Poplar Forest

Since Aaron and I failed at visiting Poplar Forest in March of this year, we decided that it would make for an excellent mid-summer "meet in the middle" location. Yes, Aaron was out of state this summer interning...again. One of these summers Aaron and I will both be in the same state. 2012, anyone?

Back to the mid-summer meet in the middle trip. The drive to Lynchburg from Raleigh is gorgeous. Lots of small towns and farms. To give you an idea of how rural and untraveled the road was, I saw, perhaps for the first time ever, a live hippity-hoppitying little brown bunny on the side of the road. I resisted the urge to stop in the middle of the road to watch it munch on wild grass and continued on. I think downtown Lynchburg is in the beginnings of a revival, because while some blocks were lively and busy, other sections were nothing but broken windows and empty buildings. Still, not a place I would want to be walking around alone at night.

I had done some food research before leaving to find some local places to eat while we were there. We ate at a roadside diner for breakfast for what I hoped would be down home and tasty food. Well, they got the down home right, but not so much on the tasty. Both of the plates Aaron and I ordered came different than how we ordered (different sides and omelet fillings). I am not that great of an egg maker, but I probably could have made a better, fluffier omelet than what I was given. Live and learn, I suppose.

Poplar Forest, for those who are oblivious to what it is as we were earlier this year, is the retreat home of Thomas Jefferson. It was designed entirely by him and is smaller, quieter, and more removed than Monticello. It sits near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains far from anything resembling a city, both then and now. The house itself is an octagon with an offshoot bottom floor that housed the kitchen, some slave quarters and such. Jefferson designed the landscaping as well, with a mix of formal garden and open lawn.

This place is amazing. The preservation society has worked methodically to regain as much of Jefferson's original land as they could, and the results vastly improve the entire experience when visiting. Standing on the back lawn, looking across to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, there is no sound of cars, no barking dogs, only the muffled voices of other visitors and guides. And suddenly it is crystal clear why Jefferson selected this place as a retreat. Here, he could get away from the visitors, the obligations, the busyness of Monticello and read, relax and reflect. I think he earned it, too!

I hope I am correct in speaking for both Aaron and I when I say we fell in love with this place. It lacks the grandeur of the other presidential homes we visited; it is not polished or put together. But it is personal, so simply handsome. Those who are restoring the property and home are meticulous in every detail. They read Jefferson's letters for any hints of the moldings and furniture; they have plant archaeologists combing the ground and soil for remnants of roots and seeds from when Jefferson began plantings. They hope to restore many of the poplar trees that gave this home and property its name. It is apparent how dearly these people care for this place, and I think it rubbed off on Aaron and me. Poplar Forest invites the same sentiments Jefferson must have striven for then in its visitors today - reflecting, dreaming, resting, and re-energizing.

Sadly, we eventually had to leave Poplar Forest. However, my pre-trip food searches paid off this go around with a fantastic coffee shop, The Muse Coffee Company. Aaron and I found a table upstairs and enjoyed bagel sandwiches and some great coffee with an afternoon of chatting and reading before we had to head our separate ways for the remainder of the summer.

For those interested in a presidential homes' tour like Aaron and I accomplished in two parts, I would highly encourage it. In fact, here is a suggested route!

Mount Vernon - George Washington's home outside of Washington, DC

Montpelier - James Madison's home near Orange, Virginia (southwest of DC)

Monticello - Thomas Jefferson's home near Charlottesville, Virginia (southwest of Orange)

Ash Lawn-Highland - James Monroe's home near Charlottesville, Virginia ( down the road from Monticello)

Poplar Forest - Thomas Jefferson's retreat home near Lynchburg, Virginia

View Larger Map

A Year of Books in Review

Read any good books lately? I have been the asker and the recipient of this question many times over the years, as I am sure you have as well. I thought I would make a quick list of the best books I have read this year for all to see. And, in return, I ask you to add your own list of best books in 2010 in the comments to share with everyone. I am always hunting out good books, and this is a quick way of trading information and adding a few more titles to my ever-expanding list of books to read, which is well over 150 books right now. So go on and add some more to my list!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot - Excellent book that covers American history, science, privacy, medicine, and human drama. There has been a ton written about it, so I will no ramble on about it. Great book to read.

The Passage, by Justin Cronin - I am so shy about explaining this book because, yes, it kind of sort of is about vampires, the theme du jour of late. It is well-written, the story flows well, and it keeps the reader turning the page.

