I know today is the official “Mother’s Day,” but yesterday was the real treat!

The weather was beautiful, and I ended up spending the day with my daughters (husband man was home resting after minor surgery, alas).

First we went shopping – a fun thing I don’t get to do very often with the daughters (the sorrow of being the wage earner in the family).

Next we went to Alexandria to tour the USS Freedom, first of the Littoral Combat Ships. It was a nice show, and my daughters were nicely impressed. They got to sit in the XO’s chair on the bridge, and I had to drag at least one of them away from the fun technology toys. They both wanted posters to show their classes.

On the way home, we saw a sign labeled “Mount Vernon.” On a whim, we followed the sign and drove down to Washington’s estate. To my surprise, the grounds were open. It’s been over 15 years since my last visit, and Mount Vernon is more impressive than ever. The weather was lovely, and the baby lambs were gambolling in the fields, having escaped from the fenced paddocks.