martinzoo

I needed this.

I will admit that I thrive on field trips. I actually need them. They elevate MY mood, never mind GB’s mood. So I suppose that if MY mood is elevated it can only mean good things for GB. We went to the Pauwau on Friday, but this trip to Monticello really made me exhilerated. I loved it. The whole trip was fantastic. It’s not too far from our home, about 1 1/2 hours, and the drive is gorgeous.

Monticello is the home of our third President, Thomas Jefferson. The name ‘Monticello’ is translated from Italian to mean, Little Mountain. In 1787 Thomas Jefferson said, “…….all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello.” He loved his home more than any other place on Earth and his greatest hobby was “putting up, and pulling down” parts of the house to make them more stylish or functional.

This was my favorite picture of the house that I took. I love the reflection of the house in the fish pond.

These pictures were from the rooms underneath the main house, called dependencies. They were the spaces for working, living, and storage. The photo above is from the kitchen. It was considered to be the best equipped in Virginia, complete with French copper cookware. The cooks worked on this multi-burner stove that enabled them to prepare dishes in the French manner.

This is the Cook’s cave room.

GB had a blast climbing all over the trees, much to Uncle D’s concern.

Thomas Jefferson considered himself, above all else, a farmer. And he was always trying out new crops and machinery. With over  1000 acres cleared for crop cultivation, Monticello workers worked from dawn to dusk, six days a week. They received a peck of cornmeal, a half-pound of meat, salted herring, and occasionally salt and milk. They got a set of clothing every summer and winter, and a blanket every three years. During their spare time they were allowed to use their abilities to create their own furnishings, cooking utensils, gardens and poultry yards. Sometimes they performed tasks outside of the working hours for which Jefferson paid them extra.

A moment of silence must be paid for the loss of such an amazing tree. I never found out, but I’m assuming this tree was a Hurricane Isabelle loss. How sad.

One thing that was discussed the last time I came to Monticello (fifteen years ago) was that inspiration from French architecture cause Jefferson to design the main house to give the illusion of being a single story home, even though it really has three levels. The windows are ingeniously devised to look like single story windows, but actually are one window for both main and upper level.

Judging by all the casks and wine jugs, GB wanted to know if they were always drunk at Monticello………LOL!

One of the best things about our day was that Jabem and Aquagirl came from their colleges to accompany us. Aunt T (who somehow escaped my photo lens) and Uncle D came too, but I see them all the time, and I really miss Aquagirl and Jabem when they are gone. Aquagirl brought her boyfriend, Red. And that made me happy, too. Because it takes her so long to warm up to people. But now she is actually admitting to the boyfriend/girlfriend status. Does that not look like an infatuated gaze to you?

This is one of the five indoor privies attached to the whole house. Thomas Jefferson was very progressive for his time in that he was one of the first to provide these indoor privies. He even had one in his bedroom suite.

Another tree to climb.

Aquagirl and Red. During the house tour, the docent described Thomas Jefferson’s appearance as a thin, tall man, who stood a little over six feet and remarkably straight with red hair. Hmmm, check out Red’s appearance.

This is the vegetable garden and Garden Pavilion.  You could also call it TJ’s laboratory, since he planted 330 varieties of more than 70 species of vegetables. He liked to experiment with all varieties and combination of seeds.

This is the view from inside the Garden Pavilion.

The blacksmith shop was in an area of Monticello called, Mulberry Road. Most of the structures were formed from wood, so they no longer exist.

The joinery at Monticello was one of Virginia’s best-equipped  woodworking shops. Joiners made furniture for Monticello, some of which is displayed in the main house.

All my kiddos! I don’t know what my boys are looking at, or why they look so somber….

……but Aquagirl know how to pose for a picture, AND how to get some giggles!

Thomas Jefferson is buried, along with other members of his family, in this graveyard. His epitaph, which he wrote himself, only included, “Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and the Father of the University of Virginia.” UVA is one of the greatest universities ever, and my dh’s alma mater.  Go Wah Hoos!

