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| Washington's Headquarters |
Today we went to Washington's headquarters. When we first arrived we had to wait the two minutes for the gate to open because god for bid they open the gate 2 minutes early. When the gates finally opened we went into the visitor center where there artifacts on display,, which I enjoyed looking at.
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| Chevaux-de-frise |
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| Washington's patriot |
I thought the most interesting part of the tour was looking at the artifacts because I liked how we could look at things on our own. The first artifact I liked was the chevaux-de-frise which consisted of a large box of logs that is filled with stones to hold three long wooden timbers tipped with iron points. This was a war tactic used to try to stop British ships from coming up the river. In 1836 one of the logs were caught in a ships's anchor and it was brought to the surface near Washington's headquarters. we seen a picture of these at Bannermans' Island because he also used this tactic as protection. This just shows it was a common invention used for protection all along the river. The next artifact I found interesting was the Washington Portrait. This was painted by Cornellus Hinckley after Washington died. It is a copy of the painting by Gilbert Stuart. While doing this painting Gilbert Stuart made his own background. He also added a lot of things to the portrait that symbolizes who Washington was. The silver inkstand is marked with the Washington family coat of arms. There is also an eagle on the table leg and there is a shield on the back of the chair to represent the republic. The rainbow in the background represents all the battles Washington concord and the peace that followed. The two books that are under the table represents Washington's accomplishments. The cool thing about this portrait is that it was at Peebles Island Art Restoration Center because it had many holes that needed to be patched up. This was really cool to think we were there a week ago learning the process of how it is restoration is done. After this we went inside of Washington's house. Personally I did not like the tour guide we had. She seemed to mumble while she spoke so it was hard for me to hear her. Also her voice was so soft it was hard for me to pay attention to her. I thought it was really cool how we were walking on the same boards George Washington walked on when as in this house.
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| Dutch Fireplace in Washington's Headquarters |
Another cool artifact in the house is a dutch fireplace similar to the one at the Maybee farm. It causes the smoke to be absorbed easily while still providing heat to the house. The tour guide explained this fire was not used for cooking a lot because there was often 20 people or more eating a meal. The fireplace would be used to cook for a smaller family. The guide also explained that the second leading cause of death for women during this time period was accidental fires because the clothing women wore during this time period was thick, and many layers.
After we finished at the Washington headquarters we were held hostage in the van yet again. The professors wanted to show us different historical houses and we did not want any part of it. We were all very hungry and not amused. Thank god after starving for so long we were allowed to get food. Precious and I went on our first date and ate at pizza hut You cant go wrong for a 5.99 buffet. After this we went to the Storm King Mountain to look at an art exhibit. This was a lot different than the Hudson River School House. This was made up of sculptures that you can interpret yourself. There is really no wrong answer while looking at these creations. The Hudson River School House was made up of paintings of the area. The picture to the left is a rock wall that starts on land and continues under the water to the other side. There is also a trail you can follow. Another piece of art work I liked was the bolder exhibit. Many people would question why I like that exhibit so much because it is just a bunch of rocks. I liked how it blended in with the environment. At first I did not realize it was an exhibit because it looked so natural. At the end of today everyone was so exhausted. I was so happy to finally be back and I am even more excited to sleep in my own bed tomorrow.
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