Recently I went to Mt. Vernon, home of our grand and wonderful first President, George Washington. Besides my deep and abiding love for Mr. Washington, I was filled with all sorts of patriotic feelings for the nation and its founding. It is such an excellent place.

Oldest tree on the property and the Potomac

The grounds were so lovely! 

 They have many historic things at the house, including the bed GW passed away on, some of his original inventions, documents, and personal effects. One of the coolest pieces of history, I felt, was the key to the Bastille, given to GW by the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette said that the key to the Bastille was a symbol of freedom, and he wanted to give it to the Father of freedom and liberty. It hangs in the entrance of the mansion. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside! I wish I could have broken that rule....

More of the expansive and lovely grounds! 

 The grounds were so lovely. They reminded me of the English countryside, but more foresty.
You can tell that this was really the home of a man who worked. Whereas the old mansions of Europe are all pretty and clean and for looksies, this mansion glorified in it's functionality. The upper gardens, lower gardens, fruit gardens, pastures for the animals and barn were what made Mt. Vernon pretty and wholesomely American. But maybe that's me projecting. I don't know, I just know that I loved it.

The tomb.

This is the tomb where the Washington family rests. I think it's George on the right, Martha on the left, but I actually can't quite remember. Either way, their old bones rest here, and it makes me so happy that the Father of my nation got to be buried on his land that he loved so much.
When you go to Mt Vernon, be sure to buy some cherry jam. They make it there, and isn't it a law that you have to do something cherry related when you're at George Washington's home?