Virginia, Part Two (Charlottesville)

While we were in Charlottesville, another birthday rolled on by for me. They just keep coming, don’t they? Well, I guess when you consider the alternative it is just as well. Chris asked what I wanted to do to celebrate and that was easy. I wanted to take a drive along the Skyline Drive which runs along the spine of the Shenandoah Mountains. The trees and spring flowers were just getting started so the hillsides were still a little bare looking but it was still a pretty drive.

Being a Northwest girl, I was a bit surprised. The drive seemed never to leave the foothills as the highest point we encountered was just 3,680 ft. I have lived in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains most of my life so this elevation hardly seems to fit the title of “mountain”. 

Still, it is a beautiful drive and we stopped numerous times to take in the view.

Parlor in the Inn at Court Square

That evening Chris took me out for a romantic dinner in Charlottesville. The Inn at Court Square was originally built in 1785 as a private home but is now a lovely Inn. We had a wonderful meal served in the parlor where we were included in the conversation with several guests from Georgia. The owner came by to introduce herself and make sure we were being well taken care of, which we were.

Daedalus Bookstore

The next day we decided to drive back into Charlottesville to check out the bookstores…of which there are SIX in town. A paradise for two people who are voracious readers! Our favorite was Daedalus – a regular rabbit’s warren with rooms upon rooms filled with books. There are even books lining the wall of the stairway to the basement. 

Charlottesville pedestrian mall

Two blocks down from the bookstore we discovered an entire street that has been turned into a pedestrian mall. It is wonderful. The street is paved with red bricks and lined with historic buildings which have been converted into shops, restaurants and living spaces. Outdoor seating for the restaurants, local vendors and numerous spots to just sit and watch the world go by are shaded by huge old Oak trees.

We loved wandering the shops and then enjoying a delicious lunch and ice cold beer in the shade. I am sorry to say that I didn’t think to bring my camera along so I’ve had to steal a couple photos from the internet.

Albemarle County Courthouse (across the street from the Inn at Court Square)

I do hope that someday we can return to the Charlottesville area. There is still much to explore there.

Monticello

From Ashland we pushed west, landing in a lovely KOA in Charlottesville, VA. The KOA book warns guests to follow their directions and NOT the GPS as the latter will send you under a 10’6” bridge. This is not conducive to safe passage by a 12’6” vehicle! The campground, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was in the midst of a beautiful woodland and, with few campers, it felt very private.

East facing entrance

West entrance and back porch (deck)

Our first day trip in this locale was to Monticello which turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire “Bucket List Tour”.  Thomas Jefferson’s home sits atop a high hill and overlooks the entire Shenandoah Valley. 

View from the west entrance.

Mulberry Row

We were allowed the run of the grounds and wherever you stand, the beauty that is Virginia is at your feet. A feeling of peace and tranquility pervades and it is easy to understand why Jefferson hated leaving this very special retreat. 

Tea Room

Touring the inside of the home was a special treat. We learned that Jefferson served as minister to France and lived in Paris for the four years he held this position. 

Wine Cellar

While there, he acquired a love for many things French, not the least of which was French Wine (a man after my own heart if ever there was one).

It was interesting to learn that Jefferson, who was a self-taught architect, designed the home himself and included many unusual touches. 

Alcove bed.

Beds were built into alcoves, thus creating much more useable space in the room. A dumbwaiter was installed from the wine cellar directly to the dining room. 

The dining room was brilliant yellow.

Rooms were painted bold, bright colors…something I never expected in a home built in the 1700’s. There are skylights everywhere so the rooms are flooded with light.

On the floor of the east entry porch is a compass rose and above the door is a unique clock with a face both outside and in. The outside face has only an hour hand while the one inside is complete including a second hand. The clock also has a gong on the roof which bongs hourly. The whole shebang is driven by a system of long ropes and weights which hang in the corners on each side of it and descend, through holes in the floor, to the basement. It runs for a week at a time and is hand wound every Sunday.

Library

Everywhere in the home are bookcases filled with books on every possible subject. Jefferson was a voracious reader and I loved learning that he was a Bibliophile like me. I couldn’t resist buying a coffee mug with one of his quotes on it: “I can’t live without books.”

Stables

Beneath the house and large back porch is a long passageway to the wine cellar, the stables,  a large storage area that was filled with ice & snow during the winter months in order to have ice during the summer, the kitchen and bakery and some of the living quarters for the house slaves.

The grounds surrounding Monticello are a symphony of color. Flowerbeds ring large grassy areas. 

A large terraced vegetable and herb garden is still intact and contains plants that are descendants of the original stock grown when Jefferson lived here. There is even a fish pond just off the west entrance which was kept stocked so fresh fish could be regularly included in the menu.

A small, glass enclosed, pavilion sits at the edge of the vegetable garden and overlooks the entire valley. Jefferson loved to come here to read and to think. Standing inside and taking in the beauty…and realizing that you might be standing in the exact spot where Jefferson stood is truly breathtaking.

Just down the hill from the house is the Jefferson family cemetery where Thomas Jefferson rests.  

It was an unforgettable day for us. 

Note: We were not allowed to take photos inside the house so the pictures of those rooms are stolen from the internet.

Virginia, Part One

After a quick stop in Beaufort, North Carolina to visit some cruising friends, our next stop was Virginia, a state with much history and much to see. The rolling hills, elegant homes and historic towns are beautiful. This state, as one of the original 13 colonies, and the one that produced eight of our Presidents was a big part of the country’s history, much of which is pretty bloody.

