Mount Vernon

Another great day! We began with a trip to Mount Vernon ... here we learned that Washington did NOT have wooden teeth and never actually cut down a cherry tree ... who knew?? This, however, did not stop them from selling t-shirts with a big bold picture of Washington chopping down a tree! I always thought he needed the wood from the cherry tree for his teeth ... wrong after all these years!

The students had a great time wandering the very expansive grounds. We took a walk to George Washington's original tomb - a very happy homey looking crypt ... okay no, it was creepy. Then we headed to his "new" tomb - where you can see his sarcophagus - this is one of those words that truly fits it's definition. sarcophagus. creepy ... but very cool (especially for 8th grade boys).

Over by George Washington's tomb we were able to watch a woman shear a sheep. This was a very traumatic experience, at least for some of us. We were told it doesn't hurt the sheep, but honestly, it did not look pleasant. Not all the students were moved in the same way, however. While watching the poor, helpless, struggling animal Julian exclaimed, "mmmmm lamb shanks ... their much better than beef, they don't need nearly as much seasoning."

After Mount Vernon we went to Annapolis where the students were able to tour the academy grounds. Here they learned the importance of team work, discipline and honor. These lessons, however, stayed on campus -- as evidenced by their evening demonstration of packing skills. We will be heading out of Washington in the morning. We are off to Pennsylvania and the Amish Country -- maybe the Amish can teach them how to keep their suitcases in order ... or maybe not.