TWILIGHT OF THE IDOL(SMASHER)

[Sojourner]

At 11:21 AM 9/8/97 -0700, David Casseres wrote:

>A couple weeks ago I was on vacation in Virginia with my family, and 
>since my daughter at 12 is just about the right age to enjoy some 
>history, we went to the 18th Century, as restored at Williamsburg and 
>Mount Vernon and Harper's Ferry.  Pynchon was everywhere, explaining and 
>bringing to life the original stamping-grounds of so much of what we now 
>call "American."  After a few hours on the Virginia freeways in my 
>sister's old Volvo, I had a new appreciation of those weird trips in 
>ingenious Coaches, arriving at the power centers of the Colonies.
>

Before I respond to just this, I have to say I agree with your <snipped>
analysis on the surveyors' view.  One of the odd things about M&D
is that 1) I've been a surveyor before (ok surveyor helper but I was
there traipsing through the woods just the same and 2) I lived in
Mount Vernon a couple of years back.  Right on GW's property,
although it isn't now, but my local post office was the MV one,
and it was where I would often go for lunch on the weekends, as
it was walkable, and I had no car part of the time I was there.

Anyhow, glad ya enjoyed my current fine state, and hope the kids
had a nice impression of it too.  I was driving through a very rural
part of VA this weekend (I had to deliver the local paper long
story but I was in BFE Virginia) and the only station that came
through was broadcasting Shaggy's Top 40, and in between bursts
of static came an interesting tale of GW.  One more of course
among the many (and TRP's too hehe), but when GW first became
President, he had such a hard time finding help at his new house
(in NY remember) that he had to advertise in the local paper.

Took 6 weeks for him to hire a cook.  Hahah and then KK finished
by saying the Presidential household budget is now 38 million
per annum.

A-mazing...