Jeffersons Monticello

Thursday we took a drive to visit Monticello, the home of

our third President, Thomas Jefferson.

It is also the current home of Gracies' Breeder so we combined our visit with a

fast stop to see him and Gracies' littermate and sister - Lilly.

We felt like VIP's...

Entering the private gate - getting cleared by security to go to

the Monticello Presidents house, and driving into the private sections of the

massive estate.

Thomas Jefferson was a complex individual.

A big proponent of freedom and liberty he wrote the

Declaration of Independence and was also quite an inventor.

This spherical sundial was one of his inventions and was an international

sensation of the era.

No photographs were allowed inside the main living areas of the home.

The plantation was home to Jefferson and his wife as well as approximately

400 slaves.   They were freed by his daughter after his death.

Some of the still operating vegetable gardens

The wine cellar

His grave (the obelisk) and those of his direct decendants.

Jefferson wanted not to be remembered as our Third President, but rather

as the Author of the Declaration of Independence and the 

founder of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, just

a short distance from Monticello.

The visitor center was quite impressive both in content and construction.

Among the offerings were heirloom plants and flowers.

If you find yourself in the area...  a stop is a worthwhile endeavor.

You just might learn something...

and gain a Doodle.