11 April 2008

Day Four: Part two (Monticello)

After our adventures in Jamestown and Yorktown, we drove another couple of hours to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. I think that the visit was made more meaningful for the kids now that they had seen his significance in the formation of our young nation. The countryside was beautiful, with spring beginning to spread among the rolling hills. The house itself was magnificent, and we had fun exploring the gardens and all of the servants quarters, stables, storage rooms and ice house under the main house while we we waited for our tour.
The house itself was absolutely fascinating and illustrated what an intelligent and inventive man Thomas Jefferson was. I especially loved seeing the entry hall which he had decorated more like a museum, and his private chambers. We loved to see his extensive library and all of us agreed with him wholeheartedly when he wrote to his friend John Adams, "I cannot live without books!"
Don't I have a beautiful family! Zach later told me that he learned so much on this trip and really loved it! I think they all did.
As we left Monticello, we walked through the woods and daffodils to the Jefferson cemetery. We were able to see where Thomas Jefferson was buried and pay our respects to this great man. We got back in the car and drove to West Virginia where we stayed the night. On the way, we listened to "George Washington: Spymaster" on CD. In the morning, we drove the rest of the way through Kentucky and Indiana to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was great to relax.
Here is a picture of the kids at Grandma and Grandpa's house: Zach, Natalie, Ashley and Elise.
The rest of the drive home was long but uneventful, and after a total of 37 hours of driving time in 6 days, we were home. What a great trip! History came alive for us and we all gained a greater appreciation of the birth of our nation!

1 comment:

proudmama said...

That sounds like such a great, very interesting vacation! I really liked to see all your pictures, especially of your beautiful kids...and of course of the amazing sights you were able to see.