And that other fine fellow...

With all our obsessing about Lincoln and Obama, we might have overlooked another one of our favorite Presidents--Thomas Jefferson--an all around great American--but we didn't!  On our way home, we wound our way through the lush Virginia countryside into foxhunt country--large "named" estates that had ever-so-tasteful signs out front, indicating that somewhere nestled (and hidden) in the hills was probably an incredible house and stables.  We may as well have been in England (except for that part about driving on the left side of the road). Our arrival at Jefferson's Monticello home coincided with the skies clouding over and a drizzle beginning to fall; of course, on the top of a mountain, when the skies cloud over, you're in the fog! Strangely, all that white air blowing in intensified the setting and its beauty. And really, what a lovely home and garden!                                                          

No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, 

and no culture comparable to that of the garden.

--Thomas Jefferson

Looking for Lincoln

Later this morning we are hitting the road and heading for the Land O' Lincoln, logs and all! It's actually a stop on the way to somewhere else (you'll see), but the journey itself should be just as fun as the destination, right? (Go ahead and groan, it's a tired cliche!) Bags are sort of packed and road food has been purchased.  We're planning to picnic along the way. There's just something special about sitting at a rest stop on the interstate--diesel fumes mingling with your turkey/swiss sandwiches. Yummy! Just kidding--the weather is supposed to be gorgeous and it can be much more fun (and inexpensive really) to sit out in the sun, watching the comings & goings of your fellow travelers. Oh, we're trying to eat healthy, too.  It took great willpower on my part not to buy a bag of cookies to take along; I decided, realistically, we would probably scarf them all down in the first 100 miles or so!

Ok, off we go, the road beckons!