A fun little east coast vacation!

After visiting Mike, Emily and baby Sadie we saw some sites in Virginia, North Carolina and in D.C. This was a great view of Washingtion D.C. from Robert E. Lee's home in Arlington, VA. One of my favorite books as a child was called Lady of Arlington which was about Robert E. Lee and his family. I've always admired this man's integrity and self-discipline.


Tom enjoyed learning more about Robert E. Lee too. We had a fabulous tour guide that told us all about the Washington/Lee family. Robert E. Lee was married to the step-granddaughter of Gearge Washington. Her father built the Custis-Lee Mansion now called Arlingtion House on the hill to honor George Washington.


We visited President Wilson's home that was just a few blocks from our hotel. He lived here after he was president and this car was a gift he recieved from a friend. We walked by several embassies as we walked to his home.


The weather was great except for when we were in the sun it felt a little warm. We visited the art museum, the white house visitors center and walked to the zoo from our hotel. There are so many fun free places to see in D.C. We also visited Alexandria and took a interesting walking tour of the historic town.


While in Old Salem we saw the village that the Moravians built. Costumed tradesmen and women recreate life in Salem and tell the story of historic salem. The Oldest Women's college in America began in Old Salem.


Thomas Jefferson designed Monticello, the Virginea State Capitol, and the University of Virginia. He learned about architecture from books and from buildings he saw in Europe. Monticello is called "neoclassical" because it is a new version of the classical styles of ancient Greece and Rome. Thomas Jefferson has always been one of my favorite presidents.


We visited The Biltmore House, America's largest home. We took a guided tour and learned all about the priceless masterpieces and antiques, and intricate architectual details. It was interesting learning about their family and the world of elegance.


The gardens were beautiful and it was fun taking a walk around the estate.


We visited the River Bend Farm and saw lots of old farm equipment from the turn of the century. Here we are pretending to be farm workers from the estate. I wish our vacation would last another week. We had a wonderful time seeing the sites and learning so many interesting things.