ok, so we are back from this break...and i am so glad......the weather was rainy and 35 or so the entire 6 days we were gone.......i wore basically the same outfit for most fo the time...just because it was warm.......we saw uva through the car window....as it was dark by the time we got to town....and the next morning it was rainy and cold.......monticello is always a pleasure..then on to williamsburg, where we opted not to pay for admission, because the youngest in our group had been so impatient and disinterested at monticello that we felt it would be a complete waste of cash.........and that is how it worked out...we were in the restored area no less than 25 minutes before she was bored and asking when we were going to eat again.......we did see the wren building at w&m...and looked around........on to chincoteague seashore, where cayle took off her shoes and socks, ran into the water, trotted back to the car, put back on her shoes and socks, then proceeded to play in the waves and sand despite the windchill of sub-freezing temp with her brother, whose lips were blue by the time he was made to come back to the car...he was determined to build a sandcastle...and build he did.........on to anapolis....where we had a bonafide tour of st. john's college.......of every building and nook and cranny...it does seem a place for someone who would like to learn greek and read the great books.......we had a marvelous visit with ecw's oldest brother nick and his wife roseanne..he showed no sign of his brain tumor....and has had a recent checkup that seemed promising despite the presence of the tumor.....he is planning to retire in november.......he sent back 7 rose bushes and and assortment of boxwood and perennials for a 'cottage garden' in my side yard.....scw and i spent a day in georgetown area of dc......saw hillwood estate, and marjorie merriweather post's russian collections and gardens.............lovely........so did i have a good time? it was so good to get away.....i did read a great deal of my john adams book.......and found out a bit of timely trivia......on his second voyage to france to serve as ambassador, the boat left him and his two sons off in northern spain, and he was forced to travel by mule through towns like burgos and bilbao on his way to the french frontier......he actually wrote and posted a letter to his wife from bilbao......... i missed acw on this trip.....i have never before gone without him.....he is as good a traveler as scw......but it is over. and now i am home.....i am going to get a load of mulch after i leave scw off at the act test......and i plan to spend the next 2 days totally devoted to my garden.......