Montpelier

I had originally planned to go hiking yesterday, to Marys Rock where supposedly the bird-watching in autumn is excellent, due to the migrations of various birds of prey. Instead, I chose to visit Montpelier, restored home of president James Madison. They just finished restoring it recently, and had their grand opening last week, I believe. Unfortunately, "finished" did not include furniture. Some of the walls were painted, most were coated with varying stages of plaster application (there are three different coats if one chooses the plaster route, apparently). Unfinished rooms aside, it's a beautiful home for the most part, with the most amazing triple-paned windows (designed by Thomas Jefferson) in the drawing room, which opened far enough to become doors! Aside from the main house, I walked through a very small cottage, built probably at the end of the 19th century, which was used for guests in the early 20th century (rustic vacation, anyone?), checked out the gardens briefly - I love gardens, but the very formal style I just don't find interesting or beautiful at all; and briefly peered at the furniture, which is being kept in a barn for the time being. Lastly, I went for a walk in the Landmark Forest, which had three trails that added up to about a mile of walking. I had to quit early, though, because I wasn't enjoying it nearly as much as I should have. The potential existed, it merely stopped short of being realized. I must have been the first person in months to walk the paths, as I kept running into spiderwebs running across the path - some with spiders still in them! Shudder. On the way back, managed 43 mpg, going pretty much the speed limit (attention drivers! Driving the speed limit does have its advantages), though I burned quite a bit trying to pass a couple cars that could not achieve a consistent speed. Note to self...