ˈstā-ˈkā-shən

Lest you think it just a passing whim, the word staycation was added to the Webster dictionary in 2009, and is defined as a vacation spent at home or nearby. We chose the 'relatively nearby' option on Saturday, and decided to drive up to Charlottesville VA to see Jefferson's Monticello. I had been there once before (Monticello, that is) with the littlest Jackson last summer, and think that it is one of the most interesting historic sights in the US. That, combined with the beautiful fall foliage on the drive up, made for a great little trip. It poured rain as we arrived in C-ville, but it lightened up as we got up to Monticello, and completely cleared up as we were leaving the house tour to explore the grounds. It was a crisp, blustery fall day and couldn't have been more lovely. We stopped for lunch on the way at Bodo's Bagels, a culinary delight unique to C-ville (I got the egg & muenster cheese on a cinnamon raisin bagel... as per the usual). Jordan thought Monticello would be a little bit more overwhelming from the outside (it looks so big on the nickel!), but loved the interior and the historicalness of it all.

An excited Jordan, with a view of the west portico of Monticello.

I loved the little inventions and European touches throughout the house, and we both especially loved the gardens.

A photo courtesy of the internets (AT) that highlights TJ's alcove bed. I am in love with the idea of an alcove bed. His was open on both sides... conventionally, they are only open on one. We also walked around UVA's campus (both UVA and Monticello are on the UNESCO World Heritage list) and saw where Ed A. Poe lived while attending (albeit briefly) the university, read about the secret Seven Society (weird), and hung out on the lawn for a bit before having a nice dinner in the historic part of the city. Central quad at UVA. Not too shabby.

And for any Jackson kids reading this blog, look what I made for breakfast this morning. Yep. Baby Dutch. And yep, that is a pool of butter you see on the top of the massive fluff of a pancake. We ate it with some apple slices, so, totally healthy, right? It made up for the fact that I only ate 1 (one!) fried food item at the NC state fair this week!

All in all, a lovely little trip and a wonderful fall in the southern-ish states.