Shooting the Warren County Courthouse

Indianola is the county seat of Warren County and this is their courthouse. While two highways intersect in Indianola, this courthouse is on neither. The traditional town square and business district is a couple of blocks northwest of that intersection. This location has allowed for some very nice events to be held on the square. I've blogged about their Bluegrass Tuesday program and the Warren County Corvette Club car show. They also have a reputation for a huge motorcycle Bike Night on the square but I've not made it for one yet.

NASCAR: Richmond

Week 10 took us to the short track at Richmond. My guys didn't do so well.

Tenth Frame

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 32
Sprint Cup Points : 73

Kvapil, Travis Qualifying Points : 10
Sprint Cup Points : 115

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 28
Sprint Cup Points : 55

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 38
Sprint Cup Points : 67


Tri-Oval Grover 667 447 JLT Racing
DUI Racing 649 517 Hatethe8
League of Tomorrow 549 418 Tenth Frame
Team of Tomorrow 521 445 Left Side Rubber

NASCAR: Talladega

Week 9 took the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to Talladega. Sweet Home, Alabama! My team produced another win!

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 34
Sprint Cup Points : 129

Kvapil, Travis Qualifying Points : 30
Sprint Cup Points : 150

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 8
Sprint Cup Points : 146

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 18
Sprint Cup Points : 175

Tenth Frame 690 382 Team of Tomorrow
JLT Racing 640 542 Hatethe8
League of Tomorrow 531 261 Left Side Rubber
Tri-Oval Grover 453 400 DUI Racing

Fishing at Ahquabi

Fortunately, Linda and I enjoy spending a couple of hours standing along the shore of a lake, talking in hushed voices, casting our lines, uninterrupted by fish because, more often than not, that's what we do when we go fishing. This spring day was no exception. It was a beautiful day to be out and the views across the lake were very nice. The kayaks in the photo were not the only watercraft we saw on the water but there weren't a lot more out there yet. Later in the year, when it really warms up, it would be a challenge to take a photo of the lake without a boat of some sort showing up in it. Ahquabi is one of our favorite places to do what we call fishing.

Previewing Tulip Time in Pella

Scheduling this year made it highly unlikely that Linda and I would get over to see the official Tulip Time festivities so we went over the night before and looked around at the flowers and decorations before they were subjected to the admiration and wear and tear of thousands. Conditions this spring had slowed the blooms just about perfectly for a colorful event; there was so much more color than at the "stemfest" last year when most of the petals had fallen away. A group of youngsters were practicing dancing in their wooden shoes in front of the grandstand providing background music and atmosphere. Unfortunately, the bakery had closed about thirty minuted before our arrival so we had to go without.

Scoping out this year's Beautiful Bulldogs

Another fun off-track event of the Drake Relays is the selection and crowning of the Most Beautiful Bulldog. For the last couple of years, Linda and I have spent a lunch hour watching the parade of curvacious canines walk the runway. Located at Nollen Plaza downtown, it draws a pretty decent crowd. Last year's Most Beautiful Bulldog, Riggs, was on the throne (briefly) monitoring the proceedings. Drake legend Dolph Pulliam of the 1969 Men's Final Four basketball team was Master of Ceremonies again and had a pretty good time with the introductions. Costumes seem to to be the order of the day... and the dogs aren't the only ones getting dressed up. Linda and I both noticed and commented that the pink ballerina / princess bulldog from last year was absent from the line-up this year; evidently coming in second too often takes its toll on a dog. This event really does a nice job of bringing awareness downtown.

Checking out the Drake Relays Parade

Caught up in the Relays spirit, Linda and I went up to see the parade. The route is basically a trip around the campus and that's enough room to put on a pretty nice parade. We found a spot along University Avenue across from Old Main. One of the parade route security people stopped by and chatted with us as we waited. "Ready to get some Tootsie Rolls?" she asked. "They're the best value so you'll see a lot of them today." Our area was soon scattered with viewers. There were several kids to clean up the Tootsie Rolls so we wouldn't feel guilty if we let some fall from time to time.

