Day 5

Our day began with an awesome breakfast at the Clover Cafe, which is stationed on the National 4-H Center campus. Afterwards we boarded the bus and headed to the home of our nation's first President, George Washington. As we drove to Mount Vernon, our P.A. Aly, showed us sights and told us stories of the areas we traveled through.
When we arrived at Mount Vernon we had to wait in line for forever and a day! But boy was that wait worth it. Mount Vernon was immense and beautiful. The outside was made of wood that was notched and covered with sand to look like bricks. One of the delegates noted that Washington's bed chambers were plain and white, while all the guest chambers were bright and exquisitely furnished. Another comment was that the view was amazing! When we were asked to compare Mount Vernon and Monticello, it was unanimous that our delegation preferred Mount Vernon. Some of the similarities we found between the two included the bright green dining rooms ant that both plantations were agriculture based. The green walls were said to show off wealth and assist in digestion. Along with the similarities there were differences between the two. These included the materials that were used to build and the size of the estates.
Once we were finished venturing through the house, we were turned loose to explore the grounds. Some of the sites we took in were the wharf, the old barn, and the grave site of the Washington family. As we neared the end of our visit, we went to the theater which showed the battles that Washington participated in. The theater even snowed! Our visit came to a close and we headed back to the 4-H Center for lunch.
After lunch, we all attended our workshop and committee meetings. In the Government committee, Blake, Ronni and Tori were all elected to leadership positions for the congressional session. Ben Bellar was elected head of the week's video. Rebekah and Cain auditioned for the talent show.
When we finished supper, we went on our "Night View" of D.C. The similarities we noted in all of the memorials was the relation to Greek and Roman architecture. Part way through our tour it began to rain. However, it was right as we viewed the Korean War Memorial. We all thought it was neat to see the names at the Vietnam Memorial. It made us all proud to be Americans!

Blake Madsen