Poplar Forest

Bedford is a cute town just across the Blue Ridge Parkway from us.  We frequently take guests to the D-Day Memorial there.  It is also a place to check out antique shops.  Every time we go there we see the signs to visit Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest.  And every time we say, "We should do that."  But we don't.

 

Last week we saw a notice in the paper that there was a discount at Poplar Forest for dads on Father's Day.  So that is where we went.

 

If you are comparing Poplar Forest to Monticello, you would be very disappointed.  They have similar architectural elements, but Monticello is restored and has a lot of period furniture, if not the original furniture.  It is a home for a large family and an important man.  The grounds are landscaped as close to the original as they can determine and you have to park in a lot far from the house and take a tour bus up with all the other tourists.  It is a wonderful glimpse into the period and the mind of a very interesting Founding Father.

 

Poplar Forest , on the other hand was his escape.  It was inherited by his wife and they farmed it all along, but the home was built to Jefferson's minutely detailed instructions after he left the presidency.  It was his escape from public life and a place of respite for him.  The design was his alone and not too many people would find it to their taste today, but he loved it.  A two bedroom home would also prohibit many unwanted visitors.

 

Jefferson was an architect and landscape designer in his own homes and you can see that in Poplar Forest.  In fact, you can also see the Poplar Trees that Jefferson saw.  Some of them are still flanking the front of the house. 

 

The inside is currently under restoration (no pictures allowed) and they are going by Jefferson's drawings and instructions that survived to do so.  The grounds are also being restored.  The money to do this is from donations and from the tickets purchased to have a tour there.  So go and help restore this historic home and have a lovely outing.  Why is it we never tour the interesting place close to home unless we have out of town visitors?

Don't fall in to that trap.  GO SOMEWHERE on the weekend.   And didn't we pick a gorgeous day to do so?

D-Day Memorial

I don't know how it happened, but I am lucky in the Aunts I was given.  There is one I never see and don't know, but the others are so good to me and I love to visit them or to have them visit me.

This last weekend two came to see me.  Is that double trouble or twice as nice?  You never know with them.  But we always have fun and Aunt Suzy can talk her way out of more speeding tickets, so she is good to take on road trips!  First she hands over her permit to carry a concealed weapon and the fun and laughter follows.

We took them over the Blue Ridge Parkway to visit Bedford.  Once, while following instructions from her GPS, she came to visit me from North Carolina and was routed through Bedford.  It only added an hour to the trip!  But she thought the town was cute and wanted to revisit it.

We have a Lincoln Navigator that we use for road trips because it is so roomy and comfortable but I was worried they couldn't get in and out.  Both have fancy new knees on one side.  Suzy has a knee that still "kneeds" replacing.   I told them between the two of them they only have a couple of working knees.  So I guess it's a good thing they like to do things together.  When you open the doors, the running board slides out from under the car and it makes getting in easier, especially if your knees hurt.

We shopped at antique stores and Suzy bought two chairs.  Good thing we had the big car.  Lots of room in the back.  The main event was the visit to the D-Day Memorial.  We have been there before, but it was a visit worth repeating.  They have done a good job and it makes me cry every time.

   

It is a sad thing that we send out young boys to save the world.  And they go and do it.  These are boys that before they left, you might not let borrow your car, but they go out and fight for you.  And they do it to this day.  We should never forget the sacrifice of not only them, but the moms and dads and siblings and sweethearts. 

   

There are plaques all over to explain what went on when. 

   

They have sculptures of Eisenhower and other generals. 

   

And scenes from taking the beach to taking the high ground.

   

I took pictures with my new camera. 

   

I tried using different the different styles to see which showed the most emotion.  I'll leave it to you to decide.

   
There are numerous plaques listing the names of the fallen.  Name after name.  You come to the end of them and think about how sad the families of these boys must have been and how many there are.  Then you read that this is not even all of the casualties.  It is overwhelming.

 

   

 

We walked along the wall silently reading the names.  At first I tried to read each name.  As if to send up a prayer of thanks.  I was afraid to miss even one.  I didn't want that boy to have died with no one left to honor him.  I tried to hurry up, the aunt's only have a couple of knees between them after all, when we came upon this Praying Mantis.  He was hanging on a few names.  And praying.  I felt OK about moving along, then.  Someone else would finish the praying on this trip.