Mom's Visit: Monticello

Taking in the views during the 3-hour drive:

Walking up to the home:

Thomas Jefferson's burial place. He wanted to be remembered for three things.

1. Author of the Declaration of Independence
2. Author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom
3. Father of the University of Virginia

He had an extensive garden and spent a lot of time experimenting with grafting and breeding various types of bushes, vegetables, and other plants.
The grounds of the house are very beautiful, even at this awkward time of year.

The house is fascinating, because Thomas Jefferson himself was so fascinating.
His real love was for science and education, and that shows in every part of the home he built for his family.

The weather vane on the roof is attached to a compass on the portico so that he could tell the direction of the wind by simply looking out the window. He kept extensive records of the weather.

It's all in the details. Everywhere you look there is an interesting detail in the design or decoration of the home.

Jefferson was inspired by his living for 5 years in Paris and added many new architectural designs to the home when he returned.

I wish we could have taken photographs inside. Our guide said that 60% of the furniture and decor was original. There are so many inventions and works of art. It was really neat to see those things in person.

Jefferson designed the home so that all the workings of the home were underground. This also helped each room in the home to have an uninterrupted view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

An underground tunnel connected the two wings of the underground portion of the home. One wing was used for cooking, the other was for keeping the horses and carriages. Every detail was thought out, from how to collect rainwater to how to get the food from the kitchen to the dining table without it getting cold.

After a beautiful day touring, we stopped at the Tastee-Freez. It was like going back in time, especially getting to see the locals interact with each other. I forget that you don't have to go very far south before people start having accents!