Day 10: Washington D.C.

Today was the first time in ten days that we didn’t have to be anywhere. We were so exhausted that we actually got to sleep in until 9:00am. We got dressed and moseyed down to the Cinnabar for breakfast. It seems everyone in D.C. is very health conscious. After we ate we went back to our room to decide where we wanted to go. We would’ve liked to go back and see things in the National Archives and the National Gallery of Art, or to have returned to the Smithsonian but we were too exhausted so we settled for a nap instead.

Around 1:30 we woke up and tried to find a place to eat for under $40. The doorman was kind enough to direct us to a 1950’s diner that was within walking distance. Lunch cost us only $25. Yeouch!

After lunch we walked back to our room to read more books, discuss the Amish some more and eventually decided to retire for the night. We ordered Domino’s and had it delivered. Somewhere around sunset the wind and rain started up and it was quite severe. It rattled the windows and we could hear it whistling around the corners of the building like some angry demon trying to get in. Top all of that off with humidity and we were ready to leave Washington D.C.

Day 9: Arlington National Cemetary, The White House, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, FDR Memorial,

Today we hit the ground running again, 6:30am breakfast, departure 7:00am.

Our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery. Here we viewed the gravesites of several heads of state, dignitaries and heroes. Our tour guide, Larry, took us on an excellent walking tour of the grounds and we saw the changing of the guards, which I know had a lot to do with ceremony, pomp & circumstance but some of the animation seemed almost comical. Still I understand the premise behind it all and the respect the 8000 unknown soldiers deserved. The wreath laying ceremony was very emotional for me and I cried at that. Larry told us that during the day the guards weapons are unloaded but that they are allowed to use deadly force if need be, however, at night they are in fatigues and armed because people have defaced the tomb with red paint, If you can believe that.

We saw the exterior of Arlington House (General Robert E. Lee’s old home), the Kennedy grave sites, there are four by the eternal flame, a baby girl they never named, a son that only lived two weeks, Jacquelyn Kennedy and John F. Kennedy. It is a beautiful gravesite and I believe he was a great man who inspired many in this country, but in the light of the honored dead that also gave their lives it seems a bit ostentatious . RFK’s site was more dignified and appropriate. We also saw the gravesites for Joe Louis and Lee Marvin. Next on the list was the Women’s War Memorial (see pics).

After Arlington we drove to the south lawn of the White House for a photo and to see the visitor’s center. It was a sad substitute for us especially when we came so far to see it. Then it was on to the Korean War Memorial, and Vietnam War Memorial also known as The Wall. Someone on the tour actually got a rubbing of someone they knew. There was a David Cutshall but no Berntson’s were there. I couldn’t help but cry when I saw the vast number of names that were snuffed out during that horrible war. They are building a new memorial at the wall for all the soldiers who died because of Agent Orange. Wanda said that if it were similar to The Wall it would have at least as many names probably more. After this somber moment we saw Embassy Row, the National Cathedral (outside only) and then the FDR Memorial which I found both beautiful and profound. His words still echo as true today as they did during his presidency. After this last memorial we dropped off Larry and headed back to the Hyatt Regency Chystal Hotel to freshen up for dinner at Tivoli’s and to say our good-byes to everyone on the tour.

Day 8: Mount Vernon, Washington D.C., Smithsonian

This morning we visited the beloved home of the 1st President of the United States, General George Washington, when we had time to explore his estate, Mount Vernon, and the beautiful plantation grounds he so adored. On the way there Wanda put in a DVD called The Crossing. It was about General Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River. I bought a copy in the gift shop.
Later, we arrived in D.C. to spend only 3 hours at the Smithsonian Institute which barely gave us time to scratch the surface of this incredible museum. In the 3 hours we had left to us we managed to see the Air and Space Museum only to discover that it wasn’t the one we wanted. The one we wanted to see housed the Space Shuttle, and the Enola Gay but it was 30 minutes away near Dulles Airport. So, we looked in on the Museum of Natural History and saw the Hope Diamond (we were not impressed), the jacket Harrison Ford wore in the Indiana Jones movies. We didn’t have time to stop and see the Library of Congress or the National Archives where the Declaration of Independence is kept. We hope we have enough time to come back and see some more tomorrow. Unfortunately, due to 9/11 the White House was not open for tours as was many of our nations’ famous buildings in D.C. We could however walk in front of it and view it from the street. Eric and I decided to sit on a park bench and eat hotdogs. Ironically our next tour stop was to get some lunch. Wanda took us to the Kennedy Theater where we ate a sandwich, salad, and drink for about $50. It was unimpressive and overly priced.
Tonight we went out to dinner and then took a twilight tour of Washington’s famous monuments and memorials including those dedicated to Jefferson, Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and Iwo Jima and others.

