Daytripper

I just returned from a daytrip to Stratford Hall, the plantation home of Thomas Lee (father to two VA signers of the Declaration of the Independence). The estate was more strongly publicized as the birthplace and childhood home of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, the man who showed his loyalty to Virginia by turning down Lincoln’s request that Lee lead the Union army against the Confederacy in the Civil War. A true Southern gentlemen, one could say.

Anyway, as you can see, Stratford Hall was very pretty (lots of brick!), and we braved sun, poison ivy, and “earth slides” in our exploration of the plantation.

By far, my favorite part of Stratford Hall was the fact that, as this sign alludes, the Stratford Cliffs are a geological phenomenon that is found in only 3 other places (Belgium, Austria, and LA?), and that the fossilized remnants of salt water crocodiles, rays, and sharks, among others, can all be found here- these are all creatures that I will be seeing in Australia! Who knew that I could also find them so close to home?

According to the Stratford Hall webpage on fossil discoveries, “Thousands of shark teeth found along this area of the Potomac attest to the frequency of the sharks, largest among them being Carcharodon megalodon, or Giant White Shark, with teeth measuring 7 inches or more”. Wow!

After about 10 minutes of searching….

We found two!

Can’t wait to see what type of shark teeth I’m going to find in Australia!