Yesterday we began our quest for The Remarkable Trees of Virginia with Nicholas and Isaac. Our first stop was George Washington's Birthplace. Two groves of red cedar trees were planted early in the 1900's to frame the site for boaters coming down the Potomac. In the course of planting the trees, the original foundation of the Washingtons' house was discovered. Here are Nicholas and Pete enjoying one of the groves in the bitterly cold weather.
Here is Christine reading from the book about the Hackberry tree the kids are sitting under. It is about 220 years old, not old enough to have been planted by the Washington family, but arriving on the scene soon thereafter. The Hackberry has a knobbly, warty bark and convoluting branches that extend in a myriad of directions. It produces a small berry relished by robins.
back at the grove
The hackberry is in front of a house that was built on the site in the 1930's. We also got to tour the house which was full of furniture and details that are true to the 1700's, except for the one feature we enjoyed most of all: central heating!
Afterwards, we drove to Westmoreland State Park, built a roaring fire, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and enjoyed some knitting while the boys explored the environs and played football.
It felt like one of the coldest days of the year, but, with a sight like this, can spring be that far away?