Day 7: Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Today we had a continental breakfast and then walked back to Williamsburg. Our first stop was a tour of the Governor’s gardens, then we continued on to see the Wheelwright’s shop and the livery stable. Our next stop landed us at the Governor’s Mansion and we joined a tour of the inside. We saw the parlor, kitchen, the entrance hall and several rooms on the second floor. The thing I noticed the most was how bright and colorful all the rooms and the décor were. I had always thought they only had drab colors. These rooms could grace the cover of any Architect’s Digest. Back downstairs were entertained by a gentleman playing a viola in the ballroom where we learned about the importance of dancing the Minuet correctly. The tour proceeded in to the dining room where the feasts of the day were described to us.
Afterwards we were led out into the rear gardens where there was an actor portraying Patrick Henry and he was in the process of giving a speech. He was riveting and kept our rapt attention for over an hour. We were so impressed that we immediately walked over to the “Lumber House” to get tickets for the 2:00pm showing to hear him and Thomas Jefferson debate but the show was sold out. We also tried to get tickets for the evening performance of the re-enactment of “Cry Witch” about the trial of a Virginia witch, but it was sold out as well and so was that evenings “Ghosts & Legends” tour. However, we were able to get a couple of tickets to see Dean Shostak play Benjamin Franklins glass armonica.

Before the performance we stopped at the Season’s Restaurant and ate lunch in an elegant garden room surrounded by beautiful and exotic plants. I had a breaded chicken breast sandwich with jack cheese and bacon served with southern slaw and ranch dipping sauce. Eric had a thinly sliced roast beef sandwich with jack cheese and shoelace onion rings, which were very tasty. After dining we decided to let our food digest and so we walked to the “market district” where we peeped in at the Toy Shop and the Christmas Store. Finally we made our way back to the Kimball Theater to see the musical presentation unaware of what we would find. We were so impressed with the music that we bought all four of Dean Shostak's CD’s.

After the performance Eric and I walked over to the Birkenstock shoe store and we paid an obscene amount of money ($150) for a great pair of shoes because my feet still hadn’t healed from our New York adventures. Our next stop was Whythe’s Candy (pronounced "With") where I purchased some chocolate covered espresso beans and Eric bought some horehound candy. After the candy store we headed back up Duke of Gloucester Street and stopped into the Saddle maker’s shop, the shoemaker, the millinery, the Courthouse and Bruton Parish Church. At 5:15pm we watched the Drum and Fife Corps again and followed the parade down to the Capitol building. We joined the tour again at the King’s Arms Tavern where we ate dinner.

The exteriors of the houses, and the town thankfully had remained the same since my last visit eight years ago, only the activities had changed.Our last stop before our trek home was to the Human Resources building, on Nicholson Street, to check out if there were any openings for a musician. As we took our stroll back to the hotel the sun was fading in the colorful cloud-dotted sky.

The lanterns lining the streets were lit as weary horses pulling carriages headed back to their pastures,,and the sheep reclined in soft meadows of clover and a serene peacefulness, unknown in our time settled over the land. As we passed the pond and the brook that feeds it we could see American robins and starlings hoping to catch an early evening snack in the lawn. The path led us under a lighted brick overpass where the brook flowed lazily alongside the path. As we came out the other side we were surrounded by lush green woodlands on the left and a lane on the right. The path began to lazily wind ist way upward towards the hotel, which was still not visible through the dense vegetation. As we passed Hope Plantation for the last time were greeted by three cottontail rabbits who emerged from the criss-cross fence to pounce and play in the clover dotted lawn. One even escorted us back to the “Bridge of Time” and said his farewell as we went back to the future and our room and he remained in the past.>

Day 6: Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg,

It was 37° when boarded our bus at 6:00am. While we were loading up we got a special treat. A several deer had come down from the woods to munch on some new spring grass in the meadow. It was the perfect beginning for a wonderful day.

