I have these strange, panoramic photos that I took at Mount Vernon, last month.  Some are more distorted than others, especially those of nearby objects.  For example the second picture, below, is a shot of the piazza, which is decidedly straight in reality.  The third picture is of Washington's library, which is decidedly round in real life.

Before we did tests on the actual minerals, our class took some time to appreciate the beauty of minerals from around the world.

Then we pulled out the real things - 12 minerals upon which we conducted tests to determine hardness, cleavage, color, streak color, texture, luster, smell, and light.  Students used vocabulary such as translucent, transparent, and opaque.  The room became a little loud with confusion, conversation, and engagement in this first real hands-on activity of the sort.

Within the last month, I've attended a graveside service for an eight-day-old baby, preached at a memorial service for an 88-year-old man, visited a 92-year-old woman fighting for her life at the hospital, and witnessed the wedding of a young cousin and his fiancé.  It was my privilege to present myself at each of these events, whether to provide service of support for the families involved.

Yesterday, it was also my pleasure to visit with students and teachers at Benton Elementary School in Neosho, Missouri.  Benton is the site of last week's tragic accident that cost a kindergarten her life when she was struck by a car.  The Joplin School District supported our neighbors in Neosho by providing lunch for the teachers and covering many of their extra duties on their first day back since Wednesday.

We're a couple of weeks into the school year, and I'm finally getting around to posting some photos of our first days.  One of the most important part to starting the year, this year, was the inclusion of improvisation games.  I chose a few of the games that focus on focus.  I wanted to stress the idea that there are times to take attention and times to give attention to someone else.

Quick Write
​Think about your greatest personal strength.  ​How would your life be different if you no longer had that strength?

It does make you wonder if there are any famous signatures in Hoggatt Cave.  Perhaps with some exploration we will discover some important historical markings.  I wonder what other scientific oddities we will find while spelunking.

When one is farming large acreages of wheat, as well as other grains like corn, one may choose, as Washington did, to build a mill.  About three miles from the mansion house, visitors can visit the grist mill in its original location. With the distillery just across the property, the mill sits right on the highway.

In a former life, I conducted tours through a much smaller grist mill in El Reno, Oklahoma, so the process wasn't so magical to me, but this rebuilt mill, using 18th century design, was quite primitive to me.  All of the wooden cogs, gears, and belts, in fact, harken to medieval times.

In the same area, just below the mill, is Washington's distillery (rebuilt).  At one time, George Washington was probably the largest whiskey producer on the continent, one of the largest in the world.

I do not drink - never have - but the science involved is still interesting.  I can't pretend to understand how someone created this process or what made them think of it.

Of course, I was more interested in the slick little cornerstone on the reconstructed building, sporting the large date of 1797 (second photo below).  According to the plate beside it, this stone was salvaged from the original United States Capitol and is the same Virginia sandstone from which the original distillery was constructed.

Products from the grist mill and distillery are available in the Mount Vernon gift shops, including bags of corn meal and bottles of whiskey and brandy.

It is with sadness that I write this message.  Our former principal, Ms. McCombs is now the principal at Benton Elementary in Neosho, Missouri.  Yesterday, at dismissal time, one of her teachers was struck by a car and killed. We can only imagine the feelings that are permeating through Ms. McCombs, her staff, her students, and the parents.  This was a kid's teacher, a teacher's friend, a person's daughter, and so much more.  People, probably children, witnessed the event.  As I write this I do not know the teacher's name, nor do I know the teacher at all, but I still mourn with those who shared the teacher's life and space.

The event occurred at dismissal time, perhaps in a crosswalk or in the pickup line at Benton.  Perhaps it was a slip of a foot from a brake, but perhaps it was an impatient driver.  I have to think that the driver is also experiencing hard times as a result.  Accidents do happen, and whether it was avoidable or not is probably irrelevant to the guilty feelings of this driver.  I do not ever want to know what that feels like, but I can certainly empathize.

As I wrote yesterday about working in the pickup line at the end of the school day, I slightly recognized the dangers of that duty.  Though I focused on extreme weather, we all need to take extra care when we around pedestrians, teachers, and children who are loading into cars.  Parents, please be patient as we try to cross lines of traffic with students in tow.  We do so to protect students from the vehicles.  When I step in front of a car it is so the driver can see me, and not miss the much smaller child that is also crossing.  I do not ever send a child in front of a car without first standing there.  That is also why we want students to walk all the way to the end of the sidewalk - so the adults can load them safely and they will not cross unexpectedly.  Keep in mind that we are watching for foul play as well as cars moving, and kids who might dart out without us.

I hope we can also count on parents to be extra vigilant in our pickup situation.  Please do not get into a rush.  We will get kids into cars as quickly as possible, but we will also sacrifice speed for safety.  Drivers, there are two lanes in our drive for the purpose of picking students up at the end of the day; please do not take it upon yourself to make a third lane down the middle or around the side just because there may be room for an extra car.  Remember, students and teachers are walking through the cars and neither may notice that you have done so.

We want to avoid any sort of accident that can happen in our own school, but we also don't want to forget that an accident already happened in Neosho.  The big N above says Prayers for Neosho.  Many have indicated such in social media by placing that big N on their status.  How ever a person may express your concern, through religion or otherwise, we are a community that cares for another community that hurts.

What must one do when the war he leads causes an interruption in the availability of goods and services? Thankfully, Washington, with his collection of enslaved people and his wealth, had the ability to produce his own materials.  At the Teachers Institute, we had a moment to observe a couple of the demonstrations in process - wool spinning and blacksmithing.

Young Martha Washington is a character interpreted at Mount Vernon.  She causes a deal of confusion, this one, as she is from a specific time period from before the Revolutionary War.  In other words, this Martha knows nothing of Washington's leadership as a Patriot general.  She doesn't know anything about his presidency or his death. That means that, not only must she know her character, the recipes she recorded, and when her neighbors might visit, but she must also deflect questions about her future.

Dr. James Craik met George Washington during the French and Indian War.  The man who plays the doctor at Mount Vernon interprets the character with great precision.  In fact, he is the director of the interpretive characters there.  He told our teacher group (out of character) that every person who interprets a character must study documents in the library for 40 hours a week for at least a month before being allowed on property with a costume.

The art of interpreting a character involves much more than memorizing a script, and it is more than delivering lines on stage.  The individuals who are featured on the plantation are fully familiar with the real persons they portray.  I was impressed with their ability to conjure facts and notions out of their memories when asked specific and poignant questions from their audience.

Dr. Craik is a unique figure.  To play the role, one must understand not only the doctor's background, but also those of the people he encountered.  Dr. Craik must know George Washington's experiences in the French and Indian War, Washington's rise in military rank, his ability to lead, and the events in the interim of the wars, as well as the events of Washington's courtship of the widow Martha Custis, and of course 18th century medical practices.

The task of interpretation involves scholarship, rehearsal, improv without making stuff up, and recall.

I have two videos to share below, but beware:  some of the following content can be graphic in nature.