Sept. 29 - Cirque du Soleil Echo

"Because our days are filled with the rational, practical and expected, Cirque du Soleil exists to bring us that which has never existed. And makes us feel things we’ve never felt. Life needs folly, life needs cirque" -Cirque du Soleil

The highlight of our family trip to DC was attending Cirque du Soleil Echo. The show was in the nearby town of Tysons, Virginia. Getting there on the Metro was part of the fun. The train stopped right next to the show sight. This particular show takes place under a huge big top, which gave us the feeling we were at the circus.

The grounds of Cirque du Soleil Echo.

There was a lot to see and do while we waited for the show to begin. Of course there were things to buy...souvenirs, drinks and food. And lots of photo op places.

Our seats are the red dots on this seating photo. We Loved being up close seeing the expressions on the actors.

Our first look at the stage. 

The set revolves around the mysterious CUBE that is as tall as a 2-story apartment building. At different points during the show it is dismantled, stripped, and rebuilt, scaled by animals, swung from by artists, and used as a mesmerizing projection surface. Surrounding the cube is the stage that resembles water in a lake, every interaction with the CUBE creates a unique effect that ripples into the future.

Echo a story about connection, collaboration and the power of intention. The ability to have a strong vision and put all your energy into it to make that idea come to life. The main protagonist Future is a young girl who represents the youth of today and the awareness that the youth have for what’s going on in the world. At the beginning of the show she discovers how the world is changing and the effects this change has on the world, negative or positive and then at one specific moment something happens which changes everything for her. She makes this big decision and she brings everyone together, animals and humans, to work together to rebuild our world.

Future and her companion Ewai.

The opening act blew us away. The actors were so close and it was aww inspiring.

Watching the kid's faces was just as entertaining for me.

These two were the clowns for the show. Entertaining during set changes. We truly enjoyed them.

Icarian Games...a very popular acrobatic circus act that is described as human foot juggling.

Hair Suspension Duo. The hair hang is an aerial circus act where performers are suspended by their hair, performing acrobatic poses and manipulation.

Banquine/Korean Cradle entertained us with a dizzying array of stunts. At one point we actually thought they might land on us.

The largest puppet I've ever seen. There were people inside helping it to move.

Slackwire duo. It's an acrobatic circus act that involves balancing and moving along a flexible, thin wire suspended in the air.      

This flying poles act features a first-of-its-kind pole apparatus named Chrysalid that is semi-attached to the stage floor. This groundbreaking performance requires exceptional strength.

The Contortion. This act left us wondering just how he could move the way he did and left my joints aching.

The Teeterboard Act was fun to watch as they flew high in the air.

The cube filled with all the actors. It was beautiful.

More Fun Facts:

• Cirque du Soleil ECHO is the 20th Big Top creation from Cirque du Soleil and its 51st overall.
• It takes 10 projectors to cover the entire stage and the rotating CUBE–the most ever for a Cirque du Soleil Big Top show.
• At one of the most surprising points in the show, one of the CUBE’s walls supports 40 artists.
• The roof of the CUBE contains a light box with 1.68 miles of LED strips.

Dinner after the show at Founding Farmers.

Waiting for the train to take us home.

Our last look at the Cirque from the train platform.

May 5 - Waiting

Olverson’s Lodge Creek Marina

“Every day is the beginning of a new journey…enjoy the ride.” –Author Unknown

While we were at anchor last week we tried to use our generator and noticed it wasn't spitting water out the side of the boat...like it's supposed to. Stan investigated and found the exhaust elbow had a crack in it. It's old, very old, and Stan knew it needed to be replaced one day...well one day is here. We decided the best place to wait for the part to be delivered was at Olverson's since our car is there. The part has been ordered and will be delivered on Monday. 

Waiting for the part isn't going to slow our northerly migration down, the weather has already put a halt to that. The winds in the Chesapeake and the Atlantic have been terrible for the last week and it doesn't look any better for the coming week. So while we wait for the wind to subside and the part to arrive, we'll continue to do a few more maintenance projects, visit with friends, provision the boat...again and try to relax. One day we will be on the move again and hopefully make it to Ithaca before the summer is over.

The old generator elbow...I guess it's time to replace! That little square thing is supposed to be welded on the end of the elbow.

