Velvet Flowers

I've never seen this flower before my visit to Monticello. It's called cockscomb, named due to its unusual flower-head which appears enlarged and flattened like a fan or cockscomb. According to his records, Thomas Jefferson started sowing cockscomb at Shadwell, his boyhood home, in 1767 and it still grows in his backyard today. It is such a weird-looking flower, but the bright magenta color of the bloom is so striking. Even from great distances, your eyes would be drawn to the cockscomb in the flower beds.

Mulberry Row

This weekend is a meandering weekend filled with slow explorations of new places without agenda or schedule.

Like my leisurely strolls on paths like Mulberry Row at Monticello two weeks ago, I also enjoyed exploring for the first time Fredericksburg, Virginia this weekend and photographing its antique sites and treasures. Since there is still more photographs to share from my Monticello visit, I'll be posting my Fredericksburg photographs later in the week.

Postcard View of Monticello

All landscape photographers are looking to take a photograph that could be used on a souvenir postcard. The most common postcard images of Monticello are either aerial images of the plantation or photographs featuring the entire back side of the family house.

I prefer this side view of the back side of Monticello as a postcard image. From this vantage point, you can really appreciate the architectural attributes of its design, which would not be as apparent when photographing the back straight on and losing depth of field.

Jefferson Coat of Arms

I've mentioned before on the blog my love of lions. So, you can imagine how pleased I was to find a lion used in the gold coat of arms on the Jefferson family cemetery entrance gate.

Inscribed in the seal are the words, "Ab eo libertas a quo spiritus" which loosely translates to mean "He who gives life gives liberty." It's an ironic motto for slave-owning family, because their slaves' liberty was held by man and not their creator.

Inside Looking Out

Underneath Monticello, running the length of the home, is a tunnel used by Jefferson's house staff to maintain the house and grounds. This dark, stone-lined tunnel connected the slaves to a variety of service rooms used for storage, cleaning and cooking for the main house. During the day, the only daylight present came from these half circle windows which were scattered along along the corridor and in the ancillary rooms.

While Monticello's surroundings were beautiful, how sad it must have been for the slaves who spent so many hours in this tunnel, fulfilling their role in Jefferson's household. Whether they prepared the family's meals or maintained Jefferson's extensive wine and beer cellars or laundered and ironed clothes and linens, the only glimpse of Monticello's spectacular view during working hours was through these tiny windows.

Metamorphosis on the Hill

Finally, the United States' debt ceiling has been raised. Living in the thick of it here in Washington, DC, the debt ceiling debates was all anyone around here could talk about. I'm grateful that it has been resolved and Congress and the White House can tackle other monumental issues before we have to talk about raising the ceiling again next year.

The one bright spot after weeks of Congressional ugliness occurred during the House of Representatives vote on the debt ceiling bill Monday night. Unexpectedly, Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) arrived to vote. Since surviving an assassination attempt in Tucson earlier this year, Giffords has been working on her recovery in hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Arizona and Texas and staying out of the spotlight. Although her appearance was different, Giffords did not look like a woman who suffered a near-fatal gunshot wound to her head only eight months ago. Instead, she looked resilient, strong and determined. In a statement to the media, she explained that she came back to Washington, DC for this vote because she wanted to ensure that the voices of her district's constituents were heard and noted.

Life often calls us to face challenges we never could have imagined. When arriving for that Saturday town hall meeting in January, Giffords and the other participants had no idea what the day would hold, how their lives would be changed. In just a few moments, the trajectory of Gifffords' life and the other victims morphed into something completely different. Those life-altering moments offer us the chance to morph into a butterfly seeking recovery and resilience, or remain a powerless victim of circumstance and others' destructive actions. Like Giffords, we must choose to morph into a resilient butterfly.

Giffords' appearance yesterday changed her colleagues in the room, as well as the citizens watching around the country. Her presence gave people hope that things could get better, and even stubborn politicians could be caring and empathetic. When she walked into the Capitol Building on Monday, she did not ask the world to treat her like a victim. She demanded them to see her as a courageous equal who can place country and others before herself. Perhaps if they had looked at the world through Gabby Giffords' eyes, this issue could have been resolved weeks ago. If only politicians acted like butterflies instead of limited, short-sighted caterpillars.

The Art of Goodbye

I'm not fond of goodbyes, and I know I'm not alone. Growing up, I was oblivious to goodbyes. Most of the time, I rarely recognized when goodbyes were needed. I assumed that goodbye was something you said when you left someone's company at their home or at the end of an occasion just to be polite. I had no idea as a child that goodbyes are a process, an opportunity to acknowledge the passing or change in circumstances, or perhaps even a relationship.

As an adult, goodbyes have become something completely different. At times, goodbyes can be as simple as "see you later" or "see you again soon," or more complex as in "I'll miss you" or "we may never see each other again." As the years pass, I'm faced with more complex goodbyes and I'm not happy about it. I cry less now at these complex farewells; in the beginning, I would cry like a baby. I try to end these goodbyes with "I love you," recognizing that life is short and may not provide other moments to share those feelings. It's comforting to say during those departures. Plus, I like "I love you" to be the last words for awhile.

Goodbyes signal endings, but can be beginnings too. Goodbyes herald change -- good or bad. Goodbyes require our hearts to be steadfast, yet flexible to changing situations and relationships. So all we can do is seize these goodbye moments when they happen and make them honest and memorable. And always give big hugs. The bigger the hug goodbye, the longer the warmth of that affection lingers after you leave. In my experience, it makes saying goodbye a little easier.