The drive through the rolling hills and vineyards of Central Virginia from Montpelier to Monticello was the most gorgeous I’ve ever experienced.
Our final day in Virginia was beautiful, much different from our ABC trip in 2004. Instead of a tropical drencher, we had sunny clear blue skies which brought out the blues in the surrounding Blue Ridge, a lovely backdrop to the famed home of Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson, the 18th Century Renaissance Man
Visiting Monticello gives one a glimpse into Thomas Jefferson, Renaissance man of America: statesman, architect, inventor, scientist, horticulturist…
President Kennedy once said to a group of Nobel Prize winners at the White House: I think this is the most extraordinary collection of human talent (ever) gathered at the White House-with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.
Jefferson, the Inventor
Throughout the house were inventions, and improvements on others’ inventions. Some of his improvements on others’ ideas are the revolving bookstand, a copying machine, a spherical sundial, a seven-day timepiece. However his true inventions are the cipher wheel to encode and decode messages, a zig zag roof to collect rain water, and the moldboard plow, “mathematically demonstrated to be perfect”, at efficiently plowing with as little force as possible.
Lewis and Clark Styles Foyer
Because he wanted to educate his guests, Jefferson displayed his souvenirs from the Lewis and Clark expedition in the entrance hall.
Well, it was working, because the kids and I quickly took mental notes for our upcoming history studies.
Lafayette Honored at Monticello
When we were in the family sitting room, where Jefferson’s daughter taught her children, I noticed a picture of the Marquis de Lafayette.
When I asked the docent about it, she was surprised that I knew who he was. The kids thought that was funny!
Throughout the tour my son asked numerous questions, again amazing the tour guide. On some of them she said she had to do some research. (oops, we weren’t trying to stump anyone)
Jefferson filled his home with many paintings in the parlor, both to educate his family and to remember his very special friends, including the Marquis, George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Paine, and others.
The tearoom had Houdon busts of the Marquis de Lafayette, George Washington, John Paul Jones, and Benjamin Franklin…which recalled to us the movie we saw at Mount Vernon about how Houdon created the busts from life masks.
Jefferson, the Architect
Influenced by Classical architecture, Jefferson enjoyed designing and building Monticello, often tearing down original ideas to try something new.
Jefferson penned: Architecture is my delight, and putting up and pulling down, one of my favorite amusements.
Founded and designed by Thomas Jefferson in his later years, the University of Virginia opened in 1825.
Jefferson wrote: …this institution of my native state, the hobby of my old age…based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind to explore.
Today one can still see the university through the trees from the pavilion.
Jefferson, the Gardener
The gardens at Monticello have been reproduced from Jefferson’s meticulous gardening journals.
Jefferson penned: “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden…,though an old man, I am but a young gardener.” (1811)
He enjoyed experimenting with seeds from Europe and from those discovered by Lewis and Clark.
Jefferson felt that “the greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.”
Today the gardening staff package seeds from the heirloom gardens. I bought several types to plant in the garden next spring. Can’t wait! Then we’ll see how they make it in Texas! One can only hope!
The extensive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains are amazing.
Jefferson Gravesite
Wanting to be remembered for three lifetime achievements, Jefferson wrote his own epitaph. Near the end of his busy life, the Declaration of Independence, the Statue of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and the University of Virginia were uppermost in his mind.
There are many more photos at my Flicker set here, or click on any of the photos.
