I realized as I was driving today that I failed to mention WHY I am on a two-week road trip this summer. Yes, of course, a road-trip is always fun and an adventure, but I'm also on this journey thanks to work. My employer, the lovely Fay School, has encouraged me to take the trip as an enriching life experience and given me the means with which to do so. Yay!
So, here I am, done with day two. Today, my first stop was in Manassas, Virginia. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the town of Manassas, it is the place where the First Battle of Bull Run (1861) and the Second Battle of Bull Run (1862) occurred during the Civil War. I wanted to visit the battleground largely because the First Battle of Bull Run is considered the first true battle of the war. Some silly people got it into their heads in 1861 that the Civil War was not going to be such a big deal (!?!?!?!), and they decided to bring picnic lunches to watch Union troops meet the Confederate soldiers. This moment in history also happens to be captured in my favorite Civil War mini-series, North and South. Yes, it is highly romanticized and probably highly historically-inaccurate, but my teenage self fell in love with Patrick Swayze as a young Confederate soldier. So, of course, I had to see the place in person.
I walked the hills of the battlefield, almost going in reverse of how the actual battle played out. I started where Thomas Jackson earned his nickname, Stonewall, by stopping the Union advance over Henry's Hill to win the battle and traversed the fields to Matthew's Hill where earlier that fateful day Union troops had been able to push back the Rebel forces, causing all those who witnessed their efforts to predict a Northern victory - wrong! The part of this site that stuck with me throughout the morning was its sheer massiveness - the enormous space it covered, the number of men that fought there, the casualties. This is not to say that I expected a measly, little field, but there was something about the place that just kept hitting me over the head. Thinking about it now, I guess it makes sense. This is the place where everyone in the United States realized, "Oh my goodness, this is really a war". Weird.
My second stop of the day was at a much prettier and more lively site - Mount Vernon, George Washington's home away from his hectic life as military man, politician and president. The grounds were amazing and extensive. There was a smoke house, a salt house, a spinning room, an overseer's cabin, slave quarters, and an exotic garden, to name a few. I can very clearly see why George preferred being there as opposed to New York or Philadelphia (the first two capitals). While most might say that the main attraction of the home was the actual mansion (which was impressive...I got to touch the actual bannister GW himself used to climb the stairs!), I would say that I most enjoyed visiting the two tomb sites - the first being that of George and Martha Washington and the second being that of their slaves and servants. I'm not sure why, but there was something very beautiful about both. Upon leaving the house, I can say that I definitely had a deeper appreciation for the task set before GW as president and the challenges he must have faced. When I finished at Mount Vernon, I drove down the road to make a quick stop at Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighy House.
In college, I briefly considered majoring in Art History, solely due to my fascination with the architecture presented to me in Art History 102. Although that plan didn't pan out, I still enjoy admiring the variety of shape and decoration used to create a building. The first word that came to mind when seeing this home was "simple". However, I feel as if Frank would be angry with me for saying that, so I will say that the word "simple" doesn't do it justice. Functional and straightforward probably work better. Unfortunately, by this point in the day, I was tired and ready to get to my next hotel, so I didn't spend too much time there. Now, I'm tired and in bed. So, more tomorrow...'night folks!
P.S. I want to give my first official blog shout-out - hey Mrs. Gibbons!!! If you (and this invitation is for others as well) want me to pick up anything along the way, please tell Kelly to shoot me an e-mail!
(Picture: Statue of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.)
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