Barking with the Spuds

Today the folks went to George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon. We decided to stay at home and bark at squirrels. It was an easy decision, boring history or squirrels ...... No contest.

The folks came back with lots of information, like contrary to popular belief George Washington did not have wooden teeth but a combination of animal and human teeth embedded in to a lead base that were affixed to his gums. Apparently they are on prominent display, in a special 360 degree viewing case, at the museum at his Mount Vernon home site. What better tribute could you give to a great man then to display his false teeth. We would like ours displayed affixed around a the tail of a squirrel.

There is a new education center and museum at Mount Vernon that houses the life-sized representations of Washington throughout his life which were detailed in a program we all watched on the History Channel. Unfortunately they forgot to create a representation of the most important member of the family, the family dog Vulcan who procured an entire Virginia ham off the counter one night. Live long, and prosper, Vulcan!

They said the tour was generally good but the house tour was a bit to short and restrictive, you could only look into the rooms from the hallways and there were so many things they wanted to see more of. The house is a farmhouse style but the exterior sheathing is unique in that its wooden siding is beveled and covered with a mixture of paint and sand to give the appearance of stone, very unique. The house is set up on a point overlooking the Potomac and the view was incredible. The grounds were also site to Washington’s tomb, inside it was inscribed with "I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

They said the museum did not provide enough insight into the man, his struggles, beliefs, personal disappointments and triumphs. They said the Jefferson tour in Monticello is much better, although the website says dogs are welcome at Mount Vernon, so we're reserving judgment. All we really wanted to know is...

Were there squirrels there?