Right on time, the parade made the turn off Twenty-Fifth and down University. Various community dignitaries were chauferred down the street in wonderful old cars and were celebrated by their fans. There weren't a great number of fans so we had to be demonstrative or it would have been a drive around campus. Of course, cheering produced amazing numbers of tootsie rolls of various flavors. Clearly, security had their finger on the pulse of the candy aspect of the parade.

Before it was over, one of our favorite parade and sporting event groups came thundering around the bend: the Isiserettes Drill and Drum Corps. These kids can fill up any room! Drums hammered out the beat as the dancers put on quite a show. It's always a treat to see them perform.

Stopping by Drake Relays Street Painting

One of the great events of Relays doesn't take place at the stadium. Each year, various campus organizations get a day to repaint one block of street on campus. Barricades prevent cars from travelling the street virtually all year so the work is there until replaced the following spring. A particular theme is given, squares marked off, and the paint begins to flow. As you can see in the images, it doesn't always hit the pavement but that's part of the tradition as well. All in all, a good time is had and the street really does look pretty good when it's done.

Yes, Linda and I do remain at a "safe" distance.

Dropping in at the Drake Spring Game

The 2007 Bulldogs had a rough but winning season finishing with a 6-5 record, including a 3-4 league mark. Interim coach Steve Loney kept the Bulldogs on course and gave the eventual conference champion Dayton Flyers a fight to the end.

New head coach, Chris Creighton, has a glowing reputation both on and off the field. Currently ranked fourth among all active NCAA Division III football coaches in career winning percentage, he also is recognized for preparing his players well for life beyond the field and university. I'm looking forward to the 2008 Drake football campaign.

Visiting the Historic Durham Band Shell in Ames

One of the historic attractions in Ames is the Durham Band Shell. It's become enough of a landmark that former City Park is now Bandshell Park. Over seventy years of activities and steady support from the community have kept the band shell a prominent cultural asset. It appears that there's an ongoing drive to continue renovations and maintenance of this fine facility.

While I don't recall having attended a performance at any of the various bandshells I've encountered, I can easily understand the appeal both to the community performers and those in the audience. I don't know how many community bands are still actively rehearsing and performing but would enjoy running across one some time.

Finding the Circle of Arts in Ames

Linda and I took a walk around Ames and found this little gem in Bandshell Park. A nicely designed tribute to the arts in the north west quadrant of the park, this is certainly an eye-catcher. Designed by William C. Culbertson and installed in 2004, it's a very nice addition to the park.

In the center stands Creativity, who holds in her hand the seed of inspiration. Surrounding her, the medallions represent five ares of human expression: visual arts, literary arts, musical arts, dramatic arts, and athletics.

Shooting the Ames Carnegie Library

The Ames public library has grown beyond the structure made possible with the help of the Carnegie grant but the original building was still easily recognized. Situated on the corner, the library has extended down both streets. The patron entrance is now out of frame to the left and the employee entrance is down the street to the right. Inside, the transitions between the old and new were nearly indistinguishable. Most of the original building is now meeting rooms, offices, and a computer lab. It was nice to see the growth that came from that original investment in and by the community.

Checking out the 2008 Iowa State Spring Game

As we did last year, Linda and I went up to Ames to see the Iowa State Cyclone spring football game. This year the stadium was mid-renovation and the turf was looking pretty rough but Coach Chizik had the team looking sharp. The passing game looked fairly sharp but one of their brighter spots looked to be in the running game. I'm not a huge follower of ISU so I don't know if this is a new kid or one who's grown into the job but he was hitting the holes and bulling through the defense. He may be one to watch for this fall.

Marking Earth Day

Linda saw an article that there would be several displays, live music, and food on the Court Avenue Bridge to celebrate Earth Day this year. We did get to enjoy a little live music and saw a number of familiar food vendors but the hour was a little early to be eating so we stuck mostly to the displays. I shot photos of two of the displays.

One display showed several toy cars powered by photovoltaic cells like the one in the photo. As you can see, someone got creative and powered an ear of corn. It was a cloudy day so the power was not quite enough to drive the vehicles forward... unless you shone a flashlight on them.

