Day 52
We had quite a bit of rain last night, and there was a big pool of water right outside our door. I had to retrieve a soggy phony paper, but it was worth it for the cookies. This RV Park is sort of on two levels, the one we’re on, which is right next to a creek (with ducks!) and the other is up the hill in the woods. Don and I walked up the road to the top of the hill, kind of a steep climb, and we wandered around among the dozen or so rigs that were parked up there. I really liked the way the air smelled up there, and Don liked it too, so we hung out for awhile and just enjoyed the beauty of the morning. On the way back down, a lady in a car stopped to tell me how beautiful I was; made my day. Don told her I was a very good dog, but he says that to everyone. When we got back to the coach, the man in the coach next to us was out checking his tire pressures. Don talked to him, and found out that they had a blowout last night on Highway 64, and pulled into this park after they got it fixed. It turned out that the guy works for General Electric at Evendale, Ohio, a place where Don used to go on business when he worked for GE. While they were talking, I got bored and tried to lay down in the water puddle; Don admonished me and sent me into the coach, so I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation.
Geri and Don agreed that they needed to decide where they were going when they left this place, because the weekend was coming up and they might have trouble finding a park that had room for us. They had a hard time deciding where to go, but finally made a decision and got a reservation. Then we all got into the truck (after I got lunch) and headed out. We went back on 64 to Charlottesville, and found Monticello, where Thomas Jefferson lived. Geri and Don went on the tour of the house, while I napped. They were very impressed with the beauty of the place and the planning that Jefferson put into it, as I gathered from their conversation while they walked me after the tour. Then we went to another President’s home, President James Monroe, whose place was just a few miles from Monticello. You know, I think I understand why even well-mannered dogs, such as myself, aren’t allowed in these places. They’re not afraid you’re going to poop in a corner; it’s shedding! I could leave a cubic foot of hair in one of these homes in an hour of touring. Multiply that by ten or twenty dogs a day and pretty soon you couldn’t get in the door for the dog hair. So, I can understand not being allowed in. This was obviously a much smaller home than Monticello, but Geri and Don thought it was quite interesting, and they learned a lot about President Monroe, who was the last of our Founding Fathers to become President. They said the Guide had a thousand stories about Monroe, and told all of them. I think they enjoyed it as much as they did Monticello.
We drove home through Charlottesville, a funky little city with a magnificent University of Virginia, which was founded by Jefferson. I saw a lot of the campus, and the buildings were really nice. We got home, had dinner (leftovers, not many plates), watched a little TV. I don’t know what we’re doing tomorrow, they say it’s going to be rainy. I’ll let you know what happens. Bye for now.