Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness....TJ

We have been spending time in Charlottesville and Abermarle County, Virginia, which is just beautiful....green rolling hills, farmlands and wineries located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.The area is also very rich in history.  Several early presidents called the area "home". We spent a day visiting some popular historic sites.

First stop-Monticello

Home of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the US and author of the Declaration of Independence, who spent much of his life in public service. Additionally, he was known as a genius in architecture and farming, as well as a scholarly man who loved to learn and share knowledge. He believed knowledge could improve the human condition. Of all his great achievements, the two he wanted on his headstone was the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the University of Virginia. (Jefferson founded and designed UVA in his retirement)!

Jefferson's headstone

Three tours were offered at Monticello the day we visited, which we took full advantage of: the House Tour, the Garden and Grounds Tour, and the Slavery at Monticello Tour. More information can be found at monticello.org

 House Tour

No pictures were allowed inside. Sorry about that. The foyer of the house was like a museum, as he wanted to show that America could compete with Europe. He had dinosaur bones, maps, Indian relics, and timepieces. Portraits were of people that were inspirational to him. Some of the rooms were fascinating, as he designed various architectural features to make living easier. For example, open-air living spaces, and alcoves. He also was inspired by European architecture. On the tour, we viewed his private quarters-cabinet, bedroom, porch and greenhouse. Underneath the home, a kitchen and storage cellar was built so as not to be visible to guests. Many of the slaves worked there.

Outside of Monticello

Another view of Monticello

Garden and Grounds Tour

Each tour was about an hour, and all three were very interesting to us. Visiting in April was also nice, as many of the flowers were blooming. Several varieties of plants (flowers and vegetables) were developed by Jefferson as a result of his experimentation with farming and growing techniques. (These species are designated as a Thomas Jefferson variety).

                         part of the grounds

one of the gardens...so pretty

view from the plantation vegetable gardens

 Slavery at Monticello Tour

Though Jefferson was not fond of slavery,

 he owned about 250 slaves. The tour was more of a talk, but being in the actual surroundings, you could easily envision the stories being told to us by the docent. Each slave worked doing what he/she was best at: i.e., farming, blacksmithing, cooking, weaving. You could see the distances they had to travel just to get to "work". If they were split up from their spouse or family, they would have to travel far to see them, usually on Sunday or in the middle of the night. It was not an easy life at all, even though Jefferson was thought to have treated his slaves very well.

The plantation....Jefferson experimented with farming too

 Second Stop: Michie Tavern
After all that touring, we were ready for a big lunch. (Not really, but we wanted the experience of an 18th century meal in a historic landmark). The lunch was delicious...lots of chicken and potatoes. Being a Country Inn, rooms, or actually beds, were rented out back in the day. You shared a room with other travelers. (Yikes! Imagine that!). More info on Michie Tavern can be found at
michietavern.com.

The Michie Tavern

Museum Village of the country inn

Final Stop: Ash Lawn-Highland
Home of President James Monroe
James Monroe, fifth president of the US, bought Highland due to his friendship with Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson helped him create the house and gardens. It is depicted as a working plantation. More info can be found at ashlawnhighland.org

Front of James Monroe's Home

Back of the home

Statue of James Monroe in front of his home

Guest Bedroom

 dinner?

the plantation

animals on the farm

 

The past couple of weeks, the days have been warm, but the nights pretty cold, even for me. I must say though, its very nice traveling with a knitter (moi) as we have nice warm blankets, slippers, socks and anything else we may want (mittens, scarves, sweaters-hahahah). Here's a shot of us one night...just relaxin' in the RV. It is so very comfortable!!

I know....aren't we just wild and crazy?!