Day in Virginia

Yesterday we headed out of DC for a little excursion. We first stopped at Montpelier, which is James Madison's home. They have only recently opened it to public tours, so lots of renovation is still taking place. It's pretty cool to see them in the unveiling process. Anyway, James Madison is awesome and one of the brightest minds ever--our country would not be what it is without him! Here are some pictures from his awesome home:

Then we went to Monticello, which was Thomas Jefferson's home. This one is more famous and absolutely gorgeous. It's nice coming in the winter here because seriously no one is here. You can tell that they're ready for hoards of people, with a whole shuttle system, etc., but we're one of the few people here! It's nice because you get to see everything, don't have to wait in lines, and get personalized attention. Here are pics from Monticello:

Me and Thomas

The Front of the homeMe and mom with the back of the home--the more famous shot because of the dome. This was the first home in America to have a dome on it--he brought the idea from Europe.Grab your ice skates! The Jeffersons had a pond in the backyard to keep the fish fresh and alive until the meal. Great idea, until it's winter and it freezes over! We took a walk out on the pond to see just how frozen it is! You can tell that it's cold... :)