Day Twenty Four Of Our Historical Easst Coast Tour

Wednesday Oct 8:
Today Jerry and I toured the Colonial Williamsburg which is a historical living town where individals do a inactment of what times were like in the 1770's. The town is 1 mile long so lots of shops of where they made shoes, wigs, bakery, taverns and many many more business. We spent 8 hours there and must have walked 5 miles.

We went to visit the Courthouse where they do a live inactment of a court hearing back in the 1700's. They took 14 people out of the audience called justice's acting as jouriers which was selected by the King of England. Then they choose 4 people out of the audience two to be witness and then the defendent and the plantiff. They did two cases. Jerry was chosen to be part of the Justice.

This is the court room inside you can see Jerry up in front on the end of the top row on the left. He is next to the guy with the white cap on.

This is the court house from the outside. Only a certain number could get in the court room.

This is a piano that Governer Patrick Henry played it was in the Govern's palace. Barb wonders how her grand daughter Gabby would like to take lessons on this.

At 5pm they do the final enactment for the day and it is where the army is fighting to keep the British from taking over the Williamsburg area. The top picture is where the soldiers marched in and there is a cannon off to the right. General Washington and Mr Lafayatte come in support the solders that if they went to battle they would win. In the second picture you will see where they are at war and shooting off their guns and the cannon.

Another great history lesson day.

Day Twenty Three of Our Histrorical East Coast Tour

Tuesday October 7:

Today was another travel day we only drove 51 miles and are now in Williamsburg, VA. We will be her for 3 days and that will end our East Coast Tour. What a wonderful trip we seen and touched more history than ever imagined.

We will be touring Williamsburg VA now for the next three days which has a lot of history also.

Made a trip to Wall Mart to stock up on a few items. I guess I won't complain about the cost of groceries in WA in MA, NY, NJ and etc it was rediculous the price on some things. We shopped very little when we were there.

We wish all our family and friends well and in two and half weeks we will be in AZ.

Day Twenty Two of Our Historical East Coast Tour

Monday Sept 6:

Today was a travel day from College Park , MD to Richmond VA. Then this afternoon we toured the Museum of the Confederacy White House. It was a house of Jefferson Davis who was president and where he had his office during the Civil War.

Our tours are winding down as we end the 26 day tour. Plus about half of the 36 individuals have come down with a flue bug soar throat and cold like so many plus Barb don't feel up to par. I sure all confined in the bus with sick people help spread it much faster even the bus driver was sick. Also the weather has went from warm, to rainy, to cold and now back to temps in the high 70's low 80's so we have been through many weather changes.

Day Twenty One Of our Historical East Coast Tour

Sunday October 5:

Today was a free day so we could go back to WA DC to the Smithsonian Institution which is a area of all kinds of Museums.

Jerry and Dick Jerry's new friend wanted to go to Gettesburg so they left at 5:30 am. It is about two hours from where we are located at the present time.

Barb and Jolene and another couple went together to the museum area. We saw Air & Space, The Natural History, and then on to Holocaust Memorial Museum. There was about 9 others you would have to spend weeks here to see them all. We left at 8:30 and took the subway to this area so that was an experience in itself. Most people us this daily.

Day Twenty of Our Historical East Coast Tour

Saturday Oct 4:
We took a motorcoach tour to WA DC, we boarded the bus at 8:30 and arrived back at 10:30 long day.
We viewed the White house through a iron fence. Then we traveled on through out area to the Lincoln Memorial and Washington National Monument, then on to the war monuments, Thomas Jefferson memorial, & drove by the capital, then on to the Washington National Cathedral. We were then dropped off at a historic town Alexandria Virginia and we had 3 hours to have dinner and shop around all the little shops in this area waiting for it to get dark so we could go on our Illumination tour at 7pm. Our illumination tour consisted of driving to the Penagon memorial from 9-11, Franklin Delenore Roosevelts monument, Air Force memorial. Some of these sites we just drove by some we got out and toured the area. We were on and off the bus so many times I think we wore the seats out haha.

This picture is of the white house which we got out and went as far as the iron fence. Barb took this picture with the hands through the fence.

This is a picture of the capatal we just drove by this building. You notice on the right there is a building where the House of Representative meets and on the left the white building is where the senate meets.

This Thomas Jeffersons memorial Barb took it from accross the patomic river. He stands in the center of this memorial and looks towards the Captial. We got out at this memorial.

This is the Lincoln memorial there is a statue of him sitting looking out toward the Washington National Monument where you see the three openings through the pillars. We got out and climbed up the stairs or took the elevator to the top.