Monticello is the only house in the United States that is on the World Heritage Centre’s list that includes 878 properties  around the world forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.

If you want to see pictures of the inside of the house, you can take a virtual tour here which includes some of the second floor and the third floor (the dome), which they do not allow access to during the main house tour because of fire restrictions.

I *know* this is a ton of pictures, but I took SO many more that I could have shared. But I restrained myself people. I did. I swear. I’m sorry. I’m an addict and I’ll admit it. I just want you to have as nice an experience as we did.Enjoy!

Then:

Now:

Happy Birthday, Aquagirl!

Yikes! I feel old today. Twenty-one years ago today I was giving birth to my first little baby. I was scared. I wasn’t sure how much pain I was going to be able to handle. I mean, really, childbirth? That is always portrayed on tv as hideously painful. And I didn’t know if I’d be able to make it through all that trauma. Plus, my sil had scared me to death with her account of childbirth.

But my little Aquagirl was fairly easy to deliver. She only took two hours and seven minutes to come into this world. I had already been through trauma twice during my pregnancy. During my fourth month, I fell in the snow and started bleeding. Since I had miscarried a child right before Aquagirl, I was sure that I had caused another miscarriage. But I didn’t. She was in there to stay.

Then in my twenty-eighth week I had to have my appendix out. It was a rough surgery. I aspirated into my lungs, which caused me to go into premature labor. I was in intensive care for ten days, with them trying to stop the labor, and then the regular part of the hospital for two more days. But, once again, Aquagirl decided it was a good, snuggly place in there, and no matter the disturbance, she wasn’t ready to come out.

When she decided that it was a good time, she barely let me know it. My water broke while I was going to the bathroom (I know, TMI!), so I didn’t even know I had broken my water. Luckily for me, I had a regularly scheduled doctor’s appointment that day. When he told me that my water had partially broken and it was time to head over to the hospital, I thought he was kidding. This wasn’t painful enough for labor. They broke the rest of my water, and she slid out two hours later.

My doctor told me I had done well. But I didn’t feel like I had done too much of anything. I think it was God giving me a break for all the scares and pain that I had already been through with the pregnancy.

Little did I know that the real work for motherhood was about to begin……………

We had an exciting weekend, sorta.

A few different things happened.

First of all, Aquagirl’s ‘friend’ from college came to spend the weekend. She calls him friend, but we are not sure about how good of friends they actually are. He was a sweetheart. And GB fell in like with him. I won’t say love, because he doesn’t use that word. But he sure did like Aquagirl’s friend. I’ll call him Red, on account of his gorgeous, thick, lustrous, red hair. My grandmother would have drooled over it. I’ll bet he hated it as a child……… but too bad………… it really was nice hair. But that’s not why GB liked him. Red came to visit fully prepared to impress the little brother. He’s a computer science major at Aquagirl’s college. So, he created a video game just for GB. It had all the elements that GB loves; lots of fighting, great characters, an absolutely NO blood. This is a very difficult obstacle for GB to overcome. Most video game makers think that we like to see the blood and gore. But GB wants to play a fighting game without that little reality check. He told me that it was the best video game he’d ever played. AND……… it’s got his name in the title. How cool is that? So, Red earns valuable brownie points from the kid brother. He spoke with no hesitation to me, and was very friendly. So, he got brownie points with me, too. My dh thought he was a really nice guy too. Now we just have to figure out how Aquagirl is really feeling.

Here is Red and GB having an epic Nerf battle throughout the house. Sorry that I don’t have a better picture. I didn’t want to be too obvious. Kwim?

GB is in summer-mode. This is probably how you’ll see him for the next few months. He is always going shirtless. It’s kind of embarrassing, but it’s also cute. So, we put up with it.

We had more excitement last night. B I G thunderstorm that knocked out our electricity for several hours. We have a tradition of playing Spades when the electricity goes out. Poor Jabem was slaving working  at his job at the local movie theater. It really is crazy how many hours they are making him work giving him. Hopefully, he won’t spend all that money quickly. It needs to make it through the school year.

