A Visit to Monticello

 It was raining when we arrived but it let up while we toured. Thomas Jefferson took forty years to build his home. He did not get to enjoy it much until he retired here at the age of 66. 

 

The first floor is the only interior part open for tours although they are working to open the upper floors in the future. The house has many ingenious efficiencies. Photos are not allowed inside so I recommend if you get the chance come and see it. One example, to save space he built beds into walls then built closets in the space above the bed.  Access to clothes was via ladders, I bet he had servants do the climbing. Come to think of it I bet Mr Jefferson would be impressed with the use of space here in our camper!

 Do you know what the "Piedmont" is? Mr Jefferson stood in this observatory to look over his plantation and the Piedmont. The word is derived from Latin for foothills or foot of mountains. It refers to the coastal plateau of the US east of the mountains and short of the coastal lowlands. 

 After the interior tour we had a second tour about slavery at Monticello. The presentation was fair and informative. This clock is visible on the front porch of Monticello - it is two-faced, the other face is on the inside in the entry. It is powered by weights in each corner of the entry. The weights do double duty to designate the day as they pass the name of the day on the wall. The clock even has a second hand. The clock is sort of a metaphor of a man who owns slaves and pens the words "All men are created equal..." The words are simple on the outside, living into them gets complicated. 

The gardens are a preservation seed bank of Jefferson era and 19th century vegetable varieties. The tour guide said a perk of his job is the bounty of the garden's harvest. 

Speaking of bounty of harvest- I just made an apple crisp with the last of our Maine apples. Yummmmmy :-)