While driving to our next destination Wanda played a movie Williamsburg-The Story of a Patriot, Monticello, and that kept us interested until we arrived at the beautiful home of Thomas Jefferson. He was not only the author of the Declaration of Independence and the 3rd President of the United States, but he was also an accomplished inventor. The grounds were absolutely breathtaking and the house had some very innovative features. There is a clock in the foyer which showed the days and the time the counterweights went through the floor down to the basement because he had miscalculated their length.











His bedroom/office was another clever feature. The bed was built in a type of closet which was open on both sides. If he rolled out to the left he landed in his office and if he rolled to the right he landed in his bedroom. The butler’s pantry in the dining room was like a large lazy susan with the kitchen on the opposite side of one wall and the dining room on the other. He also had narrow cupboards built on either side of the fireplace that to the eye looked like part of the mantel but in fact housed a dumbwaiter that went to the cellar where his wines were kept so that the servants merely put the bottle in the dumbwaiter and it could conveniently be lifted into the dining room. He had many fantastic ideas and was a very clever man.

This afternoon at we arrived in the historic town of Williamsburg and were allowed to roam freely through the town seeing the sights or we could partake in an optional dinner followed by a performance at the Music Theater of Williamsburg. It was 4:10pm by the time our luggage arrived and we received our room assignments. We stayed at the Woodlands Hotel & Suites and our room is very pleasant. We stayed in room 5410. It had two full-size beds with salmon colored spreads in a striped pattern that is similar to ticking and the wallpaper is a dark blue and white stripe, one of the walls has a French toile pattern. The furniture is made of honey pine or a very light maple and pictures of historic Williamsburg hang on the walls.

As we walked over the “Bridge of Time” and arrived on the other side we felt as if we had actually stepped back in time. The first thing we noticed was that they were in the process of adding a Hope Plantation to the site but otherwise it looked just like the last time I was there. There were three African-Americans there who answered all of our questions and told us they were very proud to be a part of this endeavor because it was part of their national history as much as it was a part of ours.

While waiting to see the Drum & Fife Corps I saw my very first Cardinal! He was beautiful and almost brought tears to my eyes. It has long been a dream of mine to see one. The Drum & Fife Corps was fabulous! We followed along beside them all the way from the Governor’s Mansion to the Capitol Building. Afterwards we walked down Duke of Gloucester Street and signed up for dinner at Chownings only to find that they had changed into a tavern that didn’t serve meals. Things had changed since I was last there. So, we walked back up the street and ate at Shield’s Tavern. We ate in the basement and while we were waiting for our meal Eric had one of the musicians serenade me with a love song and then a woman performed the song “Shenandoah”. I always thought that song was about the mountains and the valley of Shenandoah but it was actually about a young colonial man who fell in love with a Shenandoah Indian maiden.When our waiter came we ordered the Mrs. Smiths’ platter which consisted of crawdad soup (which was pretty good actually, a lot like creamy Manhattan clam chowder.) Our main entrée was chicken breast atop a pile of creamy potatoes and spinach. We each had a draught of Shield’s own brand of root beer and for dessert I had warm pumpkin pudding smothered with creamy icing. The pudding was very much like bread pudding. Eric had chocolate ice cream with a chocolate cookie.

After dinner we walked west down Nicholason Street back to the hotel we saw a flock of cardinals. The lamps were lit, the air was cool and the crickets sang. This peaceful setting was disturbed by the sound of cannon fire or at least that’s what we thought it was. As it turned out it, it was coming from the armory where the militiamen, in full uniform, and were trying to teach a group of “Hottentots” how to march. They were somewhat successful and we were amused watching them shout out their “Yes, sir.” Perhaps military schools might be a good thing. The kids certainly seemed entertained.

