Monticello

Oh, my goodness what a blessing this weekend was. For my birthday, my mother and sister took me to see Monticello for the first time! I don't know HOW I live in Charlottesville, VA and had never seen it yet but it’s true, I hadn't!

I learned a lot about our father of the Declaration. Thomas Jefferson was such an intelligent and creative man for sure!

But before going to see our third president’s house we stopped at a historic tavern called Michie's tavern for lunch.  It was delicious and we had such a sweet waitress! She even posed for use :D.

The tavern itself is a museum so we took the tour and looked around before heading down the road to Monticello.

Photo By: http://washington.dukegill.com/michiestavern.htm

Inside we found a slew of treasures but here is just a few of my favorites we saw.

 The mattresses back then were held up with ropes instead of springs or slates!

 This massive thing is a thermometer!

Outside there were a few outbuildings that were part of the original property as well.

This was the meat curing house.

Here is the 'fridge'. Fresh water would come from a natural spring and be directed into this building and into cooling sections to keep things like drinks and milk cool before using or drinking. How cool (pun intended) is that?!

After touring the tavern we headed down the road to Monticello.

Once there our first stop was to the visitor center and museum. I had no idea Thomas Jefferson's children and grandchildren were such DIYers

 Here is one of the children's watercolor set.

 The little ladies of the house spent their days learning how to sew and stitch.

Thomas Jefferson himself was more of an inventor and scientist then homemaker though. He loved to learn, to build and create. He was a practical man with grand ideas.

One of my favorite sensible things he did was to make a seed saver wall and log. (This is not in his house but a replica of what it might have looked like... minus the labels).

Our third president would cultivate new breeds and hybrids each year and in his log write down how hardy the brew was and how long it took to bloom and harvest etc. It really was amazing to see the difference between him and our other found fathers. He never did anything if it had no use.

Even his gardens served a purpose. Unlike most of America's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson did not see the practicality in a floral garden; instead, he created a 1,000-foot vegetable garden, an orchard, vineyard and small plant nursery. He did, however, love to learn about everything and that included plants. He would bring unique plants back from his travels and keep them in his sunroom like a greenhouse; where guests and himself could enjoy them all season.

Another one of my favorite attributes of his was his cleverness and innovative thinking.

It was so wonderful to see things like storm windows in a building so old. He really was such an inventor.

While there my sister even let me do a little photo session! The garden was so beautiful and I love photographing her, how could I not?!

 There were lovely poppies scattered throughout the garden grounds.

I wish I could have taken photos of Monticello itself but due to them having some items on loan without the photographic rights, I wasn't permitted to take any photos. I can let you know one thing for sure though, it is stunning! So many things to learn and see and it was an honor to take part in learning about Thomas Jefferson's life. A must see for all patriots, history buffs, gardeners, and architectural buffs alike!

It was such a blessing to be able to enjoy this time with just us girls and I had truly, an amazing time. Thank you, girls, for making this birthday special. You are both dolls!