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

Lincoln Gets Monumental

We've seen quite a few life-size Lincolns on our pilgrimage (people seem obsessed with rubbing his nose for good luck and at one place, you could even do a side-by-side hand comparison; it gets weird). Now we've gone MONUMENTAL.  Yep, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. does not disappoint!  A person can get choked up --especially when you make all the connections with the present. You know, the manifestation of Lincoln's endeavors culminating with President Obama.  It feels good to be an American again. (A lot of us knew exactly what Michelle Obama meant when she said she was finally proud, etc.)

We also literally made a Lincoln-Obama connection.  As we stepped out of the Metro and headed for the Lincoln Memorial, we came upon an intersection that was totally blocked off with police everywhere. Hmmm.... something was going to happen.  In a couple minutes it did! Obama's entire Presidential motorcade swooshed by--sirens, flags, and so many, many black vehicles. (Apparently there can never be too many black cars in one's entourage!) It was just like on the TV!

Thinkin' About Lincoln

All is well in Lincolnland.  Coincidentally, Springfield's promotional stuff about Abe is called "Looking for Lincoln"-- just like my last post. Guess we're not the only ones looking for the guy! And I guess you could say we pretty much found him, beginning with his ginormous tomb.  Having recently been in Lenin's tomb, I'd have to say Abe's doesn't have quite the same, uh, bodily mystique. Abe has the decency to be 10 feet down in concrete, whereas poor Vladimir is right there under glass, waxy as a candle, for all to see! (Well, as long as you're reverent, quiet, and don't make an ass of yourself.)  I digress...back to President Lincoln! 

                                          

We tramped through the Illinois State Capitol (building), the Presidential Museum, and Lincoln's home where he lived while he was a Senator from Illinois before going on to be President (hmm...now that sounds somewhat familiar.  Haven't I heard a similar story recently?!) I love antique furniture, but my heart goes out to a 6'4" man who used this as his writing desk in his parlor:

Somewhere in between all this, we were interviewed for the local evening news for their top story. We told them, more or less, whether we noticed that they had a pigeon poop problem. (No kidding!) Well, hilariously, my comment made the cut and my busband, standing dutifully next to me, only got to say an agreeable "yeah." We hooted with laughter watching it in our hotel room. (Strangely enough, almost the same thing happened when we were interviewed for Omaha's TV news a few years back--my comments were left intact and my husband got to stand there and look supportive, all of his witty repartee on the cutting room floor.  Come to think of it, do you know anybody else who has appeared in 2 different states, randomly interviewed on the local news? Really, I don't know anyone & I find the whole thing kind of bizarre. Why on earth would  they walk up to us and think we could give them answers!)