As we looked towards the Capitol building up the street, you could see the bonfires in front of the taverns and the lantern-light tours being led by hosts in costume. It truly gave one the sense that you had been transported back in time. One tour, which unfortunately for us, was sold out was “The Ghosts and Legends Tour”. It was led by candle and lantern-light through what I presumed to be an authentic haunted house! Oh what fun that tour would have been. Apparently the best time to visit Williamsburg is Halloween and Christmas as they have lots of activities then. As we continued our walk somewhere around City Hall we lost our bearings and were escorted to the path back to the hotel by two colonial residents in full regalia. It was a pleasant walk and we had some great conversations. Before we reached the hotel we decided to stop at the visitor’s center we bought some DVD’s and Eric bought some CD’s; one was the movie Williamsburg - The Story of a Patriot and the other was a fantastic CD-Rom called, Colonial Williamsburg.

Day 5: Gettysburg, Shenandoah

This morning started at the God-awful time of 5:00am because we had to be showered, dressed and ready to board the bus by 7:45 in order to get to Gettysburg.

Our tour guide for Gettysburg was named Charlie and he had a great sense of humor. He had us all in tears from laughing so hard but his knowledge of the battlefield was impressive. We didn’t get to see very many of the monuments because of the time constraints but we saw enough to get the general idea of the dire situations both sides faced on those three bloody days and the carnage caused by this horrible war. We did get to walk around Little Round Top where Chamberlain made his stand with the soldiers from the 20th Maine. It was very moving standing there and I couldn’t help but weep for the brave men who died because they believed in their cause. It was very fresh on my mind because I had watched both Gettysburg and God's and Generals before we left home and to be standing in that place made it all seem so real. After returning to the bus we drove to a small diner where ate a buffet lunch and bought a few postcards. Then it was back on the bus and we headed out for the Shenandoah Mountains.

We passed and crossed over the Potomac River and drove by Harper’s Ferry. On the way we saw a lot of Virginia’s beautiful countryside. Eric and I fell in love with the verdant rolling hills and sprawling green lawns.

As we drove up the mountain what I noticed about these woods is that they were literally covered with lichen. Complete stands of trees were pulled up by the roots like some bomb had gone off overhead blowing them over like tooth picks. There was an abundance of dead wood lying on the ground everywhere you looked. Virginia creeper covered the ground and at the lower elevations elm, poplar, white birch, walnut, maples, apple trees, Eastern redbuds, chestnut wild blackberry bushes, and dogwood trees were there in abundance, but very few pines or cedars. The area very much resembles the view we have from our living room windows in California.

We arrived at the Big Meadow Lodge or around 5:00pm. It was very windy and cold. Our rooms were cozy and very rustic. We ate in the dining room that had a beautiful view of the valley far below us. For dinner I had some delicious Virginia ham over fettuccini with green peas. Eric had prime rib and turkey. Our dessert was blackberry ice-cream. I bought some postcards and a backpack in the gift shop. It was 33° tonight and we were thankful for our nice warm bed.

Day 4: Lancaster, Pennsylvania - Amish Country, Wheatland - Home of James Buchanan

Today was by far the most inspiring day of our trip. We began it with an Amish-style breakfast at the Lancaster Host. Breakfast consisted of several choices from the following selections:
Fruit Juice – cranberry or orange
Fresh Fruit – apples, oranges, cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew melon and grapes
Main Entrée – scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, biscuits & country gravy, cinnamon apple-filled hot cakes with warm maple syrup, plus there was a large selection of Danish to choose from.We sat at a table near the window facing the golf course that was filled with all varieties of flowering trees, including Dogwood trees.

After a nice breakfast we boarded the bus and headed off to see Wheatland, the home of James Buchanan. He was a remarkable man with a generous nature and his home was elegant and beautiful. I took a picture of one of the garden paths that featured many of the plants native to our own yard for landscaping ideas, then it was time to board the bus again. We drove through some of the historic streets surrounding his home and then headed for Kitchen Kettle (shopping area) in Amish country.

