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Thursday, September 11, 2008

This week in retrospect- Tuesday at Washington's Headquarters

Where has the week gone??! Let's pretend I'm on the ball and came home from our outing to report on our day. Tuesday PR had off from work, so we went to downtown Newburgh, NY to visit Washington's Headquarters. It's hard to imagine that in this tiny stone house, General Washington announced the cease fire and created the Purple Heart award. (Why, you ask, is it called the "Purple Heart?" I asked that same question and was embarrassed to find out the obvious reason, because the award was purple and heart shaped.)

The grounds are smack dab in the middle of a less than safe area, completely run down row homes and literally no charm...with only a tiny sign to indicate any significance of the grounds. Granted, the residence majestically overlooks the Hudson River and I can see why the spot was chosen to secure the waterway from the Brits trying to weasel their way up the coast and take control of the trade and supplies of the east coast. However, the room that Gen. Washington used as his office did not have a window facing toward the water, and when I asked our tour guide why, she explained that the outhouses lined that perimeter of the house (as it was on the down slope), and so the River view was completely blocked. Hmm. Okay. So much for waterfront!!

Needless to say, it was a lovely day. Other than Owen ooohing and ahhing over a few rifle relics ("Guns to shoot the bad guys!!"), the kids were more interested in picking dandelions than any part of the tour. The sun was shining, it was a pleasant 75 degrees, and I actually did get some fun pictures of the kids outside. And to top it off, we stopped for ice creams on the way home! All in all, it was a very good day.

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