In Virginia we held a competition to see if Jefferson's house was better than Washington's or vise versa. Both had equally stunning views, but only one could become the next Founding Father Feud Winner! We also went to Yorktown and United Network for Organ Sharing.
Monticello was one of my favorite Founding Father's homes. Considering the fact that inventing was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite activities, it is not surprising that he invented many things. Amazingly he invented a giant clock. It was powered by cannon balls and gravity, and it surrounded the doorway and showed the date and time. He also had several other inventions. Because I love reading, I enjoyed his invention for holding books the most.
Mainly the tour consisted of the house. Jefferson collected many different things from books to Indian spears. Putting his bed in an alcove that let him access his observatory on one side and his bedroom on the other side is a great idea. In his dining room he had another great invention: a conveyor belt that brings the wine up from the cellar without having to bring a servant or slave into the room. That would go great in my room for getting soda to drink. I wish I could have browsed through the house longer.
History tells us that the Battle of Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War, not counting a couple of sea battles fought after it. Fighting in Yorktown, you would experience mostly cannon fire. Although the tour guide didn't directly say so, God was the real victor of the battle. Amazingly the British had almost escaped across the lake when suddenly God sent a storm to destroy the ships of which none survived. After going on the tour, it amazes me how God made Washington and the French win.
Surprisingly the tour was one of the best tours of the trip because of how much information he gave us. Climbing up the trenches was my favorite part. Despite the thorns I did it anyway. While the tour was great, the only problem with the tour was the cold weather. I had a blast, which was a huge change from dreading it beforehand.
United Network for Organ Sharing or UNOS maintains the transplant waiting list. The list is completely automated, and it says who obtains which organ. Waiting on the list is what my Dad did for six weeks. UNOS gave us a tour of their facilities. Inside was mostly computers and cubicles. Outside they had a beautiful fountain with names of about a thousand organ donors. Finally my Dad found the first name of his donor.
Surprisingly Mount Vernon is very different than Monticello. It is much bigger, and you can do much more at Mount Vernon. The walk through the house was pretty boring. Walking through the slave quarters and other parts of the farm wasn't much better. Because there were no actors, there was no one to ask questions about the place. Considering both houses, I would rather go to Monticello than Mount Vernon.
In Virginia we did more field trips than any other state. I had fun everywhere, except at Mount Vernon. If I were Jefferson, I would try to invent the Wii.
- The Son
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