Kitchen Kettle had many cute shops and I bought a “Quillow” for Linda and Derran and a book cover for me at The Gift House; both of these items were sewn by the Amish. a Quillow is a combination of a quilt and a pillow is a quillow,some people spell it "quillo". The basic idea is that you fold the quilt into an attached pouch and when it's all sealed up it looks like a pillow. They are quite ingenious and the one I bought had a star pattern on it in burgundy, cream and forest green. In one of the shops I saw two cute Amish dolls for a fraction of the cost of the ones I saw on the Internet. We purchased them for only $40. Eric and I stopped in the Jam and Relish Kitchen and sampled many delicious items but we only bought one, lemon curd. I know it sounds sick but it tasted wonderful. We picked up a catalog and will order the others later. After working up an appetite we ate at The Kettle Café. It was here that we had the opportunity to see our first Amish girl up close. She looked about 16 and was wearing a lavender dress with a black apron and a white prayer cap. She had on grey athletic socks and modern running shoes. She didn’t talk much to the customers but went about her job. If asked questions by tourists she appeared to engage in friendly conversation. There was also a Mennonite man who would take you around town in his wagon. It was bright yellow and the seats were similar to those found in buckboards but we did not have time to take a ride.

Around 1:00pm we met back at the bus and a man named Roger hosted a tour around the Amish farmlands. Roger lived amongst the Amish and called many of them friends. We drove by several one room schoolhouses and saw brief glimpses of the Amish children who were very adorable. Roger then showed us many of the sights in Bird-in-Hand where the movie “Witness” was filmed. Unfortunately, we only got to see it from the bus window as we drove by. The farmland in Lancaster is the richest soil in the United States but many of the Amish are being forced off their farms because of the economy and developers, which is why tourism has been accepted as a means of supplementing their income. It has allowed them to stay on their farms.

After driving around for awhile we made another stop at another gift shop that was run by both Amish and Mennonite girls. Everything in this shop was made by the Amish and the quality was outstanding. Here they had porcelain Amish dolls that were far superior to the ones I had bought at Kitchen Kettle, but I still thought mine were still cute. We spent a small fortune on souvenirs at this shop, which we didn’t mind at all because we felt we were really helping them to stay on their farms. The proceeds went directly to the families that supplied the goods or worked there. This is where we bought my beautiful “sleigh ride” painting. I also bought several Beverly Lewis books. They were fictions set in Amish communities. I must say I’m hooked on them. I also bought some cute electric candles in small tin buckets. They are sitting on our bookcases and Eric bought some delicious chocolate chip cookies.

Our next stop was the Smucker Farm. Rachel makes beautiful quilts and had just opened her shop on their farm. I fell in love with several quilts but they were too expensive for this trip. However, Eric was going to sneak back in and buy my favorite one but I stopped him. Perhaps I will order one by mail, I picked up a brochure. My favorite ones were over $795 for a queen-size bed but the needlework was amazing! After viewing the quilts we walked over to the barn to see the jersey cows and visit with the horses. I must say the smell of manure takes some getting used too. Phew! The horses were very friendly and once they got a whiff of us they had no objection to being petted or scratched between the ears. The jersey cows, however were not as fond of us and seemed a little skittish. Each cow in the barn (and there were quite a few) was named. The one I tried to pet was named Betty. The calves were kept in a separate barn. We tried to feed them hay but all they wanted to do was lick the salt off of our hands.

By now it was time to head back to the hotel. So, we returned to Kettle Kitchen and said our farewells to Roger and thanked him for being such a wonderful guide. That night we boarded the bus for Jonathan and Katie’s home to eat dinner. They had converted their basement into a dining hall. Jonathan’s sister (Naomi) was there to help out. We had much of the same food as the other night but this was much better. The room was lit by kerosene lamps and had a fan that fascinated Eric, because it ran on compressed air and run by a diesel generator. We felt so honored to share even one day, one meal in their lives. I wish I could be Amish but I know I do not have the temperament or dedication to do it.