November 5

If the first picture is not clear, use the back of your nickel.

Monticello stands prominently at the top of a mountain (hill) overlooking the treed valleys below. The buildings and gardens were designed by Jefferson and he strictly supervised construction over a forty year period. As a self taught student of architecture, his estate evolved into a neoclassical design, an outgrowth of his experience in France, and his taste for design and elegance. His gardens were scientifically nurtured and his home was filled with his inventions and the inventions of the day. Science, literature, history, architecture, horticulture, and art all ooze forth as you walk through the mansion. The plantation grew to 1,000 acres at one time and he owned 200 slaves. At his death, he had accumulated and, perhaps inherited, much debt, forcing the family to sell the home, its contents and his slaves. Monticello, like Mount Vernon, was purchased by a nonprofit in 1923 which has replenished the mansion with many of the original artifacts.

I draw some comparisons in visiting both Mt. Vernon and Monticello within the week. Both men married wealthy widows named Martha. Neither fathered sons to carry on the family name. Both enjoyed farming and used scientific methods. Both detested tobacco and what it did to their soil and eagerly changed their farms to grain. Both used the grain to produce their favorite libation. Washington was once the largest distiller of whiskey in the colonies. Jefferson brewed beer. Both lived as renaissance men but both families lost their estates after their death. Both owned slaves and although they granted some of their slaves freedom, most were sold at the master’s death. Both were dedicated family men and enjoyed having their daughters (step daughters in Washington’s case) and grandchildren live with him until death. Both men are buried at their family homes next to their wives and extended family.

I would rate Monticello at the top spot of the trip. Yes, Niagara is a moving and powerful creation. The legacy of Jefferson is profound and summed up in his own epitaph. “The author of the Declaration of Independence, the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the founder of the University of Virginia.” No mention was made of his ambassadorship, his presidency or his orchestration of westward expansion. As large as his tombstone is, there was no room for all of his accomplishments and he clearly indicated what he felt was most important. What a man.

We spent the afternoon driving the Jeep through part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The day was clear but it is November 5. It is a late fall here and the color, however vibrant, was lost to the dry and warm conditions. The treed mountains (hills) and incredible views I hope are somewhat represented in the pictures.