We had an extra 2 hours to spare yesterday before we had to catch our flight home from Virginia, so we decided to drive to James Madison’s Montpelier estate. I was driving and The Girl was navigating. And somehow, we ended up at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello instead. 😉
I think it was meant to be.
I love, love, love Monticello.
I would pack up and move there tomorrow if I could be on the garden maintenance crew at the estate.
I may not have a degree in horticulture or know all the names of the plants, but I’ve got enthusiasm. And that has to count for something right?
When we visited Monticello this past summer everything was so lush and green, but now {most of} the gardens have been to put to bed and only the super tough vegetables are left.
Things like kale, and cabbage and garlic.
What a gorgeous head of cabbage!
We also spotted the maintenance crew working on the asparagus bed. {I should have asked for a job application} 😉
Can someone please tell me why is it that in late fall, gardens look almost as pretty as they so in the summer time?
Maybe it’s the tiny hints of color {Hello, purple runner beans} or the muted tones of fall foliage, I don’t know, but it’s simple. And pretty. And I just couldn’t get enough of it.
Fall is awesome.
~Mavis
Kristina says
Thanks for sharing those photos! Usually we see Monticello in mid-summer, not fall!
Rhonda says
Thanks! Haven’t seen Monticello at ALL! Now I gotta go! 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
You’ve got to go. It’s one of my favorite places on earth!
Tinkabell says
Mavis, it’s a shame you didn’t get to Montpelier…it is also beautiful but in a different way. It is more a working horse farm…not much regular farming that I have ever seen. There is a thoroughbred rescue there ( http://www.trfmontpelier.org/ ). You were a sort of long way from where you were aiming…about 50 miles! Montpelier is in Orange County (where I live) and Monticello is in Albermarle (Charlottesville). It’s all good though as both places are wonderful…you will just have to come back and see Montpelier and Mt. Vernon (if you haven’t been there).
Mavis Butterfield says
I’ll be back, I’m sure of it. 🙂
kladams1 says
Oooooooooooh Monticello! When we went in June, the artichokes were flopping about, being artichokey. A man from Texas and I bonded momentarily over some “gol-danged” artichokes.
Pet-friendly pro-tip: dogs are allowed pretty much everywhere on the grounds (on a leash), just not in the buildings. As I had scheduled this part of our vacation primarily for the gardens, it didn’t bother me much. Be sure to bring poo bags and water; the amount of poo your dog will produce at this deeply historical site is proportional to how strongly you want him or her to make a good impression on the people shaking their heads and tsk-ing you for bringing a dog.