This is the Washington National monument and this is take from the Lincoln memorial standing on the stairs you see in the above picture. Lincoln is looking out at this memorial.

This is a picture of the Washington National Cathedral. This is the 6th largest on the earth. It took 83 years to build it was started in 1907 and finished 1990. This cathedral is operated on
donations only. There are 231 stain glass windows in the cathedral. Ronald Reagans funeral and many other famous people. Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, spoke here. Much more information we had a tour guide so that was very helpful.

This picture is at Alexandria Viarginia where we had dinner. It was located on the water so had a great view and food.

Day Nineteen of Our Historical East Coast Trip

Friday Oct 3rd:

Today we took a motorcoach tour to Baltimore, MD. Part of this city is newer in the historic section because in 1904 80 blocks of the town burned down. From there we went to Fort McHenry another battle ground in the revolutionary war. The on a drive thru Federal Hill area where it overlooks the bay. There are 13 colleges here and much cheaper to live than NY. Our tour guide was from NY and he said he will never go back because it is much more afordable to live in MD. Then we went on to the Harbour and had lunch and enjoyed the shopping on the harbour.

This is a view of the city from Federal Hill.

The above two pictures is of Fort McHenry battle field and hill. Most of us did not even know the history of this but at this sight is where the British was trying to take over the city of Baltimore through the Patapsco River . They got within 2.5 miles from the harbour and we took them on and one the war. Also at this site after we won the battle is where Francis Scott Key wrote THE Star Spangled Banner and where our flag still flew. We watched a short film on the story of this and then toured the army camp here. Where you see the flag flying there was area inside the brick walls where they did a flag raising ceremony. However, some of us had already left the area. The ranger who was waiting for a school to come to show them the ceremoney decided to do the ceremony shortly after we left because it was a hour pass the time it was to be done. Jerry & some of our group was there and got to participate in holding the flag. I felt real bad I did not get a picture but some one else got it so I will get a copy from them. Jerry said it was a awsome deal and also to get to participate. Jerry actually got to help with the bringing the flag down and folding the flag and then the putting the new flag up.

We arrived home at 3:00 pm and now are getting ready for another long day tomorrow.

Day Eighteen of Our Historical East Coast Tour

Thursday Oct 2:

Each day we think we have seen the top of the day but yesterday was even better. We took a bus tour to WA DC and Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and then on to Mt Vernon. A 9 hour day and many pictures and memories that you can't imagine you would ever be a part of. We traveled through heavy traffic but finally got to WA DC and drove by some of the government buildings and we were on the back side of the White House.

I shared that in Boston and NY the houses are side by side and were all brick. Well in WA DC the are still side by side but you can see they are painted different colors or the trim on the brick ones are painted different colors. This is how they distinquish their homes in this city.





This is a picture of the White House from the bus as we are driving to Arlington Cemetary.





We stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial monument where we had soldiers holding up our flag after a bloody battle.







Our second stop was at J.F. Kennedy's grave and you can see the eternal flame burning. Also Jaqueline and their two babies are burried beside him here. Hers on the right and the babies one on each side. In the back ground you see General Robert E Lee's house . Our tour guide shared that JFK had brought a individual from another country to this sight two weeks before he was assassinated and he had said to this gentleman I just love this view from here and I could spend the rest of my life here. Two weeks later he was assassinated and buried here his wife remembered what he said.



We then went on and stopped at Robert E Lee's house and toured it he owned or was inherited this property. By tradition American Military cemeteries developed from the duty of commanders on the frontier and in battle to care for the casualties. When Civil War casualties overflowed hospitals and aburial grounds near WA, DC Quarter master General Montgomery Meigs proposed in 1864 that 200 acres of the Robert E Lee family property at Arlington be taken for a cemetery. Since then 60 more acres have been purchased. There is a certain criteria in order to be buried there. They figure by 2026 it will be full.

Then the most touching part of our tour was when we got to see the changing of the guards where the unnamed solders who lost their lives are buried and it is guarded 24 hours. What a awsome ceremony. I am standing at the left hand corner of this picture so I am so close it was awsome. In addition after the changing of the guards we got to watch a ceremony where they honored a family of a loved one and changed the wreath that is put there every day with the one from this family.

We traveled on to Mount Vernon to the home of George and Martha Washington. It was a great tour also. George inherited a small 4 room house from his brother who died and then he built a second floor and a wing on each side and a huge deck across the back that over looked the patomic river.

This is the first tomb that they are buried in on this property to the right of their house and down the hill.

We saw a great short film of him fighting in the french and british war and then when he met Martha who was a widow lost her husband in war and she had two children.

We arrived back to camp about 5:30 & was exhausted.