Just got back from the Washington DC area yesterday. While there, I decided to eschew my usual visit to the Smithsonian complex and instead, made a pilgrimage to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. "Pilgrimage?" you say. That's right. George became something of a secular saint after his death. A bizarre mythology grew up around his life. He was portrayed as a heavenly figure. Washington's church was stripped by raiders trying to destroy relics associated with him. Speaking of relics, his dentures have become a national icon, and pieces of his coffin were turned into crosses and worn as necklaces!

I also visited the Naval Academy at Annapolis. The crypt of John Paul Jones is very cool. Y'know, after he died, Led Zeppelin was never the same....

Oh yeah, the highlight of the trip was having my picture taken with Ronald Reagan.