Happy Birthday Mister President

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 by P. Allen Smith, 3 comments

In honor of one of my personal heroes and in celebration of Thomas Jefferson's birthday on April 13th, I'd like to share a very brief visual tour of when I went to Monticello recently. We filmed an entire episode there for my show P. Allen Smith's Garden to Table but I'd just like to remember back right now some of grounds and gardens with some imagery from my visit.

The Gardens and Grounds at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's Home

Josephs’ Coat (Amaranthus tricolor) found along the Winding Walk on Monticello's West Lawn.

The Pavilion with its double-sash windows, Chinese railing, and pyramidal roof in the Vegetable Garden that Jefferson frequently used as a quiet retreat where he could read in the evenings.

The remarkable Vegetable Garden Terrace Wall as viewed from the South Orchard.

Here I am in the Northwest Vineyard with Gabriele Rausse, one of the founders of the modern Virginia grape industry. Gabriele oversees the production of wine at Monticello as well as the care of the restored vineyards, which continue to serve as experimental gardens of unusual varieties of grapes.

This is Monticello Grove on the northwest side of Monticello Mountain and a spectacular sunset on an amazing trip that checked off another item from my bucket list.