The first stop was Ashland, VA as it was equidistant from several areas we wanted to see.

One of the first places we visited was Fredericksburg where we began with the self-guided walking tour of Marye’s Heights. 

This house was here during the battles fought in the Civil War and belonged to Marye.

More than one battle was fought here during the Civil War and 15,000 men lost their lives on the pretty grassy hill. 

The inside of the house was riddled with bullets.

The worst fight, December 13, 1862, was the assault of Major General Ambrose E. Burnside and nine divisions comprised of 30,000 Union troops. The Confederate soldiers were hunkered down on a “sunken road” behind a rock wall as wave after wave of Union soldiers charged UP a fairly gentle rise toward them. There was nowhere to hide and the boys in blue were mowed down by the thousands. To stand at the top of the hill and envision that awful battle and the obscene bloodshed is stunning. On the hill above the road is a cemetery where many of those who died there are buried.

Monument to Richard Rowland Kirkland, "The Angel of Marye's Heights.

As we walked the path along the curve of the hill, we came to a beautiful statue erected in memory of Richard Rowland Kirkland who was a member of the South Carolina Volunteers. During the night of the massacre, wounded Union soldiers who were able, retreated to the bottom of the hill. The following morning there were still thousands who lay dying and many were pleading for aid. Kirkland requested and received permission from his commanding officer to help and, at the risk of being killed himself, took water and blankets to the fallen soldiers. He came to be known as the The Angel of Marye’s Heights. It was an especially moving story and almost brought me to my tears.

Mary Washington's home.

After leaving Marye’s Heights we drove into the lovely town of Fredericksburg. Here we found the home of George Washington’s mother, Mary, and the Rising Sun Tavern which was originally built by George’s younger brother, Charles, as a home. The town dates back to 1676 and many of the buildings are still standing.  

We were rather hoping for a cold beverage at the Rising Sun but, alas, these days it is only a replica of a pub. A young woman in period dress gave us a tour of the place with an interesting dialog about life in the days when the Rising Sun was actually a tavern. She explained that I, as a woman, would be sequestered in a small room and not allowed in the main parlor or dining room where my husband and the other men would be eating, drinking & playing games like poker & whist. Nor would I be able to share the sleeping accommodations with him unless he was exceptionally well to do and could afford the only room available for couples.

A fat (well fed) leech. Eww!

The tour of the Hugh Mercer Apothecary was very interesting as well. The young docent explained some of the torturous medical practices of the 1700’s & 1800’s, held a quite lively leech in his hand and shared many of the herbs and spices that were, and still are, used to treat diseases and symptoms. Among other things, we still use ginger to cure motion sickness and lobelia to calm nerves.

 

Some buildings were not in great shape.

Some were beautifully restored.

Fredericksburg, like many of the towns on the east coast, has quite a few buildings dating back to the 1600’s. Some have been lovingly restored. Some haven’t. While wandering along main street we were approached by a woman in her 60’s (at least) who just wanted to say hello, inquire where we were from and tell us a little about the town. She explained that she is “restoring” her home and planning to turn it into a bed & breakfast. Though she was fascinating to talk with, Chris & I have our doubts about the house. It had a substantial amount of dry rot and the porch looked like you would fall right through it. Still, one had to give her an “A” for effort and tenacity.

“Colonial” Williamsburg was next and was not exactly what I’d expected. While it is another town from the 1600’s that has been restored and peopled with folks in period costume who explained what life was like back then, it was more along the lines of a theme park without the cotton candy and thrill rides. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was responsible for the restoration of Williamsburg and his foundation takes care of the maintenance, upkeep & improvements. The folks who work in the park spend their days recreating daily life in the 1700’s. 

Harnessing the Oxen to the plow to go work in the field.

After paying our admission (which was fairly substantial) we entered through the “slave quarters” where we watched as a man hitched up a team of oxen and used them to plow a section of field. 

Slave cabin in Williamsburg.

Walking through the small slave cabin, two young women who were huddled by the fire in the chill, talked about the living conditions of slaves and farmers during that time. As we continued on through the forest into downtown Williamsburg, a wandering preacher welcomed us and spent some time trying to save our souls. 

"WHO will come and join the effort..."

At one point, while we were exploring the town, we came upon a military man who was recruiting volunteers for the militia. He was looking for anyone over 15 and under 60 to join up for the cause. A few youngsters were convinced to sign up though they were a rather sad lot when it came to following directions. Fortunately, Chris was outside the age limit, so we continued on down the street. 

At the Post Office, we mailed a couple postcards which the Postmaster hand stamped “Williamsburg”. I hope the recipients got a kick out of that. 

Learning the Virginia Reel.

As we left the Post Office we came upon a young “crier” inviting us to a dance demonstration. Well, we must have misunderstood the definition as it wasn’t a demonstration of dances…it was a dance lesson! We had a great time learning to dance the Virginia Reel.

Armory building

The tour of the armory was pretty interesting. During that time in history, guns were very expensive so ALL the weapons and supplies for the militia were kept in the armory building. At the first sign of trouble an alarm was sounded and all the men came running to get their guns and defend the town.   

Springtime Tulips

The Trellis and shops to explore.

It was pretty chilly that day so we stopped into the Trellis restaurant for lunch, spent a little time perusing the many gift and specialty shops and then drove back to the RV for a little wine and a good night’s sleep.