Boating isn't always happy hours and fun...sometimes you have to fix things that are in small out of the way places.

and the pumps on the toilets need to be taken about and greased regularly so they function properly...that's a fun job!

Windfinder's forecast of today's winds just north of us...not a good day on the Chesapeake.

May 2 – Mount Vernon, VA

Mattawoman Creek – Anchorage

We left Alexandria this morning...a little windier on the Potomac today than last Friday. We didn't spend the time to visit Mount Vernon on our first visit to the area in 2011, so today we decided we'd dock at their wharf and enjoy the beautiful day wandering around the plantation. It's an impressive place that has an amazing view of the Potomac River. 

To create the picturesque view of the river, Washington instructed his enslaved workforce to grade the east lawn at its center. Their labor produced a gentle sweep capped on either side by a small knoll. Below the grassy depression, Washington kept trees neatly trimmed, so that they did not obscure the view of the Potomac.

A map of part of Mount Vernon (click on picture to enlarge)

George Washington’s beloved Mount Vernon began as a one and one-half story farmhouse built in 1735 by his father, Augustine. George acquired the property in 1754, and over the next 45 years slowly enlarged the dwelling to create the resplendent 21-room residence we see today. Washington personally supervised each renovation; advising on design, construction and decoration. 

The spinning house/overseer's quarter, the salt house and gardener's house on the north side of the mansion

As many as 20 enslaved male workers of varying ages may have slept in this room. When the greenhouse slave quarters were built in the early 1790s, the majority of Virginia’s enslaved population usually lived in single or double family cabins. However, at Mount Vernon, this barrack-style bunk room was practical, because many of the enslaved adults at the Mansion House Farm were men who were either single or had jobs that required them to live apart from their families six days a week.

Looking down to the west gate, where guests would have arrived at Mount Vernon during Washington's time. It's about a mile from the west gate to the bowling green gate.

A look at the mansion from the bowling green gate

The greenhouse, an unusual feature in 18th-century North America, showcased exotic tropical plants. An ingenious system warmed the greenhouse through a series of flues under the floor. 

The smaller building to the right is the kitchen. Slaves would begin their day at 4 AM to prep fires for the daily cooking of the meals and bread for the mansion.

Washington Bedchamber - Mrs. Washington designed the furniture to be simple and functional, this room was her sanctuary, where she planned her schedule and wrote letters to friends and family members. George Washington died in this room on December 14, 1799. Upon his death, Martha closed the room and spent much of her time in a bedchamber on the third floor. 

Study - After George Washington's return to Mount Vernon at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, the study became his retreat from ever-present family and visitors; a place where he could quietly and privately tend to business. Reportedly, no one was allowed in this room without his invitation. 

Outdoor toilets like this were often called privies or outhouses; at Mount Vernon they were called necessaries. There were four of these located around the plantation. 

This is a riding chair. It consists of a wooden chair on a cart with two wheels and was pulled by a single horse. It was the prefect for traveling along narrow country roads around Mount Vernon.

George Washington's carriage 

The remains of George Washington and other family members were moved to the New Tomb in 1831.  George Washington surveyed this location for the construction of a new tomb and left specific instructions for his burial. 

Slave Memorial - It is believed that more than 50 enslaved and free African American men, women, and children are buried here. Two memorials, one from 1929, and another from 1983, commemorate the enslaved people of Mount Vernon.

In the late 18th century, Mount Vernon consisted of more than 8,000 acres divided into five farms. George Washington believed that innovative agriculture practices would lead the young nation to financial security.

Gristmill - Where Washington produced thousands of pounds of cornmeal and wheat flour every year. The fine flour was sold all over the world.

Washington’s whiskey distillery was possibly the largest in the country. Its main product was un-aged rye whiskey, but the distillery also produced apple and peach brandies and distilled vinegar. They are producing the same whiskey again today from Washington's recipe and you can purchase it in the gift shop.

The Pearl docked at the Mount Vernon wharf. Located on the banks of the Potomac River, the wharf was an incredibly important part of George Washington’s plantation operations. Goods from abroad arrived at the wharf. Flour, cornmeal, and other bulk items produced at Mount Vernon were loaded onto boats at the wharf and then transferred onto larger ships headed to foreign and domestic markets.