The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky."
-George Cooper
Heading north again, back into the rolling hills of Virginia, we were a quiet lot. After finishing our fourth performance of the week, most of us were keeping to ourselves as the serene scenery whizzed by outside. We were headed to Charlottesville, VA, a town which had no special significance to any of us, but was merely our destination, the last stop on our first five-show week.
We had been on the road for a few hours and were nearing our journey's end. I was at the wheel, Erin navigating, and we had listened to every song with 'Virginia' in the title that either of us could find on our ipods. I wondered aloud where Monticello was, as I was a big fan of Thomas Jefferson and had always wanted to see it. Erin said she thought it was near D.C. somewhere, and someone chimed in that they thought it was near the Maryland border. While Erin tried to look for it on the map, I noticed a sign floating by that read: "Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, 2 miles."
What luck! The house was just two miles from the venue we were playing the next morning, and we decided to check it out after the performance. We arrived at our hotel, situated directly on the campus of the University of Virginia. The hotel was abuzz with new arrivals, most of whom were athletes from other schools in town for tournaments and such. Across the street from the hotel was the school's football field, where the marching band was practicing.
After dinner, I was relaxing with Kate and Peter, when Meg comes running in looking happier than a four-year old on Christmas morning. She hastily explained that she had just been for a run and saw the marching band, and that they were AMAZING.
"They were doing moves and tricks and the drum line was booming . . . !!!!"
It was the coolest thing she had seen in a long time. I had seen the band practicing earlier and hadn't thought much of it. Come to find out, it was the first time Meg had ever seen a marching band. Ever. Without a football team, her high school had no need of a band, and she had never been to a college game so had somehow missed out on one of the great Americana traditions. We were glad that she finally got a taste of it, and by all accounts the UVA band seems to have made a big impression.
After hearing reports from the other cast members that the campus was nearby and worth seeing, I took a late night stroll that direction before heading to bed. I was rewarded with the most beautiful college campus I had ever seen. Endless colonades, ivy wrapped-everything, amphitheaters and sky bridges all trimmed in red brick. A classic library with wood-paneled reading rooms, and all set in the rolling pastoral surroundings of the Virginia countryside. It was truly an impressive place. UVA had been Jefferson's pet project in later life, and it is a stunning testament to the taste and integrity of its benefactor.
The next morning we set out for the Charlottesville Performing Arts Center, to load in for that morning's show. This was a bit tricky for Erin, since she was driving Lenny the Truck to the venue, and was having trouble finding a route that would admit his 13'6'' bulk. We arrived at the PAC, which shared the lot with the local high school's practice field, and were greeted with fresh bagels and coffee from the house crew (oh sweet sustenance!) as well as the sounds of their marching band's morning rehearsal. Meg was ecstatic once again for the band, and we enjoyed the musical accompaniment while loading in.
Despite the theater's lack of air conditioning, which made for stifling on-stage conditions (refer to blog entry 3: 'The Harrowing' for more on the sweaty/slimy-ness) Erin said the performance was strong and she was pleased. After load out, Martin and Erin took the truck and headed on the road while the rest of us piled into the van and headed for Monticello.
Winding the circuitous mountain road on the approach to the manor makes one fully appreciate the estates natural surroundings. Beautiful trees rich in the colors of autumn made a canopy of gold, bronze and auburn as we neared the house. After buying our tour tickets and taking a shuttle bus to the top of the hill, we wandered the grounds and the gift shop for half an hour before the tour began. We were greeted by our tour guide, a stately older woman with the soft genteel Virginia accent. Her first sentence began:
"Hello ever-bahdy, and wellcum to Mahnichelluh."
We were led through the entry way, complete with a compass attached to the weathervane and a weight-operated clock with the days of the week as well as the hour, into the entry hall and beyond. The house was moderately sized, and very tasteful. The library was impressive, especially considering the fact that Jefferson donated all of his books to the library of congress upon his passing. The museum had acquired the exact same titles that were in the library, and the original editions (!!), so that the books were still the same as the ones Jefferson read.
He had loads of interesting gadgets, including a polygraph machine that would make duplicate copies of his writing while he journaled. A gorgeous parlor in the shape of an octogon with french doors all around, and on and on. Every room of the house exhibited the exquisite taste, and progressive nature of one of our nation's foremost thinkers.
The gardens surrounding the house were also well worth the visit. Flowers of all nature and variety flourished, and the endless countryside vistas of the idyllic setting made every aspect of the visit a delight. On top of all this, the trees had all started to turn, so there was color everywhere.
Thoroughly delighted with our visit, we took our leave of Monticello, and headed for the open road . . . but not before seeing an "Apple Cider" sign a mile down the road and pulling off to checkout the local orchard. Little did we know, the orchard was not just off the road, but rather at the end of said road, at the top of a mountain. After ascending for ten minutes, amid serious misgivings about Matilda's capabilites in mountaneering, we eventually reached the summit. We were greeted by a giant red barn, and apple trees hugging the slope for a hundred yards all the way to the regular treeline. And if the views at Monticello were impressive, the outlook from the Carter Mountain Orchard was absolutely commanding. We could see for miles, and there was plenty of cider to be had. The best part by far though, was the wooden cutout of an apple with a worm in it that you could take your picture with. MUCH fun was had.
Afterwards we did finally get onto the road and head for West Virginia. The drive was supposed to take 3.5 hours, and ended up taking the rest of the night. It began with a heavy rain, then construction, then heavy rain + construction. This of course led us to getting lost and taking a frightening detour through Beaver State Park, where we could only manage 20 mph because of the winding curves. The road eventually came to a dead end, at which point we were all going bonkers, afraid we were going to end up stranded in the hillbilliy wilds of W.Virginia. Meg Mark was at the wheel and upon reaching the empty parking lot at the end of the road, spun Matilda in a full 360 donut (just for good measure) before we stopped at a gas station, got directions and found the hotel.
Beaver West Virginia is everything we had expected from the name, and aside from eating at Biscuit World for breakfast, not much else to say. We departed the next morning for Lexington, and the drive through the mountains was a study in the splendor of the season. The interstate wound through mountain passes all bedecked with trees in a wild riot of fall colors. As we soared ahead, Erin put on some great neo-mountain music to accompany the scenery. Without a cloud in the sky, the morning passed swiftly and soon we were crossing into Kentucky to land at the hotel and celebrate the weekend.
Saturday evening we found an international market (inside a building deceptively called the Liquor Barn), and bought fresh baguettes, meat, cheese, and olives, to make an evening repast. Afterwards most of the gang hung out at the hotel while Meg and I went to a party thrown by some of her friends from the Pioneer Playhouse, the theater she worked at over the summer, which was just twenty minutes away. Libations were poured, new friends were made and a good night was had by all.
Tonight I'm signing off in Memphis, as we head in to performances throughout Tennessee for the rest of the week. From the blue and rainy blues capitol,
-ICHABOD
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