Sunday, December 11, 2011

Monument Avenue 3 . . . . Lee and Stuart

The one statue I really wanted to see was that of Robert E. Lee.  Although I do not agree with the side he fought for, I do have admiration for his character and dignity.  I truly believe he was a gentleman soldier.  He also paid a very high price for having fought for the South . . . he had to forfeit his family Estate which was Arlington and is now the site of the National Cemetery.  Such are the spoils of war. Robert E. Lee was married to Martha Custis, a relative of George Washington.  The following excerpt was taken from the web.
Arlington House was the home of Robert E. Lee and his family for 30 years and is uniquely associated with the Washington and Custis families. George Washington Parke Custis built the house to be his home and a memorial to George Washington, his step-grandfather. It is now preserved as a memorial to General Lee, who gained the respect of Americans in both the North and the South.
Gentleman Soldier and General . ..  Robert E. Lee
There is a lot more information on this, and it is not my intent to give a history lesson, however I found it all very fascinating and there were some nuggets of history that I did not know.
 
The last monument on the boulevard was that of Major General J. E. B. Stuart. Pretty impressive, as were all of them actually.

Major General JEB Stuart

 Lynn spied this vantage point for me.  Loved the backdrop of the church and the autumn foliage.  A beautiful day with a gorgeous sky doesn't hurt either.

The red door on the church was very unique . . . . . can't recall seeing that on a church before.  Definitely made you sit up and take notice.
After all this early morning exercise and fresh air, it was time for lunch.  We went to the Marriott where they had the most unique sport's bar . . . . and of course there was some sort of game on . . . and each individual booth had a TV . . . now that is personalized service. 
Key Lime Pie . .. .to die for actually
It was a marvellous day . . . communing with nature, history and family . . . that's about as good as it gets.  

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