The other display in the photo is another electric vehicle. The Nevada School District brought their hybrid school bus to display. Linda and I chatted with the two men and learned that Sigourney School District also has a hybrid school bus. These buses are battery powered while speeds are below thirty miles per hour and have a braking system that regenerates electricity as they come to a stop. When more power is needed, the regular engine kicks in and powers the bus up to highway speeds. With a range of about thirty miles on the electric system, the bus is able to complete the normal route. They also shared that gravel roads seem to put an added drain on the electrical system; I didn't ask but got the impression that wheel spin starting and skidding when stopping probably steal away a portion of the power. When the route is completed, the bus is plugged in to recharge the batteries. Nevada plans to move their bus from the rural routes to more town miles; they may not even fire the engine during a run.

Iowa State University's chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers had their car on display as well. Designed under a special set of rules, their car would compete with others from around the nation. Each vehicle will be evaluated on several measures. There are four actual racing events: acceleration, cornering, endurance, and autocross. The endurance race is 13.7 miles and cars can reach highway speeds. The autocross sounded more like a tight half-mile road course with plenty of twists and turns that keep the speeds down under thirty miles per hour. Besides the racing, recognition is also given for other criteria like low production cost.

Alliant Energy was also on site promoting efficiency and alternative energy sources. One I'd not heard of was biodigesters. The idea is to capture the methane being released when biological material is digested by microbes.

Anaerobic digestion ... produces a methane and carbon dioxide rich biogas suitable for energy production helping replace fossil fuels. - Wikipedia

There's an interesting but fairly technical article available on the Alliant Energy website. In it, they state the the annual return for six hundred dairy cows could be two thousand dollars but that one thousand cows increases that return to twenty-eight thousand dollars; not bad! Their research and statistics show that they're getting one kilowatt hour per five cattle or per hundred pigs. It really is an interesting read... if you find that kind of thing interesting... and I kinda do.

NASCAR: Phoenix

Week 8 took the NASCAR to Phoenix. My team produced another win!

Tenth Frame

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 37
Sprint Cup Points : 195

Kvapil, Travis Qualifying Points : 12
Sprint Cup Points : 97

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 14
Sprint Cup Points : 130

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 29
Sprint Cup Points : 115

DUI Racing 721 499 JLT Racing
Tenth Frame 629 467 Left Side Rubber
Hatethe8 578 411 Tri-Oval Grover
League of Tomorrow 510 465 Team of Tomorrow

NASCAR: Texas

Week 7 of the NASCAR season took us to the speedy track in Texas. The team scored a win!

Tenth Frame

Hornish Jr., Sam Qualifying Points : 27
Sprint Cup Points : 67

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 39
Sprint Cup Points : 175

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 33
Sprint Cup Points : 106

Riggs, Scott Qualifying Points : 31
Sprint Cup Points : 82


Team Score Score Team
DUI Racing 655 479 Team of Tomorrow
JLT Racing 586 507 Left Side Rubber
Tenth Frame 560 542 Tri-Oval Grover
Hatethe8 547 403 League of Tomorrow

Having a tenderloin at the Mug N Bun

RoadFood.com wasn't the only place I'd heard of the Mug N Bun Drive-In but it was the one that gave me the address so they get primary credit. In years gone by, I'd seen Indy, NASCAR, and Formula One commetators or racers refer to the Mug N Bun. When I checked with my brother to see if he'd recommend it he gave a solid vote in support of such a stop. I got the home-brew root beer and a tenderloin; they were tasty... but what would you expect with such a recommendation.

Visiting the site of The Greatest Spectacle In Racing®

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the Indianapolis 500, The Greatest Spectacle In Racing®... how could Linda and I come to Indianapolis and not stop by? Besides, that makes our third NASCAR race site of the trip! (Bristol, Martinsville, Indianapolis)

There were a number of Chevrolet cars doing laps on the track so we didn't take the track tour. We did get to stop by the museum and gift shop to at least pick up a souvenir of setting foot within the two and one half mile squared oval. It was a good stop.

