Charlottesville

We took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Charlottesville, VA, this weekend. Perfect weather, beautiful town, learning-filled day at Monticello. I'm reading Annette Gordon-Reed's Pulitzer Prize winning book The Hemingses of Monticello, which triggered the visit.

The hotel (which was free because I had Hilton points) had an indoor pool and was full of people in tartan because the Clan MacGregor was having its annual reunion. Lily busted a gut at the guys in kilts.

Dumplings in the historic downtown.

UVA Rotunda, designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Rotunda dome

Monticello garden.

Monticello

Monticello

I was impressed that Lily asked why there were no statues of slaves at Monticello. However, my pride at her budding sense of social justice was dashed when she said she hoped they sold refrigerator magnets with slaves on them...a 5-year old sometimes misses the nuances.

Panorama

There are a few more photos on my Flickr account.