Monticello

Backtracking a bit on the blog - we're now in Maryland, drove along the Delaware coast and head for Pennsylvania tomorrow. Have we shared about Virginia? No! Better catch up!
One of our family's favorite places is Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home near Charlotteville. The home is beautifully preserved and tour groups are managed very well. When you arrive, the Visitor's Center is a huge building that houses a very large gift shop, several education facilities and a large auditorium. We were pleasantly surprised to receive a 50% discount as a homeschool family. With your admission, your group is assigned a specific time to be escorted through the home with a guide. The discussion in each room is informative and the guides are very accommodating of questions. The tour is not rushed and there's time to absorb the contents and the information. No photos are allowed inside the home and some areas are not open to the public.

The home highlights Thomas Jefferson's talents as an architect and his quirky blend of elegance and practicality. For example, the stairways are tucked into small areas on either side of the central foyer/dining area. In contrast to the grand staircases that greet visitors at many southern homes, Mr. Jefferson felt that too much space and heat were wasted, so the stairs are designed purely for function and basically tucked into spaces smaller than a lot of entry closets in modern homes.

Mr. Jefferson's bedroom and personal study are the most intriguing rooms, adjoined by an alcove for his bed. No need for a fancy headboard - just put the bed in an opening between the two rooms! In many ways, I was reminded of our visit to Thomas Edison's winter home in Florida. Both men loved ingenuity and were experimenting with plant life for many purposes. What an interesting conversation those two could have with one another!

After completing the guided tour of the interior, visitors can browse the grounds and the peripheral portions of the home independently. The exterior is very lovely and you can just see the daffodils making an appearance at the base of the poplar tree. In a couple of weeks, the floral beds are going to be amazing! As the blooms arrive and the garden comes in, outdoor tours are available - but we were too early in the season.

The fruit trees in the orchard alongside the garden did their best to demonstrate spring for us!

Workers were very busy in the garden, preparing the soil and placing seedlings. Several varieties of lettuces and cabbages, strawberries, chives, rosemary, thyme, and lavender were getting started. We were inspired for a garden we hope to have in our next home - probably not this large! Less vegetables - but also less weeding, right boys?

The weeping willows line the path behind the boys to the Jefferson family cemetery.

We enjoyed a nice walk back to the visitor's center from the cemetery, watched the film that told a little of Jefferson's life and the home, and browsed the gift shop.

We couldn't resist purchasing a copy of 'Jefferson's Ten Rules' that we will frame later for our home. See if you agree with us that they are nice, practical and timeless:

1. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend money before you have earned it.
4. Never buy what you don't want because it is cheap.
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold.
6. We seldom repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain the evils cost us that never happened.
9. Take things always by the smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred.

Satisfied that we had thoroughly explored the plantation, we drove on and stopped at the nearby Michie Tavern to browse. Look at this amazing weeping cherry tree that was next to the tavern.

While in the neighborhood, we drove over to James Monroe's home 'Ash Lawn-Highland'. We arrived with only 30 minutes to spare until closing time, so we only took in the exterior of the home.

Not as elegant as Monticello, but the tree lined drive is very grand.

The setting provides much more of a farm type feel - a beauty that is less formal, but very pleasant and peaceful.

We returned to the RV with tired feet, but very content with a wonderful day in the spring weather.