Washington, DC Reunion, Part 1

We had a great family reunion in Washington, DC!  Andy's family flew to SLC so we could travel to DC together.  Will met us at the DC airport and stayed at our hotel with us.  

We spent our first day at Monticello, which was a beautiful 2-hour drive through horse country.  We used the time in the car to catch up with Will, and learning a little about Thomas Jefferson.  Jefferson inherited the plantation from his father and spent 40 years designing, building, redesigning, and rebuilding his house.  The building as it is today was mostly completed in 1809, as Jefferson was finishing his presidency.  The house was smaller than I expected, but the grounds and the view were incredible.  It was fun to see the little gadgets in the house, as well as collections of books, fossils, and Native American artifacts.  Our guide told us that Jefferson was more of an improver than an inventor, but his thoughtfulness and innovation were apparent throughout the property.

Mastodon jaw in the guest entryway, near the Great Clock.

This is where Jefferson slept.
The door on the far side of the photo is hiding a set of stairs which go up to
his closet.  The portholes over the bed allow light into the closet and circulate air.

Luke and Ben tried to catch some tadpoles.

We thought it appropriate to take a picture of Will in the kitchen.

The biggest ice house ever!  Historical record indicates that it was
25 feet high inside and took 62 wagon loads of ice to fill it.  It is recorded
that ice lasted through the summer, all the way until October.

I find it striking that Jefferson did not want
"President of the United States" on his tombstone.

Philosophizing with TJ.

After spending a beautiful sunny day in Albermarle County, we drove back to DC to meet up with everyone else for the start of the reunion!  We got settled in the AirBnb and went out to dinner at Will's favorite dumpling place, which was a hit with everyone!  Then we walked across the street for roll-up ice cream before heading back to the house for some down time.

So excited to see Will!

This was originally a picture of 3 teenagers on their phones
but then a few more phone-users jumped in.

A lovely evening walk through the neighborhood with my favorite sisters.

11pm wrestling is the best way to wind down for bed
when you're sleeping with your best-girl cousin.

Luke was sleeping in a room with Wes and Sawyer but Wes and Luke came
up to our room late at night because Luke was having trouble sleeping.
(Wes said he was there for "moral support.")
The two of them ended up sleeping on the futon in our room.
Wes is curled up in the animal print blanket on the end.