We packed up and left the “Colonies at Williamsburg” condos we’ve called home for the past week. What a great vacation with the Winters family! We’ll spend the next two days at the Winter homestead in Warrenton. After leaving Williamsburg, Alecia and I made a last-minute decision to visit Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home in Charlottesville. Before arriving we dropped into Bodos Bagels a popular spot in Charlottesville. Alecia got a Caesar salad and I got a garlic bagel with egg whites and sausage. Both were really good. The Caesar salad dressing was a classic Caesar olive oil which was different than the creamy dressing we’re accustomed to.
Upon arriving at the Monticello visitors center, we bought tickets and caught a shuttle to Monticello. The home tour took about 45 minutes. Our grandfatherly guide was informative, witty, and very knowledgeable on the details of Jefferson’s home. There is so much to learn about this man who couldn’t live without books, believed strongly in education and exploration, and viewed what most would consider failure as progress toward success. A bit confusing that a man who didn’t believe in debt died owing $107,000 to creditors, kept at bay by his reputation. Today, that would amount to somewhere between $1,000,000-$2,000,000. Much of this debt was inherited from his father-in-law and additionally many had not made a payment that owed him. He also spoke against slavery, yet he formerly only freed seven.
The skies were overcast, the humidity was down, and the temperature was just right for a stroll so we joined a tour of the floral and vegetable gardens. TJ was inquisitive and would have explorers bring back vast varieties of seeds from other countries as well as American explorations. He was willing to try anything and kept detailed journals charting planting location, quantity, growth, and maturation to the table. His organization, persistence, and consistency set a great example of a model that works.
We bought seeds at the gift store and set off back the way we came to check out the spectacular views while treating ourselves to a homemade apple cider doughnut at Carter Mountain Orchard. Alecia also picked up some free recipes and is pretty excited to give them a try.
On the way to Warrenton, we grabbed dinner at Popeye’s a competitor of KFC’s. We ordered chicken tenders, beans and rice, onion rings and buttermilk biscuits. It wasn’t greasy or heavy, the onion rings were spicy and addictive, beans and rice were new to us and tasty, and the biscuits melted in our mouths. For fast food it was great.
Arriving at the Winter’s homestead, we went to share the seed packets with Aunt Grace and realized we’d accidentally left them behind. Oh, the sadness!!! We drowned our sorrows in some Greek desserts we brought back with us and then it was off to bed.
If you want to learn more about Thomas Jefferson, book a tour, or order seeds from Monticello, visit www.monticello.org.
If you’d like some free recipes from Carter Mountain Orchard visitwww.chilesfamilyorchards.com. Yes, that’s Chile’s, not Carter, there are three orchards.
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