Edisto, Forbidden Fruit and a Twenty-Hour Engagement

I've returned from a wonderful vacation with my family at the beautiful and secluded Edisto Beach, located in the low country of South Carolina. My goals for the week were simple...relax, spend quality time with family, take a few visits to "The Pig" (which is the nickname of the Piggly Wiggly, the ONLY grocery store on the island which can be the topic of its own blog post one day), play games, work on my tan and read, read, read. Well, I accomplished a few of those goals (great convos with family, MANY trips to The Pig, played a little Yahtzee and Rummikube and worked on a smidge of a tan (more importantly didn't get burned)). I also accomplished some new goals that weren't even on the list. I went parasailing...again, which rocked...again. I took in the natural majesty of Botany Bay and did a little shopping in downtown Charleston. I kayaked, which would have been more pleasant in an unstructured, non-group environment (lesson learned), but I'm proud that I tried something new. And I got stung by a jellyfish, which was not on the agenda 'o fun, but thankfully was a short-lived injury.


The only thing I didn't get much of was reading. This happened for several (good) reasons. Most of them center around the fact that I focused time on family and activities rather than locking myself away in a book, which I can do in the solitude of my "regular" life. All in all, I think I made great choices. So I will string you along a little more before digging into the heart of George.

What I did take in from the pages I read centered around George's love life. At this time, he is still involved in military squirmishes around the region (mostly unsuccessful on his part). He is definitely not the military strategist that we associate with him today. That must come with maturity. In between these occurrences, he spent his time whining to Virginia's Governor Dinwiddie about numerous things--low pay, not enough soldiers, why he wasn't in charge, when he would receive a royal commission, etc. Ultimately, George alienated Dinwiddie to the point of a nasty fallout between the two strong-willed men. He actually alienated me a little bit too.

So, while all of this is going on, Washington managed to fall in love. Up until now, Washington was lacking any real experience with women. Unfortunately, his first real object of affection, Sally Fairfax, was a married woman. George had known her for more than seven years, so it seems natural that he would mistake his affection for love. Plus, Mrs. Fairfax was a big flirt (especially when her hubby was away) which likely fueled his feelings. However, when George declared his love and attempted to woo her, she rightfully put the kibosh on that. To her credit, she managed to curb his romantic advances while still managing to be a good friend, taking care of him when he was quite ill (which I'm noticing he was quite a bit). Finally, George resigns himself to their friendship.

In early 1758, George receives good news about his health after meeting with several doctors and seemingly recovers instantly. Feeling better, he decides to visit Martha Dandridge Custis, wealthy widow. In fact, she's noted as the wealthiest widow in Virginia. He's no dummy. Less than a year after her husband dies and after spending only 20 hours with Washington, the two are engaged. It happened so quickly that those are really the only details we have (at this point). The wedding was placed on hold for several months while Washington prepared Mount Vernon and finished his battles on the frontiers.

Coming home from vacation, the last leg of my trip is via I-95. As I returned home, I noticed something that made sense now that I am reading this book. As you approach the outskirts of DC, you pass by Alexandria. Along the way, there is an exit for Fort Belvoir and Mount Vernon. Seeing those two names on the interstate exit sign made the connection "click." Belvoir is the name of the home situated next to Mount Vernon. At some point, it must have been made a fort. I would have never made that connection had it not been for this project.

And with that little tidbit, I bid you goodnight!