Hello Friends!
Fall tour has been whizzing by in a blur of singing children and long drives. I write from land of our northern brethren of Canada, but more on that later. In the past few weeks Calida and I have gone from Central Virginia to Northern New York with out nary a moments reprise and it has taken a small toll on our health as we are both battling chest colds but we shall overcome!
Two weeks ago we were in Lovingston, VA, located pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It was a gorgeous place surrounded by rolling hills of trees. Not far from where we were was Thomas Jefferson's home of Monticello. The icon home of our 3rd President can be found on the back of the nickel and was a wonderful stop.
First you are greeted by the new visitors center which was quite impressive and full of interactive exhibits showing how Jefferson ideas of independence have since spread across the globe. From there it was a short shuttle trip to the house itself. Though the building is not very large on the outside, the surrounding grounds more then make up for it. We had a couple of minutes to kill before our tour and took in Mr. Jefferson's gardens. Quite an impressive assortment of vegetables. Supposedly he was very interested in seeing what types of plants could or could not survive in America so he planted many different types and documented their growth.
The tour of the house was awesome. We went through all of the rooms on the main floor and our tour guide was very good. It was impressive to see how Jefferson remodeled the house three times and continual thrived to make improvements to not waste not any space in his home.
Sadly our time was a bit limited as we had to skedaddle back to rehearsal. We could have easily spent the whole day on the grounds as many other guided tours were available. If you are close by you should check it out.
After Virgina we spent a long weekend at Calida's home in York, PA with friends and family and I even got to experience a Teepee bonfire hosted by here brother. It. Was. Awesome.
From there we arrived in northern New York in the town of Lockport, none too far from Buffalo. The week was a lot of fun especially since my Nieces, Sister, Bro-in-law, and Gammy were able to come up and see the show. The following day we went to the always impressive Niagara Falls where hopped on the world famous Maid of the Mist. This was great. You put on a poncho, get on a boat, ride pretty much into the middle of the falls, get soaking wet, and then go to a gift shop. It was quite an experience to see my 2 year old niece and my Gammy both holding on for dear life while enjoying the falls.
Now we are in Canada in Mississauga. It is a nice burb of Toronto and everyone here has made us feel very welcome. Next up is some time off where family and fun await.
The Adventure Continues - ML