This was only the second time that GB got to participate in the Spades-No-Electricity night. So he was in a very, very happy mood. Let’s just say giggly and you will fully appreciate the picture. I can find joy in a happy child as well as the next person. But when you sit next to said child for several hours, and said child is giggling non-stop, it wears away the patience. You will be happy to note that I did not lose my composure. I kept my patience……….. barely. He was cute, and happy. And he really loves playing cards with his mom, dad, and big sis. He did not fare as well as the previous time, however. His score, by the time the lights came back on, was -140. But he was having a fabulous time.

I love cards.

I love to play Spades.

I don’t know why we always have to wait for the lights to go out. But it does make it exciting when the lights DO go out. I actually can look forward to it.

Btw, my dh was the winner of the evening. But if the lights had not come on I know that I would have eventually beaten him….. Really!

I have been in ‘Missing-Aquagirl-Crisis-Mode‘ for several weeks now. So yesterday we went up to Harrisonburg to pick her up from her college and have a nice day together. Good Lord, I missed that girl! I believe the school year is MUCH too long. And I want to start a protest. You hear me, Aquagirl!

Since GB was coming too, we decided to finally head to the Virginia Safari Park, where animals abound within arms reach. Basically you sit in your car and drive along the gravel rode on a long, bumpy path and feed whichever animals meander over for some munchies.

This is a Gemsbok Oryx with my dh.

**snort - snort!** This is a Vietnamese Pot-bellied pig

Isn’t this a gorgeous Eland?

This is a Rhea, these strange looking birds are the 4th biggest flightless birds. Cool fact: A single male rhea can incubate up to 50 eggs!

Speckled llama - Don’t make these guys mad or they spit this foul-smelling liquid at you! Aquagirl can attest to their very bad breath!

This dromedary camel was really enjoying GB’s attention. He even went so far as to give his hair a lick!

Swamp water buffalo

“Yes?? I already fed you!”

The ostrich was freaking Aquagirl out. She thought they totally looked prehistoric. I sure wouldn’t want to get one mad. Btw, these are the largest flightless birds. Ostrich are also the only birds with two toes.

Another Eland - These guys get so excited sometimes that they jump over each other to get away!

Have you ever heard of the phrase: “giving me the hairy eyeball”? Yeah, that’s what I was feeling!

Zebra, up close and very personal! Interesting tidbit - Zebras take turns sleeping so that some member of their herd is always awake. Isn’t that amazing?

GB went to any length to reach the animals. Big rule #1: Stay in the car. He barely obeyed this rule.

Axis Deer - This was one of Aquagirl’s favorites. She thought he was one of the most beautiful deer she’d ever seen.

This is a view of the Natural Bridge scenery from inside the park. Isn’t it pretty?

Stunning white llama

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

This amazing little guy is a Leptailurus Serval.

I love monkeys! I love the way they move. So cute! Can you see the tiny baby attached to the monkey on the right? His arms were wrapped tight around his mama.

Another cute attraction at the park!

This majestic dude is called a King Vulture. Wow!

These cute little tiger cubs are seven months old. They were really fun to watch!

Now I’ll have to get my Jabem fix in…………. Jabem, when are you coming home!? {–whine, whine!–}

Is it almost Summer?

You know how hard it is to get A’s in college, right?

Well, this semester Aquagirl got ALL A’s! So we decided that that needed to be celebrated with the whole Martin clan! We left the dinner venue up to Aquagirl… and really, I was expecting her to choose something more upscale, or whatever…. But she ended up choosing this really cool place about 40 minutes from our home. It’s called the Riverside Diner. And honestly, every time I go there I expect to see Ritchie and Potsie coming out of the men’s bathrooms.