Checking out construction of the new Lucas Oil Stadium

Linda and I followed my brother and his family to the construction site of the new Locas Oil Stadium. This new home of the Indianapolis Colts will replace the RCA Dome and, thanks to a retractable roof and window wall, give a feel that is more consistent with an outdoor event. That said, I doubt they'll allow that feel to mimic Lambeau Field in January but ... would you really want that? The season opener this fall will have the Colts playing host to the Monsters of the Midway, da Bears. I'm sure by then, my brother will don the blue and white for the home team; makes sense to me.

Enjoying Bazbeaux Pizza

My brother and his family met Linda and me for lunch and a little walk around downtown. We met them at Monument Circle and wound our way through the business and park areas on our way to the revitalized Massachusetts Avenue. Clearly a hip, happening place, Mass Avenue has become the center of the arts community of Indianapolis. People were out, stopping at shops, chatting with friends, and generally enjoying a nice day.

We stopped at Bazbeaux Pizza and were soon seated at a basement table. Having kept up with the blog, my brother asked if I was going to take a photo. Of course! Here he is, pointing out the Mass Avenue location in the surprising Chicago Bear sweatshirt. A solid Colts fan, I was pleasantly surprised when he showed up in Bear colors. Oh... and the pizza was excellent!

Visiting the State Capitol of Indiana

Linda and I knocked off another state capitol while in Indianapolis. There were very few people around that morning so we had no problem finding a place to park or dodging people hustling and bustling hither and yon. (That would be the idiom meaning in or to a great many places; not the quilt block pattern... but you likely knew that.) Located near the heart of Indianapolis, the building itself is set nicely in an oversize block of it's own allowing for some nice views of the exterior.

Inside, the halls were spacious and warm with natural light from above. That said, there are several handsome chandeliers to drive off the shadows on a more overcast day. Under the dome is what appears to be a very nice stained glass window, backlit with apparent natural light as well; it's as very handsome design that reminded me of the dome at the Drake Library in Centerville, Iowa.

In front of the capitol building, just out of frame in the image above is this relief showing, as I recall, a governor giving a speech to Union soldiers either preparing to go to war or recently returned. While I'm sure that the speech was about high purpose and gratitude for their sacrifice, someone has placed a modern day penny in the hand of the speaker. There are now several alternative speeches he could be giving: a penny saved, their G.I. benefit, look what I have, etc. I'm sure you can come up with any number of alternative topics for his speech. It's an attractive piece that now has an alternative interpretation / appreciation.

Waiting at Great American Ballpark

In spite of the rain, Linda and I got our tickets to the Reds-Phillies game that evening. We got seats as high as we could so we'd have the benefit of some cover overhead. When we went up to our seats, we enjoyed the added benefit of the view across the river you see in the lower right image; it was nice. We'd picked up a ballpark bag of peanuts in the shell. The rain delay became official so we roamed the park, looking for some of the distinctive features... and foods!

Under the colorful topping in the upper right is a dog / brat-like meat that's as Cincinnati as five-way chili: goetta. It's a tasty ground pork evidently extended with oats. I actually found a recipe for it so you can see what goes into it. When saying the name, the 'o' doesn't contribute at all. It sounds just like 'getta'.

Yes, that's yet another dog in the lower left. This is the classic Skyline Chili Dog. If you have a minute, click that link; they show some of their products and they're right up my line.... mmmm. Evidently, if you're serving food in Cincy, you better have plenty of shredded cheese! I'm not complaining, it's just an observation. I like it!

Oh! After an hour and a half roaming the stadium, trying the various offerings, we got to see a ballgame! Okay, we only stayed for an inning or two but we did see them play. During that time, we saw Ken Griffey Junior make a play in the field and drive in a run in his first at bat. Pat Burrell hit a two run homer right over our heads in left field; yes, we moved from our original seats. By this time, people were generally all over the stadium. By the end of the first, Philadelphia was ahead 3-1. By the end, they won 8-4.

We were very pleased with our stop.

