We had not taken a day trip for awhile, so decided it might be a good time to go back to Montpelier since it was renovated to it's original state. James Madison's home is located in between Culpeper and Monticello and is about a two hour drive from Washington DC. We visited there when we first moved to DC, but at the time the house was being renovated from the pink DuPont monstrosity back to the original state, so there was not much to see. Even though it was dreary outside today, the trip was fun because our dear friend came along with us. And that always makes it more entertaining. Along the way we saw a tree full of turkey vultures, and on the way back they were feasting on a deer carcass. After all, Montpelier is out in the sticks, surrounded by a retired thoroughbred horse farm established by the last owners, the DuPonts. But our journey was to learn more about the behind the scenes man who seemed to be out shined by his more verbose, vivacious, and likable wife Dolly. And, I work at the Library of Congress where there is a Montpelier Room, and is also home to the Madison papers. There is even a statue of him in Madison Hall in the Madison Building. You do come away with an even greater respect for the guy, but for some reason, he seems to be lost among the more prominent kinsmen of the time. It makes you wonder how one moved about when all this important stuff was being discussed. And once you arrived you stayed for awhile. At least now it only takes two hours rather then three days. Some things have changed, but his thoughtful contributions to our American history have not.
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