There is no memorial to John Adams in Washington, D.C., which is sad in my view in light of all that Adams did for our country. His signature is part of the Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, located on the National Mall:
According to Wikipedia, there is a proposed Adams Memorial that would be dedicated to John Adams, Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams and other members of the family, but to date insufficient private funds have been raised to make the project a reality.
Also during my visit to the nation’s capital I made a day trip to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. I spent the whole day there and took several tours, including a boat ride on the Potomac. It was VERY crowded, almost like Disneyland. I got there via public transportation. It was Memorial Day.
If you click on any of the pictures below, you can make them open bigger:
Approaching the mansion. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
A view of the house from the drive. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
This is the view of the Potomac from the back of the house. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
Some of the gardens. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
There was no indoor plumbing at Mount Vernon. Martha would have used bedpans, but George would have come to the outbuilding. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
The property is quite extensive. The mansion itself is toward the center bottom of this map. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
George Washington’s grave. He and Martha are entombed in marble sarcophagi inside the brick structure. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
A view of the mansion from the back. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
Before Washington’s permanent grave was built, he was buried here. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
Across from Washington’s grave is the burial ground for Mount Vernon’s enslaved population. There is more than one marker, and the site was undergoing archaeological study at the time of my visit. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
One of the markers dedicated to the enslaved population at Mount Vernon. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
A more permanent monument to the enslaved people who lived and worked at Mount Vernon, and who are buried at the location. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
Another view of the mansion at Mount Vernon. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
Next stop in Washington, D.C., was the Jefferson Memorial. Fittingly, I was just beginning Jon Meacham’s biography “The Art of Power” at the time of this visit!
These are not the greatest pictures I have ever taken, but if you click on any of them you can see them bigger:
When I arrived in Washington, D.C., after the dental convention, I had time for some sightseeing. It was a rainy afternoon. My first stop was the Washington Monument.
Click on any of the pictures to make them bigger:
Approaching the Washington Monument. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)The base of the Washington Monument. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
A view of the Lincoln Memorial from the base of the Washington Monument. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
The Washington Monument as seen from the National Mall. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)
I finished “John Adams” by David McCullough while on a trip to Washington, DC, and then started on Meacham’s biography of Jefferson. The John Adams biography was fantastic. I was often in tears. When he met King George III in London, after the American revolution had taken place, it was especially remarkable.
This past weekend I decided to forgo my usual Meet the Press/Face the Nation/This Week with George Stephanopoulos viewing habit and delve into a good book instead — about the father of our nation, no less.
In “His Excellency” by Joseph J. Ellis, I learned a great deal about this great leader.
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, sit for a family portrait in the Green Room of the White House, Sept. 1, 2009. (Official White House Photo) Photo by Annie Leibovitz/Released by White House Photo Office
