Monticello in September

For Labor Day weekend, we took a family trip to Charlottesville, VA.  While the boys planned to go the the BYU vs. UVA football game, I planned to go to Thomas Jefferson's home (Monticello) and take in some shopping with Grace.  Here we are at Monticello trying our hand at feather pen writing...

I absolutely adored Jefferson's home...particularly the placement of his bed in his bedroom.  While we couldn't photograph the inside of the home, I found a photo of his bed online...

"Thomas Jefferson designed alcove beds for the rooms at Monticello after returning from France where he admired French alcove beds for their space-saving qualities. In this photo, the alcove bed in Jefferson's bedroom is open on both sides for easy access to his library, viewed beyond the bed."
history.org

Honestly, the kids were less than thrilled to be there.  It was pretty hot, and they just weren't into the whole thing.  Even though they won't admit it, I think they liked the tour of the home a little bit. Here they are taking a break, trying to avoid being photographed, and then cheesing a bit for the camera.  Grace was so miserable, she got up from the bench in defiance before I could take the photo.

Meanwhile, I tried to enjoy the gardens...

The nigh before the big game, the boys got their picture taken with BYU football and basketball player Bronson Kaufusi.  :)