Day 9: One final full day and heading home

The kids did a great job getting ready to go on Saturday. We made it just in time to wait in a LONG time into the White House for an 11:30 tour. It was our first hot day, but the kids did really help, and it helped that a nice lady in line behind us shared her chocolate chip cookies. It is still pretty amazing that they open the white house up to the public. We had to go through 3 different security checkpoints and it did feel organized, but still, it is the White House! We walked through a long, greenhouse style hallway that was part of gardens designed by Jackie Kennedy. We saw multiple parlor-style rooms with color themes - the green room, blue room, and red room. We also saw the dining room and then walked out the front steps. 

As we were leaving, there was a lot of commotion and secret service starting to block off streets. We waited on the street outside the White House for about 20 minutes and got to see the President leave the White House in his Presidential Motorcade. It was like a parade! So many motorcycles, vans, suburbans, etc. We even saw the President wave! We told the kids Dad organized that just for them.

After the White House, we drove to Mount Vernon. I loved getting to show the kids all the different little houses and places that it took to run a big plantation back then. Kitchens, blacksmith, laundry, sewing room, guest quarters, stables, etc. It is very well run, probably because it is privately owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. They bought the property in 1853, I believe from some of George Washington's nephews. 

We went straight to the airport for an evening flight and Big John picked us up at the airport. Travel went smoothly and we were all glad to get home and have a buffer day to regroup before work and regular life started again on Monday.

Another epic Walsh adventure complete!