I had rather be at Mount Vernon with a friend or two about me, than to be attended at the seat of government by the officers of state and the representatives of every power in Europe. ~ George Washington, in a letter to David Stuart, 15 June 1790To me, the new year is a time of celebration and quiet reflection. A time to be spent with good friends, be they people, books, or...houses! This place needs no introduction ~ it is timeless and it never changes. And yet there is always something new to discover.
A logical destination for a new year's outing, right? Well, the piles of snow from the December blizzard may have melted away, but I can assure you it was a cold day. The green grass and masses of holly and boxwood belie the fact that it was 14 degrees, with a wind chill factor near zero! As our frozen guide reminded us however, it was not nearly as bad as the Christmas day in 1776 when Washington crossed the Delaware. All I can say is, thank goodness for Thinsulate and Madeira. Huzzah!
(more photos here) 
Posts
6 comments:
A homecoming of sorts, no? MV has always made me proud to be a Virginian. ~MIR
yumm -madiera. I need a houseguest to take them to mt. vernon again -i haven't been in about 7 years!
Mt. Vernon is a place of magic, no doubt...and for reflection on how far, or not, we've come in the last couple hundred years. I always love the opening quote. Happy New Year, JCB
BTW, while I have you on the line, Janet, have you ever checked out this blog? I think it might interest you. http://americangardenhistory.blogspot.com/
I was at Mount Vernon July 4, can you say hot/humid?
It was ironic to see Martha's garden was the vegetable/fruit garden & huge.
George's garden was the ornamental garden with specimens from the available world. He also used 1/2 whisky barrels painted a faded green for specimen plants. If the garden is historically accurate.
MV is fabulous.
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
Janet -I'm ashamed to admit that I've never toured Mt. Vernon. I've decided that this year I'm going to tour as many homes as possible. Mt. Vernon will absolutely be on my list.
Happy New Year!
DED ~ yes, I do know that blog...in fact, it is linked from my blog list! Fabulous!
Tara ~ such extremes! Have been there in July too...and KNOW that heat. Do you have Mac Griswald's book on the gardens at MV? If not, you would enjoy it.
Scottie ~ I love the new photo...and hope you can join us this year for some of those house tour!
Post a Comment