Right At Home..

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

I did not have to be at Monticello this morning until 9:00 am so I had time for an early morning walk to Dunkin Donuts.  With the UVA medical area right here, there were plenty of people hustling to work.  My drive to Monticello was only 4 miles so I did not have to hustle anywhere.

I arrived and realized that the house sits on top of a huge hill.  I took the first shuttle up and was greeted by our tour guide.  He was a polished and well dressed gentleman who certainly knew his Jefferson facts.  The house and the grounds are well kept and well known but there are no pictures allowed once inside.  To me, that is where all the cool stuff is, the three sash windows, the earliest sky lights,  clever dumb waiters, and octangonal rooms.  I also learned that in Jefferson's time, shoes were identical.  It wasn't until Civil War soldiers needed to march long distances that right and left shoes came to pass.  Who'd a thunk it ?

We started on the East side and exited out the north side.  The guide pointed to a tiny opening through the trees where the Rotunda at UVA can barely be seen 4 miles away.  The telephoto lens of my camera makes it look close but it was a long way off.

The guide did a nice job although he did a surgical dance around the Sally Hemings issue, resting clearly on the side of the doubters.  Walking to the west side you get the " Nickel View " the side that is seen on the back of a nickel.

Instead of taking the shuttle back down, I walked down past the grave site and the gardens, then watched the 20 minute movie back at the visitor's center.  Jefferson lived with the paradox of crafting the Declaration of Independence where he wrote that all men are created equal, yet he kept slaves at Monticello.  His view was that it was an issue to be straightened out by future generations.  As I left the parking lot, I turned in the direction of the Appomattox Court House, where the issue finally did get resolved.

The drive to Appomattox was a good ride. There were no highways which is nice because my truck really behaves better in the 45 to 50 mph range.  I was amazed at how few homes I saw during the hour and 15 minutes that I was in the countryside.  There is a lot of wide open space in Virginia..

I had no real expectations of Appomattox but it was a lot different than I envisioned.  Grant chased Lee through this area to the point where Lee and his army had no way out.  Lee sent one of his Officers to to find a suitable place for the surrender so the McLean House was really a random choice.  

As a side note, I was wearing a Red Sox shirt today and got some good natured flack about it, and my accent, at Monticello.  The kid at the visitor center at Appomattox did not give me any trouble at all, he was from Worcester.

The room where the surrender took place was the living room of the house. Again, I pictured it would be bigger, but it must have been good enough.  The Civil War ended there...

As I left, I looked under a small desk at the door and noticed the notebook in the picture below.  I had to sneak a picture of it when the volunteer wasn't looking.  It sounds like a good name for the surrender documents to me...

Leaving Appomattox, I needed to buy gas because I hadn't seen a station on the ride down.  Mr. GPS sent me a couple of miles out of my way and to the south.  Driving along, I noticed the establishment in the picture below. My marketing skills were never the best, but really ?  If you want to try them out, they are just two miles from Appomattox.  You see a lot of crazy stuff on the road..

So after making a panic U turn to get that picture, I arrived at the gas station.  While filling up, a small pickup rolled in.  A young girl was driving, her Dad was in the passenger's seat.  As they got out, Dad asked his daughter if she brought money for gas.  She answered him matter of factly saying, " No. That's what you're here for ! "  

It made me feel right at home...

Blue RIdge Parkway and perhaps Sky Line Drive tomorrow.