Checking out the Taft Museum of Art

While in Cincinnatti, the Taft Museum of Art looked like a nice place to spend a few hours on yet another rainy day. We were not disappointed. The Chinese porcelains found in nearly every room were very attractive and have been a focus of the museum. It truly is Cincinnatti's Home for Art.

Another particularly interesting aspect of the house itself is Robert Duncanson's murals in the entry way. Mr. Duncanson was "a freeborn person of color" and opportunities were scarce yet, fifteen years prior to the Civil War, he was commisioned by the owner of the house to paint the entry way. His work was prominently displayed and attention that it drew set him on his way. For a time, the murals were covered by other wall treatments but, when the were removed, the fine painting below was revealed to be appreciated again.

Yes, the Taft family is that of Cincinnatti born President William Howard Taft. The house was actually the home of the President's half brother, Charles Phelps Taft.

Trying Camp Washington Five Way Chili

Cincinnati has a couple of interesting and distinctive food items; one is their five way chili and Camp Washington has some of the best. We had to chat with our server a bit to be sure we ordered the chili we wanted.

Two-way chili is spaghetti with chili on top. Three-way adds cheese. Four-way adds either chopped onions or red kidney beans. My five-way had both chopped onions and red kidney beans. Mmmm... were any of you truly surprised?

Pausing in Charleston

Charleston is the capitol of the state of West Virginia and this is their capitol building. When the building came into sight, that interestingly patterned dome really caught my eye. I couldn't make out just what the pattern was but it was still an eye-catcher.

Once again it was pouring rain when we arrived so Linda and I were quickly but cautiously looking for a good shot from under the umbrella. I think that this was probably the place where we both were pretty well soaked from the knees down by the time we got back to the car.

We were both surprised to see another state with President Lincoln as a significant figure. The statue in the foreground, though largely a silhouette in this photo, depicts the President as described in Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight by Vachel Lindsay.

Reading the engraving at the base of the statue we learned (possibly reminded) that the state of West Virginia came into being because President Lincoln said so. Originally part of the state of Virginia, divided allegiance and occupation by Union forces led to the proclamation that formed our thirty-fifth state.

Charlestown was a nice stop. I'm aware of several other attractions in the city but weather and schedule kept us on the move.

Stopping at Tamarack

Named after a tree common in the state, Tamarack is a showcase for The Best of West Virginia. Detered by the rain, I didn't take any photos of the exterior of the building or take my camera inside. Built with the purpose of showing the best handcrafts, fine art, and foods of the state, it's a wonderful place to spend a few hours. Resident artists demonstrate their talents on-site daily. It was a nice stop along our way.

Visiting Beckley's Exhibition Coal Mine

Located in the middle of a neighborhood that wasn't really designed to be all that residential sits a real treasure, the Exhibition Coal Mine. Beckley is a hub set in the midst of some major coal fields and has captured some of their history at this site.

The church in the background of this image is just one of several buildings that are now located on site to help tell the tale of the coal miners of the mid to late 1900s. It's a little surprising how much coal mining has changed in this most recent lifetime.

Once again, it was pouring rain as Linda and I moved from building to building. We ducked into a house and met what looked to be three generations of coal miner's daughters. The grandmother, mother, and daughter were gathered around the kitchen table chatting and working on some task of the day. Grandmother showed us around the three rooms and explained a little about domestic life at the mine. These structures were the property of the mining company and home to complete families, sometimes pretty large families.

This is a pretty rough mashup of three photos I took but, as I sit and try to tell you about it, it's about the only way to convey just how small the coal miner's shanty actually was. Generally the home of an unmarried man, it could also be home to a man who's family lived outside the company town. It covered the basic needs of a coal miner: a place to eat and sleep. Just look at all that closet space! I really have to suspect that this is a very dressed up version of these little homes. In reality, I'm guessing they often were only a little cleaner than the men at the end of a shift.

Besides the church, family home, and shanty, there are the school and supervisor's house. We got to look around at the supervisor's and saw a few familiar items. While not actually a normal part of the supervisor's house, they have two rooms set aside to represent the post office and barber shop.