Freedom, by Daniel Suarez - First, read Daemon, then read this sequel. Michael Crichton with more technological focus, if I had to describe the style. A compelling topic that is both enjoyable to read and brings up questions for the reader regarding present day politics, technology and society.

The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman - I am a sucker for World War II books, and this one delivered. I enjoy those books that hone in on one specific moment in history, and this one does just that. It tells the story of a family who owned a zoo that they used to hide Jews fleeing the Nazis in Poland.

And, my favorite read in 2010 is...

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck - One of my high school teachers tries to read To Kill a Mockingbird every summer. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, I think East of Eden is one of those books that is worthy of reading and rereading. It is an epic and timeless story that is extremely enjoyable to read. Thank you, GANC, for bringing me this book!

Books You Can Wear

I have been ogling shirts from Out Of Print Clothing for months. I decided that I would purchase one for myself once I completed The Great American Novel Challenge. The challenge completed, and myself declared queen of the books, off I scurried to the site to select which shirt to call my own. Decisions, decisions. Do I opt for Moby Dick because, at that time, it was the only GANC book I had read that was also a shirt? However, I did not especially enjoy the book, and did not relish the thought of having passersby engage me in conversation about a book I prefer not to speak at length regarding.

I eventually narrowed my choices down to Hound of the Baskervilles and 1984. Difficult decision which was quickly made much easier when the shirt for Hound of the Baskervilles was changed. Sadness. So, I chose:

I love it! Some notes on the shirt itself. When the site tells you the shirt runs small, they are not joking. I got an extra large and it fits me perfectly - not baggy or too tight and fits through the shoulders. The fabric is super soft and it is my favorite weekend hang out shirt. I even wore it on Halloween to work as my "costume." Because, what is scarier than the world of 1984?

Presently, I am resisting the temptation to read all the books of the shirts I like. However, Atlas Shrugged is gaining ground on my list of books to read, and Brave New World may perhaps be my next shirt purchase. It is not that I enjoy reading about dystopia, I just like the book covers!

(And, since this is the season of giving, buying a book/shirt combo for the reader in your life would make for a pretty cool gift! As a bonus, for every shirt purchased, Out of Print donates a book to a community in need through Books for Africa. Two gifts for the price of one!)

Look, Look a Nook

For my birthday, Aaron bought me, among other things, a Nook. Yes, I am officially part of the e-book crowd. And you know, it is pretty nice. As Aaron will point out if I do not, I did not really use my Nook for books initially. No, I was pleasantly distracted by the sudoku games that come on it. It is an excellent thing to do while watching football! You cannot read and watch football, but watching football and not doing something else feels lazy to me. So, I played sudoku. Yes, this is still fairly lazy, but I am exercising my mind...and my right index finger.

For some time over the summer and early fall, Barnes & Noble was putting out 10 classic books in electronic format weekly - for free! Once I learned of this, I began purchasing them, which led to a virtual library of about 90 classic books...before I even had something to read the e-books on. Yes, it is hard for me to pass up free books. In Aaron's gift to me, he included a print out from our local library explaining where and how to check out e-books.

This sheet came in handy when I wanted to borrow an ebook. However, being that I have a Mac and people still do not realize how many people have Macs and therefore why it is a good idea to have software that works on a Mac, it was not that easy. The program I needed to get the ebook on my Nook was a pain in the rear. Several support forums later and I got my book! (This is not the Nook's fault in any way; it is the Adobe application I needed to get the book from the library, to my Mac to my Nook that was the issue.)

I decided to read The Passage by Justin Cronin as my first official e-book. It looked like a good book that would be enjoyable to read on paper and an excellent "fun read" to test out how the Nook works as a reader. All in all, I am impressed with it and I only saw a few minor things that could slow the reading experience. The hardest part is that if you want to refer back a few pages to earlier text, on the Nook you cannot just skip back to the desired page. You have to push the back button until you get there, which can be mildly annoying. However, as I did with a drawing in The Passage, you can easily bookmark pages that are kept in a list for quick referral.

I like reading in my Nook. It is more portable than some books I read and it is not difficult to read from at all. If I get bored of one book, I can quickly flip to another. And, as I expect over this Christmas flying season, it will help me reduce the weight of my baggage by a good 5-10 pounds. Books are not light, people, and carrying 5 of them with you on board because having them in the checked bag puts it over the poundage limit is a scenario I would like to avoid this year. Now, I can carry 111 books with me and it all fits in my purse.