It’s exactly like stepping back into the 50’s. They have Formica tables and counters, swivel bar stools, jukeboxes on every table, and lots of 50’s memorabilia all over the place. They even have the 1950’s Chevy car driving out of the wall (I should have gotten a pic of that). The hostess spot is actually a car from the 50’s too. They have a huge, life-sized Elvis and Marilyn Monroe mannequin to greet you at the door. And the food is delicious! It’s all very cheap, too. Not as cheap as back then, unfortunately, but in between a McDonald’s tab and an Applebee’s tab.

One of the reasons that Aquagirl loves this place is that it’s the only place we know of that serves a ‘chocolate coke.’ Everybody else thought it sounded gross, but she insists that it is awesome!

We were able to bring a bunch of tables together to fit our whole clan. I wish this picture showed more of the atmosphere.

Uncle G is fixated with the tabletop jukeboxes. He kept playing Elvis songs, and ‘Diana.’ My kids go more for the Beach Boys and the Monkeys. The music in the jukeboxes ranged from Frankie Valley all the way to Madonna….LOL!

Anyway, it was a fun night, which we capped off with a trip to the movie theater to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. This was an extremely funny movie, btw, with lots of cute music.

So, congratulations Aquagirl! Keep up the good work.

I saw this on Jennifer’s Toad Haven web site.

This is the kind of stuff that Aquagirl really appreciates. So this post is for her enjoyment up at college.

Straight No Chaser’s DVD can be purchase here, although it is out of stock as of this writing. Which just goes to prove that folks still can appreciate true melodies and harmonies.

Ok, the proud mommy in me has to show you what Aquagirl has been up to in college this year. As many of you know, she is in her Junior year at JMU. She is majoring in English, with a minor in Education, and another minor in Creative Writing, and another minor in Anthropology. She’s a busy little thing, isn’t she?

This is a book review that she wrote for one of her classes, and sent to me for my opinion.

Water for Elephants a novel by Sara Gruen.

Published in Chapel Hill, NC by Alogonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2006.

 

 Water for Elephants is a captivating historical fiction novel set within the whirlwind atmosphere of an early 1930’s traveling circus. Jacob Jankowski’s life forever changes when his parents are suddenly killed and in act of desperation, he abandons college and jumps a passing train only to find himself aboard the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Within this wacky world of circus freaks and eccentric performing animals, Jacob experiences the painful realities of America’s Great Depression, but not without falling in love with the beautiful horse trainer and circus performer, Marlena, along the way. A factually accurate depiction of the early, wild and whimsical American circus, Jacob describes his adventure in a completely original voice. The witty and strikingly bold tone of the narration makes the forbidden romance enchanting and the dark undertones of deceit, insanity, and murder especially chilling. Gruen cleverly pulls the reader from the 1930’s to the new millennium from chapter to chapter, offering unique insights from young Jacob’s escapades in the circus to his current older self fondly reminiscing, sarcastically musing, and gradually losing his senses in his retirement home. These shifts back and forth in time add considerable depth to the emotional layers of this intricately woven story about unexpected friendships, survival, and at the very heart, love. 

 

A suspenseful page-turner, Water for Elephants remains as electrically charged with anticipation and surprise from the first to the last pages. This is a gripping book not to be missed by readers eager for an original story about a fascinating time in America’s history.

Wow! Is she on the right path for her life, or what?! I’m no real critic, but I do read an awful lot of reviews, and tons of books. So I told her that I thought it sounded very professional. And maybe she has other avenues of career paths open to her besides teaching.

I know she wants to write. She loves, loves, loves to write. If you want to read a sample of her fiction, that she has posted online, you can find it in my sidebar. Right over there ——>>>>>>

Her favorite television series was ‘Pretender’ and this is a story using the characters from that series. It’s called a fanfic. I used to watch the show, too. In fact, we all enjoyed sitting down together and watching it. So for me, reading her story is like having the show back on. It’s really good. I’m not being a prejudiced mom. Really

If you do read her story, she loves to get reviews. And there is a little box at the bottom of the page to submit a review. I suppose she’s a very typical writer in that respect.

So yeah, I’m proud. She’s wonderful. And I helped in some small way with that person. Isn’t it great?