It was about time to enter the mine so we headed down to the mine entrance. Soon we were joined by Joe, our retired coal miner guide, and a group of five, apparently three generations of one family. A mine train was waiting to take us inside. We all loaded on and headed into the mine. As you would expect, there's not a lot of headroom inside a mine; why dig out more room than you need, right?

Our first stop was only about fifty feet inside the mine. Here, Joe tested us by turning off the lights in the mine; better to find out right away who's not comfortable with enclosed and potentially absolutely dark settings. He told us about the seam of coal still visible within the walls of the mine. He also told about the ongoing issue of water in the mines. He explained that it's generally not cost effective to get the water completely out of the mine, rather, you just move it from where it is to where it's not in your way. I've tried that form of housekeeping with only limited success.

As we went from stop to stop, we saw first hand one of the one ton coal carts that Joe filled by hand at the start of his career. He told how some miners would pull tricks to claim a cart filled by another miner and how they put a stop to that kind of thing. Joe also told about the valuable water containers that the miners took with them each day. It was also not uncommon for someone to take a drink out of another man's water from time to time; one of the countermeasures was to leave you false teeth in your water pail.

Joe was a wealth of great stories and hands on information about life as a miner. We soon learned that we had a retired mine inspector on the tour as well. The two had worked at least one mine in common during their careers. They shared interesting perspectives as they reminisced about one thing after the other. It really added a little bonus to the tour to have these two giving point / counterpoint.

By the time we were done, we felt we'd had a very personal peek into life in and around the mines... by many people who'd lived it! That's a pretty special experience in my book.

Shooting Sandstone Falls

West Virginia is a state know for it's natural beauty and the Sandstone Falls on the New River is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of West Virginia. Fifteen hundred feet wide (yes, fifteen hundred) and falling some twenty feet, it is an impressive sight. Okay... I think the river is probably fifteen hundred feet wide but you're seeing the more impressive half; the other half is much more gradual in its descent.

Preparing this entry, I've learned that there's actually a boardwalk down along the near bank that allows some pretty nice viewing of this wonder up close. Unfortunately, we didn't know about that when we were there... and it was pouring rain so I doubt we'd have ventured too far. Located only a few miles from the interstate exit, I can easily recommend this stop.

Starting our day at the Waffle House

When I'm in the land of the Waffle House, I try to make it a point to enjoy their delicious offerings. This time, I had a nice omelet, hash browns, with a great piece of "country bacon" that I would have called a ham steak; it was yummy! Linda enjoyed a beautiful plate of pecan waffles.

On our way in, we passed a luxury sedan with a plate that had lettering that seemed to be short for governor. When we got inside, there was a rather distinguished looking older gentleman at one of the booths. I don't know if that was a former governor but it was fun speculating what he'd be doing at the Waffle House.

We'd selected a booth by the windows and, as I looked out at the parking lot, I saw this license plate (with an actual number that I've painted out.) In Iowa, you can get a license plate with the logo of a school but, so far, I've only seen schools in Iowa. It was odd to me to see a North Carolina logo on a Virginia plate!

Not seeing the Natural Bridge

I'm including this post mostly as a warning to other travellers. The Natural Bridge in western Virginia was purchased by Thomas Jefferson in 1774 from King George III of England. Since then, it's been quite an attaction visited by Americans and Europeans. According to Wikipedia, Herman Melville alluded to the bridge in describing Moby-Dick:

But soon the fore part of him slowly rose from the water; for an instant his whole marbleized body formed a high arch, like Virginia's Natural Bridge...

Now, in my opinion, it's a tourist trap. All sorts of classic little tourism businesses have sprung up to capitalize on the attraction. I wasn't inclined to pay the $24 they required for Linda and me to see the sight.

Checking out Wright's Dairy-Rite

Another of our RoadFood.com stops, Wright's Dairy-Rite in Staunton, Virginia, had just the right thing for me: a dip top ice cream cone. While you can drive in for curb service, there's also a roomy space to sit down and enjoy their offerings. Where we sat, there were citations from the governor and various organizations recognizing this rare treat. I'd happily stop at Wright's again.

