35 years

No complaints here.

Los Arboles

We went exploring the other night -- well, that sounds too exciting for what we actually did. I needed to get out of the house, and I wanted to see what Irene left in her path, so after some nudging Sam took me on a drive around our neighborhood.  

Down the street from us

These Japanese Maples did not fare well, but are among the few in our neighborhood that are still rooted in the ground.

Did the wind knock this off? A tree branch?

This house has been the talk of the town -- and not for a good reason. Simply heartbreaking.

The roots from the tree in the picture above. This neighborhood is on day 4 of no electricity, and they may not have any until Friday.

Another tree down on the campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary on Brook and Westwood

Whatever kind of tree this is, it did not withstand the strong winds of Irene. This house, located in a very wealthy and swank part of Richmond, had 3 of these trees planted in front. All 3 trees were uprooted and laying in their front yard and on their house.

Ada and I had to take a different route during our walk of the neighborhood Monday -- this tree was blocking our path.

Bryan Park

 I'll say it again.  We were beyond lucky.

Neighborhood clean up

All photos are posted on Facebook - here are a few of my favorites:

Our neighbors Tej and Bob with Sam.  I'm pretty sure they had a blast doing the clean up.

The storm was definitely scary, but exciting as well. None of us slept well Saturday night as we were certain a tree would land on our homes. Unfortunately half a tree landed on this beautiful house below, which the owners recently purchased and of course just poured time, labor and money into a new porch - looks like they have more work to do. 

My favorite story from the hurricane was hearing a friend complain about her "wasted, college neighbors standing naked in the street during the storm." There were a number of drunk-naked-hurricane stories going around Richmond Saturday. Crazy people.

Even the kids pitched in to help with the clean up efforts - they had fun, too.

With half the neighborhood without power, what else could we do but throw an impromptu hurricane block party with about 23 adults and roughly 10 kids, in addition to passers-by who decided to "join us for awhile."

We were clearly roughing it.

This was the 5th hurricane for our neighbor in the white tank

We started the week with a medium-sized earthquake and ended it with wild and crazy hurricane (with winds up to 71mph).  I have had enough excitement to last me for a long, long time. I think we should just stick with the block parties.

Quentin decided to get an ear infection which meant an emergency trip to the Pediatrician and pharmacy the morning of the Hurricane. We got home just in time for the awesome show to begin.

T.J.

I think it is safe to say that I might have a small crush on Thomas Jefferson after our trip to Monticello last weekend.   It is not so much his political contributions (which are vast and continue to influence us), but his curiosity, meticulous attention to detail and mastery of many different subjects/skills that impress me.  

I was troubled during our visit, however.  How could such an accomplished man, who publicly abhorred slavery, and even wrote a bill to end the practice of slave imports from Africa, be a slave owner himself?  I was also troubled hearing that he believed African-Americans to be inferior to Whites and may have felt he was serving his slaves well by keeping them under his care, as if he was protecting/serving them?  It does seem that the life of a slave at Monticello was less violent than many other accounts we have all read about in our history books, but they were still enslaved men, women and children - they were still "owned" and deemed "property". I'm still grappling with these facts, which were a topic of conversation for Sam and I while we toured the grounds of his incredible estate.  As Sam said, "that is the trouble with American history".  So, there is that.

I found THIS SITE which is a fabulous online collection of oral histories of the descendants of Jefferson's enslaved families.

Resting above Jefferson's vineyard

And then there is everything else. Jefferson's house, his service to Virginia and the United States, his many interests, his accomplishments.  The man literally thought of everything, and seemed to want to know everything. A self-taught architect, botanist, farmer, meteorologist of sorts, and so many other things. The house and many furnishings cannot be described in their entirety and should be seen in person if you have a chance.  

Classic Ada

What we enjoyed the most about Monticello: automatic doors, a gigantic clock he designed himself (of course), alcove beds all custom made at 6'3" to fit his 6'2" body (inspired by his visits to Europe; he appreciated anything that was functional, saved space and improved efficiency, so he of course built closets in the walls above the alcove beds SEE HERE and HERE), and the hearth was rigged with a wine fetcher to bring wine up from the cellar (I mean come on!!).

Please go to the link above and read about this cool clock that also told the day of the week!

Monticello is for the most part an outdoor experience. We spent several hours touring his garden, nursery, his family cemetery, slave quarters, cellar, stable, pavilions and many other little nooks that make up his home.  

What is left of the Joinery

The one room Pavilion where Jefferson and his wife, Martha lived while building Monticello, kitchen below.

Chimney above the smoke-house, slave quarters or kitchen - I'm not sure of the exact one

It seems that there is so much to know about this place, including the people who served as his guests, his slaves/workers and his longstanding relationships, of whom are John and Abigail Adams.  If you have not seen the John Adams mini-series yet, rent it, Netflix it, do whatever you can to watch this gem.  The fact that he and John Adams died within hours of each other on July 4th is beautiful and seems fitting.

Ada was cackling like a Raven - a woman nearby came to see "what little bird" was making the noise only to find it was of the curly-haired variety

After visiting Monticello we drove into Charlottesville, a vibrant and beautiful college town, and visited The University of Virginia, of which Jefferson is the "father" of. It was difficult to photograph the original site, but if you click here, you can see how it is laid out.  What surprised both Sam and I were students still living in the dorm rooms that look out onto the mall; something that Jefferson designed himself as an "Academical Village".  

The Rotunda

Dorms looking out onto the mall

A dorm in Jefferson's "Academical Village"

And yes, that is firewood and a dry erase board hanging from the door frame

Running free on the UVA campus; We hope she and her brother are just as curious as the man who built this place

So - when are you going to come visit us so that we can take you to Monticello?  Read up HERE before you come about the life of a brilliant man who wanted to be remembered for his contributions toward independence, religious freedom and freedom of the mind.

"Here was buried Thomas Jefferson author of the Declaration of American Independence of the statute of Virginia for religious freedom and father of the University of Virginia"

Welcome to the Hood, and 2 other posts

I am way behind on posts, so will apologize now for the 3 separate posts today...just thought I'd get them in before things get a little hectic around here. So - be sure to scroll down and peruse the 2 posts prior to this one, which chronicles our adventures in the kitchen and a trip to Maymont.

Sam and I went on a walk to the local school which has a playground open to the public. It's been an incredible Fall here; warm-ish days, but a super cool and satisfying breeze. The leaves are changing colors, and that combined with super old neighborhoods make living here this time of year just perfect.

The monument above (Richmond is apparently known as the "City of Monuments") is of Abrose Powell Hill, a confederate "lieutenant general" during the Civil War and native Virginian; Sam learned that he is the only person who was actually buried under their monument in the city. A.P. Hill's remains/monument are at the center of a round-about at the major intersection in our neighborhood.

Here are a few photos I took of our neighborhood, the "Rosedale" community to and from our walk to the playground...and it wouldn't be a fitting photo collection without a picture of Ada's awesome hair taken at our destination. It's very difficult to capture the beauty of the neighborhoods here with our little camera, but that just means you have to come and take a look at them yourself! Enjoy!






Our street


Our neighbors


Our house

Our kid and her glorious hair