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219--Virginia: Smith Mountain Lake, Monticello & the WWII Monument @ CherieSpotting     Jun 08 2004 - 08:33 PST cherie writes: Wanting to explore our country, a few friends and I decided to see a bit of history. We wanted to see something old (Monticello), something new (the World War II Monument) something borrowed (our rent-a-car) and something blue (Smith Mountain Lake). Monticello is the lavish plantation home of our 3rd President Thomas Jefferson. It might be noted that Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence when he was 33. Since I'll be 33 in a matter of weeks, I am challenging myself to come up with something equally profound. To stretch our legs we stopped at the charming 20,600 acre Smith Mountain Lake, where we enjoyed the Southern hospitality of residents Cathy and Charlie. We tried to waterski Smith Mountain Lake's 500 miles of shoreline in one day. After a full day of waterskiing, experts estimate that we covered approximately 3 miles. I guess we'll have to go back and try again. Finally we explored Washington DC's newest monument--the World War II Memorial, which was formally dedicated on May 29, 2004. Of the 16 million US soldiers who served in the armed forces during WWII, more than 400,000 gave thier lives. Almost 60 years after the end of WWII, the memorial had the power to bring tears to our eyes. These are the photos. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 4108    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Cherie and Jean in front of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house. Kevin checks out the gardens. A butterfly. The view at Monticello. Thomas Jefferson had a nice pad. The charming Virginia countryside. Does anyone live there? Hay. Who wants to go jump in a lake? Greg watches from the dock. He's sitting at the dock of the bay, wasting time. Dustin's turn to jump in. Jean watches from the comfort of the dock. Her turn is coming up. Dustin puts on a show. Who came up with this crazy water-skiing idea anyway? Jean says: I can do that on one ski! There Jean goes. Faster than a speeding bullet. Tearing it up on water-skis. Smiles that won't stop. My turn. There I go disturbing the water of the peaceful Smith Mountain Lake. What's next? Dinner is served, with all the fixings. Cathy and Charlie show us the meaning of Southern hospitality. The view from Cathy and Charlie's lake house. The speed limit around Smith Mountain Lake is very precise. Cherie dishes out a bear hug. One man stands in silence at the new WWII Monument in Washington D.C. We'll never forget your sacrifice. The WWII Monument fountain is near the Washington Monument. The new WWII Monument is adorned with personal memories. The wall of stars. The monument is mesmerizing. The WWII Monument commemorates every battle fought. The WWII Memorial you can see the Lincoln Monument. The Lincoln Monument.