Whiner on Vacation

Tuesday I went to Mt. Vernon (home of George and Martha Washington in Virginia) while I was visiting back east. It was a terrific day to be outdoors and even though D.C. is a favorite destination I knew that there would be too many people because of the cherry blossoms and Spring Break. However, lots and lots of them also decided that it was a great day to visit the lovely estate along the Potomac River, too. I've been to Mt. Vernon several times with my fourth grade and twice with visiting relatives. But I love going there, and they've opened a new education center and larger gift shop since my last visit. Going with the kids, I didn't shop at the small one--I just did crowd control. I thought I'd go in the house and then go through the new education center and gift shop.

However--it took over an hour on line to get into the house. I waited, but I'm not sure why, now...I've truly been there and done that. I guess I just didn't think that it would really take an hour--I should have believed a sign they had posted. I ended up not going through the whole education center because it was too near closing time when I finally finished with the house.

Directly in front of me in the endless queue was a large group of 12-14 year old kids from northern San Diego county. Naturally, being me, I struck up a conversation with the adults standing next to me. That's how I found out they were from Escondido. I said how I'd lived in San Diego for many years, many years ago, and how much I loved it. Then I heard from the man, for the next twenty minutes or so how much he doesn't really like living there. He has an avocado farm and he's a plumber and he's lived there for 21 years (I moved away just about 21 years ago) and "if his wife weren't involved," he'd "move back to Missouri in a heart beat." Weird---you live in paradise but would leave in a minute if only your wife were gone? He also complained about the Chilean import business screwing up the American avocado market, his lousy neighbors and their lousy horses that they ride leaving horse poop all over his drive-way/easement road. Then he complained about being on this trip with these dreadful kids. (His wife is a teacher at a private Christian school and that is who sponsored the trip and he came along with her.) Whew...I was relieved when he finally had to go off with a group of the kids to find a restroom and when he came back, he went to a different part of the line. What an unhappy person he seems to be. I wonder if we'd continued to talk if he would have been able to come up with any good things about his life?