My favorite place in the world is probably Mount Vernon, which is President George Washington's Virginia estate! Not only is it beautiful, but I spent six memorable weeks there this past summer as a Mount Vernon Leadership Fellow.
Image of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.
I have been to Mount Vernon, Derek! My husband was at a conference in DC, and I went there with him, and one of the conference events was a sightseeing trip to Mount Vernon... and it was a beautiful day, just like here in your photograph. Maybe you could do a Mount-Vernon-inspired project for this class. Did you hear any ghost stories whil you were there? Most of those historical sites have ghost stories!
ReplyDeleteKind of a ghost story, but not exactly: The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington by Phenderson Djèlí Clark. It all starts from a tiny bit of history from Washington's steward at Mount Vernon: y Cash pd Negroes for 9 Teeth on Acct of Dr. Lemoire” –Lund Washington, Mount Vernon plantation, Account Book dated 1784. From that tiny remark, a whole story!
Laura,
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! I really enjoyed my time there. That could be a great project idea for me, thank you for the suggestion. I heard a few ghost stories about his grave site there, and some about the mansion itself! The place definitely has a spooky energy.
Wow! I'll have to check that out!
Just finished reading the "Secret Lives" story you sent! The nine short narratives were both powerful and fascinating, and the characters were creatively portrayed. At Mount Vernon this summer we talked a lot about the importance of discussing the lives and stories of the estate's enslaved population, and I think this enjoyable work of fiction captures that same essence.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that story cool? I love the way just one single sentence in that old historical document inspired the author to imagine that whole story. And keep ghost stories in mind for when you get to the project brainstorming later on; ghost stories are an amazing part of the folklore tradition, and they leave so much room for creative imagination by the storyteller! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Derek,
ReplyDeleteWow that's so cool you got to stay at George Washington's estate! That image looks very beautiful. The beauty and ruralness of it kind of looks like Oklahoma but I bet the weather is a lot better there haha. What did you do while you were there? Looks like a great yard for some backyard football. Good luck this semester!