Monticello

Well, if yesterday was winter, today was definitely spring. As we left this morning, while it was still chilly, it wasn’t cold. We had a breakfast of cereal and yogurt and then headed out to warm up in the car and search for some fresh brewed coffee for my dad. We were all pretty cold, having spent the night without heat. We didn’t know where we were going, but we hoped wherever we ended up, they would have electricity!

As we drove out of the Basye valley, we saw reason after reason after reason why we didn’t have electricity. Apparently the wind storm was just getting underway yesterday, and last night was the peak of the winds. We drove by the golf course and observed evergreens at least a foot in diameter completely snapped in half. Some weren’t even near their roots, but lay several yards down wind. The sheer power of the storm became even more apparent as we drove out and saw how many trees had come down on power lines and across the road after we drove in last night. The clean up was only just beginning. No wonder we didn’t have power all night.

We started out the day at the Meem’s Bottom Covered Bridge, which is the only covered bridge in Virginia open to vehicular traffic. It stretches 200 feet in a single span, and is quite the sight to see! The kids were impressed, and definitely enjoyed the “history” they could walk on and touch. As we got back in the car, we decided to spend the remainder of the day at Monticello, near Charlottesville, VA.

Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Let me just say that it was a gorgeous day to be out and about. Unlike yesterday, which hovered in the low 30’s, today was in the low to mid 60’s. What a difference a day makes! The kids and I wandered the grounds, took the Plantation Tour and then toured the house itself. The little guy wasn’t terribly impressed, so I took him and #3 out while the oldest two finished up the tour of the house and yakked the ear off the tour guide.

May I just say that Monticello in the spring is just breath-takingly beautiful? The tulips, dogwood trees, red bud, Virginia Bluebells and cherry blossoms in addition to the trees budding out…simply stunning! I can see why so many would settle here…so long as all you saw was spring or fall. Because winter is frigid and the summer is so awfully sticky and hot. I’d prefer not to be sticky or frozen if I can help it!

As a precaution, we ate dinner out before returning to the resort. We had no idea whether or not the power would be restored, but we weren’t holding our breath. Not after all of the destruction we saw in the morning. We got back and put the kids directly to bed and learned that the power had been restored a little more than 40 minutes prior to our arrival. The heater was still struggling to keep up and the refrigerator was still cranking away. I’m happy to have electricity again, because that means there is hot water again. Hurray for a hot shower!