By Nerd Trips on May 27, 2012 in Presidents |
The grounds and gardens of Monticello are a living monument to Thomas Jefferson’s interest in nature, including his methodical study of the plants on his property.
After touring the house, we took a separate tour of Monticello’s gardens (offered April through October) where we learned that there are plants growing there today that descended from Jefferson’s time.
After touring the house, we took a separate tour of Monticello’s gardens (offered April through October) where we learned that there are plants growing there today that descended from Jefferson’s time.
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By Nerd Trips on May 20, 2012 in Presidents |
What does your home say about you? For Thomas Jefferson, Monticello may be a physical autobiography of this president, statesman, scholar, inventor, designer, writer, gardener, etc. Jefferson was a complex individual, and a tour of his home is fascinating.
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By Nerd Trips on May 10, 2012 in Presidents |
Monticello may be one of the most iconic buildings in the United States – it’s even on the back of a coin. Thomas Jefferson famously designed and built his home atop a hill in Virginia (Monticello means “little mountain” in Italian). Monticello is so famous and popular, it is debatable whether it should be labeled as a “Nerd...
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By Nerd Trips on Apr 24, 2012 in Presidents |
Finishing our tour of Ash Lawn-Highland, home of President James Monroe, you can’t miss this 250-year-old tree known as the Monroe Oak. Seriously, it’s a really cool tree. You may need to see it in person to appreciate its size, with a 20-foot circumference! This tree even had its own blog on the Ash Lawn website.
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By Nerd Trips on Apr 12, 2012 in Presidents |
Our first official stop was Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of our fifth president, James Monroe. Thomas Jefferson wanted the Monroes to live nearby, so he encouraged his friend to buy this property down the road from Monticello.
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By Nerd Trips on Apr 4, 2012 in Presidents |
We had neither a GPS nor smart phone, so we were relying on printed Internet directions, which didn’t work so well. We had a tough time finding the memorial. I recall thinking, “Poor William Henry Harrison, if he had been in office longer, his memorial may have been better marked.”
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By Nerd Trips on Apr 1, 2012 in Presidents |
For a president who only served a month in office and who died in 1841, William Henry Harrison is certainly hot these days. His name keeps coming up in things I see and read. Part of this interest probably comes from the publication of New York Times columnist Gail Collins’ new book on Harrison, who was 68-years-old when he was inaugurated (at a time when life expectancy was around age 40). Collins has written about Harrison in her column, making parallels between Harrison and the 2012 election. A co-worker recently stopped in my cube to ask if I had seen the recent article on our ninth president.
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