Shooting the Barboursville Ruins

As we were planning our trip, Linda found we would be near the Barboursville Ruins. Though not familiar with the site, we learned the history and decided it would be an interesting stop; we weren't disappointed.

The ruins are what remains after a Christmas Day fire in 1884. Designed by Thomas Jefferson for his friend and politician James Barbour, the ruins echo some of the design elements of Monticello. Clearly, in its day, it would have been a magnificent home; in ruin, it's still an impressive structure.

Grabbing a bite at historic Michie Tavern

Mmmm... take a look at that plate! People have been stopping at Michie Tavern since 1784 and now, Linda and I join the list. We enjoyed their colonial fried chicken, hickory smoked pork barbecue, black-eyed peas, stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, hot green beans, whole baby beets, cole slaw, and homemade biscuits and cornbread. The dining area had a nice wood fire in the fireplace to help put us back in the days we might have seen Thomas Jefferson stop by for a bite. Located down the hill from Monticello, it's nice stop.

Marvelling at Monticello

While in Virginia, Linda and I visited Monticello, the hilltop home of Thomas Jefferson. This home took a lifetime to refine but, in its conclusion, is a fascinating expression of his vision. There's a lot to be told about this home and how Mr. Jefferson made it work; I'll share a little.

When you arrive at the visitor parking for the property, you're actually only part way up the hill. You get your ticket and a time to catch the shuttle to the house itself. This serves at least two purposes: they don't let you get a free peek at the house and it keeps the arriving groups to a manageable size; something we appreciated.

We did get to tour the interior of the home but photos were not allowed. The Jefferson's Monticello website has a floor plan and room by room tour with photos.

One of the interesting features of the house is the cabinet and bedroom. If you click the link and look at the image, you can see Jefferson's bed with a red spread. That bed is actually built in the wall between the cabinet and his bedroom. Depending on which way he rolled out of bed, he'd be ready to dress for the day or practically at his desk.

The home has several other interesting features that don't really show in the images on the website. There was a bottle sized dumbwaiter from the wine cellar to a sitting room. Between the main hall and dining space, Jefferson engineered a chain and sprocket mechanism that connected the double doors so that opening or closing one moved the other too. It was a house well considered.

This view is what I'd call the back door. When we arrived, we were let out on the other side of the building. While that would probably be considered the main entrance, I don't think it's any more impressive and my photo from that side included the back sides of people ahead of me so I'll not include it. This lawn is surrounded by a walking path lined with low flower gardens. It's easy to imagine it being a play space for children or space to stroll and talk with friends.

If you look closely in the photo above, you can see while rails extended from both sides of the house. Those are the walkways seen in the left half of this image. Beneath those walkways is the tunnel seen in the right half of this image. This tunnel provided all season access for the hired workers and slaves that worked around the house. Directly below the main house were Jefferson's beer and wine storage as well as work spaces for the house slaves.

At the ends of the tunnel, you have the "dependencies," the larger work spaces. These included the main kitchen and cooks quarters, the smokehouse, and the stable and carriage storage. It's easy to imagine these spaces bustling with people working quite comfortably while Jefferson strolled with dignitaries on that lawn space just above, each largely oblivious of the other. As you can see in this image, there's another walkway above these work areas. At the end of each is a fairly large office type room. The northern space served for some time as the office for Jefferson's son-in-law. The southern was actually Jefferson's home while the rest of the property was being developed.

Mr. Jefferson also used his plantation to experiment with various methods of gardening. He kept very precise records regarding his plants and engineered special spaces in his gardens to produce the most favorable conditions for them to thrive. The Jefferson's Monticello website has a complete section covering the many aspects of Mr. Jefferson's passion for the garden and agriculture of his day. It's pretty amazing that he could keep track of it all, have a vision for how to take the next step, and be able to appreciate the literal fruit of that labor.

That's a lot to try to put together spatially. Click here to see an overview map of the garden, house, dependencies, and walking path I've mentioned.

I'm glad that people have found it worthwhile to restore and maintain a property like Monticello. It a great insight into a fascinating mind, well worth the stop.