Like many states, Virginia has several fairly distinct regions. Alexandria is a suburb of Washington, DC and in fact, used to be within the boundaries of the District of Columbia. The Leesburg area, 40 miles away from Washington, was primarily farmland and small towns...
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I had a basic sketch of Harriet Tubman in my head. Underground Railroad. Led scores of enslaved people to freedom in the north. But really, I had to be with the enormity of this. She had spent her life as a slave, mostly separated from her family, performing brutally...
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My cousins Susan told me that the craftspeople who make cutting boards the shapes of states can’t figure out how to make one of Maryland. Just look at a map. All I had in my own head before this trip was “near-DC.” Now I understand how the Chesapeake...
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Washington, DC was designed by a Frenchman who grew up in Paris. I see some similarities in the layout, grand monuments and landscaping. I have been to DC countless times, but there is always more to see. This time I spent SIX HOURS in the Smithsonian’s National...
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Like so many others, I was consumed with the musical “Hamilton” a couple of years ago. It really brought home a couple of insights to me. One of the lyrics was “Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now – history is happening.“ It...
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