bracket.

Time to pack up and move on to the next spot. We shall be visiting the house of another one of the Founding Fathers, who also just happened to be a personal friend of William Few!

Monuments of the ages.

Day three in D.C. was our monuments day. We once again waited until after rush hour to make the drive into town. Being as this is technically off season for tourism, there were not a lot of people about. We walked a total of six miles and saw nine monuments, and it all took three hours! It was interesting to see the things that I have only seen in pictures and in history books.

Jefferson Memorial

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Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial

Martin Luther King Memorial

District of Columbia Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

One thing about the Few family that is both cool and sad at the same time is that there has been a Few that has been a part of every war the United States has been in. From the Revolutionary war to present day. My grandfather, Donald Few, served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. I also know at least one Few that is currently serving in the USAF. I thought it would be interesting to see if there were any other Few's listed on the Vietnam and WWII war monuments. I found a Few listed on each one!

Vietnam War Memorial

The squirrels are even quite friendly here. William was upset that it was time to take a nap, and a curious little fellow decided to come up and appeared to be concerned with his welfare. I actually think he was looking for crackers, as he was quite happy with the Cheez-it we gave him. ;)

Hungry squirrel

Washington Monument (unfortunately it is closed for renovations.

The White House from the Washington Monument.

All in all it was a good day, and we got more than enough exercise. Considering we came back to Alexandria and decided to doodle around the local shops on the main drag and do some tourist shopping. Time for bed it is! Tomorrow we will be going to Arlington Cemetery and the National Archive to finally see the signature of William Few Jr. on the Constitution!

Flora, fauna and the blue sky above.

Today was day two in the D.C. area. We had originally planned to jump an Uber to save the hassle of parking. Unfortunately, it appears no one is aware that a stroller can fit in the trunk of a Toyota Camry. No worries though, since it is Sunday we decided to drive our rental car the 15 minutes into downtown and found parking a couple of blocks away from the Air and Space Museum. We spent the next four hours learning about pretty much everything that flies above, and orbits the earth. I was hoping to see one of the Space Shuttles, but apparently it is located at a sister museum sit located somewhere in Virginia. So, I picked out a few of my favorite areas.

Had to get a picture of one of the models used in the Original Star Trek series.

Rockets anyone?

Had to settle for a model.

The type of aircraft that Amelia Earhart flew.

Yes, that is the original Wright Brothers first flyer.

Chuck Yeagers Bell X-1 "Glamorous Glennis. I used to play a computer flight simulator game that was narrated by Chuck via cassette tape when I was a kid.

Charles Linburh's Spirit of St. Louis

After the Air and Space Museum we headed over to the Botanical Gardens to check out the local and worldly plant life. The tropical section was a welcome relief to the cooler weather we have been having. After that we went for a casual stroll around the National Mall Park.

Botanical Gardens

Capital Building

Ulysses S. Grant Memorial

William Few wasn't in national politics at the time, to be able to see what Washington D.C. would become, but he was a Senator when the decision to make the Capital here. He would have likely seen the original Capital building as well as the White House finished, as president Adams was the first President to reside there. At that point in time William was himself residing in New York and was busy being President the City Bank of New York, which is known presently as Citi Bank. Additionally he was appointed Inspector of Prisons and was also practicing a bit of law. We will explore more about William Few and his life when we get to Georgia next weekend.

Tomorrow we go see the monuments!

Where our Forefathers have trod - Part 1

Last night, after taking three hours to get from Gettysburg, PA to Alexandria, VA (which is just on the other side of the Potomac River from Washington D.C.), we settled into our Air B&B which is located a few blocks from the wharf. This morning we took a river taxi down to Mount Vernon. For those of you not up on your American History, this was the home of George Washington and his family. The estate at one point in time was a total of 8000 acres all housing livestock, crops and gardens, and lots of wooded areas. Though, it was said that most of the money that was made was from fishing the river. I found a couple of interesting stories that I found interesting:

• The British once threatened to burn down the estate if they weren't given rations. The estate manager who was George Washingtons cousin gave in and gave them what they asked for to save the estate. George Washington wrote him a letter and said that he would have been less disappointed had the manager refused and the estate was burned to the ground.
• A two masted ship sailed up the Potomac to Mount Vernon in the 1800's, if I remember correctly, to commemorate the achievements that George Washington had accomplished during his life. While it was docked a hurricane came through this area and ripped the ship from its moorings. It was never seen again, nor has it ever been found.

We headed out on the boat and the guide showed us sights along the way. Unfortunately, the weather was less than stellar this morning, but some of us braved the Nor'easter and went up to the top deck to take pictures.

The Potomac

 They say the Potomac River used to be crystal clear because there used to be clams that were so numerous that they filtered out all the silt and sand in the water. It was said that it was so clear you could have seen to the e bottom and the clams looked like a cobblestone road on the bottom of the river. Unfortunately, in the late 1800's the clams were hunted out of the river to the point that they were no longer able to filter the water. Though it looks polluted, it is not. It is just all the stirred up silt and sand. If they tried to put clams back in the river they would die, because there is just too much to filter now.

The President showed up.

As I mentioned, there were points of interest along the way. One was a replica of Air Force One, nowhere near an air strip. It is a tourist attraction at one of the more expensive ports on the river. No, the President was not there. Other points included Fort Washington, and the only river lighthouse still standing today. Towards the end of our boat ride it became foggy enough that we could not see shore very well.

Once we arrived at the dock at Mount Vernon, we disembarked and started our self tour.

An example of how George Washington set up his plantings.

Washington would often experiment with different fertilizers to see which was best and the fastest growth.

A replica of a grain barn which he built to ease the processing  grain

He put gaps in the floor to allow wheat to separate from the stalks.

George Washington, and many others at the time were smarter than we give them credit for. Many of the farming tactics that Washington used in the 1700's are still in use today, and they still work today. Now who still believes that they didn't know what they were doing when they wrote the Constitution and Declaration of Independence?

This is a replica example of what Washingtons field slaves would have lived in. Just a simple log cabin.

George and Martha Washingtons grave site.

As far back as the early 1800's people would carve their names into the brick here. Not to desecrate the grave but as a way to pay their respects.

Mansion as seen from the Bowling Green. They didn't have mowers, so they  used rollers to keep the grass "neat"

Inside the mansion this is where any visitors "help" would stay.

The "new room," used for entertaining and dining with visitors. 

I thought the fireplace work was cool, as well as the ceiling in the above picture.

Main stair case in the main house where the guest rooms were - all original.

The view from the breezeway. 

The kitchen, separate from the house.

There were plenty of other rooms in the house. You probably wouldn't want to see them all. I guess you will have to come out here and see the place for your self! A couple of interesting facts.

• Guests would be put in a room depending on how familiar the Washingtons were with you. If they didn't know someone well or came unannounced, they would be put into the least nicest quarters. If you were someone close to the family or another important figure doing business with the Washingtons there was a nice room just for you! 
• As far as the Few family was concerned during this time, William Few as well as his wife were noted as being a guest to dine with the Washingtons as noted in George Washingtons personal journal. I would like to think at some point that William Few walked these same floors.

Front view from the carriage round about.

George Washington would often ride these chair carts as they were more maneuverable than the four wheeled carriages.

Washingtons stables.

There were no supermarkets. For produce estates had a kitchen garden.

Want to see where George Washington went #2?

Here you go, apparently it was communal. ;)

The bunk house where the house slaves would have been housed.

Mount Vernon Pier

Today was a good day, we got to see a glimpse into life in the 1700's. As I mentioned earlier, the dude  had a brain. The weather is looking up for the next couple of days as we move on to viewing the museums and monuments.