Virginia in the Spring

My Cure for Wanderlust

Each winter I hunker down, read, write, and watch a lot of British mysteries.  During my hybernation, I tell myself I’ll be content to stay inside my little house for ever.  But then the sun comes out, the crocuses and daffodils begin to flower, and my wanderlust returns. Like Mr. Toad of Wind in the Willows, I feel a coursing in my veins, and my feet begin to  itch. I long to be on the road again.

“Here today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you and a horizon that’s always changing!” (Grahame, 1908).

Road Scholar to the Rescue

Along with several flower and vegetable seed catalogs that I receive each winter (I’ve discussed what those do to me HERE), I also receive catalogs from a variety of cruise and travel companies. This year, in anticipation of my annual wanderlust, I reserved a spot on a Road Scholar journey to Charlottesville, Virginia. There, I was promised, I would learn about presidents Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, and visit their homes, Monticello, Montpelier, and Highland, all day trips from Charlottesville. A week of lectures, field trips, entertainment and themed meals to study the birth of our country through the writings and actions of three presidents who were friends and neighbors.

One of the draws of this particular trip was its proximity to my daughter’s home in Arlington, Virginia. After the Road Scholar adventure ended, I would travel a couple of hours north and play with my granddaughter for a few days.

When I know I’ll need to adjust to a new time zone, I like to arrive a day ahead of time.  Sunday found me wandering through the historic shopping district of Charlottesville. What I was doing was looking for a slice of ham, scrapple or grits, and red-eye gravy, foods I had enjoyed in the 1970s when I lived in Virginia.  Alas, the historic district of Charlottesville has been heavily influenced by its proximity to the University of Virginia (UVA). What I found instead was craft beer, farm-to-table cuisine, and tequila shots. I finally settled for a hamburger at Citizen Burger, which had been recommended by several shopkeepers along the mall, and a glass of Stout.

The lean beef hamburger was delicious, if messy, and the accompanying Coconut Chocolate Stout washed it down nicely. I struggled to eat the sweet potato fries, which were covered in a batter and fried, and the French fried pickle affixed to my hamburger with a skewer. While I tussled with my greasy meal and drank my stout, I watched Tottenham’s football team score a goal against Liverpool. For what Citizen Burger really was, it turned out, was a sports bar.

The first day of our Road Scholar adventure we learned about Thomas Jefferson’s life.  Then we traveled to  the University of Virginia, which he designed, and Monticello, the home he also designed and in which he spent his latter days. I learned about the influence of Enlightenment writers on Jefferson, and thus on our founding documents, and about his friendships with Presidents Monroe and Madison. After dinner we were treated to a wonderful fiddle player, who entertained us with Revolutionary War and Civil War tunes. At the end of that long day my Fitbit registered 13,500 steps. I soaked my throbbing feet in a tub of very hot water and bath salts, a Christmas gift that I had tucked into my suitcase “just in case.”

I was amazed by the show of flowering trees and plants in Central Virginia. Forsythia was flowering in profusion, as well as apple, pear, and cherry trees. Redbud, which I don’t think we have in California, were just beginning to bloom, as were the daffodils, which seemed to be planted everywhere. We had been blessed with a sunny day for our first day’s outings, and our drives through the countryside were splendiferous.

Tuesday was devoted to James Madison. We learned about his early life, his education at the College of New Jersey, now Princeton, and his ill health. One of our lecturers wrote a book about Peter Jennings, Madison’s enslaved manservant, and when we visited Montpelier we learned that she had interviewed several members of the Jennings family to learn his story, and also organized a reunion of his decendents. Tuesday was chilly, overcast, and threatening to rain. It didn’t, though. Our entertainment that night was music played on the glass armonica, invented by Benjamin Franklin. Certainly a unique look into the past.

Wednesday emerged bright and sunny again. Our Peter Jennings scholar treated us to several fascinating facts about his life and those of his wife and children. We had the afternoon off, so I hired an Uber to take me 40 miles north to Twin Oaks Community, which I will write about another time. Suffice it to say, it was an interesting and satisfying visit. And if you ever need an absolutely amazing Uber Driver in the DC area or central Virginia, let me know.

Back from Twin Oaks, I dropped my iPhone on the concrete walkway and rendered it speechless. Fortunately there was a repair shop nearby. I spent a pleasant hour sitting in a wine bar while a technician next door mended my umbilical cord to the world.

Random Thoughts

The wine bar is called RockSalt. It serves Greek Wine. And five kinds of oysters – half price during Happy Hour.

My phone is being repaired while I eat oysters and drink Greek wine. How cool is that?

The locals call this Cville, as in Cville Weekly, and Best of Cville. I’m not sure how I feel about that. It seems a bit insulting for such a grand old city. But once again, I suspect the name, much like the mall itself, is influenced by its relationship to UVA, which is both historic and totally current. And very very popular this week, since they made it into the Final Four Men’s Basketball tournament for the first time in 35 years. (And won both of their games, I might add, and the championship.)

On our last day in Charlottesville, we were treated by a visit from James Monroe, apparently reincarnated. During his hour-long monologue, he reviewed the friendship, sometimes fraught, between him, Madison, and Jefferson, and commented also on the behavior of such notables as Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and General George Washington. He was fun.

Summing Up

I’m finishing this post at Reagan National Airport, near Washington D.C. Looking back on the week with Road Scholar I feel like I’ve finished a semester-long intensive history and sociology seminar. It was great fun and intellectually stimulating. My visit with family was also memorable. On Saturday night my son-in-law and I I watched UVA win its first Final Four tournament game in the last seconds of the final half, and Sunday I accompanied my daughter and granddaughter to a children’s musical rendition of Babar the Elephant played by the National Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.

All in all, a great cure for wanderlust. I’m ready now to be back in my little house and to walk along the coast with Kismet, my wonderful canine companion.

Do you ever feel a wanderlust?  What do you do about it?  I’d love to hear your stories.

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